Kizik Athens 2 Review

Hands-free in an everyday sneaker

The Kizik Athens 2 is the second version of Kizik’s best-selling shoe, and Kizik’s whole business is one idea: shoes you can put on without using your hands. The mechanism is a stiff cage built into the heel, licensed from HandsFree Labs, that squashes flat when you push your foot in and springs back into shape behind your heel.

In the Kizik range, the Athens is the everyday sneaker. It is the model people buy for walking, errands, travel and work that does not involve a dress code. The Athens 2 replaced the original Athens with a revised sole and an updated upper, and it is the version currently in the US catalogue.

Who it is really for is worth naming up front, because it changes how you judge the price. If bending down to put on a shoe is difficult, whether because of back pain, a knee replacement, pregnancy, arthritis or limited mobility, the Athens 2 solves something no amount of extra cushioning would. If you can tie your own laces without thinking about it, you are paying a premium for convenience rather than necessity.

Specs

Here are the specifications for the Kizik Athens 2:

Pros

Here is what the Athens 2 gets right:

• The hands-free system actually works. Step in, the heel folds, it springs back, you walk away. There is no wrestling and no reaching down.
• You do not have to retie between wears, so the shoe keeps the same fit every time you put it on.
• Comfortable from the first wear. The knit upper has no break-in period and no stiff seams.
• Wide and extra-wide fittings are available, which is unusual for a fashion-led slip-on.
• Light enough for airports and long days on your feet without feeling like work.
• The knit upper looks like a normal sneaker, so it does not read as adaptive footwear.

Cons

And here is where it falls short:

• Expensive. You are paying a good deal more than a conventional sneaker with comparable cushioning, and the extra money buys the mechanism rather than the ride.
• The heel cage adds bulk and stiffness at the back of the shoe, which some feet find intrusive.
• The outsole is largely flat, so grip on wet grass, gravel or a muddy path is limited.
• Arch support is light. The insole is shaped rather than structured, and it will not do the job of a proper support shoe.
• Because there are no laces, you cannot fine-tune the fit over the top of your foot.
• Kizik does not publish weight, stack height or drop, so there is no way to compare it on paper with a running or walking shoe.

What is new compared with the original Athens

The Athens 2 is a revision rather than a redesign. The headline mechanism is unchanged: the same HandsFree Labs cage in the heel, doing the same job in the same way. What Kizik updated is the material around it and the sole underneath.

The upper on the Athens 2 is a four-way stretch knit, which means it gives in every direction rather than only lengthways. In practice that makes the shoe more forgiving over a bunion or a high instep, because the fabric moves with the foot instead of pressing on it. The collar around the ankle is padded, which matters more here than in a laced shoe because your heel pushes through it every time you put the shoe on.

Underneath, the outsole is the part Kizik improved most. The original Athens drew consistent criticism for how fast its sole wore down, and the Athens 2 uses a rubber outsole with flex grooves that holds up better. If you owned the first Athens and gave up on it because the bottom wore through, that is the change most likely to matter to you.

Who should buy the Kizik Athens 2

Buy it if bending down is a problem. That is the whole point of the shoe and it is not a small thing. People recovering from hip or knee surgery, people with back pain that makes reaching their feet miserable, people late in pregnancy and people with arthritis in their hands all get something here that a conventional shoe simply cannot offer.

Buy it if you take your shoes off and put them back on constantly. Airport security, a house with a no-shoes rule, a job that involves stepping in and out of a vehicle. The convenience compounds, and after a few weeks going back to laces feels absurd.

And buy it if you want an easy everyday walker for pavements and indoor floors. The Rabbit Foam midsole is comfortable, the fit is friendly, and the knit upper breathes. For a mile or two around town, a shopping trip or a day of museums, it does the job without fuss.

Who should probably skip it

Skip it if your feet need real support. The shaped insole gives you a contour, not a structure, and there is no firm heel counter to speak of because the heel is a folding cage. If a podiatrist has told you that you need a supportive shoe, this is not the one, and persistent arch or heel pain deserves proper assessment rather than a shoe swap.

