Customer Reviews Onitsuka Tiger Ultimate 81®

I bought the black one with smooth leather, and was disappointed at how stiff it was even after breaking it in. According to the tag on the shoe, it is made of synthetic leather. I was expecting it to be real leather like on the Onitsuka Tiger Mexico 66, however, these feel a bit cheaper in comparison. I use this as an everyday walking shoe and found it hard to slip on and off without untying the laces each time because there is leather on the inside on the back of the shoe with a rubbery texture which prevents sliding. I noticed that different colored versions of this shoe uses different materials for various parts of the shoe as well. I think that if I had chosen a shoe that was suede, fabric, or a mix of the two over the smooth leather, it would've been a lot more comfortable. Walking comfort feels good and natural to me because there is minimal padding and arch support. MY ADVICE: STAY AWAY FROM THE SMOOTH LEATHER MODELS IF YOU CAN!

I bought the Black/Stone Grey Tigers. They look great with a pair of jeans, but they are by no means perfect. I didn\'t realize that there is a reflective section on the back, so I probably wouldn\'t wear them with shorts, and although I did not expect to go running in these shoes, there is definitly too little padding to do any sort of serious workout. I also couldn\'t tell from the pictures that the material for this color is a woven, shiny polyester. These shoes are really cool, just maybe not for everything.

I bought these shoes in black/steel. It was a really tough choice and I was looking for a shoe that would go with everything. In the picture I would say they look almost a little fuzzy like wool or something. There isn't a good description of the material, but when I got them they are like shiny jeans, and I wasn't sure if I was digging them. I decided to wear them around for a bit and see. As far as the color goes, I don't think I'm really a fan. The whole shiny jean thing just isn't doing it for me. The fit I would say (I'm a woman) is a little big. I think I definitely could've gotten away with an 8.5. I am generally between 8.5-9 and think that the mens styling of this shoe would permit to err on the the fitted side if you're a woman. Sadly, these shoes are sitting in my closet going to waste.

Great for looks, but needs more comfort - This shoe looks great, but is really only good for that. I was hoping for a comfortable and stylish shoe to wear to my work where I stand a lot. My feet were killing me before I put in some new insoles. Besides that, I love how light the Ultimate 81s are. They really wrap around your feet and don't feel clunky at all. Asics really does need to invest in a little more padding on the insoles. They do seem to run a half size smaller than I usually wear.

Balanced - Made of lower quality materials, took breaking in, dirty very easily. Everyone compliments them.

Not comfortable - I had to walk a mile to work, and by the time I got there, I had massive blisters on my heels that still haven’t gone away. I thought that these shoes would be more comfortable, but they seem like track shoes to me.

They do look nice, but my first day wearing them, the back of the shoe kept riding on my ankle and scraped them.

Very narrow, soft sole - Nice looking shoe, good cushioning (better than most of this style), but narrow and synthetic construction (as opposed to leather) does not stretch. Also - the sole is very soft rubber and will not last long on city streets.

Too small for me. I have a pair of ultimate 81's in the same size and they fit perfectly, except those were made of suede and mesh. These don't seem to give. My feet still hurt after a week of wearing them. So beware, other Tigers may run a half size large but these don't. Maybe its the synthetic material.

I love my Asics - This is the second pair of Tigers that I’ve purchased form Zappos and I love both of them. They are extremely comfortable and look great on my feet.

Toe cap comes unglued quickly

Decent shoe with some modern style. However after two weeks the rubber on toe is peeling. Would not buy again. Comfort is low, not great if you are planning to spend all day on your feet.

Liked everything, but the left shoe was just a bit too short.

I like the retro and low profile style of the shoes. However, upon examining them closely, you can see that they are constructed of low-quality material. The mesh on top of the shoes is rough to the touch and has the reflection of nylon. The rubber around the back and the sides of the shoes look cheap. The most important factor that makes me return the shoes is that they provide no arch support. The insoles of these shoes are the thinnest and hardest ones that I have ever seen on sneakers. I don't intend to use the shoes for running. Nonetheless, I like walking. And I did not feel comfortable walking on the shoes just around the house. I don't see the point of wearing sneakers, no matter how good looking they are, that cannot support comfortable walking. It seems these shoes have a lot of fans. I wanted to be one of them too, unfortunately, I am disappointed. The shoes also tend to be longer than its size.

they seemed very comfortable and right sized but they did not offer enough foot support for me who needs a stiffer shoe to help my balance. I would like a similar shoe that is light but stiff support.

The front soles start to peel away within days of wearing

I used to love these shoes and have gone through 3 pairs already. They work well with dark jeans and a button up shirt for slightly dressier occasions (versus T-shirt and jeans, although these also work for that look). Size and quality seems off lately though... Normally I wear an 8.5 in these but my latest pair of 8.5s fit like an 8. (For reference my foot measures almost exactly 8.5 in that device used in shoe stores). Though 8.5 was previously fine in these I had to return and get 9s. (Thanks to Zappos for making that process easy!) Still, I find the 9s now have laces that are too long. And they just aren't that comfortable any more overall. Though I love the look I'm disappointed by my latest pair...even after sizing up.

I wear an 11in women’s and these were just a bit short with my big toe touching the end of the shoe. Not something I want in an exercise shoe.

I’m not really sure what to think I got a women’s size 8 and then 7.5 and they both seemed a bit big and the arch support thing inside didn’t line up right with my feet and it felt weird. Also they didn’t do much for me, I like shoes where I know I have got to have them, these were just meh.... maybe I’ll try the mexico style one of these days.

They don't have a removable insole, which is fine, as long as they are otherwise comfortable. But they aren't. The color is a very vibrant blue which I didn't think looked good with jeans.

The front rubber that connects the sole to the leather upper began to separate after two days. I still wear the shoes because they fit well, but the front looks ugly as sin with the rubber separated the way it has.

I purchased these to replace a heavily worn pair from the same manufacture three years ago. The new pair lasted about two months before the sole started to pull away at the toe. Zappos took care of me when I called customer service, just a shame the quality isn't there anymore.

These shoes are incredibly narrow. I have moderately wide feet and could hardly get them on the toe box is so small. However I love the style, I just wish they made a wider model.

These shoes look very good, but they were quite uncomfortable. Most of the Onitsuka Tiger shoes I've owned had some mesh or more flexible material. These were vegan product which might of affected the comfort. I returned these for another style of Onitsuka Tigers which are working and fitting much better.