Customer Reviews Altra Paradigm 7

Wish Altra made more of a selection in 'Wide' sizes

This is my second pay of Altras and I am even more impressed with this pair than the first ones I have. I normally wear a wider shoe, and was concerned with a regular width version of this shoe, but figured I'd give it a shotI was pleasantly surprised!! This shoe has an absolutely perfect toe box for my wide feet and makes me feel like I'm running on clouds. I can't wait to put hundreds of miles on this pair of shoes. I'm already considering buying a second pair so I can have some backups!

I have extreme over pronation, with wide feet. These areone of the most comfortable shoes I've worn, but I hate the light blue color on the only color way that is offered in wide sizes.

As a busy person working in Healthcare and on my feet 12 hours a day, I would recommend these shoes.

Great shoe. Just wish they had more colors available in the wide sizes. If the lime colorway came in wide that would be my go to shoe for everything. Hope altra expands the colors in the wide fit..@

As it says in the title this is way more shoe than I'm used to running in as a guy that primarily wears racing flats and other super minimalist styles, but coming off a bout of PFPS that plagued me all winter long, I ended up looking for something with a bit more cushion and some additional stability. I never expected to end up liking the Paradigm 7s as much as I do now. They definitely took some getting used to, but the additional cushion and extra wide sole has given me what I need to keep running and not make things worse while keeping my form reasonably in check. For as soft as the midsoles are, I'm not finding my feet to be 'seeking' through the midsole for proprioception but the softness is noticeable enough to take some of the more jarring impact forces off the knee and not make me yowl going up/down stairs after a run. While admittedly a bit of a niche shoe for someone whose discovery of zero drop footwear fixed their biomechanics enough to actually be able to run and who loudly preaches the gospel of barefoot/minimalist training, these have definitely found a place in my stable and will probably be seeing more and more use as I try to continue to stay active now that I've hit that 'middle age' milestone and more stuff hurts way more often than I'm used to.

The zero drop, wide toe box, and solid cushioning sold me on this shoe. It's a great shoe, except the quality is poor. I developed a hole in the upper mesh near my toe after six months, although I only use the shoe for walking. It would be a perfect show aside from this defect.

After 15 years wearing a different brand I switched to the Altra Paradigm 7's. I generally enjoy the shoe but after a few weeks I've tried several times to wear low-cut socks and they just can't be worn. The Paradigm 7's heal runs tabs rub against my upper heel/Achilles and about half way through any run I notice significant rubbing and irritation. My guess is that it's the very angular/pointy design of the heel tab on the outside of each shoe causing this (as evidenced by my irritation spots). As long as I wear taller socks, I seem to be ok. Due to that, knocking off a star.

After being injured due to using shoes with too much stack and without support I decided to give Altra a try. I ran 700km with the Paradigm 7 and here are my conclusions: The shoe is stable and kept me injury and pain free, so thanks for that. The roomy toe box is a plus for me. I used the shoe mainly for base zone 2 runs. Average runs were between 12-18km with longer ones above 20k. The shoe does not breathe at all. On anything longer then an hour your feet will get slacked. At around 550-600k the inner sole started to ter apart resulting in friction on the side of my foot and a strong discomfort. I was initially happy but will not buy again given the discomfort caused. I will however give the experience form a try. Any thoughts on that ?

I like the combination of zero drop, stability and large toe box, but the top of the toe box fails too soon. A more durable or thicker material would be good. I'm no shoe expert, but in my 51 years of running and the purchase of many many running shoes most all other running shoe companies don't have this issue. I usually don't write reviews, but I am hoping this can be fixed.

Have these shoes for about 7 month now, they are very comfortable and I use them for my day to day. As you can see from the photos, they been lightly walked but the heel collar decided to give up. Called customer service explained them the situation and got the following response: "Thank you for contacting Altra! As per our conversation. We have looked into your issue. Finding a shoe that has less cushion would prevent heel slippage which could be the cause of the hole wearing in your shoe. The Torin and Paradigm shoes are similar which is why you may be having issues with both. The Escalante 4 may be a better option to prevent further issues". So as you can see, it is me, a person with severe knee injury that needs cushioned shoes for my day to day that at fault and I should use less cushioned shoes that exacerbate my pain. Thank you Altra for the quality shoes made for runners ...

