Review: On Running Cloudboom Strike LS

I tore the top of the Strike LS because I was wearing a slightly thicker pair of socks than normal and was struggling to put them on. I had my toes in, and in the attempt to get the rest of my foot in there, I pushed a little too hard while holding the sprayed-on membrane. The bit I was holding tore. It was the fourth time I’d ever put them on. Oops.

It is generally not a good sign when a product breaks after four uses, especially not when that product costs more than $330. (That’s roughly $82 per run.) But I should note that even after that, I have run in the CloudBoom Strikes for about two months and put more than 100 cumulative miles on them. In all that time and wear, that little tear is basically the exact same size. The bioplastic holds its form and hasn’t ripped further or affected the fit when I run in them. A rip isn’t ideal, and perhaps something bigger might have caused real problems, but in my experience On’s material holds. It just means I felt the need to be a lot more careful putting them on than with normie shoes.

Companies have certainly been pushing this laceless shoe thing. For instance, Nike’s $350 self-lacing Adapt BB could be controlled by an app that has since been shut down. The question, really, is whether the extra 15 seconds you save every day by not tying your laces warrants the extra cost and careful attention.

Elite Athletes Only

The CloudBoom Strike LS are very, very good shoes. They are cool, comfy, and also technical marvels, and all that visionary scientific endeavor is laudable. (Go watch that video again. It’s neat!) Their potential environmental impact is worth remarking on, too. You can probably find more environmentally friendly running shoes, like those made from algae, but On’s additive process for constructing these kicks has the potential to be much more efficient than standard shoe manufacturing—no leftover fabric scraps to toss in the trash.

Photograph: Boone Ashworth

Running in the CloudBoom Strikes is magnificent. They’re lighter than any shoe I’ve worn before, even many barefoot shoes, and they feel so squishy that I can almost fool myself into thinking I’m bouncing in my moon boots. But you know what else makes me feel like that? Other On shoes, and ones that cost considerably less money. If you’re not an elite marathoner for whom every ounce counts, you get just as much squishiness out of On’s Cloud Monster, which, at $180, are nearly half the price of the sprayed-Ons. As a bonus, you don’t have to treat them like delicate sponge cakes when you’re shoving them on to head out on your run.

But boy, if you aren’t worried about the cost, you’ll enjoy these lightweight future shoes. They’re the lightest shoe you’re going to get with the amount of cushion they offer. Once you get them wiggled on, you’re going to have a hard time wanting to ever take them off.