Soft cushioning with almost no support
Quick Answer: Skechers Max Cushioning Elite 2.0 Review: The Max Cushioning Elite 2.0 is the tallest, softest shoe in the Skechers walking range, and it is aimed at people who want their feet to stop aching on hard floors. A thick foam sole and a curved shape that rolls you forward take a lot of the effort out of walking, and there are slip-in and wide versions if you need them. It costs far less than shoes that feel similar. What you do not get is arch support or a stable base, so it suits comfort seekers rather than feet that need help. Check latest price.
The Skechers Max Cushioning Elite 2.0 is the top of the brand’s Max Cushioning line, which is the range Skechers builds for people who simply want as much foam underfoot as possible. It is the company’s answer to the tall, soft shoes that Hoka made popular, at roughly half the price.
Within the Skechers walking range it sits at the opposite end from the Arch Fit models. Arch Fit is about a shaped insole that holds your foot in a particular position. Max Cushioning is about the opposite: soft foam, a curved sole and getting out of the way. It comes in several versions, including a lace-up, a slip-in that you step into without using your hands and an Unbreakable version with a tougher upper.
The buyer this is built for stands or walks on hard surfaces and wants relief rather than correction: retail and hospital staff, people doing a lot of steps in a day, older walkers who find thin shoes punishing. If your feet roll inward or you have been told you need arch support, this is not the shoe.
Specs
Here are the specifications for the Skechers Max Cushioning Elite 2.0:
| Type | Max-cushioned walking and everyday shoe |
| Gait type | Neutral |
| Midsole | ULTRA GO, a lightweight cushioning foam |
| Sole shape | Natural Rocker Technology, a curved sole that rolls the foot from heel to toe |
| Insole | Removable copper-infused Skechers Air-Cooled Goga Mat, or Air-Cooled Memory Foam on the slip-in versions |
| Upper | Engineered mesh, with a Heel Pillow and a firm heel panel on the slip-in versions |
| Versions | Lace-up, hands-free slip-in and a tougher Unbreakable build, in men’s and women’s |
| Widths | Standard and wide, depending on the version |
| Weight, drop and stack | Not published by Skechers, and we have found no reliable independent measurement, so we have not guessed |
| Price | Lists at about $125. Skechers does not publish a launch month for this version, so we are not quoting one, and this line is discounted often. Check latest price |
Pros
- Genuinely deep cushioning for the price, which is the single best reason to buy it
- The curved sole does some of the walking for you, so hard floors and long days feel less punishing
- Light for how tall it is, so the bulk does not translate into weight on your feet
- Slip-in versions let you get the shoe on without bending down or using your hands, which matters more than it sounds
- Wide fittings and a removable insole, so there is room to adjust the fit
Cons
- Very little arch support, so feet that need structure will ache anyway
- Soft, tall foam feels wobbly on uneven ground and when you are tired
- Skechers publishes no weight, stack or drop figures, so there is nothing to compare on paper
- The foam packs down faster than the pricier foams used by running brands
- The chunky look is not to everyone’s taste
What is new in the Elite 2.0 vs. the original Max Cushioning Elite
The 2.0 is a refinement rather than a rethink. The ULTRA GO foam and the rockered sole shape both carry over, so the fundamental feel of walking in it, soft underfoot and rolling forward, is the same as the shoe it replaces.
Where Skechers has spent its effort is on the top of the shoe and on how you get into it. The mesh upper is cleaner and better shaped, and the range now leans heavily on the hands-free slip-in construction, which uses a firm panel at the back of the heel that folds down as you step in and springs back up to hold your foot. That is a bigger change for many buyers than any amount of foam, because it turns the shoe into something you can put on without sitting down.
The insole has also moved on. The copper-infused Goga Mat and memory foam versions are pitched at odor control and a softer first impression. Both lift out, which is the practically useful part, because it means you can put your own insole in if the shoe is too soft in the middle for you.
Who should buy the Skechers Max Cushioning Elite 2.0
Buy it if hard floors are your problem. Concrete, tile and supermarket flooring send a lot of shock back up through your feet, and a thick slab of soft foam is the simplest answer to that. This is the cheapest way to get a meaningful amount of it.
Buy it if getting shoes on is difficult. The slip-in versions are not a gimmick: if you cannot easily bend, or your grip is unreliable, or you have a bad back, stepping into a shoe that holds itself open changes whether you wear proper footwear at all. Skechers has done this better than anyone.
Buy it if you want maximum comfort per dollar. Shoes that feel this soft usually cost half as much again, and this line is discounted regularly. If you are replacing walking shoes once or twice a year anyway, the sums work out well even though the foam does not last as long as a premium midsole.
