On Cloudswift 3 AD review

The Cloudswift 3 AD is definitely full of AD-vantages to you if you're looking for:

• A technologically advanced stroll partner with a dual density superfoam and a sock-like upper.
• A super breathable and comfortable pair to walk around town during the summer.
• A greener alternative to walking shoes.

Listen up, if you're looking for a new "I wear this every single day" pair of shoes, this really ain't it. The Cloudswift 3 AD's upper and heel padding ended up with the worst scores possible on our durability tests. We understand you might be a loyal On fan, so don't worry, we've got a pretty neat alternative for you: the Cloudeasy! It's more durable, and it doesn't completely sacrifice breathability to favour airflow.

Apart from that, we also noticed this model is not only heavier than average, but also heavier than most On walking shoes. If you want something that feels like a breeze on foot (quite literally too), we believe you should have a look at the Cloud 5 Push. Our scale returned 8.54 oz/242g when we took it to the lab, and it scored a perfect 5/5 on our breathability test!

At the beginning, we thought the extra weight of this shoe would come from its midsole, but when we measured its heel stack, our calliper returned 30.1 mm.

This is just slightly lower than average, and it was enough for us to walk around town comfortably for hours with no problem.

We absolutely LOVED that the heel counter is stiff enough to provide support to our heel, and at the same time soft enough so a break-in period is not needed.

It earned an average score of 3/5 on our heel counter stiffness test, and the best part of it all is that it didn't hurt our feet at all. You know what that means: happy feet, happy us!

Based on the measurements we've just mentioned, we found the drop of the Cloudswift 3 AD is 6.2 mm.

This is slightly lower than the official figure, which is 8 mm. Still, you'll almost definitely not notice the difference when you're walking!

By the way, if this has taken you by surprise, let us tell you it's way more common than you might think. We follow the guidelines of the World Athletics to measure shoes, but not every brand does. Anyway, if you're curious, you can always have a look at our super geeky picky guide on the topic.

When we measured the dual density Helion super foam, our durometer returned 39.4 HA.

This result indicates that this shoe's foam is not as soft as average. But don't get us wrong, this doesn't mean the Cloudswift 3 AD is as hard as a brick when you put it on! Its updated CloudTec midsole focuses on reducing impact when you step on hard surfaces.

As you can see, the foam is not overly soft, which means some extra stability!

One of the good things about the Cloudswift 3 AD having a less soft foam than average is that it doesn't get crazy stiff when temperatures go down.

We put this shoe into our freezer and let it rest during 20 minutes before analysing it again. Its foam firmed up to 45.0 HA, which might sound like a lot, but it's just 14.3% stiffer than before. In comparison, walking shoes experience a stiffening of 33.5 %.

In other words, even though we wouldn't recommend this pair to walk around town during winter (it's way too breathable, but you can always try with thicker socks, though), it shouldn't feel too different from its usual self.

The insole of this On model is also slightly thinner than average. At 4.6 mm, our calliper stated it's pretty standard, so there's nothing special to say about it.

But we do have a surprise related to it later on; keep reading and don't miss out!

Honestly, during our wear tests this shoe's toebox felt wider than what our lab results state. It might sound confusing, but we do believe it's because of its mesh upper.

Our calliper returned 97.9 mm, which is surprisingly narrower than average. It's not like On shoes are known for being super wide and bulky, though.

If you want some extra space at the ball of the foot but you don't want to change brands, the Cloudnova Form or the Cloudaway might be better options.

As the design of the Cloudswift 3 is already narrower than average, it doesn't taper like crazy towards the tip.

At 78.6 mm, it goes hand in hand with the average. Our standard-width feet were happy with this, as we didn't find any issues regarding space or rubbing.

The sock-like mesh upper of this shoe focuses on comfort and breathability. That's why it's only padded in specific spots! Wait, we've cut it in half so you can understand it better, look:

Consequently, we can't say it's the most supportive walking pair around. But we can't complain, as the rubberized eyelet cage and detail that hugs the heel offered some extra structure.

