Air walk shoes - how is the quality?

[loveagoodbuy]

Anyone tried Air Walk sneakers? I am looking for my 10 YO son for back to school. Payless is having a BOGO sale that would make these shoes a good deal, but I want to check on the quality first. Help me out with your experience, please - good bad or indifferent. Thanks

[jenrose]

DH used to wear those all thru high school. He even wore them in his tux to my HS Prom.

I haven't bought any of the shoes in several years (just cause I'm too lazy to go buy shoes anywhere but target LOL) but I did buy DS1 Airwalk Snow boots a couple times and now DS2 is wearing them and they still look relatively new.

[loveagoodbuy]

Thanks, that is good to know. I am looking at their sneakers, but am hesitant since they are at Payless, so the quality could be poor.... just looking for good, all-around sneakers for kids. Thanks for you opinion!

[FunnyFace]

My daughter had a pair of Airwalks a couple years ago and those didn't hold up at all. I too thought about buying some for my 10yr old son because he likes skateboarding until my 16yo told me about hers. I went with Smartfit instead. If you do go with Payless you can pair up the BOGO deals with a 20% off code if it's still available. I think their shoes are hit and miss.

[atcwag]

Airwalks were a product of the 90's and were the "high end" shoes when I was in school. They were the shoes that only the "cool" kids had. They have definitely lost popularity since then, and because of that are now being sold at places like Payless. I didn't ever have a pair, but I can guess that the quality is pretty poor. I think you would be better off going to a Marshall's, Value City, etc. and getting a nice pair of name-brand sneakers if you want them to last a while.

[jennsvs]

I usually buy the Smartfit brand from Payless and they hold up extremely well. My son (10) did get a pair of Airwalks last year (from Payless) and they held up. Being a name brand doesn't mean it is better. A few years ago my son was really wanting the Sketchers with the air things, so we got them. He wore them out within a week. He drags the backs of his feet when he walks. We got another pair, same thing. I got my money back and went to Payless. We got a pair of Smartfit shoes and he actually outgrew them instead of wearing them out.

All I can say is to try them. You can't always guarantee quality on expensive shoes. I learned the hard way.

[JulieDB]

They're not that great. I still have a pair that I bought several years ago but the only reason I still have them is that I don't wear them often. They are not very comfortable. They are an imitation of Keen. I will wear them if it gets really hot, which thankfully it doesn't often.

My daughter has had a few pairs of the sneakers. They don't hold up very well but for the price I don't expect them to. I would expect them to last 2 to 3 months. These are what we buy when we realize that her feet have grown but we haven't got the time to take her to Nordstroms to get her feet measured. They are just make do shoes until we can get something better.

[JulieDB]

I usually buy the Smartfit brand from Payless and they hold up extremely well. My son (10) did get a pair of Airwalks last year (from Payless) and they held up. Being a name brand doesn't mean it is better. A few years ago my son was really wanting the Sketchers with the air things, so we got them. He wore them out within a week. He drags the backs of his feet when he walks. We got another pair, same thing. I got my money back and went to Payless. We got a pair of Smartfit shoes and he actually outgrew them instead of wearing them out.

All I can say is to try them. You can't always guarantee quality on expensive shoes. I learned the hard way.

My daughter likes the Converse without the laces. They do not last any time at all. The stitching along the tongue just rips right up.

Thankfully at back to school time last year she found some knockoffs at Value Village. They are a place sort of like Goodwill but they do sell some new things too. The shoes were new. The first pair were $8 but then they put them on sale for $4. I let her get 4 pairs. They didn't hold up well either but they were better than the Converse!