Skip it too if you walk on anything other than pavement. The flat tread is fine on concrete and tile and unconvincing on wet grass, loose gravel or a trail. And skip it if you are simply looking for the best comfort per dollar, because at this price you can buy a great deal more cushioning elsewhere. Those readers are better served by:

• Brooks Ghost Max 3: a wide, stable, deeply cushioned shoe with a rocker that rolls you forward, for people who want comfort over convenience (check price | read review)
• Hoka Bondi SR: if the reason you want a slip-on is work, this gives you a slip-resistant sole and far more cushioning, at the cost of having to tie it (check price | read review)
• Brooks Addiction Walker 2: the structured leather walker for feet that roll inward and need holding, which the Athens 2 cannot do (check price | read review)

How does the Kizik Athens 2 fit?

The Athens 2 fits like a soft, accommodating sneaker with a slightly unusual heel. The stretch knit gives generously across the forefoot, so it copes well with wide feet and bunions, while the cage at the back holds your heel in a way that feels firmer than the rest of the shoe. Most people adjust to that contrast within a day.

Fit and sizing

Take your normal sneaker size. Kizik describes the standard width as accommodating because the hands-free design needs room at the toe, and wide and extra-wide fittings sit above it. If you usually need a wide shoe, order the wide rather than relying on the knit to stretch, because a stretch upper solves a tight forefoot far better than it solves a tight heel.

One quirk worth knowing: because there is no lacing, there is no way to compensate if the shoe is slightly long. In a laced shoe you pull the fit tighter over the instep and the length stops mattering. Here, if you are between sizes, the smaller one is usually the safer choice.

Upper and step-in comfort

Step-in comfort is the Athens 2’s headline act, and it delivers. You place your foot on the collapsed heel, push forward, and the cage snaps up behind you. There is no fiddling and no sitting down. It takes about two attempts to get the knack and after that it becomes automatic.

The knit upper is soft against bare skin and breathes well enough for warm weather. The one thing to be aware of is the cage itself. It is a rigid piece of plastic wrapped in padding, sitting exactly where a shoe presses on your Achilles tendon. Most people never notice it. A minority, particularly those with a bony or sensitive heel, find it firmer than they would like, and there is no way to soften it.

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How does the Kizik Athens 2 perform?

Set expectations correctly and this shoe performs well. It is an everyday walker, not an athletic shoe, and Kizik does not pretend otherwise. On the surfaces it was built for, it is comfortable and easy. Push it somewhere rougher and its limits arrive quickly.

Cushioning and feel underfoot

Kizik calls its midsole foam Rabbit Foam. What that means underfoot is a moderate amount of cushioning with a little bounce to it, closer to a comfortable everyday sneaker than to a modern running shoe with a tall stack. You feel the ground through it, in a pleasant rather than harsh way.

The shaped insole adds a bit of contour under the arch. It is a soft foam contour, so it feels supportive when you first put the shoe on and gives way under load. Over a normal day of walking around a town or an office that is plenty. Over a long day on concrete, you will notice the cushioning is not as deep as the price might lead you to expect.

Stability and support

This is a neutral shoe with no support features. There is no medial post, the wedge of firmer foam that support shoes use to slow the foot rolling inward, and no traditional heel counter, because the heel is a folding mechanism rather than a fixed cup.

What stability it has comes from a reasonably wide, flat base and a low stack height. Being close to the ground makes a shoe harder to tip over, which is a real benefit if balance is one of your concerns. But it will not resist a foot that rolls inward, and it will not change how you walk. No shoe does. If you have been told you overpronate significantly, treat the Athens 2 as convenience footwear and keep a supportive shoe for your longer walks.

Outsole, grip and durability

The outsole is rubber with flex grooves cut into it, and the tread is mostly flat. On dry concrete, tile, wooden floors and shop carpet it grips fine, which covers where most people wear this shoe. On wet grass, loose gravel or a dirt path it does not, because a flat sole has nothing to bite with.

Durability is better than the original Athens, which is the change we would highlight most. The rubber outsole holds up to pavement wear that shortened the life of the first version. The part to keep an eye on longer term is the cage: it is a moving mechanism, and moving parts eventually stop moving. Kizik does not publish a cycle count for it, so treat that as an unknown rather than a known weakness.