The soft and comfy upper of this shoe deceived us completely, as we didn't expect to struggle trying to bend and twist it.

Look at that: it definitely put up a fight! Its solid midsole didn't let our fingers play with the shoe as much as they would've liked, so we decided to give it a 4/5 on our torsional rigidity test.

But don't worry, this doesn't mean we found the Cloudswift 3 AD uncomfortable during our wear tests walking around town or anything. In fact, this added some extra stability to our stride, which we were pretty grateful for when our feet were already tired at the end of the day.

We absolutely LOVED that the heel counter is stiff enough to provide support to our heel, and at the same time soft enough so a break-in period is not needed.

It earned an average score of 3/5 on our heel counter stiffness test, and the best part of it all is that it didn't hurt our feet at all. You know what that means: happy feet, happy us!

The midsole width in the forefoot of this shoe is average. At 112.1 mm according to our calliper, it made us feel surefooted when we walked around town for hours or run some errands during our wear tests.

The midsole width in the heel follows the example of its forefoot counterpart. Our calliper returned 90.1 mm, which is also average for walking shoes.

Overall, the midsole width was big enough for our feet to feel stable and comfortable.

On foot, this pair felt pretty easy. Despite being heavier than average, as we've already stated, walking with it felt like a breeze (quite literally, thanks to its wonderful breathability!).

We saw this in our lab when we performed our flex test. Even though there are many On shoes that focus on being absolutely pliable, the Cloudswift 3 AD is slightly stiffer than average, levelling up its overall support.

22.3N of force were needed to bend it all the way up to 90 degrees. As we were saying, this breaks with the brand's constant of making extra flexible models (no, not you Cloudaway), but we didn't really notice the difference during our wear tests, as it's just 7% stiffer.

Unavoidably, this pair gets even stiffer when it's cold.

We put it in the freezer for 20 minutes, so it took a quick nap next to our ice-cream, and when we measured it again using our force gauge, it showed 32.0N. Once again, this makes it stiffer than average; more specifically, a solid 12%, and 43.5% stiffer than the previous result at room temperature.

During our wear tests, we didn't feel this shoe dragged our feet down. Nevertheless, it did feel heavier than the other On pairs; consequently, as we're used to the walking shoes of this brand being like a couple of feathers, walking around town with the Cloudswift 3 AD felt different. Not wrong, but different.

When we took it to our lab, our scale marked 11.15 oz/316.0g, which confirmed our hypothesis. The Cloudswift 3 AD is definitely on the heavier side, surprising our lab's average by a surprising 12%.

The Cloudswift 3 AD claims its mesh is fully breathable, and even though we'd like to believe that right away... testing shoes is our thing, you know. There's no special treatment in RunRepeat!

We started with our light test, where we could see all the ventilation holes this shoe has all over its toebox. The light could shine bright through them, which makes us think the air will have no problem at all getting in and out.

Now look at that! Our smoke machine confirmed it effortlessly. It took this On pair no time to start letting all the air get through it, easily and steadily.

We didn't even have to think about it twice before giving it a wonderful 5/5 on our breathability test. If you want to see what a choking shoe is, the Hoka Bondi SR is a good example!

As we were saying before, the Cloudswift 3 AD features a mesh upper full of openings that favour airflow. Yep, this is its secret to letting your feet breathe!

After testing loads and loads of shoes, we already know that highly breathable uppers are usually not the most durable. Nevertheless, we always give every shoe a chance to face our Dremel. Even if that means bad news...

Yeah, well. Goodbye, toebox! The tool didn't even need the whole 4 seconds of this test to completely obliterate this On's material.

Just look at that... What a mess! Honestly, we can't give this shoe more than a 1/5 on our toebox durability test after seeing this disaster.

And it just gets even worse if we compare it to the solid Under Armour HOVR Phantom 3 (on the right) and its solid 5/5 on this same test. Mamma mia!

