Altra Torin 6 Review

Due to higher prevalence of Achilles and patellar tendon pain, running shoes with a more natural foot shape have increased in popularity. One of the biggest names in this industry is Altra. If you are looking at a zero drop shoes then it’s guaranteed that you probably know this brand. They have had a history of comfortable shoes that mimic “anatomic foot positioning” with a wide toe box, minimal to zero drop and an ergonomic tread. The beloved Torin 4 and 5.5 plush were some of the most popular shoes on the market with numerous reviewers wishing they had bought multiple pairs as the more recent developments have not met up to the quality. Wee Views was generous enough to provide me a pair of the Torin 6 model for testing. I expected to love them as much as the 4.5 plush Torin (that I still have because I can’t bring myself to get rid of them), but unfortunately that is not the case. Read below to find out why I am very cautious of Altra moving forward. 

I decided to wear these as work shoes and not to run in them because I needed something that allowed my feet to spread out all day and provide a low load, long duration stretch to the Gastroc/Soleus complex. Within 3 months of casual wear at work the bottom tread of the medial coroner where the big toe aligns began to separate (see pictures below).This was very disappointing as the price tag on these is over 150 dollars. While they were comfortable, the durability of the lower was very poor which unfortunately is consistent with a number of other reviewers experiencing this exact same problem. 

Altra decided on the Torin 6 to add an elevated cushion on the posterior aspect of the heel to cushion the Achilles tendon. The lower the drop in the shoe, the greater the pressure on the posterior ankle. This addition was likely due to customer complaints of developing Achilles Tendinitis after switching from other major brands to Altra simply for the wider toe box. With several popular running shoes being at or above 12mm heel toe drop, the switch to a zero drop is to large of a gap and can actually cause these symptoms. For those of us that were already in zero drop shoes, this becomes more of a nuisance than benefit as it limits the wear of lower socks (Balegas specifically). 

I continued to wear these shoes despite the tread coming apart and began to notice that the quality of the construction went beyond the lower. As I wore them (again for casual wear only) the lateral aspect of the upper began to separate from the lower, ripping and tearing at the seams. It is important to know that none of my other shoes have ever had this problem. This has now rendered the shoe unwearable and honestly has prevented me from considering Altra for my next shoe. While extremely comfortable with adequate cushioning but not too much, wider toe box and zero drop, it meets all the boxes for the perfect shoe, but does not las long enough to be worth the money.