Sports Direct refund for store purchases

Skiddaw1

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82027836#Comment_82027836

I second the Brooks trail shoes recommendation. I use them for running (and I run frequently) and find a pair lasts me for a year before I need to replace them.

Grumpy_chap

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82027713#Comment_82027713

The Revolution 8's are probably not the best as general trainers, nor for ankle support.

If you just use the trainers for walking, then I have found the Merrell MOAB 3 (or whichever number in the series is current) to be very versatile and long wearing. Both my wife and I have versions of this shoe. They are double the price of the Revolution 8's.

Salomon is another brand I'd consider a "go to" for this type of wear.

The Clarks Pace range are a new entrant to this market but have good reviews and they look quite good from what I have seen - I will consider a pair when I am next purchasing. They look slightly more "everyday" and slightly less "walking" than the Merrell's.

Again, the Salomon of Clarks Pace are around double the price of the Revolution 8's. However, the Revolution 8' - the clue is in the name "road running shoes".

My wife also has a pair of Brooks Ghost trainers that predate her Merrell's. They are also a good option, but you need to get the basic entry level Ghost, not the more advanced more running focused versions carrying the ghost moniker.

I agree with @Okell about the importance of lace-locking to get the trainers to fit well but that is something I only do if actually going running. For more everyday wear, I probably won't bother. Also, the trainers designed more as walking trainers tend to need the lace locking less. I never do lace-locking with my Merrell MOAB 3's, the natural way these lace up is perfectly suitable. I also would not go running in the Merrell's, but their ankle support is superb.

To get a good fit and gait analysis, rather than a mass store such as Sports Direct (where the staff will be less likely to have the knowledge or the time to provide the level of advice you require), either a specific shoe shop or, preferably, an independent sports shoe stockists. Be sure to locate a true independent, not a sub-brand of Sports Direct. The chain stores that can provide advice are Up and Running or Go Outdoors, or even John Lewis (though the choice there will be small). These stores will have more knowledgeable staff with more time to provide the service you need to take into account your need for heel support and everyday use criteria and to get the correct fit for you. Up and Running offer gait analysis in all their stores I think.

If the price is particularly important to you, then The Mountain Warehouse stocks some good ranges of good everyday trainers / walking trainers. You will need to be more self-selective about finding the shoe that meets your needs and the stock choices tend more towards boots than trainers. In my experience, the level of service is lower than likely to be found in an independent specialist sports shoe stockist or even a shoe shop.

Good luck with your next purchase. If you can stretch your budget above the £50ish mark of the Revolution 8's you may find you get a trainer that is more suitable for your needs and may well last you twice as long.

(All the shoes I mentioned in this post are available in men's and women's versions.)

Aylesbury_Duck

The above point about price and longevity is absolutely my experience. My £90-ish Brooks shoes last about 900km of running and then a few hundred more of walking once they're retired from running. I used to run in £50 Asics** that would be fit for the bin after about 400km of running, and they weren't anything like as supportive or comfortable.

** Asics also make excellent running shoes at the higher price points, I have some Cumulus shoes that I got for the ludicrous price of £58 from their outlet store (RRP £130) and they're a joy to run in.

Grumpy_chap

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82027998#Comment_82027998

This "pay more - get more durability" link is subject to limits.

At £50, the Revolution 8 is a budget item of footwear.

At £80 - £130 the OP would find shoes that are not only "better" but also more durable. "Better" needs to be tailored to the desired use, so running shoes to run or walking shoes to walk and so on.

As the price point increases further, so £150 upwards the shoes really start to become more task-orientated so the running shoes would be unstable for walking, but the durability starts to decrease. The top end Nike Alphafly will not last as long as the (now second-tier) Vaporfly. The Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 will set you back the princely sum of £450 and quote an expected life of 200 - 300 km.

There is a useful guide to the life of trainers here:

https://www.brooksrunning.com/en_gb/blog/gear-maintenance/when-to-replace-your-running-shoes.html

Obviously, activities like kicking a football about in the park or running over the beach with the kids will all hasten the wear of whatever shoes anyone has chosen.

Aylesbury_Duck

I've just got hold of some Adizero Evo SLs for just £77. They're the "budget" version of the Pro Evo supershoe. They are ridiculously light and bouncy, I'm really looking forward to trying a speedy run in them but I can already tell they are unlilely to last as well as the Ghosts.

Terrible tongue and laces on them, those bits feel really cheap!

born_again

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82027802#Comment_82027802

n all that time I have never ever heard of anyone wearing through the upper in the toe area because the shoes were too big.

How would that even happen?

Feet sliding forward 🤷‍♀️

BlueonBlue

It certainly happens with high use and is not uncommon or restricted to just running shoes it may happen with walking shoes…how exactly can differ from person to person …generally its the big toe and/or toe nail wearing through the upper from the inside of the shoe.

This is movement obviously …you can argue how or why .

The op could try ones luck for a exchange but I doubt they would have much luck .

I got a credit from NB via a faulty 860 pair so bought two more pairs a 860 and 880 on sale adding a few quid to the credit .Thing was one pair had exactly the same heel cup splitting/failing fault and again that pair failed in 3 months.

They wouldnt replace the second pair again but did completely change the heel cup design the next season as they knew it was a NB design/fault issue

Okell

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82028726#Comment_82028726

"… Feet sliding forward."

Then lace them properly. Heel locking or lace locking will stop your feet moving forward

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82029081#Comment_82029081

"… This is movement obviously …you can argue how or why…"

Sorry but I'm going to argue that it isn't obviously due to movement because the shoes are too big.

It's due to the OP buying a size or half a size too small and the pressure of the big toe nail on the inside of the upper. That is obvious from the photo of the right shoe - the hole is right up at the front of the toe box.

I can remember cricketers like Ian Botham and Graham Dilley (RIP) wearing amazingly special new Nike bowling boots in the 1980s that they;d had to cut the toes out of because they were too small - because despite all their billions Nike hadn't understood the forces going through the bowler's front foot in the delivery stride.

The key is lacing the shoes up properly. It seems to be a lost skill

Grumpy_chap

Well, for best performance, as Okell has said, tie the laces like this:

https://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/locklacing.htm

However, I only tend to do that with my top-end running shoes when running for a best time.

With my lower end shoes and everyday running I tend not to bother.

The lock lacing ensures that the shoes fits tightly (I describe it as "like a glove") and there is no movement between the heel and the shoes with each stride thus ensuring that all the return energy is beneficially powering the next stride.

MattMattMattUK

How long running trainers depends significantly on weight and also running speed and style. When I was obese and started getting fit I could ruin a pair of trainers in 300km, now I am 13st/82kg I can get 500-800km from them, the lower end of that is if I am running hard, if I am running 4 min per km that will wear out the support on the soles much quicker than when I am doing a period of casual 4:30-5:00 min per km runs.

The issue with these trainers is, as explained above, caused by the OP either wearing the wrong size or not lacing them properly, they do not need to be lock laced, just laced tight enough that the feet do not slide forward in the shoe (or possibly that they need to cut their toenails).