The Altra Escalante 1.5 is one of the strongest daily trainers in our data. Comfort and value are its strongest sub-ratings. Looks scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating rests on 17 runner reviews and 6 other rated shoes in the Escalante product line.
Exceptional
98/100
Overall
Exceptional98
Comfort
Exceptional98
Value
Very good92
Durability
Good90
Cushioning
Good89
Appearance
Below average66
Confidence
Confidence
How settled the rating is against every other rated shoe. A shoe can rate high on
confidence with relatively few reviews of its own when its product line has a long
record and external ratings from retailer sites agree. Confidence will score low
when we have few ratings or when runners disagree.
Reviewers repeatedly praise the wide toe box for letting toes splay.
Light at 8.2 oz, and reviewers use it for easy running and fast training alike.
Two reviewers say heel hold is better than on the original Escalante, which scores 93 on forty-one reviews.
Cons
Several runners find the foot slides in turns and on uneven ground.
Zero drop, and reviewers warn of calf soreness while adapting to it.
Rating & Confidence vs. other shoes for sale
Each dot is one rated shoe for sale, placed by its rating and by how
much evidence sits behind it. Shoes toward the top right are both
well rated and well established.
Confidence
5060708090100255075100
Better Shoes Rating
Escalante 1.5 rates 98.
This shoe has high certainty.
See how we rate shoes.
Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the Altra Escalante
Each dot is one version of the Escalante, placed by its rating and release year. The gold dot is this shoe.
Rating
406080100
922017912019752022812024902026982018872020
Release year
We use the reviews of past versions to inform this shoe’s rating.
See why.
This is honestly one of the better shoes I have run in. The sole is very durable, and it goes well on the roads, track, and grass/trails. The one downside I would say is that it only really helps if you are running forefoot, because of the lack of cushioning, and there is not a lot of arch/ankle support, so it requires you to do strengthening exercises on your own, but that has benefits in itself. The only injuries I got from this shoe were from overtraining and undereating, so I wouldn't blame it on the shoe. Highly recommend.
GarminGuy · Mar 4, 2020
70 mpw·training for a half marathon
Comfort
5/5
Cushioning
4/5
Durability
5/5
Appearance
3/5
Value
5/5
Daily trainer, 1.5 best version
5/5
Overall
Better than the 1 and 2 versions. Feels real nice and bouncy out of the box, after a few hundred miles (as most shoes do) it loses that pop you first felt. However the toe box is AMAZING, they are a dream to run on even ground with, a bit sloppy on the trails but I am content on the forest roads for majority of training. The 2 is too tight and constricting in my opinion as i think they overcompensated for the slight sloppy feel on uneven ground. They are however supposed to be a road shoe, save for tight turns, does what you need it to do-keep things moving along smoothly for most runs- the EGO material is really nice for the life of the shoe. I do think the solstice, Esc racer, vanish-R and whatnot make for better racing shoes than the Escalante 1.5-for me it is very much a daily trainer and a staple in my altra shoe collection. They are a tad clunky to do strides/sprints in my opinion, but am able to maintain a cadence of 172-180 pretty well during runs in these shoes. I like the rubbery material thickness on these MUCH better than the 2's. It is just thick enough to have decent grip on gravel/dirt and last the life of them (unless your are running on your toes a lot maybe), but thin enough to not compromise the weight of the shoe. The escalante 2's feel clunkier because the rubber is much thicker on the bottom of the shoe. 130 was a bit pricey when they first came out, I dont like paying much over 100 bucks for a pair of shoes im only wearing for 3 months tops, BUT now that the next version is out these are just under 100 at around 91 dollars if you look around. But also please don't buy too many because i'm trying to stock up before the drought.
Very comfortable shoe, light, plenty of space. One of the best for all sorts of training!
Anonymous runner · Jul 10, 2019
30 mpw·training for a marathon
Comfort
5/5
Cushioning
5/5
Durability
5/5
Appearance
4/5
Value
5/5
Zero Drop Heaven
5/5
Overall
For the minimalist distance runner looking for a bit of cushion while still maintaining that healthy midfoot strike, the Escalantes are the perfect shoe. Zero Drop keeps the the heel to toe drop even, and the extra toe space is rather relaxing after miles spent in shoes that strangle the toes
