Customer Reviews Altra Torin 4.5 Plush

I hesitated for months before buying Torin 4.5 because of the reviews saying they are narrow. I have wide feet and that is why I switched to Altra a few years ago. I finally gave in and tried a pair and am very happy I did. Yes, it is more narrow than previous, older Altra shoes. But the toe box still gives me the space I need. I would like more room in the mid foot area but it isn't a deal breaker. The most concern for me is heel slippage. It isn't terrible but I don't feel locked in. I think it could be fixed with just one more eyelet. Overall my feet feel great in these. If you're on the fence give them a try.

The Torin 4.5 Plush is a really good shoe overall. I absolutely love the Torin 4 (not plush), and was disappointed to see that the regular Torin was being discontinued, but I like the direction that the Torin Plush series is going. The thicker, extra-cushioned midsole makes for a really soft landing that is great for recovery days and slower long runs. Through 350 miles so far, the midsole has held up really nicely, and I'm confident it will last another two-three hundred at least. The fit is also nice. My feet are on the wider side, and though I've owned wider Altras, the Torin 4.5 Plush is snug enough to prevent my feet from sliding around too much in the shoe while still giving my toes room to splay. The tongue is one of the best updates from the Torin 4 Plush. I love the way it locks over the top of my feet, making the shoes feel super secure. I also appreciate the weight reduction. It's impressive Altra was able to cut so much weight just by reworking the upper. Because of the lighter material, these shoes fit really nicely as a plush, lightweight option to help my muscles recover in between harder efforts. The one flaw that keeps me from giving this shoe five stars has to do with the durability of the upper. I've seen a few other reviews that have highlighted something similar. As much as I appreciate the weight reduction, I think the use of lighter/less material in the upper required a slight compromise on quality and durability, as my right big toe had worn a hole through the upper material by around 250 miles (while that never happened with the 4 Plush shoes even after 600+ miles). This shouldn't totally render them unusable for the remaining life of the shoe, but I'd love to see a more durable upper in the next Torin. Nonetheless, I'd still recommend the Torin 4.5 Plush. Thanks for the great shoe! Looking forward to trying out the next iteration!

I have high arches that are strong and do not need much arch-specific support, and bony feet prone to plantar fasciitis that need a decent amount of cushion. This shoe offers a high level of responsive foam, and a low level of arch area support so my arches aren't getting "poked" while they work. I use the shoe for 1-2 mile runs and body weight lunges/squats/jumps. The level of foam takes getting used to for the leg work since your toes are not on the ground, but this downside is way worth the upside of all the responsive foam to neutralize any bony foot pain.

I have had the last five iterations of the Torin/Torin Plush. This is my favorite by far. The fit is more tailored but I like the fit - I don't find it constricting at all. The only reason I didn't give it five stars is because I have some concern the upper won't last where it is already starting to crease after 20 miles. I hope to be proved wrong at 200 miles and add a star then.

This is only my second pair of Altras, the first one being the Escalante 2.0, so I suppose I fit firmly into the new market demographic that has opened up for Altra after the changes to some of their classics which have been so divisive amongst longstanding customers. I love these shoes, and I have only two complaints. ++ pros = comfortable toe-box, great lock-down, cushy midsole (but feel 'connected' to the ground), - cons = no extra eyelets to tie a runner's knot, and the shoes are a bit warm. No extra eyelet? Seriously? Otherwise, I love them.

I love pretty much everything about this shoe, just as much as the Instinct!!! Altra shoes have been a key to my success to re-entry into running and have allowed me to put up some awesome runs on and off the trails! My only complaint, and this goes for all Altra shoes, are the shoe laces. Perhaps this me being picky, but I like laces that do not require a second knot to keep tied.

Almost there with this one. Please hear us: many agree upper needs slight tweaking on materials and toe box needs to be wider. Especially in bunion areas. Word on the street is people are taking the insole out to give that extra space- That should not be necessary but y'all try it and see what space we want! It's an amazing shoe. Almost there!!! Thank you!

I ran almost exclusively on the Torin 4 and wore through 2 pairs. I just started on my 3rd pair and was involved in a MVA. My knee was smacked pretty hard and it made running impossible, even on a treadmill. I bought a pair of 4.5's and was running on the treadmill inside of a week. After the knee recuperated they became my daily walking shoe. 8 - 12 miles/day walking on paved pathways and they have finally worn out as well. Time for my 2nd pair. I love these shoes. Note. The toe box is not as wide as the Torin 4 and takes some time to stretch out to fit my bunion.

