ALTRAMen's Escalante 4 Road Running Shoe

The Altra Escalante 4 (In size 9) have quickly become one of my favorite pairs of shoes. They were incredibly comfortable right out of the box and required almost no break-in period. I really appreciate the simple yet sleek design, striking the perfect balance between minimal and stylish. I've been wearing them both for hospital rounds and for running, and they’ve held up impressively well in both settings. All around, I’m very happy with this purchase and glad I decided to give them a try. I do believe they are worth the money.

I bought these for my husband a few years ago. He struggles to find comfortable shoes in his size 13.5. He needed a durable shoe that could last the amount of time he spends on his feet. We were about to walk all over NYC in a day and half last fall, 13 miles on one day, without his feet barking the next day! The nonslip sole allows him to hustle even if raining. He wants them in another color.

I only have a few miles of walking on these, but I like them so far. I am heavier at 6', 230 and usually walk 5 miles per day, broken up into shorter distances (usually no more than a mile at a time.) My right foot is wider than my left, and my pinky toe is often problematic. It does rub a bit in these shoes (left foot if perfect). I find that as I use them, and once I get walking, they seem to work fine, I don't have any pain after walking. My right pinky toe issue is my problem and does not have anything to do with the shoes themselves. Maybe I need an extra wide shoe on my right foot. These shoes are very light, seem to breathe really well, and I like the way they look; understated, a bit sporty, but no over-the-top graphics. They are very nice when I am in motion, but would not be comfortable to stand around in all day (but if you were light in weight, they might be fine.) I don't expect them to last a long time (for me most modern shoes are shot at 300-500 miles). If I can get that much out of them, I will be happy.

These shoes are amazing. They have some spring to them like shoes used too. Not just soft foam that you sink into like Hoka. I average 10,000 steps a day at work in a hospital and these have held up.

I actually love these shoes. Super comfortable, lightweight and seemingly sturdy/well constructed. However the first day I noticed that the bottom of the tongue was folded over and for a few weeks I thought it was just the way I was putting on the shoe. And then I noticed the tongue was not fully stitched onto the shoe on one side. So while the I give Altra an A+ on everything else, due to lack of quality control I have to take away 2 stars. Unfortunately you don't notice these things sometimes until after the return deadline so now I'm stuck with one and a half shoes. I would probably buy from Altra again but just make sure you inspect the shoes for defects. Wish I could just get them replaced but too late at this point it's been 2 months

** Keep in mind, I'm not some crazy advanced runner. I mostly use these shoes for running outside 4-6 miles when the weather is nice and for the gym.Haven't had the Escalante 4s for long but they have quickly become my favorite pair of Altra shoe's I've owned. I've had my ups and downs with Altra but I don't think there's an all around better brand right now for zero drop running/training shoes. My first pair were the Torin 6s and they immediately got me hooked with their great cushioning and stability. However, they did suffer from some quality issue with bits of the outsole rubber peeling off and the upper ripping slightly in places just a couple of months into owning them. Because of this I decided to give the Provision 8s a try since they had overall great reviews and I had the opposite issue; they held up super well but I didn't love how they felt and eventually ended up with foot pain and shin splints. Later I realized this was my fault for not doing more research before buying them since neutral shoes are best for my feet and these have support for pronation which likely was part of the issue.Now giving the Escalante 4s a go they just feel like a lighter, snappier Torin (which I love)! My feet aren't getting fatigued in them and there's enough cushion to not feel like my battering my legs on the road like some more minimal shoes can do. If you want a great all around zero drop running/trianing shoe, give these a try. Hopefully they hold up just as well as my old Provisions did.

Stitching started unraveling within 2 months of normal use, causing tongue to detach from shoe. Amazon Seller (Has Brands) only accepts returns during 30-day return window, regardless of whether product is defective. Manufacturer (Altra) won't provide warranty support because Has Brands is not an "authorized retailer." So I'm stuck with a defective shoe despite paying full price. Buyer beware (of Has Brands and Altra)!!

These shoes are excellent quality. My husband got these for his running and working out shoes and they look different than most athletic shoes. They are very comfortable, according to him and they don’t have as much wear and tear as other shoes he has gotten. Worth it.