Customer Reviews Nike Air Monarch IV

I love the shoes but experience the same annoying squeaking problem that everyone else does. And the right white shoe (only the right one) is turning blue. How do white leather shoes turn blue? But the shoes are very comfortable, just the right width and have been very durable so I put up with the problems. Nike -- can you please fix and you'll have the perfect shoe!

This is a beautiful Nike shoe. But there is a problem. I've had several pairs over the years. Often (too often) the right shoe start to squeak loudly a week after you start wearing it. Zappos is great and stands by their shoes. But you're better off with a different Nike product.

These are pretty good shoes for the price, but I have some downsides to share after 9 months of use. First, after a while, mine started squeaking and making noise which you will see referenced in other reviews. Second, the tongue feels a bit puffy to where I want to leave the laces really loose if sitting for long periods. For example, I just came back from Hawaii and on the flight there and back the tops of my feet started hurting so I took these shoes off. They definitely come off at home when lounging around. That said, I transitioned these into my primary walking shoes lately and have been walking about 15+ miles a week in them for a couple months. They feel good and have been holding up well. With the noise and other comfort issues, however, I'm going to try something else next time.

I have not bought Nikes in years. I seemed to remember they run small. They do. Significantly. As the shoes do not fit I will rate as 3s below. Hopefully the next pair will fit.

These are the most comfortable shoes I have ever owned. I was skeptical ordering shoes online but these shoes have been great. If I had one complaint (and it's a big one) it would be this...these are the loudest, squeakiest, crunchiest sounding shoes I have ever worn. I am in desperate need of shoes and have contemplated ordering another pair but they are annoying as hell. I couldn't sneak up on a corpse in these things. When I come walking people stop and look. No!

Ouch. They don't give and feel like hard plastic. They pinch the outsides of my little toes metatarsals. My big toes are right at the front. It seems like a half size bigger might work, but I don't think they'd breathe enough and be hot. And would remain stiff for a good long time.

I bought these for my son for work, and while he likes them they drive me crazy because they squeak. Loudly!

My husband loved these shoes from the moment he put them on. They were comfortable and fit well. He has worn them every day. He walks a lot at work. Unfortunately they have not held up as well as we would have hoped, but overall they are really good.

Shoe was perfect for being on my feet 8-10 hours a day on hardwood. I'm a very big guy so for me to find a shoe that didn't make my feet hurt after a shift is amazing. However, 3 months in the shoe started to squeak. It was off and on so I just ignored it. Now though, people say I sound like Sponge Bob with squeaky boots. Very comfortable and my feet felt great even after a long shift, but the noise is unbearable. Switching to another shoe sadly, only because of the noise factor.

I had put in a review for this sneaker, bought back in March 2013, and I wanted to update it but there doesn't seem to be a way to do that, so this is a second review with some tips for those suffering the common squeaking issue. There are some videos on youtube that disassemble these sneakers to show you where the problem areas are. Basically, there's a couple of factors. One is that the glue on the bottom of the air pillow (which goes from the heel up to around the ball of the foot) deteriorates and causes it to rub against the rubber bottom it's attached to. I think this one may be a little less common, though. The issue I had, and I suspect this one is more common, is there is glue or something on TOP of the air pillow that deteriorates due to sweat and wear, and once that's gone it causes the air pillow to rub against the canvas insole underneath the foam comfort insole. Fortunately, I was able to remedy mine. Here's how: First, I carefully removed the foam comfort insole. The glue holding it in place was weakened through wear, so it removed easily without tearing any foam pieces off. After that, I found that the canvas that was underneath had begun to wear away in spots (heel, ball of foot). I was able to use these weakened areas to get my finger in and either tear or cut a line down the length of the canvas. Basically, I separated the canvas from the air pillow, then put the canvas back in place. Then I put the foam comfort insole back in and walked around to see if that helped. If it didn't, I took it apart again to fiddle with it some more. I imagine if you wanted to, you could add more glue (shoe goo?) or some other material as a buffer between the air pillow and the canvas and see if that helps. I didn't need to, and I wanted to keep this exploratory shoe surgery to a minimum. The ONLY reasons I went to this trouble was because I really like how they look (I have the red/white/black) and they are very comfortable. If these two factors weren't satisfactory, then I would have returned them long ago. These shoes do get a lot of complaints about this flaw, though, and a quality product really shouldn't suffer this issue so broadly. But for those of you who have them or don't mind having to compensate their low cost with a little homemade fixing, they're worth considering. If you want something that is going to have absolutely no issues from the time you first open the box to the time they fall apart off your feet, and you can get that for $60-90, you may as well pass on the Monarch IV. Maybe we'll get lucky and if Nike makes a Monarch V they will eliminate this noisy materials flaw.