I have been in Altras for about 10 yrs. Provisions, Torins, Ones, Kayentas, Escalantes, Lone Peaks (low and hi top). A shoe for every mission. Of all, the original Torins were and remain, my favorite. My most previous pair were Escalantes, but the revisions to that one forced me to leave Altra before I came back to these. These come close the favorites. I'm 180lbs, in my mid 40's, running 6-13 mile runs 3-4x/wk. The main drawback with the shoe here in Florida is HEAT. They get spongy on greater than 6 mile runs in the Florida heat and humidity. And with 332 miles on them, the outsole at the heel is gone. Typical for multiple brands and my running style, but $/mile advantage goes to my previous zero drop shoe from a competitor. That and more ventilation would make this a perfect shoe. All in all, a good shoe.

Love the regular Torins. I wanted another pair, but just couldn't find them. Fortunately my military exchange began carrying the Torin Plush. I like these too but in different ways. The regular Torins are lighter and feel quicker but the Plushes have great cushioning without being sloppy. I'm finding that I'm not as beat up and tired on longer runs 10K and above. The Plushes lack the complicated sock liner thing in the other Torins and seem cooler because of that. I love everything about both Torins and will keep buying both.I'm an average runner. I'm 55. I run about 12 miles a week. I finish marathons in about 4 hours more or less. I have a high arch, wide long toes and a narrow heel. If that sounds like you, either Torin will be a winning choice for you.

The only reason this shoe gets a 4-star instead of 5-star review is that they almost immediately developed an annoying squeak. However, the things are so comfortable that several hundred miles later I not only don't really care, I have ordered a second pair. They are even the same color (the red gets a lot of comments for some reason). They are a bit narrower than some other Altras, but they fit me very well and the upper has been very durable...I don't have a singe tear in mine yet. I seem to do best with the Altras that use Quantic (Torins and Superiors - Timps are a bit sloppy in the ankle for my taste), so I hope they keep the material around for quite a while.

The shoe is solid, just buy a 1/2 size up. I do wish there was a little more guidance from Altra on converting sizing from other shoe brands. For example I'm an 11W in the Saucony Ride Iso 2. I made the assumption that I would also be an 11 in the Torin 4.5 due to the foot-shaped toe box. On the shoe finder, wish there was an option for the user to select if they wear inserts like Superfeet. The toe box is shallow and wouldn't fit them. As fit is super important for any running shoe, go to your local shop first to get the correct size.

I went to my local running store to get a new pair of Torin 4s; they only had the 4.5 Plush in stock, so I got them. The feel is close to the Torin 4 with a little extra stack height. I'm finding I'm enjoying that little bit of extra cushion. The nice thing is they don't feel clunky like some other ultra-cushioned shoes I've tried in the past. I downgraded 1 star because the shoe is noticeably more narrow--and I have fairly skinny feet so I'm not used to any brand of shoe hugging my foot so tightly (which isn't a compliment to the shoe fit). I noticed other reviewers have also commented on the smaller toe-box and more narrow feel (maybe VF Corp started redesigning everything without understanding why people buy Altra's in the first place). I have no issues with Altra trying to expand their appeal to a new crowd, but maybe do it with a new shoe rather than changing the fit on shoes that us long-time Altra wearers have loved? I can't comment on durability, yet--I'm generally not too hard on shoes so hopefully the comments about the soles wearing prematurely are just an anomaly for a few unlucky people. Anyway, I'm hoping either the Torin 4 is still around or a Torin 5 plush (that's not so narrow) is out when I go for my next pair in a few months.

Ok, finally found something that resembles a shoe from altra. I run around 40 miles a weak. Average, compared to most of the people here, but I do a lot of lifting, and even more swimming with heavy, long, military fins, and my feet are thanking these shoes. I'm a bigger runner. With all the finning and weight lifting, these shoes work great for mitigating any further stressors that long runs, or sprinting would do to my ankles and knees. They really are not as narrow as people are saying they are. I've got flat, incredibly wide feet, and they fit snug, but definitely not in a bad way. The lacing is really supportive, so just loosen or tighten as needed. The stack height is perfect for what I use the shoe for - more of a crossfit style of training - minus the really heavy back squats and deadlifts. But even with the stack being as high as it is, I still feel I have plenty of control during kettlebell stuff, plyometrics, sprinting, etc. I'm not going to get all technical about it, because at the end of the day, what works for one person, doesn't for another. I'll say this, if you were a fan of the One v3, you'll enjoy these. Give them a try, or don't.

Have seen so many reviews across various of the new models from Altra complaining of the company's "departure from the footshape" or "the new models aren't wide enough any more"....to which i would reply, yes the mid-foot tends to be more streamlined, my guess being to make the shoe look more aesthetic (personally i think it makes the shoe feel faster, too), but as far as the sole goes it's just as wide as it has always been! Just completely unlace the shoe when it arrives, and then re-lace to your desired specifications. I own 3 pair of Torin 4.5 Plush, putting on 50-65 miles/week, and i love the shoe. It is a smooth ride and good cushion as well. The upper/laces combo does result in knots coming untied a decent amount, solution = double-knot (go figure...). I hope review readers will take my word that Altra have not departed from their foot shape roots; take the time to unlace/re-lace and see for yourself

I really like how secure my heal is while my toes have room to move. I will for sure buy another pair of these shoes just a half size larger next time.

