Altra  Paradigm 7 Road-Running Shoes - Men's

I purchased a pair of Altra Paradigms in the middle April of 2023. 4 months later they are already wearing out. The heel cups are disintegrating. Each heel cup now has a hole. In comparison, I have had Keen trail shoes that lasted 3 years before they even started to wear out. These Altra shoes are supposed to be designed for Ultra marathons. Good luck with that. At 50 miles you may have holes in your heel cups. At $170.00 a pair and $85.00 per shoe, one would expect quality materials that last. There is no excuse for using poor quality construction in a shoe that boasts about being innovative and used for long hard races. It just shows you that a company can spend lots of money on slick videos that show down to earth dudes talking with pride about the groundbreaking designs and features of their shoes, and then the same dudes make the shoes fast and cheap and sell them to saps enamored by their bunkum. Hey if you want to spend $170.00 on disposable shoes that only last a few months, then go for it. Oh, and the tongues of the shoes constantly slide to the side. Maybe the hip dudes at Altra can find an innovation to stop that. (Hint: Look at every other running shoe in the market.) They call their designs “groundbreaking,” that’s because when you use them on the ground… they break.

This shoe is comfortable and I liked the wide version, but they started falling apart after just 4 months of use. I shouldn't have to take a $169 pair of shoes to get repaired after 4 months of use! The eyelets are coming apart and the material on the inside of the heels is wearing down and uncomfortable against the back of my foot. I can't justify spending this much money for a pair of shoes that wears down so quickly. Comfortable and stylish, but low quality materials. Not worth the money!

I use these Paradigm's as an every day casual/walking shoe and they are really comfortable. I hike/backpack in Lone Peaks and these are much more cushy. The only thing I don't like about them is they have this weird grayish/green tint to them - I wouldn't call them black. I almost returned them just because of that. Otherwise most comfortable shoe I own right now.

I’m 77 years old, been a runner since my 20’s, knees gave out in my 60’s and I transitioned from running to walking. I accidentally came across the Altra Paradigm and tried it out. It was a game changer. I tried two different Altra models, but came back to the Paradigm. I have used orthotics for years and they fit well in this shoe (I believe it is referred to as a stabilizing shoe). I love the wider toe-box. This shoe has been great, I can’t imagine going to any other shoe in the future. I recommended it to three other people. Two of them absolutely love the shoe. One didn’t get used to the zero drop (not sure if that is the word for it) and when back to their go-to walking shoe. I believe this is about the 10th pair of Altra Paradigms I have had.

These are extremely comfortable EXCEPT for the very stiff and high heal tab. Even with thin, no tab socks they irritate my Achilles badly after even a short walk/run. Unfortunately I bought them and immediately took them on a trip (my bad) so I can’t return them. It’s a shame because they are otherwise very comfortable and great looking.

Ordered online, compound discounted price. This is my 5th pair of Altras that I've owned and ran with. All were 10.5 Men's US size. These are the only pair that didn't satisfy a fit for my feet right out the box. Even with runner's knot and tight lacing the heel bridge sat higher on my ankle and my heel also did not seat well in the shoe. There was a lot of extra movement. I did two runs and the shoe rubbed right through the back of my ankle. I didn't think twice about ordering since I have had such good experiences with their other shoe models. I should have read the reviews because when I went back and looked, I saw similar experiences and photos. Ended up returning them. No sense in breaking them in if other Altra shoe models work so well out the box. Looks like I will be trying on the Altras first, in the future.

Quite possibly the most comfortable yet least durable shoe I have ever worn. I can tell their support and cushioning are a fit for my feet BUT the upper is overly delicate and the nylon is detaching through no fault of my own. These shoes are quickly becoming useless and relegated to makeshift slippers. I've since switched to Topo Athletics and am very pleasantly surprised. I'll gladly pay a little more for actually durable shoes and boots.

The cushion is comparable to HOKA, but the heel is narrower and feels more supported around the foot/ankle. Personally, it's more open at the toes than HOKA, which is an advantage to my foot shape. I liked the color, too. After 2 weeks of usage, it's been good. I will alternate my HOKA and Altra to minimize wear and tear on the soles.

Every year Altra gets worse. I just recieved the Paradigm 7. Feels flat, not max cushion, not springy. Toe box shrunk. It's the same story every time. The qualities that set Altra apart are disappearing a little every year.

I needed shoes with a bigger toe box to help with some toe issues. These shoes hit the mark from that end and are also very comfortable. This will be my go to shoe brand. Also found them true to size listed.