3 Best Nike Air Max Sneakers, 100+ Shoes Tested in 2023
Float through your day with the real OGs of sneakers. The quite impressive lineup of iconic Nike Air Max kicks are seen within the community of sneakerheads as wardrobe staples, selling in the tens of millions of pairs worldwide. If there’s a new release of this Swoosh collection, you probably need one.
Since the first release of the first-ever Air Max in 1987, Nike has kept the momentum going of producing great-looking kicks in numerous colorways. From retro and futuristic to super-posh workhorse dad shoes and minimalist designs, there’s a massive collection of Air Maxes for everyone’s style.
With tons of options available, finding the perfect pair of Nike Air Max sneakers can be daunting. We’re here to help you by streamlining your search. Use our filtering system to quickly see our top rankings. Also, check out our top picks in different categories.
How we test sneakers
To make our in-depth reviews, we bring all the Air Maxes to the RunRepeat shoe lab for a thorough go-over. We categorize and qualify the specific materials used and various commercial features found on each footwear. We then give the shoes to our testers to do their performance tests.
We finalize our top rankings by doing these:
- Procure the sneakers for our lab and field tests. We use our own funds to ensure 100% impartiality of our comprehensive reviews.
- Our in-house sneakerheads assess the overall ratings of each model based on its performance during the tests, highlighting the shoe’s actual fit, comfort, support, weight, durability, lacing system, and more.
- Collect more insights from hundreds of customer reviews and expert feedback.
In the end, we give all the pairs of Nike Air Max sneakers their respective ratings. Based on the gathered data above, each model on this list is assigned a CoreScore from 0 to 100.
Best Nike Air Max sneakers overall
CoreScore
- Top 26% in sneakers
- Top 18% in Nike sneakers
- Top 1% most popular sneakers
Pros
- Good all-season sneaker
- Good for sockless wear
- An identifiable piece of fashion history
- Fits true to size
- Near indestructible
- Lightweight
- Feels as athletic as it looks
- Great even for winter
Cons
- Takes some time to wear in
- Attaches to stains easily
Verdict
Best value
CoreScore
- Top 30% in sneakers
- Top 21% in Nike sneakers
- Top 4% most popular sneakers
Pros
- Elastic sock-liner fits like a glove
- Durable material
- Flexible, easy to wear in
- Well-cushioned
- Flashy Air Max unit
- Versatile colorways
Cons
- Futuristic style is a miss
- Hard to clean
- Not breathable
Verdict
Most popular Nike Air Max sneakers
CoreScore
- Top 1% most popular sneakers
Pros
- Lightweight
- Instantly comfortable
- True to size
- Durable
- Can be worn without socks
- Flexible
- Super breathable
- Sleek modern looks
- Crazy number of colorways
Cons
- Heel height might need adjusting to
- Not the best for standing all day