We were terrified of moving our Dremel all the way back to the heel. After seeing how flimsy its toebox was, and taking into account the heel is a generally weak spot... Well, things didn't look promising!

What looked like a snowstorm in our lab was the Cloudswift 3 AD's heel material flying around uncontrollably. When we put the tool aside, we saw that it looked as if the Dremel had taken a bite from this pair's heel.

Consequently, and once again, we decided to give it a 1/5 on our heel padding durability test. If you want to see what a solid heel looks like, check the Skechers Summits and its 5/5 on this same test out.

Before checking the Cloudswift 3 AD's outsole durability, we wanted to see if its rubber compound was on the harder or on the softer side.

The thing is that this shoe's outsole is not fully covered on rubber, which means the midsole is exposed in some areas. After pressing our durometer against one of those, it returned 75.5 HC, which is an average result.

Nevertheless, when we pressed it against one of the rubber-covered lugs, it marked 89 HC!

Whereas the first score shows the shoe will most likely offer a healthy balance between grip and durability, this second one states clearly that the rubber compound focuses on longevity.

We want our tests to be coherent and consistent, so we always put the Dremel on the exact same spot when we check the durability of the shoes that get the VIP pass to be part of our lab.

At 10K RPM, the tool drilled one of the rubber-covered lugs of the Cloudswift 3 AD mercilessly.

Nevertheless, as you can see in the picture, the damage was not that bad. We measured it with our tread gauge and it returned 0.8 mm, which is a wonderful result! As expected, this compound focuses on durability

A 3.4 mm thick outsole took us completely by surprise.

The rubber used is already pretty durable, yet according to our calliper, the brand decided to go for a thicker outsole compared to the average of this category.

We believe On could have opted for a thinner piece, but we also understand its decision, as some of this shoe's bottom is not protected by rubber, and its exposed midsole is in no way as durable.

There are many things we want to talk about in this section, so let's start our analysis with a picture.

As you can see, the Cloudswift 3 AD's outsole has a mix of rubber and exposed midsole. The first one is placed exclusively in high-wear areas, and we believe the brand went for this smart decision in order to reduce the shoe's overall weight.

We also loved the rubberized toecap, as it protected us every time we accidentally bumped our toes against a step whilst going upstairs.

Regarding traction, we've got no complaints. It's true that, as our durometer test stated, the harder parts of this outsole focus on durability. Nevertheless, we didn't feel this made the shoe lack grip during our wear tests.

It did its job properly and we're satisfied with it. That's all that matters!

The Cloudswift 3 AD has a similar price to the other On walking shoes we've analysed so far. Comfort and breathability wise, it seems totally fair. Just keep in mind that you're not paying for something that will last longer! Its upper is frail, and its outsole is not fully protected by the hard rubber compound.

We believe the reflective elements we found on this shoe are a nice and cool touch. So, apart from being useful when it gets dark, they're also pretty flashy! (No pun intended).

A thinner-than-average tongue of 4.7 mm was in charge of looking after our instep.

We were pretty happy with it but, at the same time, we can't help but think the brand could've gone for an even thinner tongue. After all, we're talking about an almost slip-on shoe. It's not quite there yet, that's for sure, but it's also not meant to be extra tight, so it's not like we need protection against the lace bite. In that way, On would've reduced this pair's overall weight, which is always something positive!

The Cloudswift 3 AD doesn't have a heel tab, but we didn't really miss it.

We didn't miss it at all, actually. This shoe is very easy to put on, and you don't even need to tie the laces to enjoy it! Its bootie-like construction does the work for you.

The sock-like design of this shoe let us put it on and off in literally two seconds.

As you might imagine, this was incredibly convenient when we were late and had to rush out. Additionally, its soft yet structured heel gave us the support and easy access we needed. We believe this combination is just spot on for the Cloudswift 3 AD!

Even though we don't have anything negative to say about this shoe's insole, we don't have any specific positive features to point out either... but one.

And it's the fact that (drums, please!) it's removable! Which means you can use your own orthotics if you want or need to.