Inov8 Men's Running Shoes, Blue, 11 AU

This particular model runs almost a 1/2 size too small, it's an awesome shoe overall tho, just order a 1/2 size up.

Don’t waste your money, no customer service. Sneakers and boots are made with limited or no quality control.

I really wanted to like these shoes. They are branded for exactly what I want: Door to Trail wear, and the outsoles are rather beautifully lugged in a pattern that looks like it will both grip and hold up to pavement - something lug spacing on other dedicated trail shoes don't do well. Unfortunately that's kind of where the best comments end.I wanted the upper to be a nice functional knit, but it's a kind of dual-layered synthetic mesh that doesn't look or feel especially functional. The shoe has a strangely cushioned but not exactly cradling heel, no arch support, the lacing system is OK but just kind of sits on top of the foot. The toe box is pretty tight (which is ultimately why I returned them) so only good if you have narrow feet, and I can't not mention that when I was walking around my house to get a feel for them, I genuinely felt like I was wearing a pair of flippers. They just don't present the foot very naturally to the ground, and the sole that I just praised seems to catch in weird spots around the front edges of the heel (think snagging the inside arch of the shoe when you don't want to, and that's just around the house).I think the bottom line is that these are not $180 shoes by any stretch. I really wish the lug pattern would translate to something a little more intentionally designed. I'm also willing to say that maybe inov8 just isn't the build for my foot.