Customer Reviews Altra FWD Experience

As someone who has been running in Altra's for about 5 years now, I think this is a great show for the brand. Going from high drop to zero can be intense. This is a great gateway shoe for Altra.

An Altra with a 4mm drop is welcome! Having low heels at slower speeds is not a problem in these shoes. Foot Shape front of upper with splay yet great hold and under foot toe bones following geometry is stable allowing the front of foot to push off and broadly and decisively so. The new CMEVA foam weighs just 7.7 oz US9, which is very light for a relatively large 32/28 stack height! The heel hold is excellent. The tongue does rotate somewhat. I do wish the midsole had a little more squish or bounce. However, as the tempo picks up, these shoes start to become more dynamic. Supercritical foam, in my opinion, might further decrease weight while giving the FWD a more contemporary rebound action.

Really exciting road shoe. As someone who loves Altras to hike in, having a transition shoe to make the leap into running is a welcome sight!

I love the width and the comfort. They took a little bit to get used to the look as it's definitely a bulkier shoe than I have worn previously. BUT these shoes squeak like crazy on all surfaces! :(

I have no issue with Altra doing a 4mm drop shoe. As a matter of fact I was really looking forward to this shoe. I prefer no drop shoes but I do have different variations of drop shoes in my rotation. So a 4mm would fit real well into that rotation. Here is what I like: The shoe is comfortable, supportive and cushiony. While I will list some things below that I don't like, I still feel the shoe is good enough to use in my training rotation. Here is what I don't like: The look of the shoe is not the greatest. I don't like the "rocking chair" look. Functionality-wise I don't like that the shoe feels tighter in the toe-box (I won't say they are narrow but they FEEL narrower than other Altra shoes). When I run I also feel like the heel area is loose. It doesn't hug my heel. After awhile of running I stop thinking about it and it doesn't hinder me but it's worth a mention. Overall, it's ok. I did consider returning them but I've decided to keep them for most of my long slow runs. Because they are just "ok" I wouldn't recommend them. But, that's just the opinion of one. Others may love them. If you decide to buy them, I hope they are great shoes for you.

I really, really wanted to like these as loyal Altra runner who was actually looking to add a shoe with some drop. But these are far too narrow. Had to go with a wide fit of a competitor instead. I'm hoping the next version has more toe room

I really like the slight drop. I tend to be a heel striker and in my older Altra's after a few months the shoe would basically be negative drop due to compression in the heel. I do wish Altra stopped making the Footshape narrower and kept it extra wide in the toes for people with duck feet who like toe socks too. I had to size up.

Please add wide width soon... Feels too narrow for us wide feet people.

Wanted a more plush shoe to include in my rotation. In my experience the forefoot foam is not comfortable. I have been an avid Escalante user and was wanting something a bit more plush without going to a Hoka. The balls of my feet hurt after running in these and unfortunately will only use these for walking going forward. I am about 50miles into these shoes and I average 15-20miles per week.

These shoes were absolutely amazing for the first three runs. Did not need any breaking in, they felt so comfortable. Unfortunately not even 15 miles of running logged in these shoes and the material that covers the toes started to pull away from the stiff, cardboard-like material that is in between the sock and the material on the outside of the shoe. I contacted customer service and they said that it wasn't a manufacturer defect, but they'd do a "courtesy" gift card. I'm not really sure how it's not a manufacturing defect if they didn't last 15 miles? I've been running, working, and hiking in Altras for about 4 years now with no quality issues. So it is a big bummer that they started to pull apart so soon, but also a bummer that they said they were doing a "courtesy" refund when the shoe quality I received is just really poor. Super bummed about the whole scenario. Proceed with caution. :/

I returned this shoe. Coming from a Paradigm 6 this was much different. The midsole is stiffer, the rocket shape and 4mm drop felt kind of weird, and it felt narrow and sort of hurt my feet. I wasn't impressed after a week of running. My biggest complaint with Altra lately is the colorways. These colors they're coming out with are awful! I don't know what changed but I miss the old shoes.

I was super excited to try these because it was the first non-zero drop that Altra had come out with. It made me try the brand for the first time. I will say they are some of the most comfortable running shoes that I've tried. I haven't put a ton of miles on these but they are already breaking down. I'm hopeful for their sake that the new model is more durable because I'm not sure I could commit to purchasing another pair if they were going to break down this soon.

Ran a few miles. no response. no propulsion. Changed insoles. Ran a few miles. no response. no propulsion. Just a boring and stiff shoe. Disappointed.

