I Investigated 10 Cheap Running Shoe Brands (Only 3 Actually Perform)

Skechers paid $40 million to the Federal Trade Commission over ads promising toned muscles and weight loss from wearing their shoes. A new class action filed in 2025 says the marketing never stopped. The pattern across almost every failure on this list is the same: the foam name on the box is not the foam in the shoe. New Balance, ASICS, and Puma all borrowed their own premium branding for budget compounds that do not match it. Here are the four checks to run before you spend a dollar on any running shoe, and the three budget options where the foam inside actually matches what the label implies. TIMESTAMPS 0:00 The $40 Million FTC Settlement and the 2025 Class Action 0:27 Ten Brands, Four Tests, Only Three Pass 0:40 The One Mechanism Behind Every Failure 1:00 #10: Champion and Walmart-Style Generic ($25 to $45) 1:57 #9: Fila Memory Foam Running Line 2:28 #8: Reebok Floatride Energy -- Paid $25M FTC Settlement in 2011 3:22 #7: Under Armour Charged Pursuit and Charged Rogue ($65 to $80) 4:16 #6: New Balance Fresh Foam Arishi V4 ($65) -- Same Name, Different Foam 5:09 #5: ASICS Gel Contend and Gel Venture ($60 to $80) -- Gel Label, EVA Foam 6:02 #4: Puma Velocity Nitro 4 (~$90) -- Premium Name, Budget Compound 6:53 The 4 Checks You Can Run for Free 7:02 Check 1: Foam Reality Check 7:31 Check 2: Independent Test Check 7:50 Check 3: Legal and Marketing Honesty Check 8:14 Check 4: Price to Performance Sanity Check 9:03 #3: Adidas Duramo Speed (~$70) and Adizero SL ($80 to $90) 9:54 #2: Nike Revolution 8 (~$70) -- 57.1% Lab-Tested Energy Return 10:52 #1: Adidas Adizero EVO SL ($150) -- Race Day Foam at Non-Race Day Cost 11:52 Why Both Number 1 and Number 3 Are Adidas