Who should probably skip it
Skip it if you need arch support. This is the shoe’s real weakness. The insole is a flat pad of comfortable foam, not a shaped piece of support, and the sole underneath does nothing to hold your foot upright. If you have flat feet, if your feet roll inward, or if you have plantar fasciitis and have been told to look for support, all this soft foam will let your foot sink and spread rather than hold it.
Skip it too if your walking is on uneven ground. Tall, soft foam is unstable by nature, and on a rutted path or a grass verge you will feel the shoe tip beneath you. And skip it if your job needs certified slip-resistant footwear, because this is not sold as a work shoe.
These are better options for those readers:
- Skechers Arch Fit 2.0: the same brand and a similar price, but built around a shaped, podiatrist-designed insole that actually supports the arch (check price | read review)
- Brooks Addiction Walker 2: a firm leather walking shoe with a proper support frame, for feet that roll inward badly and need holding (check price | read review)
- Hoka Bondi SR: deep cushioning with a certified slip-resistant sole and a wipe-clean upper, if the shoe is for work on wet floors (check price | read review)
How does the Skechers Max Cushioning Elite 2.0 fit?
It fits generously, in the way Skechers walking shoes usually do: roomy through the toes, soft everywhere and forgiving of a foot that is not a standard shape. Wide fittings are offered on several versions. The one thing to think about before ordering is which closure you want, because the slip-in and lace-up versions fit quite differently.
Fit and sizing
Take your usual size. The toe box is roomy, and the upper is soft enough that it gives where it needs to, which suits feet that swell during the day. The slip-in versions have a firmer heel panel and a rounder shape, and they hold the foot less precisely than laces do, so if your heel tends to slip, the lace-up is the safer choice. Wide is available on many versions, though not on every one, so check the specific listing. The insole lifts out if you use your own.
Upper and step-in comfort
The upper is engineered mesh, which is light and breathes well, with a printed pattern rather than stitched overlays so there is little inside to rub. Step-in comfort is the strongest first impression this shoe makes: the padded insole and thick foam feel plush from the very first step, with no breaking in at all. On the slip-in versions there is a cushion at the back of the heel, which Skechers calls a Heel Pillow, that stops the firm panel pressing on your Achilles.
How does the Skechers Max Cushioning Elite 2.0 perform?
Judge it on comfort over hours rather than on athletic ability. On flat, hard surfaces it does exactly what it promises and does it cheaply. Ask it to handle uneven ground, or to support a foot that needs support, and it runs out of answers quickly.
Cushioning and ride
ULTRA GO is the light cushioning foam Skechers uses across this range, and in this shoe there is a lot of it. The feeling underfoot is soft and slightly sinking, the sort of shoe that makes standing on tile bearable. Because the foam is light as well as thick, the shoe does not feel heavy for its size, which is a real achievement at this price. The compromise is that softer, cheaper foam packs down sooner than the springy foams in premium running shoes, so it will feel flatter after a few months of daily wear.
Ride and everyday performance
Skechers builds a curve into the sole, front and back, and calls it Natural Rocker Technology. In practice that means the shoe tips you from heel to toe rather than making your foot bend at the ball, so each step takes a little less effort from your calves and the joints in your forefoot. Over a long day that adds up. It is not a running shoe: the foam is too soft and too unstructured for repeated impact, and Skechers sells it as a walking and comfort shoe.
Stability and support
We would classify this as a neutral, cushioned shoe with no support features, and that is the honest headline. There is no firmer wedge on the inner side, no plastic frame around the heel and no shaped arch in the insole. Tall soft foam also has a built-in instability problem: the further your foot sits from the ground on a squashy surface, the more it can tilt. On flat floors that barely matters. On a camber, a curb or rough grass it does. The design is intended to cushion, not to guide, and no shoe corrects the way you walk.
Outsole, grip and durability
The outsole is a molded rubber tread that grips well enough on dry pavement, indoor flooring and carpet. It is not a certified slip-resistant work sole, so wet or greasy floors need something else. Durability is the honest weak spot. The tread lasts reasonably, but the midsole foam is the part that gives up first, and softer, lower-cost foam loses its bounce sooner than the premium alternatives. If you wear these every day, expect to notice them going flat within months rather than years, and price the shoe accordingly.
Is the Skechers Max Cushioning Elite 2.0 good for walking?
This is a walking shoe first, and for the walking most people actually do it works well. Pavement, shopping malls, airports, hospital corridors and factory floors are all flat and hard, and that is precisely where deep soft foam and a rolling sole pay off. It is light enough for travel and packs reasonably flat, and the slip-in versions are a genuine help going through airport security. Standing all day is where it shines. Where it falls short is anything uneven, because the tall soft base tips, and anything that needs arch support, because there is none. If you use orthotics the insole lifts out, and dropping a supportive insole into this shoe is a common and sensible fix.
