Customer Reviews Onitsuka Tiger Ultimate 81®

I really wanted to rate this shoe 5 stars. It looks and feels great, but it stinks! Or maybe it's just that I stink!? I basically just wear it to work where I'm sitting behind a desk most of the day, and within my first couple of weeks wearing it a nasty odor has developed. Again, maybe it is me and not the shoe...but I've got several other athletic, dress, casual, soccer, hiking, etc shoes and this is the only one I've got this issue with. It's disappointing as I otherwise do love the shoe.

The Ultimate 81s are constantly being revised and reinvented, and the ones currently available have soles as hard as a rock. They're rigid and inflexible compared to older iterations of this shoe, and I'm definitely not into it. The flexible sole of the original design was a huge part of the draw for me, as well as one of the reasons I bought them consistently for so many years. I've been rather annoyed with the constantly changing design in recent years, as I never know what I'm going to get when I buy a new pair. The ones that are being manufactured right now have a different interior than the old ones, including a fabric-and-padding insole (it's basically the same insole you'll find on a modern running shoe) in place of the perforated EVA/foam insole of past years. I reckon this could be a reason for the flexibility issue. The aesthetic appeal has been compromised too, as the silhouette of the shoe has changed (it's somewhat rounder, less sleek, and lacks the shape that had always made them distinctive). I probably won't be buying any more pairs after my current (new) pair, as the structural changes have made them increasingly less comfortable and less wearable aesthetically.

These shoes have amazing potential be unfortunately fall short. The white material on the top of the foot is a weird material and it looks blue in person. It's devastating and ruined the shoe for me. They also run about a 1/2 size small

I haven't been too excited to start wearing these. They look a little bit plastic-y and busy, which does not carry through in the photos. Disappointing. Perhaps they'll "relax" a bit once they start to get dirty and broken in?

I like the look of the shoe but overall it felt stiff. I wore them around the house for about an hour and my feet felt as if they had a mild case of pins and needles. The shoes were not too small and adjustments to the laces as well as the tongue did not help. I have wide feet so that is likely the issue. It would require a lot of wear for these to feel soft and comfortable which means they wouldn't become part of my wardrobe.

Not quite the color I was expecting. The mesh was baby blue and the suede was a darker tan color than shown. If it was actually the color shown I'd probably be keeping them.

I only wear women's Asics running shoes for workouts. I wanted a casual walking sneaker. While these had great arch support, all other aspects of support fell short for me.

These are fine shoes, but they don't breathe very well. By the end of the day, my feet are sweatier than other shoes that I have owned. I am actually being forced to consider odor eaters or something.

I had to return these, the arch support was too much, felt like there was a ball poking my foot. They look good though and seemed to fit true to size.

A good shoe for packed dirt/treadmill and I liked the strong arch support. But the sole is thin, vibram-like, making it unsuitable for paved surfaces unless you're already a fan of minimalist shoes. The top of the heels dug into my feet, creating hot spots and reason to send this product back.

I've been a waitress for four years and have purchased four pairs of these shoes. They last a little over a year with heavy use before they start losing their comfort and looking scraggly. Obviously I've been happy with the product, which fits wonderfully and doesn't look like "waitress shoes" -- I can wear these with jeans pretty much anywhere. However, the price for the shoes has gone up gradually, and the quality from my first pair to my last has gone downhill. I used to be able to wear these shoes for 12-14 hour work days and my feet didn't suffer one bit. Nowadays, I will wear them for six hours and have to change to a different style shoe (Tom's or Dansko) to finish out the day. I don't know if they changed the materials or what, but something definitely changed and this is the last pair I will own for work purposes. Currently exploring the world of Keen and Chaco for a solid work shoe.

Great looking shoe and I really, REALLY wanted these to work out for me but my foot is too wide to work with this shoe. I never buy wide fit shoes because normally, regular width work but this shoe was too snug. I ended up giving these to my bother.

Very styling profiling shoe. The sole is extremely flat and never conforms to your feet. Personally I would get NB 574. Fine for lounging around and short walks but after standing or walking a fair amount of time my feet would begin to hurt.

Love the look of this shoe but it will be going back. Not enough comfort for these tired feet. The sneaker lacks cushioning in the front of shoe which is a shame because it's darn cute. If it was a less expensive buy I'd keep them as a "fashion shoe." I should note that my husband has a pair and likes them just fine. Zappos customer service cannot be beat!

It's a great shoe, but the picture is a little deceptive. In the picture the shoe looks a nice minty green, but in actuality it's a much stronger polo/golf course green.

These shoes are super cute and really would work well with anything in my wardrobe. But the construction felt a little stiff (like cardboard) and didn't seem like it would wear in well. They were true to size, just not comfortable enough to justify keeping. Bummer.

I love the style, but these kicks are overpriced and not built to last. I was nearly forced to retire mine after only two months, due to regular walking. The soles are just way too thin. The Saucony Jazz are a much better bang for the buck.

I have a long narrow foot, and this shoe didn't feel good. The arch was set too far forward. There was also too much fabric on the toes, which put pressure on my bunions. Might be better for someone with a wide foot.

The soles are really hard. It was uncomfortable compared to the "Serrano" model. I'll just have to wait until the Serrano comes out with more colors.

These shoes have a hard sole that is uncomfortable at first. It does break in but only so much. They are very breathable shoes but the fabric is very thin so you have to make sure to stay away from anything pointy or remotely pointy. My shoes got a tear in the upper sole in the first day. Overall I would say these shoes are at best what you get for less expensive shoes. I wouldn't recommend them to anyone.

I bought the Black/Coal about 10 months ago. These are really comfortable and look great. However, the material started to tear on the side of the shoe recently. I did wear these casually and for running, but no more than three days per week. I have sweaty feet, which probably caused these to wear down quicker than normal. If I sweat in these a lot, white salt stains start to appear which was pretty annoying.

I wanted to like these, but they just looked kind of goofy. I wear a woman's 8.5. I ordered the recommended 7. I had to force my feet into them. I would recommend ordering at least a half size larger. My feet are pretty narrow, but it looked goofy when I undid the shoelaces enough to accommodate my feet. I just can't recommend these unless your feet are narrow. Seemed moderately comfortable when just trying around the house.

The look is okay. I much prefer Saucony's retro look, but they don't make the vegan style in women's sizes. I think these will be nice once I get the correct size. I have very small feet, so small that I can fit into some girl's 3s. However, the women's 5s were too small. I also noticed the right shoe was very noticeably smaller than the left. I know the right & left feet can differ very slightly in size, but this was almost like the left & right were completely different sized shoes. I will be returning these for the next size up. Because of this my star rating is lower than it may have been if these ones had fit properly.

These shoes feel wonderful. A week of walking around Disney Wold and my feet feel great. However, after only being worn three times, the gray patch has become discolored from my jeans rubbing on the back of the shoes. Keep this in mind if wearing these with something other than shorts.

I normally wear a size in men's shoes so I ordered that size but when I tried them on they were so narrow I had to send them back. I ordered half a size larger thinking that would help but they were still narrow and now too long. It's a cute shoe and after reading the reviews they seemed like they'd be okay for my problem feet, I have small feet and I need good arch support, but these were just impossible. Unfortunately, I will be sending the second pair back also. I'm glad there is free shipping!