Crane Men’s Memory Foam Athletic Shoes

Last Updated on July 9, 2023

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Aldi isn’t a shoe store, but you wouldn’t know that by looking at our shoe collection. We have Aldi beach sandals, Aldi trekking sandals, Aldi slip-on shoes, Aldi fashion boots, Aldi hiker shoes, Aldi hiking boots, and Aldi slippers. (We even had Aldi walking shoes before they died on us.)

A couple of years ago, I purchased a different pair of Crane Mens Memory Foam Athletic Shoes. Those shoes looked more like day sneakers than athletic shoes, and after two years I can say that I still wear them. So when Aldi sold a new set of athletic shoes this year — with a different style and an apostrophe in the name — I decided to give them a look, too.

These Crane Men’s Memory Foam Athletic Shoes are an Aldi Find, which means they’re only in stores for a short time. They come in sizes 9, 9.5, 10, 10.5, 11, 11.5 or 12. At the time of this post, Aldi was also selling a women’s version in sizes 7, 7.5, 8, 8.5, 9 or 10. The shoes don’t say anything about who makes them, other than the fact that they’re made in China.

I bought these shoes for $14.99, which is the same price as the ones I bought two years ago. If you know anything about shoes, you know that this price is a lot less than what you’d pay for brand name shoes, and closer to what you’d pay for generic shoes at a big box store.

There’s a reason for that. Shoes from big box stores don’t last long. I know: I’ve tried and failed at this more than once. But most of my Aldi shoe purchases have been different: with a couple of exceptions, they’ve lasted years, even under regular use. That includes my last Crane athletic shoes. That gives me some hope for these.

According to the box, and to Aldi’s product listing, the shoes have a memory foam insole, a “durable” outsole, a fabric lining, a flexible TPR outsole with EVA midsole, and a breathable upper. Like any other shoes I’ve purchased, they don’t come with any kind of warranty.

I tried them on and did some work around the house with them. They’re easy to lace up. They were also pretty comfortable on first wear, something that isn’t always true even of expensive shoes. I didn’t have the same break-in period. The shoes lace up tightly enough but they weren’t as fitted on the arch of my foot as some brand-name shoes are. If you need strong arch support you probably are pretty deliberate about shoes anyway, but it’s worth noting.

The memory foam seems adequate. My brand name shoes are more plush, but these were good enough that after a while I wasn’t thinking about the shoes. Memory foam can compress over time, so we’ll see how that lasts.

As for durability? Time will tell. As I’ve said already, my last pair is going on two years now. I hope these last that long. I’ll update the post over time.

The Verdict:

Aldi has a pretty good track record with its Crane Men’s Memory Foam Athletic Shoes, and these appear to continue that tradition. They lace up well, and while they don’t have a ton of arch support and memory foam is merely adequate, the fit is good and I didn’t have much trouble breaking them in. I’ll revisit this post with a durability update later on.