For about the last 25 years, I've only ever used Nike as my running shoe. But my last few Nike purchases seemed to be pretty cheaply made, so I thought I'd try something different. I've had Salomons before, but only has hiking and casual sneakers. Though other reviews said that these shoes run small, I found that they run true to all other Salomons that I have bought -- which is to say that instead of getting a 9, I should have stuck with my usual 8.5. That being said, the 9s are fine with thicker socks or if you have inserts. They do feel much different than my normal running shoes, and the arch seems lower, almost making my feet feel like they're supinating (I have high arches, so this is not a normal feeling for me), but that just might be a matter of getting used to another brand.

On surface roads, they aren't quite as springy as I'm used to -- they don't seem to have a lot of the energy return that I'd expect. This could be because the heel is much chunkier than I'm used to, so my gait could be off. But on trails and dirt roads they feel great. The colors are awesome, and look pretty true to the picture, though the light blue isn't as light. While I'm still not sold on them as my ideal running shoe, I do think they're great for walking and trail running.