Customer Reviews Merrell Agility Synthesis Flex

As a Merrell ambassador I got to test these shoes the moment they were released and I've been really impressed. The shoe has enough padding to shield your feet from the rocks, but it's soft upper and flexible sole gives me the connection to the trails that I'm looking for. This summer I've used this shoe to run classic trails around the country like the Wonderland Trail in WA, the Timberline Trail in OR and the Presidential Traverse across New Hampshires White Mountains. With it's grippy sole, I've also taken this shoe into more technical terrain like the Keyhole Ridge (5.6) to the summit of Longs Peak (14,259) in Colorado and to the top of the Grand Teton (13,711) via the Owen Spaulding Route (5.4) in Jackson, WY. Most Recently, I used my Agility Synthesis Flex shoes to run the Tahoe 200 Mile race around lake Tahoe (Tahoe Rim Trail + More). These shoes have seen nearly 1000 miles this summer and I'm incredibly impressed with what Merrell has come up with. I hope these shoes stay in the line-up for years to come.

Shoe is well made but not true to size for my foot.

Have had these shoes for a couple weeks now and really love them. I found that while they are very light, they still have great traction and feel extremely solid and stable. Great performance light hiker that can also be worn all day around town.

These are really nice looking shoes and I tried them on with the Merrell sockliner and they were amazing. Lightweigh but comfortably snug when laced. The big problem is they also have no support, so I absolutely need my orthotics and with my wide feet, high instep and bunions the orthotics kind of put things over the edge. Even with the laces let out as far as possible they really are too narrow. I've got a blister and a lot of sore spots so far, but I'm hoping to either stretch them a bit or get calluses because I've tried a bunch of other shoes which were even tighter and I'm tired of sending things back and you have to have something on your feet.

Appealing design and colors. Upper material is thin and won't protect your foot. It also has creases across the toe and in arches after a few wears. Feels narrow especially in arch and overall bottom sole. Heel support lacking. Heel padding on side of heel more than at top makes for some heel slippage. Heel support should be taller to lock in heel. These shoes are smaller than any of my tennis shoes. Would not run in these due to lack of heel and arch support. Will use as casual walking shoe with added arch support, but not off road.

I got a pair of these a year ago and just this week retired them from my rotation. Probably ran about 250-300 miles in them before cushioning got too packed down to provide adequate comfort. I run mostly trails...40-50 miles per week. Pros: Upper is very durable, still like new. Shoe is very light and fits snug, which is great for fast trail runs. Traction is good in dry conditions. Cons: The narrow toe-box combined with 6mm drop led to toe blisters the first time I tried to run more than 10 miles in them. You feel every single rock in these shoes. A couple mm of extra cushion in the forefoot would help as would putting a real outsole over the heel (has a weird cutaway that allows rocks to poke through). Summary: Good for relatively short (< 6 mile) trail runs, and hill or speed work (on trails). Not so good for long runs or really rocky terrain.

Honestly just bought these and they fit so much tighter in the toe box than every other pair of merrels I have. The traction is great and outside the toe box they seem ok, if not a little loose. Maybe as I wear them they will break in a little. Little disappointed, I love Merrell boots but the running shoes I've bought just haven't done it for me.

I have tried these shoe with an open mind expecting more. They are a strange, long and narrow fit. They also seem to be based on runners who over pronate. A neutral runner, such as myself, may feel the tendency to roll over to the outside. I stopped using these on the trails and only use these around the house or on level town roads. There is too much danger in rolling an angle on a trail. Traction is also somewhat questionable for the trails. I cannot understand why this shoe continues, and the Nova was discontinued. The Nova is a more balanced trail shoe with room in the front/toe-box.

These shoes are comfortable and versatile over mountain trails and offer excellent traction while the soles are still fresh. The issue with these shoes is the durability is not what you might expect. After a month the sole was already starting to separate from the shoe and 2.5 months in the laces snapped while I was trying to tie them. They arent the most expensive shoes but I definitely expected more from the brand.

Shoe was good for about 3 months and then a lace lock broke.

I'm an avid Merrell fan but these are not made for a wide foot at all