Skechers Arch Fit review

Disclaimer: Arch Fit refers to the collection of supportive walking shoes from Skechers, not just one model. They are all built on the same platform but come with various upper designs, including mesh, knit, slip-on, and other styles. This review is focusing on the “Big Appeal” edition. 

Based on our lab tests and extensive personal experience with the Skechers Arch Fit, we believe that it best suits people who:

• have overpronation*, flat feet, and other foot conditions that require supportive footwear
• need extra cushioning and support in an everyday walking shoe

We didn't find any glaring issues in the Skechers Arch Fit. It is perfect for people with pronation issues. The best alternative we can think of is the Arch Fit 2.0 which comes out lighter than the original.

But if you have normal pronation and regular foot arches, this shoe is likely to be overkill and you will benefit from a lighter neutral walking shoe. Try the Nike Motiva, for example.

If Skechers Arch Fit was a running shoe, it could've been banned from races for having too much cushioning! With a monstrous stack height of 40.0 mm in the heel, it is one of the tallest platforms we've ever seen, not only in walking shoes.

But, God, it feels so good!

This mattress of a shoe was an excellent companion for us on long walks up to 15 miles! Our happy feet and backs can heartily recommend this generous helping of foam for all-day wear.

Whenever we caught a pebble in between flex grooves, we never noticed it until checking the bottom of the shoe.

As for the forefoot, our caliper showed a pretty average measurement of 24.0 mm. This amount of foam still feels amazingly cushy but is thin enough to let the foot bend where it needs.

Such a huge difference in stack heights resulted in a very drastic heel-to-toe drop of 16.0 mm! It is significantly taller than the average of walking shoes.

But given the podiatric purpose of this Skechers shoe, it makes sense. The higher drop provides more cushioning for continuous stepping on the heel, relieves pressure from the ankle and Achilles, and pushes the foot forward to the toe-off.

Unlike footwear with a lower drop that promotes more muscle activation, shoes like the Arch Fit take over some of the load to help you stay more comfortable for longer periods.

The Skechers Arch Fit is highly cushioned but that is not synonymous to being plush. Sure, our steps felt pretty soft in it but we didn't feel like we were falling into bottomless cush.

Using a durometer, we measured the shoe's foam at 26.0 HA. That's an average number for walking shoes and refers to a pretty balanced (neither too soft nor firm) cushioning.

After all, it is a supportive shoe and it needs some firmness to prevent the foot from feeling wobbly and unstable.

Most people don’t care much about insoles but Skechers Arch Fit can make you change your mind.

It is very plush, generously padded, and contoured to the foot shape. There are no bumps under the arch or anywhere else, just a feeling of a soft cradle from heel to toe. No wonder Skechers says it is podiatrist-certified.

Measuring its thickness with a caliper, we got 10.3 mm in the heel.

The Arch Fit has a slightly rockered profile and deep flex grooves throughout the bottom. Together they help to create some very pleasant heel-to-toe transitions. We did feel rocked forward.

The fit of this Skechers shoe is exemplary medium. It feels exactly as it should on foot - neither too tight nor too roomy.

Measuring the widest part of the shoe's toebox, our caliper showed 100.1 mm. Another proof that the Arch Fit hits the perfect average mark.

There is also no significant tapering in the shoe's toebox shape. Measuring its width at the big toe mark returned 77.1 mm. Yet another average which is good news.

Flat, slippery, unnecessarily long - these laces do get untied easily. We had to make a double knot to keep them tied.

Aside from being thick-foamed, the midsole of the Skechers Arch Fit is also very wide and stable.

Even though it feels soft under the foot, it becomes firmer towards the ground. We could even hear it thump on hard surfaces.

Forget the squishy, wobbly feel of Skechers GOwalk shoes. The Arch Fit feels very different with its non-compressible platform.

Twisting the shoe, we found that it only becomes pliable towards the forefoot. The back half of the shoe is very rigid and unforgiving.

Having such balance allows the Skechers Arch Fit to provide the necessary arch and ankle support without being too stiff or uncomfortable.

On a 1-5 scale, where 5 is the stiffest, we gave it a 2 because of its forefoot pliability.

The shoe's heel counter is not particularly rigid or padded but it didn't affect the shoe's stability overall, in our opinion. Most of the job is done by the midsole.

On a stiffness scale of 1-5, we gave it an average score of 3.

We do recommend using a shoehorn with the Arch Fit though. In our worn-out pair, the internal plastic in it crushed quite easily.

A good amount of stability comes from the Arch Fit's pretty wide base. Measuring the distance between the widest points of its forefoot, we got 115.3 mm. While it's not the widest we ever got in our lab but ut's certainly wider than the average walking shoe.

In the heel portion of the midsole, the Arch Fit also proved to be wider than average. The distance between the widest points here comes in at 93.4 mm.

