The Payntr Trainer X 001 Shoes Exceeded My Expectations

I’m gonna be honest with you, it’s been a while since I’ve found a pair of running or training shoes that I’ve really loved.

I’ve had a handful of pairs that have been fine when jogging or in the gym, but none of those recently have actually gotten me excited.

To take it a step further, I haven’t had a pair that I’ve wanted to wear casually. So many of the latest running shoes have kind of felt like “dad shoes” or just haven’t fit my particular style.

When I heard that Payntr golf was coming out with a pair of training shoes, my initial thought was “oh that’s cool,” but I didn’t think much about it.

Payntr has been making waves over the last few years with they’re high technical, performance golf shoes – which are fantastic.

So I had a feeling that their new Trainer X 001 would perform well, but my experience with them has caught me off guard.

How so? Are they any good, and worth the high price tag of $180?

I’ll cover it all in this Payntr Trainer X 001 Review.

Let’s do this thing.

First Impressions of the Payntr Trainer X 001 Shoes

When I took these out of the box for the first time, my initial thought was “man, these look really good.”

One thing about Payntr golf shoes, is all of their models have a similar design language and aesthetic.

They’ve carried this over to the Trainers, which is a good thing.

And I actually like the way the Trainers look even more than I do the golf shoes.

They’re visually interesting, without being over the top.

The woven uppers look very high-end, but they’re not so technical looking as to keep you from wanting to wear them out and about.

Speaking of wearing them out and about, I’ve now worn them for 2 days, and had 3 people comment on them:

“Those shoes look great, what are they?”

“I really like those shoes.”

“What brand is that? They look good on you.”

These have honestly been the first training style shoe I’ve had in a long time that I’ve been excited about wearing on weekends around town.

Are the Payntr Trainers Comfortable?

This past weekend I wore these shoes nonstop over 2 very busy days.

From the beginning, they’ve been incredibly comfortable.

No break-in period or anything, you put them on, and they feel great.

But these shoes weren’t made just for wearing around town.

There’s a serious amount of tech that has gone into them to make them some of the most comfortable and best-performing training shoes on the market.

As is typical with Payntr, a lot of this comes in the form of very fancy bullet points.

Here are a few:

• Engineered woven jacquard upper weaves TPU thread for lateral support with nylon thread for lightweight flexibility. 
• Carbitex™ MonoFlex PROPULSION PLATE is stiff in one direction providing under foot protection and enhances stability. It is highly flexible in the opposite direction, flexing with your natural gait to maximize the efficiency of your movements. MonoFlex works to protect your feet and minimize over-bending to reduce fatigue.
• PMXGripLite rubber outsole with lightweight durability compound and tread design for multi-directional, multi-surface traction.
• PMXNitro➕ foam midsole & footbed provides maximum energy return & ultimate under foot comfort

Got all of that?

The nitrogen-infused midsole is one of the latest features that’s been featured in some of Payntr’s newest golf shoes, and it feels great.

When running or even walking, the shoes feel slightly springy – like they’re doing more of the work for you than a traditional shoe.

In my experience, all of this technical talk results in a training shoe that allows you to do whatever it is you’re trying to throw at it.

This Story Sums Up My Thoughts on the New Payntr Training Shoes

I think the following story best illustrates how I feel about this shoe.

As someone who reviews shoes for a living, I have a lot of shoes. 

Frankly, if a pair gets stained or dirty, my reaction is usually just “oh well, I’ve got plenty more.”

Yesterday, my daughter had some chocolate that had started to melt. For some reason only a 3-year-old would understand, she took a big glob of it and wiped it all over the toe box of these shoes.

And since they have a fancy weaving, I looked at this and thought two things:

1. There’s no way this is going to come out
2. Immediate frustration, because I’d finally found a pair of training shoes that I love, which I could wear in just about any situation

The good news is that with a bit of soap and water, the chocolate came out quickly.

Sidenote, as this is one of the big downsides of this shoe. Especially in white, these easily show dirt. So getting some scotch guard or sneaker cleaner is a good idea.

All that to say, the more I wear these shoes, the more I want to wear these shoes – and I think this is the best compliment I can give them.

At $180, they aren’t cheap. But a lesson I’ve learned over the years is that you’re far better off buying nice things you love, than cheaper things that you bought just because they were cheap – not because you really liked them.

If you’re hesitant on these because you’ve never heard of Payntr, or because it’s their first foray into training shoes? Don’t be. 

Because if these shoes are any indication, this is just the beginning of a very special product line that’s going to make waves in the industry.

Other Payntr Shoe Reviews

Payntr Golf has been making a name for themselves with their shoe releases over the last couple years. Here’s the ones we’ve tested.

• Payntr X 003 Spikeless Shoes
• Payntr X 004 RS – How do they fare with their first pair of spiked shoes?
• Payntr X 005 – Their most high-tech shoe yet? (A lot of the tech in this shoe was carried over to the Trainers you just read the review for).

Also, if you’re looking for a pair of “all day” trainers that you can also wear on the golf course, then I’d consider the TRUE Linkswear Lux Hybrid or G/FORE MG4x2.

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Despite being their first foray into training shoes, Payntr knocked these out of the park

9.5 Excellent

I've been looking for a pair of training shoes to fall in love with for a long time. I just never expected Payntr to be the brand that would deliver. But they absolutely did. These shoes are just as good in the gym as they are wearing on weekends around town.

The Good

1. Great looking shoe without being too over the top
2. High end materials lead to excellent performance
3. Very comfortable

The Bad

1. More expensive than your typical training shoe
2. They show dirt pretty easily due to woven fabric.

• Presentation 10
• Performance 10
• Price 8
• Personal Affinity 10