Everybody I know swears by Asics, but I've refused to try them for the last year because I get depressed every time I look at the boring and (dare I say) ugly selection. These are actually pretty cute, and, after several attempts to find a trainer that's both comfortable and durable, I decided to try them! I was very happy with the price, and they are pretty comfy. I have horrible issues with arch support and severe pain after workouts in poorly fitted shoes, and I have not had that problem with these (thank goodness!). However, there are a couple of things worth mentioning. First, the back of the shoe is rather high and starts to hurt my ankles if I wear them much longer than a couple of hours, because I have decided they're cute enough to wear outside of the gym on occassion! In all fairness, though, I have experienced that in a very popular style New Balance that nobody else seemed to have a problem with... so this could just be me! Second, I do experience a good bit of discomfort on the balls of my feet during workouts when I'm moving on my toes a lot. Its almost like I can feel the pattern of the tread on the bottom. However, I only experience this when I'm doing high impact moves on the balls of my feet for extended periods of time. Once I go back to moves that do not require me to be on my toes, the pain goes away. Overall, they've proven to be a good trainer so far in all aspects. I can't say that I've been converted into an Asics only diehard from this pair of shoes, but I am happy with them!