I previously owed the Paradigm 5 and loved them, but the 7's I purchased have suffered from premature collar and heel padding wear through at 150 miles. The Paradigm 5 held up for hundreds of walking and running miles. I have been recovering from back surgery and have used my Paradigm 7 strictly for walking on treadmill. I now have 181 miles on the shoes and the wear has accelerated . Have been waiting for Altra customer care to respond for 2 weeks. Otherwise the shoes are comfortable. Bottom line is really "MAYBE I would recommend to a friend", but that is not a selectable choice.

I use these shoes as an all around shoe including mild hiking. I have issues with pronation and found the Paradigm 5 really worked well for both pronation and cushioning. When I tried the P6, for me it had lost much of its pronation assistance but retained the same cushioning. I found the P7 to be much firmer even hard with a harsh feel especially on hard surfaces. This is a bit confusing being high cushioning is what Altra is known for designing into their shoes. The P7 did help stabilize pronation better than the P6. But I found the P7 to be so firm that I returned them.

I want to like Altras. I really do. I love the concept of zero drop in a wide toebox. It is the best I've ever felt. Unfortunately I have had three different models of shoe delaminate from the sole.

The paradigm 6 is SO much better than this iteration. The only 'positive' thing I can say is that they are lighter, but I never had a problem with the weight of them anyway. Here are a few of my issues: - The midsole feels more stiff and less cushioned. My feet were actually sore after running in these. - The outsole offers almost no traction. I was slipping on small frost patches the road on the third day of use. After around 40 miles of use, there is visible wearing of the outsole. - The toe box is smaller and stiffer. The tops of my toes were irritated by being rubbed by the toe cap. This is the second line of Altras that have gotten worse in their latest version; the Escalante 3 was a letdown for me too. Returning these. Hopefully, I can find a few pairs of 6s in my size so I can have a decent shoe for a while. Maybe the 8s will be better?

I have worn Paradigm 7s for years. I like them, but they do not last a long time. I do heavy lifting in them and some moderate jogging. After about 300 miles, they are done. I do wear orthotics so that may cause premature wear. I will continue wearing them.

Best shoe I have ever had. Has definitely help with knee issues. Have bought numerous pairs.

Great trainer for hot runs in Texas. I run 4-5 miles a couple of times a week. These shoes are great and the 4th or 5th pair I have purchased. I bought an extra pair in case the newer Paradigm that came out doesn't work for me like this one.

Bought these for road running but took them on trail and they did just fine.

Use this for road running and my knees have not hurt since I switched over

Amazing for running, walking everyday activities. Would recommend to anyone serious about foot health. Will not buy another brand again. Happy feet!! Thank Altra keep up the quality please!!!

I love these shoes but fyi I have to buy a man's size as the woman's medium is too narrow and the woman's wide slips right off my feet.

I have to buy the men's size 9.5 to make up the width without the heel being too wide. I use these because I have a Morton's Neuroma that causes pain in the toe box and a wide toe box shoe is indespensible. I have one problem with Altra that they keep changing the width of the toe box so I have to try several pairs before I find the right size. Luckily this pair has stayed the same for at least a year and works wonderfully.

Initially, I bought these for my daily runs, following a recommendation from my physical therapist to get shoes with a wider toe box, and Altras were known for that. These arrived promptly in the mail and went in a couple of runs, and it was great. My toes are not cramped, and my foot can move naturally. I also used them for a thru-hike in Japan, and they were extremely comfortable. This is my first time with zero-drop running shoes, so that took some adjusting. Would definitely be looking for more Altras in the future, especially their hiking boots.

So Im a fighter that had a knee surgery. I was walking 10KM a day and needed the best shoes to gain foot and joint strenght. This is the best shoe that respect human biomecanics!! AMAZING SHOES