Altra Torin 3.0 Review

I started running in Altra shoes about a three years ago.  Finishing up the ”Week of Altra,” I will review one of Altra’s newest shoes, the Torin 3.0.  This lightweight, high cushioned shoe builds upon one of their most popular shoe lines.  I have written reviews for several Altra shoes in the past.  Click the links to read my past reviews:

Instinct 2

Paradigm

Instinct 3

Lone Peak 2.5

The One 2.5

Instinct 4.0

Olympus 2.0

Escalante

Instinct Everyday

As with all of Altra’s shoes, the Torin 3.0 has the FootShape™ toebox, which allows your toes to spread out.  It helps eliminate issues resulting from compressing your feet/toes.  This is a common issue with most other company’s shoes because of their narrower toe box.  Altra’s zero heel drop (meaning that the heel and forefoot are the same distance from the ground) promotes proper form, provides better propulsion, aligns your feet, back, and body, and is not weighted more heavily in the heel (like most shoes) which promotes heel striking.

I bought a pair of the Torin 3.0 to test out.  I really like the Instinct 4.0 and wanted to see how the extra cushion in the Torin 3.0 would feel.  Here is a comparison of the two shoes.

	Torin 3.0	Instinct 4.0
Weight	8.4 ounces	10 ounces
Stack Height	28mm	25mm
Outsole	FootPod (some exposed EVA)	Full Blown Rubber FootPod
Cushioning Level	High	Moderate
Midsole	EVA with A-Bound and Inner Flex™	EVA with A-Bound and Inner Flex™
Insole	6 mm Contour Footbed	6 mm Contour Footbed

The Torin 3.0 is 1.6 ounces lighter than the Instinct even with extra cushion.  Part of this is due to the Full Blown Rubber FootPod of the Instinct 4.0.  The shoes other than that are fairly similar in terms of specs. 

The new Torin 3.0 has taken one of Altra’s favorite shoes and made improvements to the upper by using a Quick-Dry Air Mesh to make it more breathable and comfortable.  It looks really sharp and appears to be durable so it should last quite a while.  The upper really locks down your foot without causing any constriction issues with your foot.  I ordered a size 10, which is my normal size, but it runs about ¼ size large.  I couldn’t quite fit into a size 9.5, but the 10 worked really well for me.  I would say they fit true-to-size when ordering them.

The midsole is made with EVA and an A-Bound top layer with Inner Flex™.  This is a grid-like network of flex grooves built into the midsole to allow your foot to flex and bend the way it needs to.  This will result in increased speed, performance, and ultimately will help strengthen the muscles in your feet.

Altra updated the FootPod™ outsole to better map the bones and tendons in your feet, which like the Inner Flex™ grooves, will allow the shoe to flex with your foot.  The sides are cut down around the ankle to prevent rubbing (my guess for this design feature).  I know several Altra shoes have this feature as well and I love it.

I know I just stated yesterday that the Escalante is not only Altra’s best shoe (in my opinion), but my favorite running shoes ever!!!  It really is only a few tweaks away from being perfect.  That was before I ran in the Torin 3.0.  While I like the EGO midsole of the Escalante better than the Torin 3.0, the Escalante had a lack of stability when trying to make quick turns but the Torin 3.0 provided that stability.  The Torin 3.0 is an all-around amazing shoe.  It had just the right amount of cushion while not feeling too squishy.  This is my new favorite shoe.  I took it out for 10 miles and out of the box, it I could have run another 20 miles in them.  They were so comfortable I almost forgot they were there.   It is so light and comfortable.  While I have only run 10 miles in them, it was on varied terrain.  I wanted to get the review out for the “Week of Altra” and will update this post when I get 50 miles on the Torin 3.0.

Pros:

Zero heel drop

Wide toe box.

Extremely comfortable

Plenty of cushion

Lightweight at 8.4 ounces

Decent price ($125 on sale at Altra.com)

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The Torin 3.0 is an amazing shoe for so many reasons, but the main one is that you can throw them on and head out knowing that your feet will feel great.  You can get the Torin 3.0 for $125 on the Altra website.   I hope you have enjoyed the “Week of Altra” and that you give them a shot.  Please let me know what you think of Altra or if you plan on getting a pair to try out.  I would love to hear what you think.  It has really helped my running and I am becoming more injury-free as a result of running in Altra shoes. 

Note:  I am not a doctor, so please use all of the products that I review at your own risk.