Good shoes, price can more than double depending on color
Been wanting some flat bottom shoes since I have never been comfortable in tennis shoes my entire life. Started lifting and you need flat shoes or special lifting shoes but those are not cheap. Did research, for lifting lots of guys suggest Chuck Taylors but those have been slipping on quality and can't be expected to last a year just wearing them casually let alone actually doing something in them. CT's used to be a hit with local roofers to, and they also complain how new ones are just not made right. As an alternative a few guys I talked with who did Crossfit told me just get skate shoes instead. I never was into skating so I knew nothing about it, but I assume as much footwork they do and how skater tape looked like sandpaper the shoes had to at least be tough. They had the flat bottom I was wanting to try out. Now came the fun part, looking up various brands.I eventually wound up with these Etnies. DC makes some good looking shoes at similar prices but I found a specific brown/white pattern of this shoe in size 11 for $25. The black/gum and another color I was wanting were all around $60, so it seems the uglier shoes are going for cheaper. The brown/white shoes were the best looking of the 'budget' bunch and are honestly not that bad looking. All are the same exact shoes, it's just color you are paying for.About the shoes themselves. Sizing is a smidge smaller than expected. I normally wear a 10.5 W (has to be wide) for most brands like my Brahma Defender boots I work in, occasionally some brands I go up to 11 and it's snug. By following internet instructions I'm technically a size 10 after drawing my feet on paper and measuring the dimensions so I tossed that advice out the window. With these Etnies I read a few people say they run a bit small or as expected, I decided not to risk it and gone with 11 instead of the 10.5. Turns out that is spot on, the width and toe is snug yet not tight. Construction isn't double-stitched like some shoes but usually by the time stitches start to pop on any shoe it's worn down anyway. The material feels like some sort of canvas and seems tougher than budget running shoes and their faux-leather material. The bottom has an exterior edge of soft rubber but the flat middle section is a hard rubber, almost like plastic. Hard to flex by hand but it flexes fine with your body weight on it. There is a little bit of spring to the shoe, the toe points upward a tiny bit and this is required on any shoe really. There is arch support inside, minimal but there. I am not flat-footed and I got hurt multiple times running barefoot and with running shoes on both extremes, barefoot there was no support and running shoes there was too much support in the wrong places. These shoes seem like a happy middle and are quite comfy. I can usually feel in 4 hours my ankles and knees hurting with all running/tennis shoes, these Etnies are the first shoe I wore that is not a fully supported boot that doesn't cause me pain. Looks like I made the right choice, guess I'll be sticking to skate shoes a lot more from now on and these Jameson 2 Eco's are not a bad start.