Customer Reviews Onitsuka Tiger Tai Chi™

Looks great, but not much comfort - The shoe is very light weight. The leather is great, but there isn't much of an support in the sole. You feel bare foot. I added some arch insoles and now they are as comfortable as they look.

Flat and Light - Although exceptionally light, feeling almost as if you aren't wearing shoes, this particular model does not support the foot at all. It is very flat-feeling, and wears easily on the bottom with moderate use.

I love the style of these shoes, classy look. But they're really cheaply made. No cushion between the tread and the inside sole. You will feel everything you step on from small rocks and rough paths. No support on your toes. If someone steps or you drop something light, it will hurt! I would not recommend using them to walk all day with! After an hour walking around the mall, I had to buy a Dr. Scholl insert to make it back to my car. Do not buy! Waste of money! I had to throw them away. I feel sorry for the poor fool that buys them!

Fits like glove. Great shoe. Needs a gel support but other than that, wonderful product. Durable as well

I love these shoes. I bought the yellow pair and have been wearing them for almost three years. They even made a winter trip to Europe with me and survived the rain and snow. Highly recommended brand. I do wish they came in black.

This shoe is a fairly obvious homage to Bruce Lee and his final film "A Game of Death", although people remember the tracksuit more (esp. with the Bride from KB wearing it as well). However, if you look carefully at image stills of the fight between Bruce and Kareem Abdul Jabbar, you ll notice that Bruce wears a matching pair of Onitsuka Tiger shoes, most likely the Mexico 66s. And indeed, OT did remake yellow and black Mexico 66s at some point. But when they decided to make a pair of shoes called Tai Chi well they obviously had to make them in yellow and black. I prefer these to the Mexico 66. While externally similar in profile to the 66, the inside is much more padded, and thus the shoes are a joy to wear, similar to slightly chunkier sneakers, like their X-Caliburs. The only thing that s left to note is that Onitsuka Tiger is ASICS fashion sneaker brand (with OT being the name of what would later evolve into ASICS) and so these shoes aren t really for anything athletic, even if they do have athletic sounding names (Cycling, Tai Chi, etc). And as a result, I'd say that their arch support isn t very pronounced. But these aren t orthotics. They re for looking good in and channeling the dragon.

For Tai Chi practice, a flat sole, zero lift, lightweight and flexible lace up shoe or slipper works best. This high quality leather shoe meets all the criteria and more. They're comfortable, true to size, and thinly soled so your toes can feel the surface. Works well with or w/o socks. For good reason, this shoe can be hard to find because they sell out fast.

Hubby loves these shoes! I love Zappos! Big Fan! Always get a Zappos gift card for Christmas!

When I went to order this shoe only the black version was available so I took a chance despite the one negative review regarding the supposed change in the shoe around February 2013. After the shoes arrived, I was pleased to find they fit perfectly. I usually wear a 10.5 wide in all of my other shoes so I was nervous about buying a shoe in medium width. These shoes are so comfortable. I am a new student of Tai Chi, practicing since January of 2014, and have tried 4 different types of Tai Chi shoes in my weekly classes. This is definitely the best shoe yet. Expensive, yes, but well worth it. My feet feel flat to the floor and I feel that I am getting a good "root" and am able to easily do the turns on either carpet or wood. These shoes are so stylish that I know I will be tempted to wear them outside of Tai Chi practice. I just ordered a white pair after being notified by Zappos that they are back in stock. With two pairs, I just might wear them when shopping, etc. I love having a pair of "Kill Bill" shoes even though they are not the extremely rare yellow ones. For me, so far, they are the perfect Tai Chi shoes. Zappos is a great place from which to order shoes. They really ship quickly.

I have owned about seven pairs of Tigers. Five of them being the ultimate 81, one being the Mexico 66 mid tops and now this pair. I am leading my review this way to let you, a possible customer know, these are my favorite brand of shoes and I know my size in them. Most shoes I am a size 11½ or 12 (American) and in Onitsuka I am a size 11. Before I purchased these I have read a bunch of reviews because I was afraid of trying a new style before wearing them and because you will not find them in a store (unless you are lucky) you have to test your luck and guess your size. I ordered an 11 but I was very close to getting am 11½ but in the end made no difference. When you first get them on they do feel like they are not wide enough and it is a little uncomfortable. However the shoes are made of leather which is a good thing. After lacing the shoes to your liking and a couple days of break in time (longer than usual for me) the leather does stretch to your width. Me personally, my feet are wide and I need the size that offered the most width so for those of you that have wide feet and do not want to wait for break in time then order half a size larger but if you do not mind the wait then get your normal size. The shoes look great with no show socks and shorts or even stylish with skinny jeans , and they are great for exercising in after they have formed to your feet. I am a cyclist and they are great for long rides. They are light weight and low. My one issue is the leather wore prematurely while driving. So do not wear them to drive or else the heel of the shoe will wear out but after six months they are holding up great. I highly recommend them for casual summer/fall shoes.

