Skechers Uno - Stand On Air review

The Uno - Stand On Air deserves a spot on your rotation if:

• You need a super comfortable and durable shoe to wear all day, every day.
• You want to feel taller but you don't want to lose even a little bit of stability.
• You're looking for a crazy stylish more bounce-for-the-ounce pair of sneakers that is available in a lot of colorways.

If you want a new pair of sneakers to rock in the summer or you live somewhere where it's usually hot throughout the year, the Uno - Stand On Air might not be the best choice. But don't worry, we've got your back! Here is a list of the breathable sneakers we have reviewed.

If you're gonna be walking all day long and you don't want to deal with a potential break-in period, Skechers has several walking shoes that might be your cup of tea. Don't hesitate to have a look!

When these Skechers say "Stand on Air" they really mean it! And we don't say it just because of the wonderfully comfortable Skec-Air visible air-cushioned midsole, but also because of the massive heel stack. Seriously, people might even think you're levitating! At 43.8 mm, this shoe was definitely a skyscraper in its previous life.

Even though the forefoot is taller than average, the difference in comparison to the heel is huge: our caliper returned 21.6 mm. This translated into a protected ride, as all this cushioning shielded us from any obstacles or harsher surfaces.

During our wear tests, we felt that this Skechers Uno's heel was way higher than the toe area. Once we had measured the forefoot and rearfoot stacks, we sat down and did the math: the Stand On Air's drop goes all the way up to a crazy 22.2 mm! This is one of the highest drops we've seen among sneakers, coming second to only the Converse Run Star Hike's and its 22.6 mm.

Even though this didn't mean the shoe was uncomfortable to us, we can see some people taking a step back after trying it on or learning about this. Such a high heel might not be everyone's cup of tea, and that's totally understandable!

When we cut shoes in half, we get full and unrestricted access to their midsole. Only then do we press our durometer against the cushioning. In this case, it marked 35.0 HA, which is way higher than average!

This means the compound used is on the firmer side, which is something we had already guessed thanks to our wear tests. Even though it doesn't feel like you're walking on clouds, at least not in our experience, we found this Skeckers pair really comfortable.

The 10.2 mm thick insole makes the comfort levels of this shoe reach new limits. It is twice as plush as the average of this category, working hand in hand with the Skech-Air technology to soften the ride and make our walks even more enjoyable.

We were pretty satisfied with the lateral stability of this Skechers. Despite its crazy heel stack, we didn't ever feel like we were losing stability or control. Even if we had been on our feet for hours!

Torsional rigidity test level: impossible. Our fingers didn't even stand the smallest of chances against the SOA! Its brick-like nature shone, and we'd get a cramp before we could twist it in the slightest. Consequently, we decided to give it a perfect 5/5, which is the highest score.

The heel follows the immovable footsteps of the overall structure. It was also really hard for our fingers to make it bow even a little bit, so it earned a solid 4/5 on our stiffness test.

At 108.1 mm, our caliper marked this shoe's midsole width in the forefoot is pretty much average. Consequently, during our wear tests, our standard-width feet felt stable and comfortable, and not like they needed some more space to land smoothly. So no issues here!

On the other hand, we did notice the heel was on the narrower side. It's not like it was uncomfortable, but our feet could definitely tell the midsole wasn't as spacious. At 81.9 mm, it's below our current lab average, yet this wasn't a problem to us during our wear tests.

Even though beating the SOA on our torsional rigidity test was just absolutely out of our league, we found it was way more pliable longitudinally. After some warm-up, it started bending along our feet comfortably during our wear tests. Then we took it to our lab, and it needed only 22.4N of force to do a 90-degree handstand. This result is lower than average, which means this Skechers pair is more flexible than most sneakers!

The chunky looks of this shoe don't lie! In our experience, it felt a bit clunky during our wear tests, and we understood it all when we took it to our lab. Our scale returned 14.71 oz/417g, which surpasses the average of its category.

Taking into account how tall it is, all its cushioning and multiple technologies, it's not like we were totally taken by surprise when we saw this result. But we can see how some sneakerheads would rather go for a lighter pair, as heavier shoes tend to make our legs get tired faster. Here you have all the lightweight sneakers we have reviewed so far!

The best way to find out if the holes in the upper of a shoe actually favor airflow is by using light. In our lab, we first cut the sneakers in half and then put the upper in front of our LED to see if the light can get through.

Well, in this case... let's forget about that. As you can see in the video, our LED couldn't find any gaps to shine, so we instantly lowered our expectations regarding breathability.

And we were right to do so! During our smoke test, the ASICS Gel NYC (on the right) let all the steam out easily, yet the SOA couldn't really keep up. After taking all this into account, we decided to give it only a 2/5 on our breathability test.

Even with those small perforations, the material of this shoe is pretty solid. Our microscope had it clear: there was no other way for this Skechers pair to let the air out! But looking at the bright side, this just means the SOA is a perfect companion to go for a walk when temperatures go down.

The "lower breathability = higher durability" equation is not a universal truth, yet this Skechers pair is a perfect example of its validity. Even though our Dremel went for its toebox at 5K RPM and with 12N of force, the SOA put up a fight! We were really happy with the results, so we decided to give it a wonderful 4/5 on our durability test.

And speaking of universal truths... It's often said that the material used for the heel lining is weaker than the one we can usually find in the toebox. Once again, we can say that's totally valid regarding this Skechers pair, as it failed our heel padding durability test horribly.

At the same 5K RPM and with the same 2N of force, our Dremel destroyed the material easily. As a result, we could only give the SOA a disappointing 1/5 on our heel padding durability test.

At 87.0 HC, our durometer stated this shoe's outsole is only slightly harder than average. This result promises a nice mix of durability and grip, which is exactly what we'd want for a daily beater like this one!

On its last chance to show us its power, our Dremel went all in trying to destroy this shoe's outsole. At 10K RPM and with 2N of force, it drilled the rubber as much as it could. When we measured the damage, our tread gauge marked 0.9 mm, which is lower than average. In other words: you can expect this shoe's outsole to withstand constant use!

Our caliper marked 4.8 mm, and we believe the brand made the right call when it went for a thinner outsole in the SOA. The rubber compound used showed good durability, which means the shoe didn't really need a thicker piece to make up for any lack of resistance.

This is a bang for the book, no questions asked! For only $80, we believe this shoe brings a lot to the table. Great durability, comfort, the brand's technologies, a nice locked-in feel... So yeah, after our lab and wear tests, we can confidently say the SOA is worth a try!

We didn't really expect this Skechers pair to have any reflective elements, and we were totally right!

The 13.7 mm of this shoe's tongue padding were a little bit too much for us. But please, don't get us wrong, we're more than happy about its comfort! It's just... that Skechers could've gone for a thinner slab of foam in order to reduce the overall weight and, at the same time, keep the comfort levels.

Luckily, the rest of the upper doesn't follow the tongue's example. It has padding only around the ankle to keep it comfortable, but that's literally it!

The extra clean aesthetics of the SOA wouldn't allow for a heel tab. But we didn't really need it either, as this shoe's opening was big enough for our feet to get in easily.

The SOA is here to offer us yet another premium detail as a budget shoe. It features an Air-Cooled Memory Foam insole that, according to the brand, provides pressure relief, comfort, and breathability. We do agree on the first 2, yet the third one... wasn't exactly how we felt. If you're looking for a breathable pair of casual sneakers to enjoy your summer adventures to the fullest, check out the ones that have the yoga teacher RunRepeat seal!

PS: Also, even though this insole is removable, we wouldn't really recommend changing it unless you need some extra space.