So, I was in front of my house waiting for my Garmin to catch the satellite before my run, when the Fed Ex truck stopped to drop off a package. My new Torin 4.5 Plush shoes weren't due to arrive for a few days, but here they were. The best way to break in new shoes is to take them out for a spin, so I changed into them and out I went. The new shoes look sharp (I got the Black with Steel Accent) and felt somewhat smaller in the Toe Box than usual, but not too small. Also the fore and midfoot seemed a bit more narrow than previous models. One thing to note is my heel felt locked in and not slipping out like in past models. Also, this model fits true to size and there is no need to go 1/2 size up like in Torin 2-3.5 models. Is still had asmost a thumb's width between my big toe and the front of the shoe. I noticed the laces are much shorter than previous models. Mile 1 & 2 was me getting used to the shoe's feel. You definitely feel the difference in cushion from the 4.0 Torin Regular, but it's not too squishy like in past plush models. By Mile 3 it was more of the shoe getting used to how I run and i started to feel like I was getting into a groove. Each mile was getting easier and easier, yet my splits were getting faster without any extra effort. By the end of Mile 5, i was feeling great and could have easily kept going. No pain in my feet, and no need to adjust my gait to the shoes. I could still move my toes around a bit, but not as easily as in past models. I think next time I may try a smaller sock, as my thick thorlos take up alot of space. And, the wife said that these aren't as ugly as the past models. While they are not as responsive as the reguar Torin 4's, I could use a model with more cushion to log some miles, especially on double digit mile days. So, I think I'll keep these..

I had recently purchased the Torin plush 4 and found them completely unwearable due to an uncomfortable lacing system/webbing that put hard pressure on the forefront of my foot. I waited for Altra to recognize their errors and correct these in this upgrade which is much better. Nice cushioning, quality upper, decent toe box width, not as deep as my better Paradigm 4.50 but for an everyday shoe, the Torin 4.5 is fine. However, the Paradigm 4.50 is my go to when I hit the pavement. The Torin is less floppy and thus faster than the paradigm. the Paradigm is more cushioning and forgiving.

I hate that I have to get the red one (as I have to have black midsoles due to LLD lift and so they dont look ridiculous). That women's blue is so much better! That's annoying (cause these are def your best designs so far). The marine blue's would be everyday shoes. Red's are def running only.

I'm an avid runner. I put a lot of miles on my legs and I like have a daily shoe that provides good cushioning. I have been running in the Torrin 4 for several months and have loved it! I wasn't sure I would like the Torrin Plush 4.5 because it seemed to almost have too much cushion for a serious runner. When I tried them on in the store though, I was shocked at how light they felt and the cushion was amazing. I decided I would take them and run my long run the next morning in them. 13.1 miles later I was very happy with my purchase! My legs and feet felt really good during the run and there was zero break in time. I wore an 11 in the Torrin 4 and I am wearing an 11 in the Plush 4.5. I did not notice an overly slimmer toe box and felt just as comfortable in the Plush's as I did in my Torrins. I love these shoes for packing on miles during long runs!

I think the Torin 4.5 Plush is a very good shoe. I just took it out for 16 mile easy run yesterday, and I was impressed with how well-protected my foot felt. I enjoyed the responsive (but not overly-aggressive) sensation of toe-off, and the traction was superb even on some hard-packed dirt trails. I also really like the aesthetic update of this shoe; I had the Torin 4 in grey and lime, and while that was the best looking colorway for that model, I still thought it was a stinker in the looks department. Consider that problem solved in the 4.5 Plush. As for drawbacks, it took about 6 miles for the upper to loosen on my foot. I felt a distinct pinching sensation between the top of the toebox material and my toes through my stride; it worried me so much at first that I thought I'd have to turn back home and switch out shoes. But happily, the problem went away. In fact, I felt the upper in general loosen up a bit during my run, which I hope doesn't become an overall fit problem down the road. Elephant in the room: yes, this does feel narrower through the midfoot than Altras of old, but not overly so. I thought the toebox had ample room for my toes to spread out and do their thing, though as stated above the overall volume of the upper might be an issue for some. Full disclosure, I have standard width feet (if there even is such a thing) bordering on wide. Things are definitely TBD with regard to the upper, but overall I had a positive first run in this updated Torin. I can't wait to put more miles into them! Hope this helps.

Felt good at first since the upper is an accommodating fit. The insole however does not span the full width of the forefoot, leaving a wide foot to spill out on the outside edge. After 50 miles this gave me a bunyon on my 5th met head. Stop being so stubborn and make a width version Altra. You wont though.