Hey, everybody, this is Steve Moore, owner of Run Moore, this beautiful brick-and-mortar running shop located in Westminster, Maryland.
Today, we will be talking about the brand new Altra Torin 6. First, if you are new to Altra, there are a couple of little things about their shoes that are different from some of the other brands that we’re carrying on the wall. First, they all have this rounded foot-shaped toolbox, which is great if you are somebody who has a wider foot or if you deal with a little bit of neuropathy. It also makes sense to put your foot in a shoe shaped like your foot.
I always find it interesting when people come in shoes that are more like “elf-like,” you know, a little more pointed, and they will talk about losing sensation in their feet when running. So many customers come to us who have a burning feeling or tingling feeling when running, which is due to a lack of circulation. We have had a lot of success putting people in shoes like an Altra or just shoes with a little more of a rounded toolbox. Encouraging a natural splay when running and walking does the trick for many customers.
All Altra shoes are also all zero drop. This means that your heel and your toes are on the same platform. These shoes still have an arch, but your heel and toes are on the same level. Many running shoes have a bit of a pitch to a ramp anywhere between 4-6mm. Many other shoes are in an 8-12mm range, depending on which brand you are looking at. But these are all nice and level and even help with what they call balance cushioning.
What is the Purpose of the Altra Torin 6?
The Altra Torin 6 is a max-cushion neutral shoe. In the Altra family, this is the most cushioned shoe they offer. This is great for those who have medium to high arches. If you run down the middle (neutral), or even a little bit on the outside of your shoes, this is a good model. However, if you are somebody who rolls to the inside, you are flatter footed; there are better options in the Altra family, something like a Provision or a Paradigm that will give you a bit more arch support on that medial side.
But if you are somebody who finds yourself in a neutral cadence runner, the Torin 6 is a great option for you. It has a nice, rounded, four-foot-shaped toe box and a tall stack height of 28mm. Their EGO MAX Midsole is light and fluffy and is designed to do a couple of things. It is nice, light, and bouncy. When you sink into it, people talk about how plush it feels. It feels soft, but it also has a recharge and a bouncy midsole feel. There is a nice dichotomy of sinking into the shoe and still feeling yourself pop when you run into it. It’s nice, especially if you’re doing long-distance runs. You are not sinking into the shoe all the way. Instead, you have a little bit coming out of your stride, which we all like.
Weight: Men’s 9.9 oz / 280 g | Women’s: 8.3 oz / 234 g
What is New for the Altra Torin 6?
This shoe has a couple of significant changes from the previous version -and the previous version was a popular shoe. Nevertheless, it did very well, considering there was one flaw: the sharp tongue on the top of the shoe. I do not know how it made it through all the designs, but the Torin 5 had a very sharp piece that bugged people. And believe me, Altra heard it from shops like mine, but they heard it from customers like you. Fortunately, they have made the appropriate changes to version six, which has made a big difference. So when you are popping on your shoe, it is not bugging you whatsoever. It was an excellent, simple addition that people were asking for, and they did fix it.
Also, when comparing this to the previous generation, Altra has made a big change on the heel cut. So now we have this more molded fit and even more of like a V-shape that will hold your foot in a little bit better in place. Also, it has more of that little slide-in feel, which has been popular in a more tonal-like pinch along the side. Again, not in a wrong way, but just more to give you a little bit more of a molded perfect foot feel when you slide this foot in, so you’re not going to have any slippage that you might find when you have a shoe like this that’s flat around the heel.
In the previous version, we heard some complaints where runners felt like they were stepping out of the shoe. We did encourage our customers to make the marathon loop, but Altra has eliminated that back eyelet with this new update. So, while they have fixed the heel fix, they have removed that top eyelet which is something to be aware of. In addition, Altra has added just a little bit more padding through the tongue and in general, so the shoe fits and feels better.
Sizing and Width
We get asked all the Altra questions: “the most on is the width of the shoe?” Like the previous version, this shoe is a standard width Altra, which is right smack in the middle. The Torin fits in line with the Altra Paradigm or something like the Timp or the Provision.
If you are looking for an Altra road shoe but you want the widest version, you will want to look at the Escalante Three.
The Torin is right smack in the middle like a standard fit, but they also make this in a wide version. This is the only Altra road shoe with a width option on the men’s side which will fit closer to a 4E. On the women’s side, it will fit closer than a D.
This shoe will be available at $160, so it did go up by ten dollars. But as you’ve probably seen across the board on all the running shoes, it has gone up a little bit.
Durability
The previous versions have done very well for durability on the Torin family as far as durability. This has been a super popular version of a shoe for them over the years, and I think with the additional changes to this, there is no reason to believe this will not be a great shoe to put in your arsenal.
Again, it should be an excellent option for somebody who might need a little extra width, who wants to try something a little more natural with that zero-drop feeling, and somebody with medium to high arches.
Conclusion
If you have any questions on this shoe or any other shoe, feel free to leave them on our YouTube Channel. We certainly appreciate it.
And if you want to purchase this shoe, put in promo code Run Moore at checkout, and you will save 10%, and we will ship it out for free.
Men’s Torin 6 | Women’s Torin 6
Thank you so much! Happy running, and as always, we will see you around town.
