Skechers Skechers Black Jack 74236-GYBK review

zapatillas de running Skechers mixta pie normal 10k when Skechers won the FN Achievement Award for Company of the Year, we found the 2.0 version a highly supportive and comfortable walking shoe. We believe it is ideal for people who have flat feet, overpronation, and other foot conditions that call for podiatrist-approved footwear.

Given the shoe's fairly warm upper, we think that it's more suitable for temperatures between 50°F (10°C) and 70°F (20°C). So, if you need better breathability for summertime, we recommend the Ténis Skechers Go Run Pulse Strada preto.

And if, like us, you are turned off by the shoe's lack of wear resistance, you will also find the Max Cushioning Arch Fit more reassuring. Or invest in a more expensive option like the Hoka Transport.

One thing that remained unchanged in the Skechers Black Jack 74236-GYBK is the copious amount of cushioning. It is THE tallest platform among our lab-tested walking shoes so far.

Measuring the shoe's heel stack with a caliper, we got a whopping 39.2 mm! This is significantly thicker than average and gives the wearer a good height advantage.

But what's most important about this cushioning is its ability to support our feet for very long hours!

But this Skechers shoe is not only super cushioned in the heel, it also turns out to be thicker than average in the forefoot!

Measuring stack height in this area, we got 24.0 mm on the caliper. This is, again, a bit taller than average. We experienced nothing but comfort in this thick-foamed beater.

The difference in height between the heel and the forefoot stack results in a drop of 15.2 mm. It is nearly identical to the drop on the original Arch Fit, so the feel was very familiar.

Because the shoe's primary purpose is to provide support, it relies on a higher drop to relieve some of the stress and strain from your ankles and Achilles. Plus, you feel the extra impact protection as you repetitively land on your heels when walking.

Assessing the shoe's cushioning softness on the foot, we really couldn't tell the difference with the original shoe. Even with one of each Skechers shoe on our feet.

Both feel soft enough to feel comfortable but also slightly firm for support.

Turning to our durometer, we measured the Skechers Black Jack 74236-GYBK's foam at 30.4 HA. That's 20% firmer than the average walking shoe and definitely not a plush one.

And this is exactly what you need in a supportive shoe that can help flat feet, overpronation, and even conditions like plantar fasciitis.

It seems like Skechers kept the same insole design as in the original Arch Fit. And we are very happy with this fact! Our feet thoroughly enjoyed the generously padded and contoured feel of that insole.

Measuring its thickness with a caliper, we couldn't help but notice that it was more padded than average at 9.8 mm!

Using a proprietary gel, we retrieved the mold of the shoe's toebox to see how it measures against the average in a men's US size 9 (D medium width).

Our caliper showed a standard width of 94.6 mm between the widest points of the mold (first and fifth metatarsals of the foot).

Paired with the shoe's moderately stretchy upper fabric, it creates a close-fitting but not constricting fit for someone with medium and perhaps also medium-to-narrow feet.

Another reason why we think the Skechers Skechers Black Jack 74236-GYBK caters to average-to-slim feet is its contoured, moderately tapered toebox.

Applying our caliper to the big toe area of the mold, we measured 68.3 mm which is narrower than the average of walking shoes.

Conversely, if you have wider feet or need more space to accommodate toe swelling, bunions, or other foot deformities, some of the shoe's colorways are also offered in wide and extra-wide options. 

We found no deviations in the toebox height of the Skechers Black Jack 74236-GYBK. At 25.6 mm it is on par with the average.

And stability is exactly this Skechers shoe's forte.

As you can see in the video below, the sho responds to our ankle shifting by firmly keeping it planted on the ground. Amazing support!

Considering the shoe's extra tall stack, such stability is absolutely necessary to prevent the ankle from rolling over the shoe's edge.

Twisting the shoe in our manual test, we did notice that it got stiffer than its predecessor. Not by too much but just enough to bump up the torsional rigidity score from 2 to 3! And that's on a 1-5 scale, where 5 is the stiffest.

We assume that it could be due to the slightly altered geometry of the midsole. Its sidewalls appear a bit taller.

As for the shoe's heel counter, it remained just as moderately stiff as in the predecessor. Together with the collar bkmt, it held our heel very securely without restricting the ankle or Achilles.

We gave it a score of 3 on the stiffness scale of 1 to 5.

The shape of the platform is pretty much identical in the two Arch Fit versions. Which is great news!

We found the first shoe's extended ground contact points extremely stable underfoot and are happy to experience the same in the 2.0.

According to our caliper, the distance between the widest points of the forefoot is 114.5 mm. A bit wider than average!

