On Cloud 6 review

The Cloud 6 is likely to be a perfect match for people who:

• want a lightweight and airy pair of shoes for day-to-day wear and traveling
• prefer no-lace shoes with an easy on-and-off
• adore the minimal aesthetics of On Cloud shoes

If you are in search of a well-cushioned and supportive shoe for long hours of walking and standing, the Cloud 6 is not your best bet. For that purpose, we highly recommend the On Cloudtilt instead.

And if you like what the Cloud 6 has to offer but want an even lighter version for traveling, be sure to check out the Cloud 6 Coast and the Cloud 6 Versa as well.

Taking into account this shoe's modest midsole, we didn't really expect a crazy result on our shock absorption test. At 106 SA, we can say this On is great to walk around town or go for a quick trip to the supermarket, but... that's pretty much it. This lower-than-average score left us wanting more.

It's not like it feels flat or uncomfortable, just don't expect to feel like you're walking on clouds!

Our machine recorded a rather moderate energy return of 54.1% in the Cloud 6.

This means that the shoe's Speedboard plate and CloudTec pods didn't provide a ton of rebound but prevented the ride from feeling completely dull. Transitioning into the next step felt easy in this On shoe.

Just by looking at it, anyone could guess that the Cloud 6 is not the tallest out there. Measuring its stack height in the lab, our caliper returned a below-average reading of 28.3 mm in the heel.

But don't worry, the Cloud 6 never felt uncomfortable or harsh underfoot.

The forefoot follows the same idea. With a lower reading of 19.5 mm, it offered us a more grounded feel that focuses on stability and control when you're walking.

Our measurements indicated that the Cloud 6's heel-to-toe offset is 8.8 mm. This is only 0.8 mm higher than the stated 8 mm, so we don't think anyone would actually notice the difference. In fact, we even want to congratulate the brand on its accuracy, which is something we don't always see in our reviews.

Even though the drop is slightly lower than average, the Cloud 6 doesn't feel flat at all. It places the heel a bit higher above the toes, offering some extra cushioning at the rearfoot and reducing the load on the Achilles.

Another difference that we noticed between this newest iteration and its older sibling is that its foam got a bit firmer. Even though this is barely noticeable on foot, our durometer doesn't lie! At 33.0 HA, the Cloud 6's midsole also proved to be harder than average.

But the good news is that the shoe's ride doesn't feel as firm thanks to its compressible CloudTec pods.

The Cloud 6 comes with a pronounced toe rocker to ensure smooth heel-to-toe transitions.

But it doesn't feel aggressive. or intrusive at all because the shoe's thin and flexible sole flattens out under the wearer's body weight.

According to On, the Cloud 6 offers a 'broader, more inclusive fit,' but how do we know if that's true? By creating a gel mold of the shoe's interiors.

Once the mold solidified in the freezer, we measured its widest part (ball of foot area) with a caliper. At 96.4 mm, it indeed turned out to be slightly wider than average, but not enough to get into the wide width range (98 mm or more).

But it proved to be nice and accommodating for a medium-width foot, unlike the previous Cloud 5.

The shoe's mold showed no aggressive tapering in the toebox either. At 72.1 mm in the big toe area, the Cloud 6's dimensions proved to be on par with the average.

We were also pleased to find that the shoe's vertical space is not restricted.

With an above-average toebox height of 28.2 mm, the Cloud 6 offers enough wiggle room to prevent pressure on the toes and toenails.

Because slippage is most likely to occur at heel strike (when walking), we measured the shoe's coefficient of friction in the rearfoot. At 0.48, it proved to be reliable on both dry and wet urban surfaces.

Despite not having a full-length outsole, the Cloud 6 features rubber patches in the areas where grip and wear resistance are needed the most–at the heel and forefoot.

We also noticed that the grooves between the CloudTec pods got a little shallower in the v6 and didn't hold on to small pebbles like the Cloud 5's midsole did.

With its low forefoot stack and no thick upper overlays to restrict pliability, the Cloud 6 allows for a free and natural flexion of the foot.

Our lab test confirmed that the shoe requires just as much force to bend by 30 degrees (12.8N) as the average walking shoe.

Even though the Cloud 6 is a fairly lightweight shoe that doesn't feel bottom-heavy at all, our scale showed that it wasn't as featherweight as some of the other On's offerings.

At 9.7 oz (274g) in a men's US size 9, it sits right in the middle of the walking shoe weight spectrum.

The On Cloud 6 also proved to be an airy option for summertime!

You can see how quickly and easily its upper mesh releases smoke in our breathability test above.