To put this into context, this wide base never once let our feet roll over the edge of the shoe. Even when were were hopping on some large boulders (clearly not a scenario for this shoe)!

We give Skechers a standing ovation for making a shoe that helps us spend a whole day not thinking about the back pain. Even after 10 miles of walking, we didn't feel it in our bodies the next day, thanks to these supportive boys.

The Arch Fit's sturdy base doesn't hold it back from bending in all the right places. The entire length of the shoe's midsole is lined with deep flex grooves that always let our feet bend easily on the walk.

To evaluate how flexible the Skechers Arch Fit is, we bent it to a 90-degree angle with the help of a force gauge. The latter showed that it took 18.8N which is nearly the same as it takes a walking shoe on average.

For the amount of cushioning it has, this Skechers shoe doesn’t feel heavy or bulky at all. But we do like that visually it has that chunky sneaker vibe.

Weighing the Arch Fit in a men's US size 9, we got 12.5 oz (353g) on the scale. If you think that's a bit heavy for your preference, try the Arch Fit 2.0. It managed to cut down the weight to 10.9 oz (309g)!

Having worn the Arch Fit daily throughout one warm season (May to October) in dry weather, we found it to be most comfortable at 50-60°F (10-15°C).

Our in-house breathability test confirmed that this Skechers shoe is well-ventilated. The mesh let the smoke pass through quite easily. On a 1-5 scale, we rated the shoe's breathability at 4.

But despite having all those pores in the mesh, the in-shoe padding underneath it made the interior feel warmer. That's why, we found this version of Skechers Arch Fit a bit hot for temperatures over 60°F (15°C).

Looking at the mesh through our microscope, we can see the shoe's large ventilation pores.

And yet, they cannot reveal their full potential due to the padding inside.

Honestly, we didn't expect much durability from an affordable mesh-covered shoe. But having worn the Skechers Arch Fit for months, we were astonished with its ability to stay intact!

So, we grabbed a new pair and gave it a good drill with our Dremel. We pressed the sandpaper tip against the shoe's toebox for 12 seconds at a 5K RPM speed and 3.2N pressure.

The result confirmed our own experience with the shoe - its mesh upper is impressively wear-resistant! Of course, the fabric developed a tear but it didn't go all the way through! For that, we rate the shoe's toebox durability with a solid 3 out of 5.

Unfortunately, we cannot say the same about the shoe's inner lining. In our old pair, it developed holes fairly quickly, within a few weeks!

So, it didn't come as a surprise to see that a mere 4 seconds of our Dremel test left a notable tear in the fabric.

Thos part got a lower durability rating from us - only 2 out of 5.

The outsole on the Skechers Arch Fit turned out to be a nice surprise. Even though 5 months took a toll on our old pair, its rubber showed very minimal signs of wear!

First of all, the Arch Fit HAS a rubber outsole. Most Skechers shoes come with exposed foam at the bottom in return for lighter weight.

Second, it is a pretty hard rubber compound. Using our durometer, we got a reading of 84.5 HC which is a good 15% firmer than average. It often happens that harder rubbers tend to last longer.

Now it was time to press the Dremel against the shoe's rubber outsole. We turned up the speed to 10K RPM and drilled the outsole for a long 22 seconds.

Once again, we were pleasantly surprised with the result as the dent appeared insignificantly small. Indeed, our tread gauge showed that it was only 0.7 mm deep whereas most walking shoes get 1.5 - 2 mm of damage.

Even through rubber doesn't cover the entire outsole of the shoe, there is enough of it to help the shoe last longer.

We also measured the thickness of that rubber at 2.7 mm which is typical for a walking shoe.

The Arch Fit shoe has been our trusty companion for over 5 months now. It lept us surefooted even on wet tiles and paving slabs in the rain! It felt like the rubber got even grippier on wet surfaces.

The Arch Fit comes with a pleasantly padded interior both in the collar and in the tongue.

Measuring the tongue, our caliper returned 4.9 mm of padding. We believe it is thick enough to prevent lace pressure and bites.

The Skechers Arch Fit has a basic tongue construction with no gussets (or attachments) on the sides. It did tend to slide sideways but we never felt the need to fix its position it didn't cause any discomfort.

Even though there are no pull tabs on the Arch Fit, it took us seconds to put it on. The non-attached tongue allows to open the shoe's mouth very wide.

You can replace the shoe's stock insole with your own if necessary. But we found its contoured shape and plush nature to be quite comfortable.

The brand claims that Skechers Arch Fit is a machine-washable model. So we decided to test that out.

After a pretty loud washing session (be prepared for some shoe tumbling against the machine interiors) in cold water and in delicate mode, the shoe came out looking pristine. We saw no loss in fit, function, or form.