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Created page with "{{DISPLAYTITLE:ON Cloud X Review}} This is my third review of an ON Cloud shoe, and almost certainly my last. Their "unique selling point" is to use small cylinders of foam or..."
{{DISPLAYTITLE:ON Cloud X Review}}
This is my third review of an ON Cloud shoe, and almost certainly my last. Their "unique selling point" is to use small cylinders of foam or rubber to improve cushioning and rebound. This was apparently inspired by the inventor stepping on a garden hose. They claim is that this approach is lighter and creates more rebound. Unfortunately, I've not found this to be true of any of the issues, including the "X". The cushioning to weight ratio of the "X" is quite poor, even though it's a shoe that compromises comfort to save weight. And instead of a spring key midsole, I found these hoops of cushioning made the shoe noticeably uneven under foot. Combine this with a shoe that isn't designed to fit a healthy human foot, and I have to rate this as "Not Recommended". {{H:WhatToLookForInShoes}}
<gallery widths=300px heights=300px class="center">
File:ON Cloud X-top.jpg|ON Cloud X top
File:ON Cloud X-outside.jpg|ON Cloud X outside
File:ON Cloud X-bottom.jpg|ON Cloud X bottom
File:ON Cloud X-inside.jpg|ON Cloud X inside
</gallery>
=Characteristics=
* {{H:cushioning}}. ON use a radically different approach to cushioning, with a collapsible midsole foam ("CloudTec.") See my review of the [[On Cloudracer]] for an analysis of this approach. Like the other Cloud shoes, the Cloud X is too firm for its weight. It weighs nearly as much as the [[Saucony Kinvara 8]], but provides less than half of the cushioning. While you can't get them anymore, the Cloud X has the same cushioning as the [[New Balance RC5000]] while weighing 2.5x as much! To add insult to injury, the hoops create a rather uneven feel underfoot, and provide less of perceived rebound than a traditional foam shoe.
* {{H:drop}}. The Cloud X has an 7mm drop either loaded or unloaded, which is rather more than I'm comfortable with. While many shoes with a 7 mm drop don't feel too bad, that's often because the drop is far less when the shoe is loaded, something that doesn't seem to happen here.
* {{H:structure}}. There's no structure in the usual sense; no variations in cushioning to prevent the natural movement of the foot. I found the Cloud X didn't interfere with my running in the usual ways issue interferes, which is by limiting pronation. On the other hand, the Cloud X never felt natural or smooth.
* {{H:flexibility}}. The Cloud X is moderately flexible, but a less than you'd expect given how thin the sole is between the cushioning hoops. They put a fairly hard plastic plate under the insole, which creates a little bit of spring, and I'm guessing is an attempt to isolate your foot from the uneven cushioning.
* {{H:outsole}}. The Cloud X only has harder rubber outsole over some of the contact areas. The CloudTec bumps can act as stone traps, and while mostly they are likely to be stuck in the gap between the outsole bumps, I have a nagging concern about any stones that do get launched under the bumps themselves.
* {{H:shape}}. The Cloud X is shaped like many traditional shoes rather than being designed to fit the human foot. I'd recommend [[Shoe Modifications| cutting open the toe box]] for your feet to move naturally. {{H:TryCuttingShoes}}
* {{H:upper}}. The upper is far more minimalist than you'd expect from a shoe weighing this much. There is very little padding, even around the ankle opening, which has some weirdly positioned squares of extra padding. I've never seen the shoe quite like this, and I don't expect I would in the future, as the ankle padding is a remarkably crappy piece of design.
* {{H:tongue}}. The Cloud X has a traditional tongue that is unpadded and thin.
* {{H:lacing}}. The Cloud X has thin flat laces that stay tied reasonably well.
* {{H:heelcounter}}. The Cloud has a rather hard heel counter, but it's too small to really have any impact.
{{FastBlr|on-running/on-Cloud X-2-1091|1091|On Cloud X}}
=A Comparison with other Recommended Shoes=
{{:Shoes-include}}
This is my third review of an ON Cloud shoe, and almost certainly my last. Their "unique selling point" is to use small cylinders of foam or rubber to improve cushioning and rebound. This was apparently inspired by the inventor stepping on a garden hose. They claim is that this approach is lighter and creates more rebound. Unfortunately, I've not found this to be true of any of the issues, including the "X". The cushioning to weight ratio of the "X" is quite poor, even though it's a shoe that compromises comfort to save weight. And instead of a spring key midsole, I found these hoops of cushioning made the shoe noticeably uneven under foot. Combine this with a shoe that isn't designed to fit a healthy human foot, and I have to rate this as "Not Recommended". {{H:WhatToLookForInShoes}}
<gallery widths=300px heights=300px class="center">
File:ON Cloud X-top.jpg|ON Cloud X top
File:ON Cloud X-outside.jpg|ON Cloud X outside
File:ON Cloud X-bottom.jpg|ON Cloud X bottom
File:ON Cloud X-inside.jpg|ON Cloud X inside
</gallery>
=Characteristics=
* {{H:cushioning}}. ON use a radically different approach to cushioning, with a collapsible midsole foam ("CloudTec.") See my review of the [[On Cloudracer]] for an analysis of this approach. Like the other Cloud shoes, the Cloud X is too firm for its weight. It weighs nearly as much as the [[Saucony Kinvara 8]], but provides less than half of the cushioning. While you can't get them anymore, the Cloud X has the same cushioning as the [[New Balance RC5000]] while weighing 2.5x as much! To add insult to injury, the hoops create a rather uneven feel underfoot, and provide less of perceived rebound than a traditional foam shoe.
* {{H:drop}}. The Cloud X has an 7mm drop either loaded or unloaded, which is rather more than I'm comfortable with. While many shoes with a 7 mm drop don't feel too bad, that's often because the drop is far less when the shoe is loaded, something that doesn't seem to happen here.
* {{H:structure}}. There's no structure in the usual sense; no variations in cushioning to prevent the natural movement of the foot. I found the Cloud X didn't interfere with my running in the usual ways issue interferes, which is by limiting pronation. On the other hand, the Cloud X never felt natural or smooth.
* {{H:flexibility}}. The Cloud X is moderately flexible, but a less than you'd expect given how thin the sole is between the cushioning hoops. They put a fairly hard plastic plate under the insole, which creates a little bit of spring, and I'm guessing is an attempt to isolate your foot from the uneven cushioning.
* {{H:outsole}}. The Cloud X only has harder rubber outsole over some of the contact areas. The CloudTec bumps can act as stone traps, and while mostly they are likely to be stuck in the gap between the outsole bumps, I have a nagging concern about any stones that do get launched under the bumps themselves.
* {{H:shape}}. The Cloud X is shaped like many traditional shoes rather than being designed to fit the human foot. I'd recommend [[Shoe Modifications| cutting open the toe box]] for your feet to move naturally. {{H:TryCuttingShoes}}
* {{H:upper}}. The upper is far more minimalist than you'd expect from a shoe weighing this much. There is very little padding, even around the ankle opening, which has some weirdly positioned squares of extra padding. I've never seen the shoe quite like this, and I don't expect I would in the future, as the ankle padding is a remarkably crappy piece of design.
* {{H:tongue}}. The Cloud X has a traditional tongue that is unpadded and thin.
* {{H:lacing}}. The Cloud X has thin flat laces that stay tied reasonably well.
* {{H:heelcounter}}. The Cloud has a rather hard heel counter, but it's too small to really have any impact.
{{FastBlr|on-running/on-Cloud X-2-1091|1091|On Cloud X}}
=A Comparison with other Recommended Shoes=
{{:Shoes-include}}