Our transparency test also confirmed that there are no heavy overlays in the shoe's forefoot area, so the airflow is not obstructed here at all.

A closer look at the Cloud 6's upper fabric through a microscope also revealed its large ventilation pores.

So, all things considered, we readily gave this On shoe a high breathability score of 4 out of 5. It keeps the foot just as fresh as the previous Cloud 5 iteration.

The On Cloud 6 is not a supportive shoe per se, but it comes with some inherent stability thanks to its low-profile midsole and firm foam.

However, people with moderate-to-severe overpronation, plantar fasciitis, or any other foot conditions that rely on added arch support will not find the comfort they need in this shoe. The On Cloudnova Form 2 might be a more suitable option in this case.

A shoe like the Cloud 6 is meant to move along with the foot, accommodating its natural flexion and biomechanics.

And even though it packs a nylon Speedboard inside its midsole, we found that the shoe's torsional rigidity is rather limited. On a 1-5 stiffness scale, we gave it a middle-ground score of 3.

However, we couldn't help but notice that the Cloud 6's midsole topline rises a bit higher compared to the Cloud 5. That explains a slight increase in the 6's torsional stiffness.

The heel hold is not the strongest here either.

Our manual test revealed that the Cloud 6's heel counter bends and folds very easily under pressure. There is not much heel or ankle stabilization here, but no pressure on the Achilles either.

We also found that the shoe's midsole dimensions are as average as they can be. Our caliper recorded a standard reading of 113.8 mm in the widest part of its forefoot.

The heel also proved to be just average at 90.3 mm in its widest area. It is neither too wide to be chunky nor too slim to cause instability. Just perfectly average.

Despite its hefty price point, our Dremel test showed that the Cloud 6's mesh upper doesn't promise the best wear resistance.

A very brief 4-second contact with sandpaper left a sizable damage on the shoe's fabric, lowering our toebox durability score to only 2 out of 5.

The inner lining of the shoe's collar also got damaged pretty easily in our Dremel test. Assessing the scuffing in this area, we lowered our heel padding durability score to a moderate 3 out of 5.

But thankfully, the shoe's rubber pods showed much more promising results.

The material sustained 18 seconds of aggressive drilling at a 10K RPM speed, developing a barely noticeable dent of 0.5 mm. This is, in fact, some of the best durability results we've recorded among walking shoes!

With a caliper reading of 3.5 mm, the shoe's rubber thickness also proved to be solid and ready to resist abrasion in the long run.

But here is the caveat: While the shoe's rubber patches are quite durable, there is also a lot of exposed foam in this shoe, which is very likely to develop signs of wear before the rubber does. Especially if you happen to brush it forcefully against concrete or asphalt.

The Cloud 6 doesn't offer much underfoot pampering with its very thin insole. Our caliper measured its thickness at only 3.4 mm.

But the shoe's insole is easily removable in case you choose to swap it for a better padded and more supportive orthotic.

If you find the shoe's midsole firm at room temperature, expect it to get brick-hard in cold weather!

Even though this shoe's breathability makes it an awful choice for chilly conditions, we are here to let you know that the shoe's midsole foam gets 30% firmer after being exposed to low temperatures. That includes leaving the shoe outside or in a cold basement, for example.

Our dark room test revealed that the Cloud 6's brand logo is reflective, along with a few other lines on its upper.

The interiors of this On shoe turned out to be very lightly padded.

The tongue, in particular, showed a moderate reading of 5.0 mm on our caliper.

The fans of slip-on shoes are likely to enjoy the bootie-style upper of the On Cloud 6. With its tongue fully integrated into the upper, there is no need to mess with the laces to keep it in place. Just slide in and go.

Considering how minor and hardly noticeable the updates are on the Cloud 6, we don't understand the significant price hike behind it.

Putting the shoe alongside the other options in its price range, we don't see the same level of shock absorption, stability, or durability in the Cloud 6.

Is it a good-looking shoe that feels pleasant on the foot? Sure! But the high asking price narrows its target audience quite a bit.

There is no heel tag on the Cloud 6, but its wide shoe opening, bootie upper, and elastic laces make the on-and-off effortless.

The Cloud 6 features the brand's signature Speed lacing, which is made up of elastic shoestrings that don't need to be tied.

And while this setup makes the on-and-off action super fast and easy, it may not work for people who rely on regular laces or the runner's knot technique to fine-tune the fit around the feet.

But luckily, this model comes with an extra set of traditional laces in the box, and it has all the necessary eyelets for inserting them like regular laces.