Is the Kizik Athens 2 good for walking?

Yes, within limits. For the kind of walking most people actually do, which is a mile or two around a neighbourhood, a shopping centre, an airport or a city on holiday, the Athens 2 is comfortable and pleasantly easy to live with. It is light, it breathes and it does not need breaking in. Being able to step into it at the door is a genuine daily benefit rather than a gimmick.

For dedicated walking, meaning three miles or more at a brisk pace, it is out of its depth. The cushioning is moderate rather than deep, there is no rocker to help roll you through each step, and the lack of arch structure catches up with you. Use it as the shoe you put on twenty times a day, and keep a proper walking shoe for the walk itself.

Hands-free shoes and limited mobility

It is worth being specific about who benefits most, because the value of this shoe is completely different depending on your circumstances. If reaching your feet is painful or impossible, a shoe you can put on standing up restores a piece of independence, and that is not something a cushioning comparison captures.

Two practical notes for that reader. First, the cage needs a firm push to collapse, so you do need to be able to put weight through the foot going in. If you cannot, the mechanism will fight you. Second, the shoe still has to be taken off, and that is done the ordinary way, by pushing one heel off with the other foot or using a hand. The hands-free part is entry, not exit.

If you wear orthotics, the insole lifts out and there is room for a device in the wide and extra-wide fittings. Be aware that adding volume with no laces to compensate can make the shoe feel loose over the instep, so try the combination before you rely on it.

Athens 2 vs the original Athens

Both are still findable, so here is the comparison in plain terms.

Buy the Athens 2 unless you find the original heavily discounted and you know you are light on your shoes. Buy the original only on price, and only knowing the sole is the part that gave up first.

Kizik Athens 2 Alternatives

What the Athens 2 offers is convenience with acceptable comfort. Every alternative here trades some of that convenience for something the Kizik cannot give you.

Skechers GO WALK 8 is the obvious rival and the value pick. Several versions come with a hands-free slip-in heel of their own, the cushioning is softer than the Kizik’s, and it costs a fraction as much. It is less structured and the arch support is even lighter, but if the Athens 2’s price is what stops you, this is where to look first (check price | read review).

Where the Kizik gives you a soft contoured insole, the Skechers Arch Fit 2.0 gives you a properly shaped one designed around a podiatric mould. It is a laced shoe, so you lose the hands-free entry, and in exchange your arch gets meaningfully more help over a long day (check price | read review).

A third option for readers who liked the idea of an easy everyday shoe but want to walk further in it: the Hoka Transport 2 has far more foam underfoot, a Vibram outsole that grips surfaces the Kizik slides on, and a rocker shape that makes long distances easier. It is heavier, and you tie it (check price | read review).

Price and value

US retailers list the Athens 2 at around $139.95. Judged purely as a sneaker, that is a lot: the cushioning, the upper and the outsole are all good rather than exceptional, and plenty of shoes at half the price walk just as well. Judged as a piece of adaptive footwear, it looks very different, because the alternative is not a cheaper sneaker but needing help to put your shoes on.

So the value question answers itself. If the hands-free entry solves a real problem for you, the price is reasonable and probably cheap. If it is a convenience you like the sound of, be honest that you are paying a premium for it, and look at the alternatives above before you commit.

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Final verdict

Best for: anyone who finds bending down to put on shoes difficult, and anyone who takes their shoes on and off many times a day.

Avoid if: you need genuine arch support, you walk on trails or wet grass, or you are simply looking for the most comfort per dollar.

Fit: true to size with a forgiving stretch upper and a firmer heel. Wide and extra-wide available. Size down if you are between sizes.

Verdict: the Athens 2 does the thing it promises, and does it reliably. The heel cage is not a gimmick, the knit upper is comfortable and the improved outsole fixes the original’s weakest point. What it is not is a great walking shoe in the athletic sense: the cushioning is moderate, the support is minimal and the tread is built for pavement. Buy it for the convenience, judge it on the convenience, and it will not disappoint you. Check the latest price.

Frequently Asked Questions for Kizik Athens 2