Customer Reviews Altra Viho

Altra has really been messing with what got them famous - the foot shaped toe box. They keep making their shoes narrower and shallow in the toe box. That's what has happened here. too narrow. And compared to other Altras such as the escalante or solstice, this shoe is heavy and clunky.

I really wanted to like these shoes. I liked the anatomically correct foot shape and style. I was looking for a run/walk shoe with a wide natural fit toe box. My usual Brooks Ghost styles seem to get narrower and smaller with each new iteration. Style, color and fit was fine (I did go up 1/2 size as per usual for all my running shoes), but the footbed foam was lumpy throughout and I could feel it through the provided insole insert. Also I could feel the outer rubber bumper up against my little toe with each step. I only tried them on in the home, but thought these issues would not go away during use and ended up returning.

I got these shoes and tried them on immediately. I liked them overall, but there was one things I could not live with. The size of the shoe around the arch of my foot, at the front area where the laces start, was incredibly tight. It was not something that I could loosen by loosening up the shoelaces because it was just in front of the laces where it was so tight. I wouldn't call it the toe box, but rather where the upper is joined together just in front (or right at) the area that the shoe laces start. I wore them around the house for 10-20 minutes, and the front of my foot was starting to feel like the circulation was being cut off. I wouldn't have been opposed to trying to run in them to see if they would loosen up over a few days, but once I did that, I wouldn't have been able to return them. (If you purchase Altra shoes directly from Altra they give you 30 days to try them and still be able to return them, but they don't have the deals on shoes that Zappos has). For reference, I'm 6',1" tall, and 155 lbs., and I wear a size 10 running shoe. So I'm not an overly large man with large feet. But these still were way too tight in the area referenced above. I liked the toe box area. It's not that I felt that was too tight. In fact, I have the Superior 4's for trail running, and I wish they were a little narrower arround the front of the arch area so my feet wouldn't slip around in them so much when running across steep areas. But these were too tight even with the laces loose. I really like Altra shoes. I use the Lone Peak 4 Mid for work. They are a great shoe, and very comfortable. So I'm going to try a different Altra shoe in hopes that it is better than this Viho running shoe.

I'm a big guy, about 225lbs. I have long, narrow feet, but most running shoes I've owned have still been so narrow and pointed at the front that they cause my toes - especially the smaller toes on the outside of each foot - to get turned inward and mashed together. The Altra Viho's in a size 14 fit my feet amazingly well, and feel great. They allow comfortable toe spread, with no loose or sloppy feeling at the mid-foot Zero drop platform with even, durable cushioning that seems to be standing up well to my weight. Like how they look, too.

These are one of the better looking Altra's. I went 1/2 size up and it was a good fit. Slightly narrower footbox than usual for Altra's known wide. But it works, and they look great!

One of the better looking Altra’s ive had. Not as comfortable in as my torin’s. But these a far better looking. Less sole support. Less room under the tongue and toe box. But they are worth keeping. I also went a 1/2 size up. Normally wear size 11, Bur for some reason on these the 11.5 felt better.