Help me sneaker shop, online.

January 25, 2021 2:39 PM

I need to purchase a new pair of workout sneakers online, and my current faves have been discontinued. Help me find the ones that'll suit me?

The parameters I'm looking for:
-- I've been wearing Adidas for a while, and happy in them. Size 8.5 or 9 (my one bone to pick with Adidas is that their sizing varies wildly from model to model, so I will need to order both sizes to try, probably).
-- I absolutely require a good amount of padding/cushioning under the ball of my foot. This is my #1 requirement. I don't know how to discern this while online shopping. Is there some key word that would help me narrow it down?
-- I'm a bit of a pronator but this is a distant #2 concern behind the cushioning.
-- If the shoes come from Zappos that's great since they offer free shipping both ways.
-- Don't really care about colors but if I have a choice I'll avoid all white since they get dirty so easily.

Suggestions?

posted by BlahLaLa to Shopping (6 answers total)

Best answer: "Forefoot stack height" is the term for the amount of cushioning under the ball of your foot. There's also heel stack height, with most shoes having a higher heel stack height than forefoot stack height. Runningwarehouse.com lists this for all their shoes (and lets you search by stack height categories--here's "maximal stack height.") and also does free shipping both ways.

Hokas are expensive but very cushioned. A lot of Altra models are too, and I like them for their wide toe box, but they're all zero-drop (the forefoot and heel are the same height) which feels different, can take some getting used to, and isn't for everyone.
posted by needs more cowbell at 3:02 PM on January 25, 2021 [1 favorite]

I would suggest googling the name or serial number of the model you like and something like the word "replacement." I bet there's some reddit forum where people try to find what the newer/most similar version of discontinued shoes is. I used something like this years ago, and it worked great.
posted by bluedaisy at 3:55 PM on January 25, 2021

Another vote for Hokas - their cushioning is supreme. They are expensive, yes, but you can pick up used pairs on rei used and if the condition is "Excellent" they're just returns which are essentially brand new (I'm a 9 in Adidas, 8.5 in Hokas).
posted by my log does not judge at 8:00 PM on January 25, 2021

I just contacted the company who made a shoe that fit really well and asked which of their new models used the same last. Got the answer, new shoe fit great.
posted by jeather at 8:32 PM on January 25, 2021

Sometimes, you can improve arch support with insoles with your existing shoes.
posted by kschang at 11:13 AM on January 26, 2021

Response by poster: I did purchase a pair of Hokas, though I was put off by just how cushioned some looked (online) -- like, it seemed to be nutty levels of cushioning?? -- and chose one that seemed less cushioned. Based on my comfort level -- medium -- it's clear I should have just given in to the cush. I will next time but for now I'm okay. Thank you!
posted by BlahLaLa at 6:37 PM on February 18, 2021