Free 2025 Running Shoe (Men)

Giving 3-stars because while I like the shoes aesthetically and they provide the design qualities I prefer in my "every day (summer) slip on shoes", they required a little DIY to make them comfortable for my feet. I had some version of Nike Frees from around 2017 times, not sure which as I had found them at a Winners (Marshall's for any USers), and to this day they were the most comfortable shoes I've ever worn. Have looked around for versions that were similar to that pair but never had any luck. These are a close runner up, except for the heel cushion Nike decided to build into these. I don't know why, but the heel cushion did the opposite of what I think they intended it to do; instead of prevent blistering, the cushions gave me blisters/sores. I figured I just needed to break them in and wore them as my main shoe (to work, the gym, around the city) for a week now and the damned cushions are just causing the most amount of pain I've ever experienced with a shoe. I tried wearing regular ankle socks to stretch out/break in the shoe, tried thin ankle socks, high ankle socks, extra low ankle socks, no socks. Didn't matter what, the cushions were just incredibly uncomfortable on my heels. So this morning I decided to just cut them out with an exacto knife and now I can say these shoes are as comfortable as my old pair of Frees. I did swap out the stock laces for some non-tie "elasto-laces", but I gave myself a nice amount of extra lace to loosen as needed. I also use these type of laces in all of my other runners without issue. Other than the cushion issue though, I do love the shoes. I prefer these knitted-fabric style shoes with no inner lining or rubbers/plastics as I like my foot to feel as free as possible in a runner (pun not intended haha). These definitely deliver in that regard as they are incredibly light and breathable. I got the all black pair, so I can wear them with anything, I really love the lowkey style they provide. On camera, the pattern on the all black pair looks really noticeable, but in person it is much more discreet and I really like it. They fit very snug to my foot as well, another plus as someone who also wears Converse and ties them as tight as possible. Would've definitely given a 4 or even 5 star if that cushion issue didn't give me a week of pain and discomfort. Gave an "uncomfortable" rating, as out of the box they did not work for me and I doubt most people would cut the cushions out, instead just opting for a return. Judging from other reviews though, I can see most people do enjoy the cushions, so it may just be a me thing. They are also fairly easy to cut out, so if they're giving you an issue I highly recommend going that route as it instantly got rid of that discomfort. I would recommend, with the caveat of the cushion. Just beware that you may have to do a little DIY if you got some soft heels like me lol.