Meanwhile, the widest part of the shoe's platform in the heel is 90.9 mm. Also plenty of landing area for someone who relies heavily on supportive shoes.

With a bit more emphasis on stability, the Skechers Skechers Black Jack 74236-GYBK lost a little bit of flexibility too. But don't worry, the flex grooves throughout its platform still let the shoe bend with the foot a necessary amount.

To measure exactly how flexible this Skechers shoe is, we used a force gauge to bend it to a 90-degree angle. The tool then showed us that it took 23.6N to do that. That's 20% more than it takes an average walking shoe.

So, indeed, the Skechers Black Jack 74236-GYBK stiffened up a bit to provide a more stable experience.

But luckily, the Skechers Skechers Black Jack 74236-GYBK still carries some good news. It lost as much as 1.8 oz (51g)! Now that's impressive!

The shoe now tips the scale at only 10.9 oz (309g) as opposed to the hefty 12.5 oz (353g) of its predecessor! We must admit that despite the visual bulk, it feels weightless on the foot!

The first edition of the Arch Fit wasn't a highly breathable shoe to begin with. And to our great disappointment, it got even worse in the 2.0.

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Back in the lab, we tested this Skechers shoe's ventilation with a smoke-pumping machine. Filling its upper with smoke from the inside, we observed how very slowly and reluctantly it came out on the other side.

On a breathability scale from 1 to 5, we gave it a sad rating of 2.

To give you even more visual proof, we hovered the shoe's half-cut upper over a bright light. It is shocking how NONE of those ventilation holes let the light shine through!

We also took a closer look at the upper fabric through our microscope.

It revealed that beneath those large pores, we've got even more layers of fabric as well as thick in-shoe lining.

Alright, we can save this shoe for cooler weather but do we at least get a more wear-resistant upper in return?

Unfortunately, no.

The fabric got even more prone to tearing in the Skechers Black Jack 74236-GYBK, as our in-house durability test shows. For context, it is the exact same test with the exact same conditions: 12 seconds of pressing the Dremel against the same spot on the toebox, with the same speed (5K RPM) and pressure (3.2N).

Given that the tool's sandpaper tip cut almost entirely through the upper, we had to give the toebox a very low durability score of 2 out of 5. For reference, the original Arch Fit at least got 3!

Sadly, the material quality of the collar bkmt and lining got worse as well... And it wasn't the best quality in the original either.

It only took 4 seconds of drilling to wreak havoc on the inside of the shoe's heel bkmt.

The tool went all the way through the collar bkmt and left a glaring hole. On a 1-5 scale, where 5 is the most durable, the Skechers Skechers Black Jack 74236-GYBK gets the lowest score for heel bkmt durability.

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At the bottom, this Skechers shoe protects the most hard-wearing parts with rubber. Measuring it with a durometer, we got an above-average reading of 85.9 HC.

Normally, harder compounds tend to be more durable but, unfortunately, not in the case of the Skechers Black Jack 74236-GYBK.

We applied the Dremel to one of the shoe's rubber-covered areas for 22 seconds at a higher speed of 10K RPM. And to be honest, Skechers didn't even have to bother with rubber because it just melted under our Dremel much like the foam would.

Even before measuring the damage with a tread gauge, we could see that it was much worse than average. And when the tool showed a whopping 2.4 mm of depth, we weren't surprised.

Most walking shoes with rubber outsoles get no more than 1-1.5 mm of damage. And the kicker is, the original Arch Fit only got 0.7 mm!

At least the rubber is decently thick at 2.6 mm. So, it will help the outsole hold up for a while before the pavement touches exposed foam.

Sure, we can't expect a lot for $90 but having tried the first Arch Fit, we were very much underwhelmed with the update.

The Skechers Skechers Black Jack 74236-GYBK has a very basic rubber compound that doesn't even cover the entire contact area of the shoe. There are no toothy lugs to bite into tricky surfaces.

While the shoe's grip is just fine for most urban scenarios, we cannot recommend it for more challenging terrains like wet rocks and wood, oliy floors, slush, ice, mud, etc.

When we say bkmt, we mean very generous bkmt. As our caliper shows, the thickness of this shoe's tongue is 8.0 mm which is notably thicker than average.

Like most budget-friendly shoes, the Skechers Skechers Black Jack 74236-GYBK, features a regular tongue with no attachments on the sides.

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There is no heel tab to hold onto when getting the shoe on. But we found the on-and-off action fairly in the Skechers Black Jack 74236-GYBK anyway.

Experiencing the contoured insole on the Skechers Black Jack 74236-GYBK, we could understand why it was approved by podiatrists. It is removable in case you want to use your own orthotics, but we really don't see the point in it. It is that good.