Quality Materials, Grippy Gym shoes only
Normally when I buy shoes, I'll rip out their insole cushion and put in some Dr. Scholl's gel inserts right away. With these shoes, that's not possible as it is sewn/stitched in really well. This could be a problem with anyone who feels those inserts are absolutely necessary, so I feel it's important to mention. I tried inserting some gel inserts over the insole cushion and it led to it feeling way too cramped. The shoe with its default insole contains a "grippy, pebbly" feeling at the bottom. It was unnerving at first, as it felt like I had a bunch of tiny rocks in my shoes. With thick wool socks I barely feel them, and they kind of feel good. With thinner stretchy socks, you'll absolutely feel them. These are definitely designed for cross training because of that function. When you do squats and dead lifts these will keep your feet from sliding inside your shoes. I love the design of the shoe, and the quality is top notch. The paint, the stitching, and the material stripe on the side all measure up to the price. Would I walk around with these every day? No, but I will use these at the gym until they fall apart.