Nike Air Max 95 review

Don't let the iconic Air Max 95 walk away from you if:

• You need the perfect mix of breathability and durability to wear your new trainers all year long.
• You want a fashionable shoe that offers a great lock-in feel.
• You're a trendsetter and a Nike lover and you won't settle for anything less than a premium quality shoe for your feet.
• You want to feel taller and you're totally obsessed with the Air technology.

Forget about the AM 95 if you're looking for a lightweight pair of trainers. Among all the Air Max models we've reviewed so far, it turns out this one is the heaviest! The AM 270 is a wonderful alternative, but if you don't want to spend that much, then we believe you should have a look at the AM SC.

After our wear tests, we are of the opinion that there are better alternatives for all-day wear. If that's your intended use for this shoe... you're better off with something more comfortable, like the AM DN. Which, by the way, doesn't require a break-in period!

The AM 95 features a huge Air unit in the rearfoot that makes its heel stack go all the way up to a crazy 41.1 mm. Among the Air Max models, this one is definitely the tallest sibling, surpassing even the sky-high AM DN (at 40.3 mm). If you want to enjoy lots of comfort and some extra height, you might've found your solemate!

Contrary to the norm, this Nike pair doesn't fall short on the forefoot stack either. Our calliper returned 26.7 mm, which is way higher than average. This translated into a protected ride, as our feet were fairly separated from harsh urban surfaces and/or any obstacle we stepped on.

Even though both stack heights are massive, the heel still comes on top. That's why this shoe's drop is that steep, reaching 14.4 mm. This just means that you'll feel your rearfoot higher than your toe area, but it doesn't imply that your feet will need some readjustments or adaptation. So don't worry!

The AM 95 felt pretty soft underfoot. This wasn't just just thanks to its Air units, but also to its cushioning. Our durometer returned 21.0 HA when we pressed it against its foam, which means this material is on the softer side.

Even though this result indicates this Nike is plush, its thick outsole does take some of that feeling away, making it a bit less cushy. But don't stress that much about this... and trust its Air technology!

In what we believe was a wise choice in order to reduce weight, Nike used a thinner-than-average insole for this Air Max. At 4.0 mm, we didn't really feel like we needed some extra cushioning, as the soft foam and the Air technology took over.

This Nike kick is a real toe pinching hazard!

It may appear as a chunky sneaker on the outside... But on the inside, it is no more accommodating than a pointy-toe dress shoe! To be honest, our pinkie toe goes numb just by looking at the gel mould of the Nike Air Max 95.

No wonder our calliper returned a notably smaller-than-average reading of 88.2 mm in the biggest part of the mould. But if you are someone with narrow feet and often struggle with dead space in your kicks, this may be a perfect match.

The tapering angle of this Nike sneaker is one of the most aggressive we've seen. With a calliper reading of 61.9 mm near the big toe, it is one of the narrowest in our roster.

If you have medium-width feet and want a Nike sneaker with a proper D medium fit which offers enough wiggle room for prolonged walks, check out the Nike Air Max Plus or the Nike Air Max DN instead.

Gladly, the toebox height of this Nike shoe proved to be on par with the average at 27.0 mm. At least there is no pressure from the top.

We could see how the AM 95 was originally developed for performance running when we tested its lateral stability. This shoe's solid structure didn't let our ankles overextend themselves, stopping any risky moves when we were walking. That being said, this is not a running shoe anymore! If that's what you're looking for, please check this section of our catalogue.

If you're curious about what a bear hug on your feet feels like, the Air Max 95 is ready to show you! Thanks to our wear tests, we can say this shoe has a snug fit. And when we took it to our lab and tried to twist it, it fought back like a piece of armour! We didn't even stand a chance, which earned this shoe a perfect 5/5 on our torsional rigidity test.

The heel counter was almost as stiff! Its immovable nature didn't let our thumbs play with it at all, so we decided to give it a 4/5 on this test. Even though the overall rigid structure of this shoe offered lots of support, it also meant the AM 95 needed a break-in period, at least in our experience.

Just like many other Air Max models, the 95 doesn't have a wide midsole. Our calliper returned 106.1 mm, which is way lower than average! Even though this doesn't affect the comfort levels or the support in general, we can see sneakerheads with wide feet wishing for a more spacious structure.

At 81.8 mm, the midsole at the heel follows the same logic. It's also narrower than average, and even though our standard-width feet were okay with it, a little bit more space in general would've been much appreciated for long hours of use.

The overall rigidity of this Air Max is undeniable at this point. We still haven't found a single area of this sneaker that would let us mess with it...