I bought these shoes to wear for Tai Chi practice, and they are perfect for this discipline. The sole is flexible and light, so I was able to feel grounded. Contrary to some feedback, I believe there is adequate arch support. It isn't necessarily visible from the outside, because the sole is flat, but internally you can see it, and I definitely felt it when I was wearing the shoe for the first time. I have a narrow foot, and this shoe is not available in narrow width, but I am able to tie the shoe tight enough to feel secure and stable. Onitsuka Tiger Tai Chi shoes are probably not meant to be worn as walking shoes, although it may work for that purpose for some people, so I don't think the criticism about inadequate arch support really applies if you are looking for Tai Chi shoes. These fit the bill, and are very stylish.

I wear a size 13 typically, and these shoes fit fine. The styling is great, they are lightweight and get a lot of attention. Of course, because they are really bright yellow. The yellow brightness is pretty intense.

This is an absolutely beautiful and comfortable pair. They are reasonably priced. I bought three different styles by this brand.

This is a tremendous shoe, very stylish and comfortable. Three buying tips: 1) the toe box is narrower than comparable athletic shoes (e.g., Adidas, which has plenty of room), so you may need to go up a half size bigger than usual to get a proper fit, as I did; 2) there's no mid-sole, so if you want that extra cushion, this may not be a good shoe for you; 3) there are no toe caps and the toe sits close to the ground, so if you're tough on shoes, the toe leather may show wear sooner than it does with your other shoes. I can't yet speak to its durability, but right now, I love it: a great-looking shoe, in a nice color combination, from a venerable old Japanese brand. Highly recommended.

Perfect fit...I have wide feet and I ordered my size not bigger it was perfect. Comfy as if you're walking bare footed.

Have been doing Tai Chi for a few years but never invested in shoes. Purchased these and they really help me. Sizing was good, received them in ample time. Satisfied.

This was the first time I ordered anything from Zappos. I was able to purchase a shoe I had looked for for years, in the right size (I have incredibly small feet), which were delivered the very next day. It couldn't have been easier!

Very comfortable. leather is very soft. Therefore, if you choose to purchase your true size, the leather will stretch to conform nice and snug. I will definitely grab another pair.

Nice lightweight, minimalist shoe. It's made of soft leather which creases and scratches fairly easily so you have to be careful about dragging your toe on curbs, etc.So far hasn't been too much of a problem and I love the way they look.

These are the shoes that Uma Thurman wore in the action film Kill Bill, and I can see why - they're amazingly comfortable and flexible. It feels more like a second skin than any other pair of sneakers. They don't have a lot of excess padding, so they're really good for gym workouts, martial arts, light nature trails, and to pack for travel/vacation. I don't do a lot of running or hiking, so I don't need extra cushioning and support, which these shoes admittedly don't have. But for the purposes listed above, I love them.

My main goal was find a shoe for deadlifting and squats. These definitely fit my need (heel as close to the ground as possible) and I also like the style so I wear them as a casual shoe as well.

I've never reviewed shoes from Zappos before, but I must say these are my favorite pair of shoes now. I had previously worn nothing but Nikes, but I have officially converted to Onitsuka Tigers. Buy them now!

As usual, Zappos go me my shoes freaky fast! They fit great for all my Tai chi forms. The only thing is that they don't have great cushioning so I added some sports inserts.

Tenth pair of Onitsuka tiger by Asics, this is my third pair over five years in this style. I love these shoes for, reasons.

I just got my new pair today. look great cannot decide if I want to go a half size down or not. Depends of if you wear socks and if they are thick or thin. People that have complained about the lack of support from these shoes need to think before the buy. Even from the pictures you can see that there is NO support to them! They are minimalist-type shoes! Makes me laugh when I read those comments. Great shoes for the correct situation. NEWS FLASH! Don't buy if you want to wear them in the dead of winter and to run through snow on rocky trails with sharp rocks and broken glass! I hope they put out more colors.