Customer Reviews Topo Athletic Specter

For my gym workouts and low impact cardio equipment. They are comfortable out of the box, and certainly of sufficient width, for even my 2E feet.

Was excited to try the New Topo Spector. So, I ordered 2 pairs. From the Start, they feel so good under your feed. After a few weeks. They will start to break in, and you will find yourself with a half size to big. I had plan to return them for a half size smaller, but my 30 days was up. Now that I had them for over a month. I started to notice a quack sound in the heel of the shoe. Not sure if that is due to it being a half size bigger or what. Great Looking shoe overall and they are holding up. Just wish I had ordered a half size smaller.

The good: 1.) Well made 2.) Light weight 3.) 5mm Drop is perfect. Now the bad: 1.) I notice this with many Topo shoes, and I cant pinpoint exactly why, but I get a sensation of being pronated in this shoe. I think it is a result of the shape causing excessive lateral support under foot, as compared to the medial side. I always feel like I am falling off the medial side of the shoe. 2.) Unnatural feel - Very stiff at low speed, bouncy at high speed. Took a while to soften up (100+miles).

I have been a fan to TOPO shoes since I was introduced to them by my local running store, Poulsbo Running. The owner, Chris, convinced me to try a pair of the TOPOs as they are his exclusive running shoe. Once I tried them, I was hooked and I have purchased several variants since. Having wide feet, I absolutely love the design of the TOPO shoes generally. I have had to use special custom orthotic inserts for other brands of road shoes I have worn otherwise, I had been prone to plantar fasciitis. I have been able to ditch those inserts since I have started wearing the TOPOs, which has been wonderful. The Specter shoes are incredibly comfortable, light and breathable-an excellent mid and long-range road running shoe-it is the first shoe I have every worn wherein my feet do not become excessively sweaty after a long run. The issue is the sole design-when I initially received these shoes, I was concerned with the bottom contact tread-it is very thinly glued front and back piece-I had hoped it would not come apart after usage however, the contact treads on the front of both shoes have separated from the sole itself-unfortunate as it is otherwise a great shoe. In looking over some of the reviews, this is not just my experience either. I would be interested in the next generation of this shoe and hope TOPO could address this issue. Despite my affinity for the shoe, and its many great features, I don't think I would buy this model again for the reason listed above. You just cannot have a show that come apart, esp. @ this price point.

Shoe feels great and is super light. Unfortunately, after 4 months of training, the sliver of outsole has worn through to the foam. The original spring the shoe had is gone with it. My 3 year old Diadora's are in better condition at this point, so I don't recommend this shoe from a value perspective. Stick with something heavier that will last longer. My Phantom 2's, while not as plush, are holding up okay, and is probably the line I'll stick with in the future.

I love Topo's running shoes, especially the Phantom and Phantom 2. I really wanted to love these Specter's too. Felt great on my feet when I first put them on...but for some reason they did not make the toe box as roomy as the other Topo's I have worn. My forefoot felt the pinch on the sides just walking in them. Ouch! Too bad. Guess I need to pay closer attention to fluctuating toe box roominess.

The fit and feel of them while running has been great the extra cushion seems to be holding up and taking the veering that I'm putting in but the sole patch's that make up the tread are not holding up and provide little traction on slick surfaces.

The midfoot of this shoe is so narrow; I had to send them back. I can't find this brand locally so I'm not sure if this is an isolated issue with this shoe or all of Topos shoes.

As I had to give up running years ago, I only use my Topos for walking. They are super-comfortable, so I use them as my daily walkers. Unfortunately, they are showing serious signs of wear & tear in less than 3 months of use! These sneakers are not cheap at $160 retail and are at the top of Topos price spectrum. These are my first Topos and while I really enjoy the comfort, I will question buying another pair based on their price/durability ratio.

I generally love Topo shoes. Gave Specter a try on two 3 mile runs and found that the sole collapses inward under the heel.

Typical Topo fit which works really well for me, and very good build quality. I just don't get where all the glowing reviews for the Specter are coming from, however. The midsole feels like a block of old EVA, and while it rolls nicely with the rockered sole, it's as firm as anything Topo has ever made and gives zero energy return - I feel like these shoes take more away as I push the pace.

Unfortunately, I had high hopes for a roomy toe box. I've run in Altra's and was told Topo had a lot to offer with a true natural foot shape shoe. Sadly. This shoe did not match up. The images made me think the shoe didn't truly have a wide toe box but I trusted the reviews and sadly they misled me. These may be roomy for individuals coming from a standard running shoe but not a minimalist wide toe shoe. Added photos to compare this toe box to Altras Provision 6 and Lone peak. Both are wider.

I'm 6', 190 lbs, I only run 3x per week, about 3 to 4 miles each time. I need cushy shoes since I'm not skinny and I'm near 60 years old. I cross train with weights. So, honestly, I've been running Topos for years.... MT-2 (awesome), the Magnafly (sent back when it was uncomfortable and the upper ripped in short order, Topo gave me 50% discount any new pair), Ultrafly (pretty good shoe, liked it), and original Phantom (pretty awesome, my favorite of the bunch). Now the Specter, I love the Topo story, shape, and fit, BUT... That said, here's the deal. 1) Sheesh, you'll freeze in cold weather - running in 40 degree weather and my toes were numb/freezing - The Specter's fabric is too shear for me - you can see right through the fabric and feel the breeze way too much - maybe fine in summer, but at least say that this shoe is warm weather only in the literature please. 2) Wear - come on! the souls of these shows have like 1mm or less of rubber covering the foam in only sparse spots, they will wear out in VERY SHORT order. Other topos a bit weak here too, but at least have 3 to 4x the rubber. 3) cushion - honestly - VERY disappointed here - my 2 year old Phantoms still feel just as good as these Specters do new. 4) Look - ridiculous logo ad on the side - I felt like a billboard 4) Rebound - so so. Not that impressed. 5) Fit - as expected - pretty good. 6) Weight - quite light and very good - I kind of like the tongue too, laces good. I'd put up with the bulkiness and look if they delivered, but they do not. And frankly I expected more cushion. I will try the latest Phantom and see what happens, I have just ordered and the Phantom 2 has 5mm more stack I see, so that is probably my shoe. Really bummed I wanted to like these and have more cushion for my old bones. So far 40% of Topos I've tried are not good, and 60% were pretty awesome. It's a love/hate relationship I guess.

Had expected lots more from this shoe. With a stack height of 30/35mm one assumes ample cushioning would be provided for. Not so here. They are super stiff and have extremely poor energy return and cushioning. Feels like running with a slab of plastic under my feet. Surely you can do better than this, Topo!

Let me start by saying I own 4 pairs of Topo's (MT's, Trailventure, Phantom, and Magnifly), so I love the brand. However, these were quite a departure, in my opinion, from what I expected. I used them for a few days before returning them. I had blisters on the heels and then ran narrow on my wide feet. I own a pair of Hoka for longer runs and was hoping these could replace those. Not so. The Spector ran narrower than other Topo and I felt as if my feet turned inward. Overall, disappointed so sent them back.

The sole is falling apart not even a month into this shoe. I paid too much for these. I will never buy topos again. Don't buy these shoes!