Last Updated on July 9, 2023
EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated with a usage report.
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One of the great surprises for me over the past few years has been Aldi shoes. Aldi is by no means the first place I’d go to for shoes, and my experience with generic budget shoes from other outlets has been, to put it politely, terrible.
Not so with Aldi. Over the last few years, I’ve purchased and reviewed slip-on shoes, hiker shoes, tennis shoes, trekker sandals, and hiker boots, and all of them have performed well. Not only that, but they’ve lasted: I’ve owned the hiker shoes and tennis shoes for over a year, and they’ve held up well, and that’s considering that I wear the tennis shoes regularly. My wife has had less luck with women’s shoes, but on the men’s side I’ve been very surprised, especially given the low prices.
Aldi has yet another entry in the shoe category, and that means I had to try them out.
Crane Men’s Memory Foam Walking Shoes (Product Code 58487) are an Aldi Find, which means they’re only in stores for a limited time. At the time of this post, they cost $12.99, which is less than most shoes out there that look like these. They come in either black or grey, and they are available in men’s sizes 9-12.
According to Aldi, the shoes contain a memory foam insole, a flexible non-marking EVA outsole, a breathable mesh upper, and a durable reinforced toe. The box indicates they are made in China. There is no warranty or after-sales information anywhere on the packaging.
The Crane logo, by the way, is only printed on the inside on the heel, so if you’re worried about broadcasting that your shoes are from Aldi, no worries.
With slip-on shoes like these, I look for three things. One, are they easy to slip on? Two, do they stay on? And three, are they comfortable to walk in?
The answer to all three questions is yes. They’re easy to get into, especially thanks to the pull tab in the back. They stay on nicely while walking. And the memory foam is soft.
Out for a walk. (Click to enlarge.)
(Click to enlarge.)
I took them out for a walk and they did exactly what I hoped they would do: namely, made for a comfortable enough ride that after a little while I stopped thinking about them.
As with any shoe, the true test will be durability, both with the memory foam and the outsole. I’ll update on both as time goes on, but given my previous Aldi shoe experiences, I’m hopeful these will hold for a while.
UPDATE (Fall 2021): About six months after I purchased these, this happened …
As you can see, the inside cushioning separated from the shoe itself, and there wasn’t anything I could do about it. It was unfortunate, too, because I really liked these shoes.
The Verdict:
Simple and inexpensive, these memory foam walking shoes look like a capable entry for those who need to get outside on a walk. Time will tell on durability.
I bought Crane brand clogs with the heel strap to wear around the house. They were priced reasonable at $6 yet lightweight, lot of airholes for my feet to breath, comfortable.
The store had 3 basic size ranges. I wear a size 9 but went with a woman’s 7-8 since it was just for the house and the next size range was too big. I added a few extra holes with a soldering iron and the holes look normal. There is a bit of factory odor but I wear socks with the shoes and expect the smell will fade away. Not happy with the pink color but, like I said, it’s only for house wear and maybe I’ll add a few racing stripes.