They stopped making my favorite shoes. I need replacement suggestions.
March 21, 2025 5:52 AM Subscribe
For years I have worn and loved Saucony Originals Bullets, but they don't make them anymore. There are used ones out there, which I'm not interested in....what I want is a replacement.
The Bullet was a minimal shoe - very thin, almost like a low-topped wrestling shoe. Because I travel extensively for work, I need a shoe that packs down light and thin in my suitcase, but is still strong/solid enough for the rigors of the gym or walking around town on an overnight.
The Bullet was my perfect travel sneaker. It was durable, good for the gym, looked good with jeans or khakis on an overnight. Reminded me of a low-top wrestling shoe or rock climbing shoe and had enough fashion....cred....I guess, that it was just a dash of hip.
Current Sauncony offerings are too thick in the sole for my needs.
I looked at Onitsuka Tigers (I had a cool pair a long time ago and wish I hadn't let them go) but the ones I find aren't the ones I want and the ones I do like are super-expensive and have to be imported, it seems.
Addidas Sambas/Puma Palermos are really nice, I have both, but again, soles are too thick. Gotta be a thin, minimal sneaker.
What's a boy to do here, looking for a new, thin, fashionable sneaker that does it all?
Open to ideas, especially if it's a brand with a wide variety of colors/options.
The Bullet was a minimal shoe - very thin, almost like a low-topped wrestling shoe. Because I travel extensively for work, I need a shoe that packs down light and thin in my suitcase, but is still strong/solid enough for the rigors of the gym or walking around town on an overnight.
The Bullet was my perfect travel sneaker. It was durable, good for the gym, looked good with jeans or khakis on an overnight. Reminded me of a low-top wrestling shoe or rock climbing shoe and had enough fashion....cred....I guess, that it was just a dash of hip.
Current Sauncony offerings are too thick in the sole for my needs.
I looked at Onitsuka Tigers (I had a cool pair a long time ago and wish I hadn't let them go) but the ones I find aren't the ones I want and the ones I do like are super-expensive and have to be imported, it seems.
Addidas Sambas/Puma Palermos are really nice, I have both, but again, soles are too thick. Gotta be a thin, minimal sneaker.
What's a boy to do here, looking for a new, thin, fashionable sneaker that does it all?
Open to ideas, especially if it's a brand with a wide variety of colors/options.
These might be too thin-soled for serious walking and you might find the branding a bit obnoxious but Feiyue. (Searching for "martial arts shoe" or "kung fu shoe" on Amazon will get you a lot of similar options, but Feiyue is the main brand.)
posted by caek at 6:24 AM on March 21 [2 favorites]
posted by caek at 6:24 AM on March 21 [2 favorites]
Search "lightweight" shoes too. Check out the Adidas SL72 line and some of their Japan and Y3 lines may have the type of profile you're looking for.
posted by GamblingBlues at 6:35 AM on March 21
posted by GamblingBlues at 6:35 AM on March 21
I don't know if they're very aesthetic, but Softstar has some. You might also use "barefoot" as a search term; that's used often to describe wrestling-type shoes.
posted by hydra77 at 7:14 AM on March 21 [1 favorite]
posted by hydra77 at 7:14 AM on March 21 [1 favorite]
I came in to rec Feiyue as well. Worst case you're out $35 if they aren't what you need.
posted by potrzebie at 7:24 AM on March 21
posted by potrzebie at 7:24 AM on March 21
Oh or you might also like Flux Footwear. I've got an older pair and the soles are thinner than they look. They have this unique sort of bumpy, massagey insole I really like. But I guess it's not clear to me whether you like the look of a thin sole or the feel of a thin sole; if what's important is look, the current offerings I see at Flux probably aren't it.
Xero shoes definitely have thin soles, but they might take some getting used to if you're going for long walks in them. Unfortunately most minimal shoes are going for an almost aggressively unhip look, to me anyway. If you're into the idea of doing the full minimalist shoe you might also look at Vivo Barefoot. And here are some potential other ideas. If you dig the barefoot look but want more padding, you could just add your own insoles to beef them up a bit.
posted by potrzebie at 8:32 AM on March 21
Xero shoes definitely have thin soles, but they might take some getting used to if you're going for long walks in them. Unfortunately most minimal shoes are going for an almost aggressively unhip look, to me anyway. If you're into the idea of doing the full minimalist shoe you might also look at Vivo Barefoot. And here are some potential other ideas. If you dig the barefoot look but want more padding, you could just add your own insoles to beef them up a bit.
posted by potrzebie at 8:32 AM on March 21
Best answer: Maybe try Asics Tiger Runner II or Asics Skyhand OG?
posted by QueenHawkeye at 10:10 AM on March 21
posted by QueenHawkeye at 10:10 AM on March 21
Best answer: I haven't worn their sneakers specifically, but I have some boots from Lems and they're great. Very thin and flexible (even the boots pack down pretty small) and to my eye they look a little more like normal shoes than a lot of the barefoot brands. The ones I have are one of the variations on the "Boulder" boot, and the "Primal" sneaker series looks like it might be a good substitute for your linked sneakers. They've got a variety of other models as well, and sometimes have some fun colors available.
posted by duien at 10:43 AM on March 21 [1 favorite]
posted by duien at 10:43 AM on March 21 [1 favorite]
Yeah, I was going to say Adidas. The Samba is just classic. It might not be quite as low profile as those Sauconys (very nice, btw), but they're pretty minimalist, and have that gym capable but street cool Venn diagram nailed.
There may be some Brooks out there that are pretty low profile, these, maybe? But they're pretty function oriented, and don't have near the style points of a nice pair of Sauconys.
Also comes to mind that Diadora still makes shoes. Tons of cred there, if you can find the pair that fits your needs.
posted by Smedly, Butlerian jihadi at 11:15 AM on March 21
There may be some Brooks out there that are pretty low profile, these, maybe? But they're pretty function oriented, and don't have near the style points of a nice pair of Sauconys.
Also comes to mind that Diadora still makes shoes. Tons of cred there, if you can find the pair that fits your needs.
posted by Smedly, Butlerian jihadi at 11:15 AM on March 21
Best answer: Have you looked at Adidas Originals line: like Tokyo or Taekwando?
I also read a whole back about the Mexican brand PANAM, which are pretty inexpensive.
posted by vunder at 11:19 AM on March 21
I also read a whole back about the Mexican brand PANAM, which are pretty inexpensive.
posted by vunder at 11:19 AM on March 21
Omg, me too! Everything you said, plus perfect for weightlifting and cross training. I bought as many as I could when I saw they were discontinued. Thanks for this!
posted by MichaelJoelHall at 7:35 PM on March 21
posted by MichaelJoelHall at 7:35 PM on March 21
Well I guess you just explained why I haven't been able to find another pair of these.
The only thing I own that is close is a pair of Tom's laceup sneakers. They have a few different styles, though it does look like a lot more variety in women's rather than men's sizing.
posted by pixiecrinkle at 10:24 AM on March 24
The only thing I own that is close is a pair of Tom's laceup sneakers. They have a few different styles, though it does look like a lot more variety in women's rather than men's sizing.
posted by pixiecrinkle at 10:24 AM on March 24
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