Skechers Flex Advantage Shoes Review – Are They Making Good Shoes?

There is a growing awareness in New Zealand of the importance of good quality shoes, and specialty sports shoe stores are meeting a growing demand for shoes that have proper arch support and a well constructed heel, with a good impact absorbing sole.
Anyone that spends a lot of time standing, does a lot of walking, or is serious about running knows how important a good shoe is, and how a bad shoe can actually damage your feet.

I have bad feet, like the rest of me, they don’t work properly, and so I have to wear good quality shoes with proper arch support and a well constructed heel. For the last 10 years I’ve been buying my shoes from speciality stores, it’s not cheap, a good pair of shoes can cost $2-300, but they generally have knowledgeable staff. I’ve always looked in general shoe shops, but they all seem to be competing on price, selling very low quality shoes with flat soles that are generally bad for you.

So when I was contacted by Skechers asking if I wanted to try a pair of their new range I was a little skeptical. As a brand they are mostly known for open flat womens slip ons, not proper shoes, certainly not blokes shoes. I told them I needed proper shoes and they were very honest about saying yes, a lot of our shoes won’t work for you, but we have a new range of mens shoes about to be released that might work. We’ll give you a call when they are out.

This is interesting I thought, they understand something about the difference between a supportive shoe and a fashion item, and they want to make sure I get a pair that will work for me. So when they contacted me again, I arranged to go into the St Lukes Skechers store to try a pair of Skechers Flex Advantage shoes on. The store is pretty much what you would expect, down one wall it’s all slip on womens footwear. But the other wall was a little more interesting, covered in a wider than expected range of men’s footwear, and some of it looked pretty good. I picked up a few different pairs and they seemed pretty well put together, with arch support and even a reinforced heel.

The staff were friendly, and the girl who helped me, surprisingly knowledgeable. She knew what pronate means (when your ankles roll in, it can be quite painful) and she understood what was needed in a shoe to correct it. She knew exactly how the Skechers sizing worked, and was able to find me a pair of the new Flex Advantage Cover Action that fit without needing to size my foot. Skechers have clearly invested some time in training their staff about shoes and feet, and putting the right foot in the right shoe.

These are an interesting shoe. They are very lightweight (a Skechers trait) with a memory foam sole insert, and quite a soft rubber sole. If you’ve never tried a memory foam shoe before, it is an interesting experience. Feels a bit like putting on a soft mud pie. It takes a few minutes for the foam to warm up, then it moulds itself around your feet, even a little bit between the toes. It is a bit like stepping in a warm, but firm cow pat. Farmers will appreciate how nice a feeling that is (if you haven’t tried it, go visit a farm).
But Unlike a cow pat there is no mess, and the warmth and support comes with you when you take a step.

That is the other interesting thing, this shoe is actually supportive. There is built up arch support, and the heel is reinforced to provide some stability for your ankles. Combined with some good solid construction, this was a pair of shoes I could wear, and wear comfortably. With a $139 price tag they were nearly half the price of the shoes I walked in wearing, and the first shoes I’ve found from a non-specialist sports shoe store that looked good and were good for my feet.

It appears Skechers have seen the gap in the market for a well priced, good quality shoe that offers some proper support and won’t ruin your feet that is also stylish, and they have jumped at the chance to fill it. So what are they like after wearing them for 2 weeks, and how do they compare to a much more expensive shoe?
It did take me 2 days to get used to them and for my feet to adjust, but that’s normal for any new shoe for me. After 2 weeks I’m still not totally used to the memory foam. It’s very comfortable when walking, but I keep pressing my toes into it if I’m sitting down anywhere, and when you stand up it sometimes takes a second for the foam to reshape itself around your foot. When you take them off the foam returns to it’s resting state, so putting them back on means they need a few steps to readjust and take the shape of your foot again. It’s not intrusive, just different, and you are aware of it if there is nothing else grabbing your attention.

The Arch support and heel construction is not as good as a more expensive dedicated cross trainer or running shoe, but I think that is to be expected given the lower price point and more stylish looks of the Skechers. I have no problem walking for an hour in them, or wearing them around home and office all day, but I wouldn’t want to go on a long walk in them, or stand in them all day. But then my feet are bad, someone with a more normal foot would have no problems.

The lightweight sole is quite soft, I’m enjoying not having a heavy cross trainer or business shoe on my feet, but as well as being light, it’s feels slightly squishy sometimes. I have had moments when stepping on an edge, or on uneven ground where you can feel it move around. It’s not uncomfortable, just different and takes a little getting used to. I was worried that being soft it wouldn’t wear very well, but that doesn’t appear to be a problem.

Style wise they are trendy, slightly hipster, but fall well short of having a top knot. A simple black upper on a white sole suites pretty much any level of dress, and they came with both black laces for the more conservative, and white laces if you want to be a little bit more “hipster”. Or you can put different laces on each shoe and try to bring back a bad 90s fashion trend.

There are lots of different designs built on the same sole, many of which are a lot more colourful. Given the usually dark and boring colours worn by so many Kiwi men, it was great to see some colour in the store and some different options.

 

So, are they good shoes?

Yes, more support and better built than most offerings in the market, but not as good as a dedicated cross trainer or running shoe.

But, they are far lighter and far more fashionable than a cross trainer or running shoe, and can be worn in more professional settings.

The brand is going to scare some people off, but if you’re worried about the brand name on your shoes, hand in your man card and go get a job at the local hair dressers.

Skechers have done a great job educating their staff, they know whats good for your feet and what isn’t.

The memory foam inner sole takes some getting used to, its comfortable and does it’s job, but it’s still a novel idea.

Would I go back?

Yes, I think I will go and have a look when this pair need replacing.

-Moppie

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