The workout shoes I have been wearing are hand-me-downs from my daughter, and I have been wearing them when I mowed the lawn this summer. With all the rain we’ve had, they pretty much got trashed by mowing the grass when it’s sprinkling, or when the grass is still damp. When Fred Meyer had a sale on all of their athletic shoes, I decided it was time to have a nice pair for my in home aerobic walking.
Description
These are only my second pair of Nike shoes, I usually buy Adidas, but these are very attractive! They are colored white with the Nike swoosh outlined i baby blue colors, with a tip of silver on the toe. The color is listed as “white/white-ice blue” on the box. This is one of the Nike Air styles.
Usually inside the tongue of the shoe tells the materials that it’s made with, so I was really surprised when this information was not on inside the shoe, nor was it on the box or hang tag. They are $50 shoes, so I assumed they are made of leather – they look and smell like leather, but after I couldn’t find the Women’s View II shoe at the Nike website, I had to do some searching.
Here’s what I found about this walking shoe: ” The Nike Women’s View II is a versatile walking shoe that provides overall comfort, stability and value. Made with a leather upper and mesh collar for added comfort, and also features a quilted quarter panel with stitching details for durability and support. The midsole contains full-length Phylon™ with internal and external flex grooves. The outsole is solid rubber for an extra good grip on many surfaces.”
Thoughts
These were on sale for $44, and I tried on several pair of walking shoes before I decided on the Nike brand. I am not one that wears brand names as a status symbol, so I really didn’t care who the manufacturer was, I just wanted the most comfortable shoe I could find. It was narrowed down to one made my Sketchers and these Nike View II, and after wearing one of each kind on each foot and walking around the store, the Nike were the best fitting and provided the most support.
Many of the walking/workout shoes I looked at had very wide fronts, which looked abnormal to me. These were one of the few pair that are styled the way walking shoes have been made for years. They have a good arch, although it’s not a high arch by any means. What I love is that the shoe has a lot of extra padding on the tongue, and around the opening or cuff of the shoe.
The back or heel comes up quite high, but it has that “V” shape that makes it comfortable above the heel. Some shoes actually dig into the Achilles tendon, but these don’t. I also love how they have a sturdy loop at the top of the shoe back so you can pull them on by putting you finger through the loop. It’s large enough that I can get my thumb through it!
The side of the sole has some imprinted words that read “Rolling Rail”, and the near the toe on the sole it reads DRC”. According to Nike, the Rolling Rail system is added for smooth, efficient motion from heel to toe during walks and grooves in the outsole that flex and twist along with you. A DRC outsole offers maximum durability. The soles forefoot is very flexible, the heel is very stable, and they have the ultimate in cushioning.
The lining is very plush and soft and comfortable. The shoe has a great tread, and I love that these are very lightweight! I put one on my postage scale and it only weighed 9.4 ounces!
Now that you know more than you ever wanted to about the Nike View II, I need to let you know how comfortable these are to work out in! They seemed a little narrow in the arch area, but I got used to that by the time I was done with my first work out. The other thing that took some getting used to was the high tongue, which was digging into my foot. After I laced these up to the very top (a little higher than I usually lace them), this held the tongue down against my foot and actually made it more comfortable.
My last thought on these shoes is that I was shocked to see that they are made in Vietman! Has this always been the case with Nike products? I was a bit put off by that, but like I said, I was only looking for the most comfortable shoes I could find, and these are the ones! I love the looks, the comfort and support that these shoes provide. I give these my highest recommendation.
