solid, supportive walking shoe to replace Brooks Addiction Walkers?

February 15, 2022 10:25 AM

I have worn and loved Brooks Addiction Walkers for many years. Reviews say they're now terrible. What's a good replacement?

I am prone to pronation (heh), and I have good custom orthotics that help a lot. When I got them, my doctor recommended really good walking shoes, and I ended up with Brooks Addiction Walkers. However, they've replaced them with a new and much maligned version - the Walker 2 - that gets scathing reviews.

Can you recommend good, solid, supportive walking shoes?

If you have a tendency to pronate, or if you've previously had Brooks Addiction Walkers, I would especially like to know that.

I typically walk 2-4 miles every day on urban sidewalks.

Bonus question: have you had success buying shoes online? How do you deal with getting the right fit?

Thank you!

posted by kristi to Health & Fitness (9 answers total)

That's bad news for me - I lived in those. The only reason I'm not wearing them now is because I ended up in a pair of New Balance when I had to buy a pair while I was traveling. These are the ones I have and apparently they are made for overpronaters. I went into a running shoe shop and had these recommended so apparently I'm an overpronater too.
posted by PussKillian at 10:36 AM on February 15, 2022

I have the Hoka One One Arahi 4 and love them. They are good for pronation, which I’m also affected by. I don’t run in them—I only use them as a walking shoe and I love them. They were recommended to me by my local sports store shoe expert guy when I told him I wanted a good walking shoe and he confirmed I’m a pronator.

I’ve never been able to buy shoes online, because most? all? online shoe stores in Canada don’t do the “free returns till you find one that fits” thing.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 11:00 AM on February 15, 2022

have you had success buying shoes online? How do you deal with getting the right fit?

There are stores like Running Warehouse, Zappos (Amazon), and directly from the manufacturer that have free returns even if the shoe is used, but you should really only try them on indoors. I still try to go locally in person anyway, because I can try on a lot more shoes in less time than it takes to return a single pair bought online.
posted by meowzilla at 12:59 PM on February 15, 2022

In buying shoes online I've found Running Warehouse's specific details about fit (which they seem to update for each year's version of a model) helpful. They describe things like stack height and whether the toe box is wide/medium/narrow.
posted by needs more cowbell at 1:29 PM on February 15, 2022

I might try stopping by On the Run in the Inner Sunset and talking to a salesperson. Some are newer and mostly sales-oriented, but the more experienced, thorough salespeople can be incredibly helpful for pointing you in the right direction for shoe-buying generally, rather than just their own stock. (I'm an over-supinator, the opposite of you, and got some custom 3/4-length insoles made there a few years back that were an absolute godsend for recovering from plantar fasciitis.)
posted by knucklebones at 2:55 PM on February 15, 2022

My daughter has the Brooks Adrenaline and she worked a job where she was on her feet all day and it cleared up her plantar fasciitis right away. They are also a stabilizing shoe, but slightly less stabilizing than the Addiction. However, if you otherwise like the fit and feel of Brooks shoes, you should find them similar, as each manufacturer tends to have a standardized last across its ranges that does or does not work for a given person.
posted by drlith at 3:53 PM on February 15, 2022

I also came to say Brooks Adrenaline. I do a lot of daily walking on pavements (about 1.5 hours fast walking) and these are my holy grail. I have flat feet and overpronate. If you sound similar, I would highly recommend.
posted by Salamander at 4:41 PM on February 15, 2022

I've been wearing Saucony Echelon as a stable, neutral shoe - my orthotics are designed to stop me pronating so my shoe doesn't need to be engineered that way if it is supportive. It comes in a walker version that would be worth checking out. My favourite part - in comparison to similar shoes they seem to be much lighter!
posted by cholly at 5:57 PM on February 15, 2022

Hoka’s are awesome and they let you wear them for 30 days OUTSIDE and still be able to return them. But when they discontinued the style that was perfect for me, I looked elsewhere. the Dansko Pace was a godsend for me.. Equivalent to the stability of my favorite Hoka, but holds up MUCH better (Hoka’s are not known for longevity). cushioning is fabulous. Bet best part for me is a wide toebox. With my bunion I need toe room, but a wide sized shoe is too loose on my heel. The Dansko’s are immediately comfortable, great arch support (but I still wear them with my orthotics), great for correcting overpronation, well cushioned yet supportive shoe that is made to last a long time. As far as buying online, it’s fine if you already know the shoe style and size you like and you are simply re-ordering. If you do not know the shoe you are buying, just buy somewhere like Hoka (direct) with a great return policy and order a couple of different styles and/or sizes if you are not sure which will work.
posted by Lylo at 11:47 PM on February 15, 2022