NORTIV 8 Men’s Walking Shoes Running Tennis Cushioning ActiveBreeze Non Slip Athletic Gym Workout Comfortable Fashion Sneakers

FLOATS ON STEROIDS
Note: The 5-star rating is contingent on added arch support and foam inserts. Let me say this about the name “Active Breeze”. This Is a very aggressive, not butterflies in a field, looking sneaker, and the name just plain doesn’t fit! This sneaker is much better looking in person than online! The blue is rich and deep. The sole is wide and deeply flared front and back giving it a very dynamic, stable, wide tread stance. The heel is tall, fat, and impressive. First impressions: unlike the Move Propels, the sole flexes, like the Floats. However, unlike the Floats, there is almost no arch support! And the insole is not soft enough. While the tongue and reflective pull are commendably longer, you must use the furthest back eyelets to control the loosie goosey heal with precious little tongue left, though this IS a big improvement. Just didn’t go far enough! Please note these may look like but are NOT slip ins. Had they been, there might have gripped the heal better, and looked even better! The reflective tongue and heal pulls are a big convenience and a more contemporary style with more night reflectivity. Unlike the Floats and Move propels, the knit uppers’ fabric is not reinforced and relies more on internal bracing and your foot to maintain its shape, so there is some toe box wrinkling, and you can see abnormalities in your foot, like bunions. This softness is comfy, but may or may not cause instability, and potential long-term failure as the eyelet area and tongue are not as well planted. I shopped a pair of Hoka Bondi 8’s recently that surprisingly were not as dynamic looking or impressive, in person, as the Active Breezes, (that name still sticks in my mouth) (try saying “Breezes” three times). Unexpected! Bondi looked better online, though I gather they are more comfortable out of the box, and of course there is the status thingy, so… you better like the giant Hoka logos that dominate the shoe. A word on product id. You don’t have to do a Hoka, but no product id at all makes the sneaker look generic and gets you no brand recognition, loyalty, or street creds. A big 8 somewhere, easily identifiable, like in the tread pattern or on the heal or tongue would id the brand of these cool sneakers and generate a well-deserved fan base, like every major brand, as in ” look, those are obviously Nortiv 8’s. I know that brand” Adding arch supports and inserts are nickels and dimes compared to the $100.00 plus price difference. My favorites are still the Move Propels because nothing looks or acts like them, but the active Breezes are a close second and somewhat more practical, as they are not jacked up platforms, (though I do like that!). They flex and have a slightly smaller toe box than the Floats though still roomy for my wide feet. And they are bouncy. Lots of rocker (a good thing) so they walk smooth without clomping, and a springy ball of foot and mid sole boost like Saucony Axon 2 without the Saucony’s odd zero drop-ish feeling. As it turns out, they walk as good as the Floats and look gobs better. More later.

Super comfortable, but runs wide
I was initially very nervous to order this shoe due to the low number of reviews (with most of them being free product reviews…), but I took a chance considering how good and numerous the reviews were on a few other Nortiv 8 listings. And man, I am SO glad I gave these a shot because these really are a diamond in the rough. The free reviews were genuine! It’s a very, VERY comfortable shoe and 100% worth the money! Feels very similar to Hoka Bondi 7s according to my partner, but not quite the same and they still prefer their Hokas (though, to be fair, I think these are more similar to the Bondi 8s which my partner also did not like as much as the 7s). Don’t let that scare you away though, because these are INCREDIBLE shoes for the price point! Literally the BEST shoe I have ever purchased in my life at this price, absolutely nothing compares. These would probably be amazing for someone who stands all day for work or hobbies and is on a budget.I have tried on a New Balance 1080 pair before, and I think these are more similar to those. Certainly firmer than the 1080s (which I think may actually be better for stability), but with ALMOST the same amount of cushion. My guess is that New Balance is using some kindof proprietary blend of foam whereas Nortiv 8 is using the basic EVA mix, hence a firmer shoe. Still an industry standard and durable material for a shoe and it still feels like walking on a cloud. The little counter on the outer edge of the toebox is also great for stability.My only problem, and the reason I will be exchanging this pair for a women’s size of the exact same shoe, is that this shoe runs wide. Generally I don’t mind that as a little wiggle room is nice in a shoe like this, but due to the design of this shoe I can’t seem to lace these down in a comfortable way that also locks the heel into place. The slippage is not terrible, and I am not convinced it would give me blisters, but it’s more than I am used to and enough for me to notice it every time I wear the shoe. I have pretty narrow heels compared to the average though, so this may not be a problem for most other people. Something to consider, though! If you go up a size and a half or 2, that would be your size in the women’s shoe (assuming they have it, the women’s shoe only goes to an 11 unfortunately and they are missing the half size between 11 and 10! Please change this if you can, Nortiv! 😭).So yeah. Long review for a product I am ultimately returning lol, but it really is just that good of a shoe. I am still blown away by the quality of the shoes at this price point, and just because this build of the shoe didnt work for me doesn’t mean this wouldn’t be an AWESOME shoe for someone with wider heels. I HIGHLY recommend this shoe!!!