Altra Torin 5 Review
Hey everybody, my name is Steve Moore, and I am the owner of Run Moore, this brick-and-mortar running shop located behind me in Westminster, Maryland. Thank you for checking out our channel; we appreciate everybody’s kind support.
Today we have a lot to get into, and I will snap right into it. The Altra Torin 5 comes out June 1st, but they are available for Pre-order. I’m recording this at the end of April, and I was very excited to get these guys and see how they feel how they fit how they look.
PURPOSE: Road, 5k – Long Runs
STABILITY: Neutral, Zero Drop
STACK HEIGHT: 28mm
WEIGHT: Men’s 9 oz / 257.5 g | Women’s: 7.3 oz / 209.3 g
MIDSOLE: Ego Max
AVAILABLE IN WIDE
This shoe has gone through many changes and iterations over the years. We had great success with the original Torin at our shop. Altra loves to play around with this model. About 3 years ago, they introduced the Torin Knit to their lineup. There was a little bit of a price difference, and the upper was different.
By the spring of 2019, the Torin 4 came out. This was a two-year shoe, and for my shop, I think this was our favorite Altra that we had in here. I know for a road shoe, the Escalante was a massive change for Altra, but as far as people just put on a shoe and were really happy with the fit and feel, the Torin 4 was an awesome shoe.
Last year, they introduced the Altra Torin Plush 4.5 -it really is confusing because it wasn’t necessarily an updated version of the Altra Torin 4. The Plush was its own shoe, but it was also called a Torin. There was a price difference; it was more, you guessed it, “Plush” but it also had a taller stack height, weighed slightly more, different upper, and many other things. It wasn’t like the Torin 4, and it wasn’t its replacement; they were just two shoes that came out around the same time with similar names.
It’s a New Torin Plush
Now, we’re doing some crazy stuff here, and Altra will release the Torin 5 this June 2021. In my opinion, it is not necessarily an update to the Torin 4; for me, it is closer to the Torin Plush 4.5. For convenience’s sake, just think of this shoe as the new update to Torin Plush without the plush part in the name. Also, just to make it super clear this is the only Torin shoe available this year, they are no longer selling the Torin Plush.
Price Jump
The Torin 5 will be Altra’s new max cushion shoe, and they also jumped the price up to $150. That was a big jump for Altra. The 4 was $120, and the Torin Plush 4.5 was about $140. This is also a jump-in cushion, as the Torin was originally a mid cushion neutral shoe.
After that history, we can now focus on what’s ahead. The Altra Torin 5 is a max cushion shoe, a high mileage shoe. It has the same stack height as the Torin Plush at 28 millimeters. The 5 is taller and more cushioned than the standard Torin. Again, it’s closer in line with some of those weight characteristics and such as the Torin Plush.
New Ego Max Midsole
The 5 weighs about 9 ounces which is really light for a max cushion shoe—especially compared to some of the other stuff we have on the wall in that same max cushion family. It is a little lighter due to the new Ego Max Midsole. Altra’s shoes like the Escalante, the new Lone Peak, and Rivera have a bouncy, lightweight, soft feel due to their Ego Midsole. The Torin 5 will have a midsole similar to what we have seen in those shoes but slightly more elevated. New shoes from Altra coming down the line will include this new Ego Max midsole. Eventually, Altra will have shoes that are just Ego, and then Ego Max. These midsoles will make the price points higher and lower depending on how much the shoe’s ego max has.
A Lightweight, Comfortable Distance Shoe
The Torin 5 has a lighter, airier softer feel with still some rebound to it. This shoe is more lightweight, but it still has 28 mm of stack height like the Plush. It will be a great shoe for somebody looking for an Altra shoe to do shorter, faster miles but can also start training for long-distance runs. Runners will not be limited as this shoe can go the distance but still feels responsive. This will be a great protective shoe, and because it is only 9oz, it doesn’t feel big and bulky. I have seen that some shoes in the same category are easily more than 11 ounces. So this is a nice change if you’re looking for something a little bit lighter, springier but still giving you that full protection.
Zero Drop
Because it is an Altra, I should always point out that all Altra’s are zero drop. We do get that question from time to time. This shoe is a zero drop; your heel and your toe are on the same platform, but it still has some arch support built into it even though the Torin is not a stability shoe.
What the New Torin is Good For
This is a max cushion neutral shoe, which is Altra’s most cushioned road shoe. The Altra Duo was a big super crazy cushioned shoe and very comfortable. It looked like a true big boy over there on our wall. Now that shoe is out of the lineup; the Torin is now the biggest max cushion shoe you can get from Altra. this is going to be your friend for all your long kind of stuff.
What I liked in the Update
One of the things I liked about this update is that the upper is a little bit different. I’m going to go back to my Plush 4.5, even though they’re supposed they’re both listed as an engineered knit mesh or knit upper on it; the Plush 4.5 didn’t quite have as much play with it, in my opinion. That’s one thing I like on the original Torin 4, and I felt like I had a lot more side-to-side wiggle room in it. If I needed it, and that’s how the 5 feels.
Width & Sizing
I also actually feel like the width is good on the 5 as well. I’ve been walking around the store. My demo set was a little bit smaller than what I typically wear -I matched up a size for size on a Torin 4.5 Plush versa Torin 5 and walked around. I definitely felt like I had more width in this the 5. So, if you were somebody that felt like maybe just a little bit narrow on the Plush 4.5, I think you’d be fine here and going back again.
Altra Road Shoe Available in Wide
This is also our first road shoe that will come available in standard and wide. I keep holding this shoe because this is the only color on the men’s side that will be available in white. I sadly don’t have the women’s shoe that will be coming out of, but there will be one women’s shoe in wide, one men’s shoe, and then you know the other stuff in a standard wider fit Altra shoe.
Again, this is their more classic wide round toe box if you compare it to the new Rivera, which I think is nice and wide; it doesn’t quite have the same width looking like this is the standard version of this shoe. It’s still nice and wide on this standard Torin 5, and it will be wide just like the new Lone Peak that’s out has a standard in a wide. So good news, if you’re somebody who loves the Altra but has felt like it’s just not quite wide enough, you will now have a wide option.
Other Torin Models, Slip Resistant & Torin Lux
There’s also a couple of other fun things coming out with the Torin family, and you can see like they’ve put a lot of energy and effort into this sort of re-branded new midsole, new upper etc.
Slip Resistant Torin
They’re also finally coming out with a slip-resistant shoe, coming out a little bit later towards the summertime. There will be a slip-resistant leather upper that’s going to be great for somebody who has to wear that type of shoe for work. My wife is a chef, and she wears slip-resistant shoes to work. This could be something she could wear and still give herself a nice cushion and comfort. It does feel slightly different from a midsole, and it’s not quite as soft and squishy as this, but it has that nice wide fit. It does have a nice slip-resistant feel to it.
Altra Torin Lux
This shoe will be available a bit later in the summer as well. Different sort of upper, but it still has that nice Torin feel and fit but just kind of a different cool feel to it. This one costs $155, the all-weather one will be $160, it does cost a little bit more, but there are a couple of different advantages on that shoe if you’re looking for.
Conclusion
Thank you so much for watching our channel; you can always purchase our stuff down below. You can always use the promo code runmoore down below, and we will be taking orders on the new Torin 5 and anything else. Save yourself 10% + free shipping for those living in the continental US. If you have any questions on this shoe or anything else, leave it down below; we’ll do our best to get back to you. Thanks, happy running as always, stay safe!