Our shoe flexing tester showed that the kick required as much as 21.7N of force to bend by 30 degrees, which is twice as much as it takes an average casual sneaker.

As we've mentioned before, this stiffness translated into a required break-in period and some "hostility" from this shoe at the beginning. But it was nothing too bad, as we quickly started getting used to it. That being said, there are other more comfortable Air Max models to wear all day long.

As you might've seen on our catalogue, we've tried a lot of Air Max pairs! Most of them felt pretty light on foot, which helps a lot when you've been on your feet for a while. Why? Well, because heavier shoes make your legs get tired faster... and that's exactly the case of the AM 95.

When we took it to our lab, our scale returned 16.16 oz/458g! This makes it the heaviest Air Max we've tested so far. And trust us, our feet could notice the difference after walking or running errands for some time.

The armour-like brick-inspired structure of the AM 95 would have never made us think it was a breathable shoe. During our wear tests, our feet didn't have to deal with sweat or overheating, which took us so much by surprise that we couldn't wait to take this Nike to our lab.

As we expected, it kind of "failed" our light test. We couldn't see the LED shine through anywhere, which was discouraging and yet totally the opposite of what we felt walking around town.

But our smoke machine showed revolutionary results. We were totally in awe when we saw how much smoke this shoe's toebox let go! It was totally unexpected, yet the performance was so good that we decided the AM 95 deserved a solid 4/5 on our breathability test.

Thanks to our microscope, we could see the multiple layers of this shoe. The gaps in between the threads of the outer layer are pretty big, but there's a second one right below to enhance durability. Still, the airflow was incredibly nice!

We grabbed our torch and awl to check if this Air Max's materials were real. First, we burned the lighter leather next to the heel, and it didn't get all sticky... which means it's authentic!

Its darker pal followed the same path, as we weren't met with a massive flame when we decided to heat things up a little bit. In other words: this one is not fake either!

We always perform our durability tests on the very same spot. This time, the AM 95 was lucky enough to have its leather protection shield it from our Dremel, which attacked it at 5K RPM and with 2N of force for 12 seconds.

The results were so good that we decided to give this Nike pair a wonderful 4/5 on our toebox durability test. Which, by the way, is a pretty uncommon score when a shoe is as breathable as this one!

Even though the heel padding is usually weaker in terms of durability, this Air Max managed to surprise us one more time. Our Dremel went all in once again, but the material fought back bravely, so we decided to give this shoe a 3/5 on this test.

Our durometer returned 87.0 HC when we pressed it against this shoe's outsole. This result is pretty much average, which indicates this shoe should offer a healthy mix of durability and grip.

As promised, this Nike pair's outsole showed great durability on our Dremel test. We turned on the tool for the grand finale one last time at 10K RPM and with 2N of force. After measuring the damages, we saw the dent was only 0.7 mm deep, which is way less than average! In other words: there's no need for you to worry about the Air Max 95's outsole leaving your side any time soon.

Even though the rubber compound used is already quite durable, Nike still decided to go for a thick outsole. Our calliper returned 5.9 mm, so it's even chunkier than average! Personally, and taking into account the results of our Dremel test, we believe the brand could have opted for a thinner midsole. This shoe is already quite bottom-heavy itself!

After thoroughly testing this pair, we can tell you confidently that it deserves every penny of its price. Its premium materials and technologies have it clear, and so do we! We can understand that it might be a little bit too much for some sneakerheads, as there are cheaper Air Max models, but... are they this iconic? Well, that's up to you!

We love reflective elements, and Nike knows how to make us happy! The AM 95 features a big shiny detail on the tongue...

...and another one at the very back. It was clearly designed with style and security in mind!

The tongue of this Air Max is divided into two sections. The part that's closer to the toes is pretty thin, almost inexistent. On the other hand, the area that protects us from any potential lace bite is thicker, reaching 10.9 mm.

The whole structure of the shoe follows the same logic, using extra padding only on key areas. Still, we do believe the brand could have gone for a thinner outsole here to reduce the overall weight of the 95.

The both sides semi-gusseted tongue of this Nike pair also adds some weight but, in this case, we're willing to make this sacrifice. This type of tongue design offers a lot of support and a wonderful lock-in feel, and we wouldn't change that for the world!

Instead of a heel tab, the AM 95 has a big reflective detail right at the heel. Trust us, we love us some good shiny accents on our trainers, but... taking into account just how much of a snug fit and stiff structure this Nike pair has, a finger loop would have been nice to help us put it on!

Just like the other Air Max models we have reviewed, the 95 has a standard removable insole that you can change if you need or want to. Just take into account that the overall tightness of this Nike pair might lead to discomfort if you opt for a very thick insole that takes up most of the inner space.