Nike Air Max Plus review

Let this iconic Nike pair make your wishes come true if you're looking for:

• An incredibly comfortable and bouncy pair of sneakers to walk all day.
• A supportive and stable casual shoe that features a TPU arch.
• An ever-trendy pair among Air Max models that comes in many different colorways.

If you're done with break-in periods and you just don't want to hear anything at all about blisters or uncomfortable rubs, you might be better off forgetting about the AM Plus. It features a rigid structure that could potentially hurt your feet at the beginning. But don't worry, there are other Air Max pairs that we've found comfortable from the very first minute of our wear tests: the AM DN and the AM 1!

There's another important issue with this shoe: its toebox lacks durability. In other words, if you tend to wear away your sneakers in this area, we believe it would be better for you to find a more resistant pair. Apart from the 2 models we've already recommended, the AM 95 is also a great option with a legendary style.

The AM Plus really is Plus! The massive Air units it features at the heel made our caliper open up all the way to 39.8 mm. Which, trust us, is a lot! This makes it way higher than average, so our feet didn't ever feel the ground underneath. In fact, this shoe was so comfortable that we could only focus on how incredibly soft and nice the experience was.

Even though most shoes feature a really tall heel and a smaller toe area, this Air Max breaks the rules with a massive 28.1 mm forefoot stack. With some more Air units shielding our feet from any kind of impact, the Plus is absolutely ready to face any kind of unwelcoming city surface.

The incredibly tall and comfortable stack of this Nike pair left us with a standard drop of 11.7 mm. Why? Well, because the difference between the heel and the forefoot stack height is not that big. Even though the rearfoot still feels a little bit more elevated, your feet won't notice anything weird.

Our durometer returned a comfortable reading of 20.0 HA when we measured this shoe's midsole softness. This already means the foam used is softer than average, but do you know what makes it all even better? That's right, the cloud-like Air technology it hugs!

This translated into an incredibly comfy and plush ride. We really enjoyed wearing this Air Max during our wear tests, no matter if we had to run errands for the whole day or if we could just chill and have a drink with some friends. Whatever the situation, it just felt like the right choice every time!

The nice Air technology and soft midsole of this Air Max don't really need a thick insole to increase its comfort levels. In fact, our caliper returned 5.1 mm when we measured it, which is just average.

In terms of fit, the Nike Air Max Plus felt as anticipated on foot. No tightness or dead space for our medium-width feet which was confirmed by the shoe's gel replica as well. 

Applying our caliper to the widest area of the mold (the area between the big toe and the pinkie toe), we got a standard reading of 92.5 mm. Exactly on par with the average.

However, if you are someone with wide feet or who has a strong preference for more toe space, we recommend the Nike Air Max DN instead. Nike is not very generous with alternative widths in their lifestyle sneakers.

The rounded toebox shape of the Air Max Plus felt nice and accommodating around our toes and we experienced no pinching on the sides. With a caliper reading of 70.9 mm near the big toe, this Nike sneaker proved to have more toe room at the tip of the toe than most other lifestyle kicks.

Because of that, it felt more comfortable for prolonged walking and standing as our toes were able to wiggle freely.

On the flip sid, the shoe's toebox may feel a little snug from the top as it showed a lower-than-average vertical space of 25.4 mm. And because the uppper mesh has no give whatsoever, you may not be able to lift the toes as freely as in some other kicks.

In our opinion, it's not a deal-breaker at all. Just something to be aware of in case you have any issues with your toes or toenails.

This former performance runner didn't let our ankles go anywhere! Its stiff structure prevented them from overextending themselves. This translated into a safe ride that made us feel confident even if we had to run a little bit from time to time.

Part of the confidence and stability we felt during our wear tests is thanks to the armor-like structure of this Air Max. When we took it to our lab, we couldn't give it any less than a 5/5 on our torsional rigidity test, as it was impossible for our fingers to twist it.

Oh, won't you look at that! This brick of a shoe didn't let us play with it at all. Its ribcage-like outer structure kept the shoe's shape at all times. But there's a price to pay, as we had to endure a break-in period until the materials of the Plus gave in!

The heel follows pretty much the same path. Even though it scored 4/5 on our stiffness test, which is slightly lower, this is just because of its sides... the back feels like a wall!

In other words: you can forget about any kind of heel slippage, as the structure of this AM will keep your feet right where they should be. Nevertheless, the rough structure might cause some unpleasant rubbing, so beware!

At 107.2 mm, we can't say this Air Max has a wide midsole in the forefoot. In fact, it's even narrower than average, which means we won't get any extra stability from a spacious landing base.