For more walking shoe options, see our extensive walking shoe guide with option for surface, type of shoe and health condition.
You can also get. customized recommendation from our Shoe Finder.
Skechers Max Cushioning Elite 2.0 vs the original Max Cushioning Elite
Max Cushioning Elite 2.0 | Max Cushioning Elite | |
|---|---|---|
Midsole | ULTRA GO | ULTRA GO |
Sole shape | Natural Rocker Technology | Rockered sole |
Upper | Cleaner engineered mesh with printed detail | Earlier mesh build |
Entry | Wide choice of hands-free slip-in versions | Mostly conventional lacing |
Insole | Copper-infused Goga Mat or memory foam | Goga Mat |
Buy the new model when you want the hands-free entry, a tidier upper or simply the version that is actually in stock in your size and width.
Buy the previous model when you find it heavily reduced. The cushioning that most people are buying this range for is fundamentally the same, so a big discount on the older shoe is good value.
Skechers Max Cushioning Elite 2.0 Alternatives
This shoe gives you softness, a rolling sole and a low price, and gives up support and durability to do it. Each of these keeps part of the deal and changes the rest.
Skechers GO WALK 8: cheaper again and much lighter, with the same easy comfort in a far less bulky shoe, which suits errands and short walks rather than full days standing (check price | read review).
Durability is the weakness worth paying to fix, and the Hoka Transport 2 does it. It costs more but uses a better midsole and a tougher outsole, so it holds its shape through daily commuting and outdoor walking in a way this Skechers will not (check price | read review).
If the wobble on uneven ground is what puts you off, the Brooks Ghost Max 3 solves it without giving up softness. It sits on a much wider base with firmer edges, so you get deep cushioning that stays steady under a tired foot, and it comes in wide fittings (check price | read review).
A fourth choice, for anyone who wants this much foam but also needs their foot held upright, is the Hoka Gaviota 6. It combines deep cushioning with a support frame built into the midsole, which is the one thing the Max Cushioning line refuses to offer (check price | read review).
Price and value
A list price of about $125 undercuts the premium max-cushion shoes it is imitating by a wide margin, and this line is discounted often enough that many buyers pay considerably less. What that money gets you is depth of cushioning and a rocker sole, which are the two features that make standing and walking on hard floors easier. What it does not buy is a long-lasting midsole or any support, and both of those cost real money elsewhere. As comfort per dollar it is hard to beat. As a long-term purchase it is not.
A note on foot pain
Whether a shoe feels comfortable depends on your own fit, gait, foot shape, arch, injury history, body weight, the surfaces you walk on and personal preference, so a shoe that transforms one person’s day can do nothing for another. Nothing here is medical advice. If you have foot or heel pain that is severe, persistent or getting worse, see a podiatrist or your doctor rather than working through it with new shoes.
Final verdict
Best for: people who stand and walk on hard flat surfaces and want the most cushioning they can get for the money, and anyone who needs a shoe they can put on without bending down.
Avoid if: you need arch support, your feet roll inward, you walk on uneven ground, or your workplace requires certified slip resistance.
Fit: true to size and roomy, with wide fittings on many versions and a removable insole. Choose the lace-up if your heel slips.
Verdict: the Skechers Max Cushioning Elite 2.0 delivers more soft foam per dollar than anything else on the shelf, and the rolling sole makes a real difference to a long day standing. Just be clear about what it is not. There is no support here, the foam will flatten sooner than a premium shoe’s, and feet that need structure will need a different shoe or a better insole.
Frequently Asked Questions for Skechers Max Cushioning Elite 2.0
Max Cushioning is about soft foam and a rolling sole, with a flat comfort insole. Arch Fit is built around a shaped, supportive insole that holds the arch. If your feet ache from hard floors, look at Max Cushioning. If they ache from lack of support, look at Arch Fit.
A firm shaped panel at the back of the heel holds the shoe open. You step down into it, the panel folds under your heel and then springs back up behind it. There is a cushion at the top so the panel does not press on your Achilles.
Yes, the insole lifts out. Because the standard insole is thick, a slimmer orthotic can leave the shoe feeling loose, so try it with your own insole in place before deciding on a size.
Skechers advises against machine washing most of its cushioned shoes because heat and agitation can damage the foam and the adhesives. Take the insole out and clean the mesh by hand with mild soap and cool water, then air dry.
Copper is used in the insole for odor control, on the basis that it discourages the bacteria that make shoes smell. Treat it as a hygiene feature rather than something that changes comfort or support.
Many people wear it for shift work because of the cushioning and the easy entry. Check your employer’s rules first, though, because it is not sold with a certified slip-resistant sole and some workplaces require one.
