NIKE AIR TOUKOL III

When it came to the time to get some new gym training shoes I decided to switch from my old Air Affect II trainers to the Toukol. Although I've only been using the Toukol for a couple of months, at the moment I have no regrets about making this change. I found my old trainers a bit cramped around the forefoot but, compared with those, the Toukol has a much more roomy toebox. Also, the forefoot flexes well which is good when using equipment like cross trainers: I had previously found that some trainers would cause my forefoot to go numb after a long session on a cross trainer but I get no trouble whatsoever with these. The first thing that I noticed when I tried the shoes on in the shop was that there was a definite presence under the midfoot - there is definitely some sort of arch support going on there. This might annoy some users but it's probably a sign that the shoe incorporates some stability features. I overpronate severely when I run, and, when I used to run regularly, I could wreck a pair of shoes designed for a neutral gait in a matter of days, so the presence of any additional staibility in a shoe is probably a good feature for me. The uppers are leather with reinforcements around the heel area and the front and sides of the toebox. To my mind the leather might be a bit soft and, although my trainers are still looking good, there are a couple of tiny scratches appearing around the forefoot reinforcement area. Although this doesn't bother me, it might be a small worry to those who use their trainers daily and expect them to stay in pristine condition. Although these shoes have an air unit in the heel, the cushioning is not that great. This makes them suitable for most activities, but I wouldn't recommend them for regular use in any high impact activity such as running. If you plan to use your shoes for the occasional running activity, then you should probably look at the more cushioned trainers such as the Free Trainer. Simlarly, there is no air unit in the forefoot although there is a deep groove down the centre fo the forefoot which aids with shock absorbtion by deflecting the shock outwards when the foot strikes. However, it's not sufficient to absorb a high amount of shock from activities like skipping where one tends to strike heavily on the forefoot. The sole of the shoe mostly has an oval cell like pattern, I found the grip of the herringbone pattern used in other Nike Trainers to be exceptional for indoor gym use and I haven't encountered any problems with the grip on the Toukols. The outstep of the forefoot has a diferent pattern divided into three rectangular sections that probably serve to aid flexibility in the forefoot of the shoe. I don't really use the shoes for any activties that involve side to side movements or pivoting on the balls of the feet so I can't comment on whether the traction of the shoe helps or hinders movements in these circumstances. I use these shoes on a variety of gym equipment such as: cross training machines; steppers; rowing machines, etc and for weight training sessions and I would recommend these shoes for any of these uses. However, as I've indicated above, if you need a single trainer for regular use in high impact activities, then I'd consider opting for one of the more cushioned offerings in the Nike range.

They're of good quality and comfortable, though leather takes a while to break in. They're a bit narrow for my foot and a part of the sole pressures my midfoot slightly, though it's not that big of an issue. Good for jogging/running, they absorb shock nicely and look elegantly enough to be able to wear them as part of (quite loose) business casual outfit.