The good news is that the midsole is wider than average at the heel. Our caliper returned 86.7 mm, which means there's plenty of space for our feet to land comfortably (the rearfoot is the first part that touches the floor when you're walking) and readjust themselves if needed.

This Nike pair is stiff; that's it. Look, on our torsional rigidity test it got the highest score possible, and now on our flex test... it told us once again that in its previous life it might as well have been a piece of armor.

Our force gauge marked 35.7N, which is way more than average. That is to say, the AM Plus needs a break-in period so its materials can warm up. We verified this during our wear tests: after some hours of use, the shoe will start following the moves of your feet better. Just be patient!

Don't let the mesh upper and kind of slim look of this Nike pair deceive you... it's not a lightweight shoe! It didn't make us drag our feet when we were walking around town, but it definitely doesn't feel like a couple of feathers either. At 14.04 oz/398g according to our scale, the Plus might make your feet feel tired sooner than expected if you wear it for long hours. Especially in comparison to other lighter Air Max models!

When we put this shoe in front of our LED, it shone through its upper quite easily! It's not like we could find any big gaps or anything, but the forefoot and midfoot areas were still illuminated.

After such a good result, we were pretty excited to turn on our smoke machine. And wow, the ASICS Gel NYC showed us what having top-tier breathability really meant, whilst the Air Max Plus paled in comparison!

Still, the Nike pair let quite some smoke get through its toebox, so we can't say we're unsatisfied with its ventilation levels. In fact, during our wear tests, as long as it wasn't as hot as the sun, our feet felt fine and sweat-free!

As you can see thanks to our microscope close-up, this Nike model features an outer layer with big gaps followed by an inner one with smaller gaps. This structure doesn't let the air flow freely, and it has earned the Plus an average 3/5 on our breathability test.

The mesh of the AM Plus... got totally meshed up. At 5K RPM and with 2N of force, our Dremel didn't need much time to obliterate the material. Consequently, this Nike pair could only get a 1/5 on our toebox durability test.

Contrary to the norm, the heel padding of this Air Max showed better durability than its toebox. This material tends to be more fragile, so we were pleasantly surprised!

It was nothing otherworldly but, as you can see, it endured our 4-second torture, so we decided to give it a well-deserved 3/5 on our durability test.

The 92.0 HC our durometer returned when we pressed it against the AM Plus' outsole promised great durability. Which, by the way, is exactly what we want from a daily beater!

Keeping its word, this Air Max model's outsole showed great durability. Even though our Dremel went all out at 10K RPM and with 2N of force, the rubber proved its resilience. In fact, the dent left by the tool was only 0.7 mm deep, which is way lower than average!

With such a high score on durability, Nike didn't need to go for a thicker outsole for this Air Max, as it would only add weight to the shoe. When we measured it, our caliper returned 4.4 mm, which is lower than average but nothing for us to worry about.

The former performance runner soul of the Air Max Plus shines on its outsole. To be honest, we found its grip quite good, as its waffle pattern bit pretty much every urban surface we stepped on. And it did it easily!

As you can see, there are multiple rows of lugs throughout the whole forefoot. In order to reduce the overall weight, the midsole lacks this rubber coverage, which later comes back at the rearfoot. But this lack of support surface didn't make us lose balance, as these Nike sneakers feature a whale tail TPU arch that kept us stable as a table.

The trendiest AM Plus is definitely not on the cheaper side. We believe it's full of advantages, such as its comfortable ride and cushioning and stability technologies. Even though we do believe its price is fair, you might not want to spend that much on a pair of sneakers, and that's totally fair. Don't worry, there are other Air Max models that might be more appealing to you if you're on a budget, click here to check our reviews!

The premium price of this Nike pair comes with some reflective premium accents on its tongue and all the way through the toebox, right until the toe bumper. Check how cool they look!

This pillow of a tongue goes all the way up to 16.9 mm, which means... comfort! Our instep felt like it was on cloud 9, and there was no lace bite at all. Actually, we didn't even think about that during our wear tests!

The best part is that this shoe is pretty padded overall, keeping some key areas cushioned. So, apart from being comfortable underfoot, its soft structure also hugged the other parts of our feet nicely!

Instead of any kind of finger loop or pull tab, the AM Plus has a color-blocking accent that shows off its nickname. With Tn written right at the heel, this model reminds us it features Nike's legendary Tuned Air technology.

This shoe's insole doesn't have any special features or specific technologies. But hey, it's removable! So if you need or want to change it, go for it. It shouldn't be an issue at all.