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How we test walking shoes with a wide toebox

We use a custom gel substance to create one-to-one replicas of each walking shoe’s toebox and measure its dimensions meticulously with a digital calliper. This allows us to filter out the shoes with truly wide toeboxes.

We then take each shoe through dozens of wear and lab tests to further inspect its cushioning, stability, durability, among other key characteristics. This includes cutting the shoe in half and using callipers, durometers, and even some specialised machinery to retrieve every measurable parameter.

On top of it all, we deny sponsorships and buy all tested shoes with our own money to avoid brand loyalty and bias.

When to consider walking shoes with a wide toebox

If you’ve landed on this page, there is a high chance that you are experiencing some or even all of the following discomforts:

• your toes feel cramped in most shoes
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• you have foot deformities (bunions, bunionettes, hammer toes, claw toes, etc.) which get aggravated in most shoes
• you have Celtic, German, Roman foot type and never seem to get enough room for your big toe and pinkie toe.

These are all surefire signs that your feet are in dire need of walking shoes with a wide toebox.

On another note, you don’t have to experience pain or discomfort to consider a wide toebox walking shoe. Maintaining that healthy wide toe spread is in itself a solid reason to choose roomy footwear.

The photo below demonstrates how some shoes have a wide toebox but a medium fit in the heel and midfoot (top) while others are wide from the heel to the toes (bottom).

If you also experience pinch points or hot spots in the instep or in the midfoot (arch area), even when the laces aren’t tightly cinched, you most likely need a wide walking shoe in general. This could be a wide-fitting medium width shoe or even a wide or extra wide option. To learn more, see our guide on the best walking shoes for wide feet.

How we measure toebox width in the lab

Here at EdiconnectShops, we have a proprietary methodology to measure each shoe’s toebox space as accurately as possible. The process involves pouring liquid gel into the shoe and waiting until it solidifies in the shape of the toebox. We then use a digital calliper to measure the mould in three areas:

• toebox with in the widest part
• toebox width in the big toe
• toebox height

Why is that? Because we found that shoes can be wide in the metatarsal area (between the ball of foot and the pinkie) but get really narrow and pointy towards the front.

In the photo below, we measured the widest areas of two different shoes and our calliper showed nearly identical numbers.

But as you can see, the toebox shape of these two shoes is notably different. Measuring both moulds in the big toe area, we found the difference to be more than 7 mm!

That’s why walking shoes with the most spacious toeboxes will always show an above-average width in the big toe area. Here are the roomiest of them:

Toebox height matters too

A wide toebox offers plenty of horizontal space to accommodate all five toes comfortably but how about vertical space? Is there enough real estate above your toes as well?

The latter is particularly important for people with toenail concerns (i.e. black or ingrown toenails) as well as toe deformities (i.e. hammer toes, claw toes, mallet toes). WIth these conditions, you don’t want to experience any pressure from the toebox ceiling whatsoever.

Having poured and measured hundreds of shoe moulds, we found that the difference between the lowest and the highest toebxes can be as dramatic as 20 mm!