With the 4mm drop and very stiff midsole, they cause your feet to slide a little jamming your toes into the ends of the shoes. Could just be me because I have narrow heels, high arches and wide toe spacing. I normally run in the Torins or the Escalante, which are usually very good. I thought the Altrafwd might be a game changer for me, but I was really disappointed!!! They look nice, but they are very clunky and stiff. Not for a person who needs shock absorption and flexibility. They feel like you have a board strapped to your feet with very little rebound. They're so thick they probably do provide some shock absorption, but I have tried them over a month now and ended up with sore knees, hips and lower back!!! Can't get over 2 miles with them. I know I can't return them now, but I've given them every chance I could. Not even comfortable to walk casually in without my knees, hips and back hurting. Never had an Altra shoe do this to me in 10 + years of wearing.

Interesting design . It is comfortable. Too narrow. A bit wider will help. I tried the shoe in the store but I didn't buy it for the reasons mentioned above. I wear Hoka wide.

I LOVE Altra shoes, but these ones miss the mark. This is my third pair of Altras and they've been the only shoe with a wide toe box that doesn't crush my toes. However, the FWDExperience feels more like a Nike or adidas shoe once again crushing my toes. That and after three weeks of regular use, they still squeak like a duck with every step. Sorry Altra, love you guys, but these shoes are not for people who need a wide toe box. Total bummer.

I caution people who traditionally use Altra. I felt significant foot, hip, and lower back pain erupt after the first short break-in jog/walk. Prior shoes were Superior 6.

I've run in Altra shoes for about a decade. I purchased these with an open mind, and here is my honest opinion as someone who was NOT involved in a free sample program, unlike the majority of 5 star reviews here. The short and sweet of it is if you have enjoyed running in Altra shoes for many years you will probably hate these. If you are someone who is curious about Altra and runs in Hokas or other traditional running shoes you may love these. The good for me is that the upper feels great and the toe box is plenty wide. That's where the good ends. The bad is that these feel clunky, especially at slow speeds. These are tall shoes and the heel-toe drop is very noticeable. The foam is very firm and you notice it unless you're pushing these things hard. At higher speeds I actually somewhat enjoyed running in these, but I'm not a high speed runner, preferring slower, longer mileage runs at an easy pace. The shoe also felt very loose in the heel, and I don't like the pillows. I felt my foot slip against them with every step. I will be returning these because they don't really make sense for me. If these bring people to the Altra brand, great, but I'm nervous that this shoe represents a drastic shift in the company's direction which will alienate the runners, who can't find joy in other shoe brands, that the company was founded to serve. There are many shoes out there that do what this shoe does better, but there are hardly any shoes that do what their zero drop shoes do. I truly hope I'm wrong and Altra does not abandon the people who made them what they are. My opinion is if you're interested in Altra, purchase their zero drop shoes and transition slowly. Altra still has "Move Naturally" as their top core value, and I have a hard time seeing how this shoe fits in with that.

Wear for work

These are terrible quality shoes. While they are very comfortable to wear they fell apart within 2 months of wearing them and I am not a daily runner. The shoes are cheaply made and will not last you if you buy them. DO NOT BUY.

Worn Altra's for years but that reign is ending. These recent iterations are not it. Foam has transitioned to a very cheap feel. Never had shin splints before until these newer models.

I've been a runner for 15+ years, and I've never had a shoe give me blisters like this. I'm no stranger to Altra, having just come from a pair of Riviera 3's that I put about 400-500 miles on, and heard great things about the FWD Experience, so I got them for my next shoe. They feel true to size and feel decent, snug, and form fitting when you put them on, and the ride is relatively good. Medium cushion, pretty stiff ride that lets you feel a bit of the contact, which I kind of prefer. Took these out on my first run, a slow 10K training session, and I could tell something was very wrong about 4-5 miles in as the balls of my feet were absolutely stinging. When I got home and took off my shoes and socks, I had huge blood blisters under the callouses on the balls of both feet, and a huge blood blister at the tip of my second biggest toe of my left foot. The Riviera's only gave me minor toe blistering after 13+ miles. I've never seen blistering this bad, and nothing felt particularly tight during wear. Unfortunately had to return these, because I run 25-30 miles a week and can't deal with this.

It was only a matter of time after they sold out to VF that they would start implementing a drop. So much for ZERO DROP FOOTWEAR. Wasnt that the motto? Very disappointed. The whole premise is 0 drop.

You couldn't be more out of touch with your customer base. Or what leads to healthy feet. This is a perfect example of your struggle to compete with hoka and trying to chase them instead of doing what you do best. Which was making shoes that were healthy for people's feet. Now you're just producing shoes with a midsole drop and too much cushion like all the other garbage that's out there. Go back to what you were good at! Stop chasing hoka. You literally sold your soul/sole.

I ordered a men's hoping they would be wide enough and sadly they were not. My forefoot was hanging over the sole of the shoe. Sadly, narrower shoes seems to be the direction Altra is headed. Too bad.