This is 4th pair of Monarchs for me. Although it is a comfortable shoe, these are not as good as the early ones. They had a better grip on the bottom, and just a more durable feel. This being a lower scale Nike shoe, the price from Nike could be a bit lower. With heavy use you will get about 9 months out of a pair. The black ones ripped quicker than the white ones did for me. So it just comes down to how long you want the shoe to last, vs price, for what you will use it for work or play. I would try a sharper pair of Asics if it were for play or going out. For the folks suffering with squeaks, take out the foot pad and put in some baby powder...then back in...for some reason it works wonders.

Wow, these are loud shoes. And never quite as comfortable as I'd hoped, a little narrow in the toe box. Heavily padded; maybe they'll get a bit more comfortable when some of the heavy padding compresses a bit. In the meantime: Squeak, squeak, squeak.

These are too tight on the pinky toe side of my feet. They squish my pinky toe. I bought them for office work because they almost look like dress shoes. I bought my normal size and they were too tight. I kept them (good price and quality) to give to my son (he has smaller feet) and bought a size bigger, but the size bigger still compress the small pinky. Ugh.

The other reviews about this shoe developing a squeak is true. I bought these shoes because a new job requires all black shoes, which I find all to be ugly. I thought this shoe was the best looking for the money and I've always felt Nike shoes fit good. I've worn the shoe for 6 days of work on an airport ramp and the right shoe has developed a squeaking sound. I believe this is happening due to the "Air" pocket in the shoe. This shoe has an air cushion that runs the full length of the sole and I think that under the toe area, the two surfaces between the pocket of air rub and touch creating a squeaking sound. Like other reviews, I don't think this sound and problem will fix itself and the shoes will now always have this sound. This is bad engineering. Nike should have just limited the Air support to just the heel. This would have prevented a failure and the rubbing of two inner surfaces. Not only am I disappointed in having to wear such a ugly/boring all black shoe, but now I walk around on what always sounds like a wet floor. It would definitely be more annoying in a quieter workplace. Buyer beware: These shoes will become noisy on a short period of time! Other than the noise, they are pretty comfortable and have a sole that will wear a long time. Too bad they are poorly designed. My first purchase of a poor Nike product.

I've been buying these shoes for years, very comfortable. However, a year or so ago they started getting squeaky. Very annoying for the rubber bottoms to squeak with every step. No more, I'm moving on to something else.

These shoes are a bit stiff. The side look like they're just one piece of leather, with nothing to allow it to bend. I didn't think they bent at all when you walked. Perhaps they will break with time. I also thought they just looked 'big'!

I love the wide size and updated look. I have worn these for years be sues of a foot problem. This new model is unfortunately not nearly as comfortable as previous models. The white also squeaks when you walk.

Great fit and comfort...but...the noisiest sneaker I've ever worn. After a few weeks the sneakers squeak something terrible while walking.

These have been by go-to sneakers for years. VERY comfortable and the wide sizes fit me perfectly. That being said they have a MAJOR flaw (and have for as long as I can remember). After a few days the shoes begin to 'squeak' with every step. essentially the plastic material inside begins to make a noise as the loose padding rubs against it. It has with every pair I've owned (other reviews confirm this as well). Deducting 2 stars for this. Come on Nike! You've got a great sneaker here. It shouldn't be this hard to fix a recurring issue!

Ditto with the noise. I read this review and thought "how bad could it be" then ordered a pair. Worst than I could've imagined. A clear design defect. Gimme the old Executive plain black which could be worn with jeans or a suit. None of this girly-man color and design-- just black and simple.

I've had these for four months now so they're broken in. They aren't really comfortable and for having an inch of material between my foot and the ground there isn't a lot of cushioning. On the positive side they are wide without looking like water skis. The worst part about them is the noise. You can hear me coming from half a block away. It sounds like I'm walking on plastic shopping bags. Definitely no good for ninjas.

The comfort of the shoe is great; however, the downside is about a week or so after wearing, the show starts to squeak really bad...always on the left shoe. I even returned a pair to get a new pair, but to no avail it started squeaking. It is very obnoxious. Maybe I just got a bad batch?

The Monarchs are "acceptable." I have very wide feet, and I typically buy New Balance running shoes. I needed a pair of cross trainers for the gym, and the Nike Air Monarchs were inexpensive and available in my wide shoe size. For my purpose - cross training - they're fine. I do notice they rub my toes somewhat, which tells me they're not a great fit for my own feet. If I had to wear these all day, or walk a long distance in them, I suspect I wouldn't be a happy camper. Style is fine. Good 'nuff for the gym.

My son says they are very comfortable, but heavy. We bought them for school and wore the first pair out by Christmas break, this is my second pair. I hope they make the rest of the year.

Good shoe. Some last longer than others. I've been buying this style shoe for years. As I said, sometimes Nike's quality is better than others.