Merrell Men's Mix Master Trail Running Shoe

Very happy with this purchase. They fit great and are very comfortable. I really like how light and airy they are.

The Mix Master Tuff is a good shoe, and a reasonable go-to when I need shoes to stand up to medium terrain over a longish day-hike or less-technical trail run. Compared to my [still] preferred trail-runner, the La Sportiva Raptor, the Mix Master Tuff is a lot stiffer and yet a lot less protective. In this way, it seems to contradict itself a bit in its mission. While the Mix Master Tuff is technically a minimalist shoe, it hardly feels that way, what with the extra stiff sole that robs you of most of the feel you’d expect from a minimal running shoe. In many ways, it feels more like a light trekking shoe versus an actual trail-runner like the Raptor. This makes it great for hiking and less-technical trail runs, but I would think not suitable for more serious terrain or more demanding trails. For example, while running in these shoes, I did wince in pain a few times as small rocks crashed against the front of the shoe – this has never been a problem with any of my La Sportivas. This shoe is great for fire roads, dirt, and gravel. But “Tuff” isn’t tough enough for truly rocky, off-road terrain. That said, the Mix Master Tuff is also frequently on sale for very cheap, so it makes for a very compelling alternative to more-serious trail-running shoes. I found that the fit was quite snug out of the box. I’ve had to re-lace the shoes a few times to get a little extra room out of them. I’d go half a size up, though I’m doing okay with my regular size.

These ran a little small and narrow and had to be returned. Appeared to be a good sneaker but they don't come in wide on this site.

I've owned at least ten pairs of Merrells over the last ten years so I'm obviously a fan who wouldn't write a one star review unless they deserved it. Generally these are great super lightweight minimal trail runners but Merrell's design team introduced an unforgivable flaw choosing fashion/style over function. I've only put 50 trail miles (admittedly on quite rough terrain) on these and the toe guards are already blowing out because they cut little lightning bolt slits in them that couldn't possibly be anything but cosmetic. Look at the image closely and you'll see three cuts on each side of the black rubber toe guard. The cuts aren't big enough to provide any effective ventilation and they're too high to contribute to drainage after a stream crossing but they are perfect for catching on rocks and snagging on shrubs that encroach on the trail. When they catch they rip. The shoes are obviously too worn to return so I suppose I'll put another hundred miles on them and toss them when I can start to see my toes. I have the Merrell Sonic Glove minimal shoes that use a nearly identical black rubber toe guard except they don't have the slits. I've put several hundred miles on them without any tears or damage to the guards. Whoever the idiot was who decided it would be a good idea to pre-damage the scuff guards should be fired.

I am a big fan of the brand. 90% of the shoes/ Boots I own are Merrell. While I love these shoes these are not the typical life living quality of most Merrell shoes. the FLAW is the rubber on toe guards where the three air holes are, rip open making them Useless. The best shoe glue in the world can not fix the damage. I really wish Merell would recreate these with a solid toe guard (No air holes). HEY MERRELL TIME FOR A MIX MASTER 2.0. I would give these 5 plus stars if the toe guard holes did not exist. Every other aspect of these shoes are great but I can not recommend these because they do not last a quarter as long as most Merrells.

These shoes are great, they are light, they have good support. love them. What a good value an excellent shoe.

Great shoe! Minimal in terms of cushioning but tough exterior took me through rocky trails and ledges to the top of Half Dome and off trail scramble to base of Upper Yosemite Falls. Then hiked through 6" deep snow in Kings Canyon. Definitely not waterproof but shed water well enough to maintain warm feet with wool socks. Fits true in length. On the wider side, so not great cut for narrow feet, especially in the heel.

Loved this sneaker, one of the most comfortable I've worn. Only problem I had with this shoe was that the mesh fabric stained so easily at the top of the toe box. Shoe still felt great, but just started looking too shabby to wear out. Would recommend, but wouldn't buy again for myself.