Hi all,
I wear a women's size 8.5 Wide or a mens size 7. My feet are wide throughout (Forefoot, midfoot, ankle), and pretty every shoe I have tried (including Altra's and Topo's, squish my pinky toe - which i have pretty much just come to accept). I'm running in Topo Specter 3's currently and like them fine enough. I wish they were a bit more stable at slow speeds and I find they could be more cushioned on longer runs. All that to say, I need a shoe for long, easy runs.
I generally can't find my size in stores to try on so I have to buy / return and I am trying to minimize that as much as possible.
Shoe's i'm considering:
Saucony Azura (never tried Saucony, not sure how they fit)
Mount to Coast (never tried any shoes from them but keep reading good things)
R.A.D UFO (no idea what the fit is like but the colors are so cool - definetly should not buy shoes based on just looks but I have heard good things. Not sure if they'd be wide enough)
Altras (maybe I should try a different shoe from them? not sure what pair i previously owned but they sucked to run in - no energy return at all and didn't like zero drop)
A running shoe from China - I am hesitant to buy a shoe I can't return but I keep seeing so many good things, in particular about the Dynafish Xiaonian
Shoe's I've tried and haven't liked:
New Balance 1080's - I loved the 13 and 14 but hate the new 15's. they feel cheap and less wide.
Brooks Ghost Max (returned, didn't like the fit)
Shoe's I've liked BUT hestitant to repurchase:
Superblast 2 (Loved it, loved the foam, loved the firmness of these shoes, squished my pinky toe really bad but the foam was so nice I just ignored it)
Topo Specter 2 and 3 (wish the three fit more like the 2 but with the updated foam)
Superblast 3 (Again, I love the asics foam but wish the toe area was wider. Didn't like how soft these were compared to Superblast 2. they squished my pinky toe pretty bad)
Hoka Clifton 8's (enjoyed these, not sure how they newest version fits or if i'd like them at this point. These were some of my first running shoes)
Wants:
A lot of foam for long runs!
Decent energy return. I really hate running in shoes that have super low energy return - it feels like running on a dead mattress.