Escalante 5 vs Torin 9

The Escalante 5 is heavier than the shoe it replaces. Our spec sheet has it at 275g against 240g for the Escalante 4, with a touch more stack and a 2.2mm drop, which is still close to the zero-drop idea Altra builds everything around. In return you get a tougher outsole and a better-fitting knit upper, and most reviewers found the foam a little bouncier than before. It remains a low, flexible daily running shoe with a wide toe box, aimed at runners already used to zero or near-zero drop who want to feel the road and let their toes spread. The ride divides opinion. Run To The Finish liked the springy, grounded feel and rated it the best Escalante so far, while RTINGS found the cushioning harsh and too thin for long runs. We land in the middle. It's a good shoe for short and steady runs, but we wouldn't take it into marathon training, and if you've never run in low-drop trainers it's the wrong place to start.

Altra made the Torin lower and cheaper for version 9. It stands 25.8mm at the heel and 25.5mm at the forefoot, down from 30mm flat on the Torin 8, it weighs 264g against 278g, and the RRP has come down from £150 to £135. The result is a flatter, more planted zero-drop daily training shoe than the soft Torin that many Altra fans are used to. Reviewers agree the Vibram outsole grips very well on wet roads and that the shoe is steadier than before. How it feels underfoot splits them. Canadian Running found it soft and bouncy, while Run To The Finish called it much firmer than the Torin 8 and short on life, and lab testing measured very little energy return. We rate it a good road running shoe for easy miles if you're already used to zero drop. Try it on before you buy, though, because the toe box doesn't suit every Altra foot this time.