Multi-purpose shoes
Product 2018
Man
The Ortega 2 by 361° is an all-round shoe, from the new brand out of nowhere! Where are they from? How did they manage to come up with beautifully designed and finished products for the triathlon and running market?
We were curious to find out, so we went in search of the gritty details on the company. A Chinese company, created and owned by a passionate Chinese runner. In his production center he learned all there was to know after several years and decided to start up his own brand: 361°. The products are the fruits of his accumulated experience on these type of products. And it shows. The degree of finishing, technical options chosen, the assembly, the overall coherence and the price are very, very interesting.
Our first impressions when slipping on the Ortega 2 trail running shoe, for training and racing on quite technical terrain (the sole is the limiting factor):
Easy to put on, flat laces, six eyelets (7 optional). The laces don’t slide right up to the forefoot so you need to start in this zone to tighten and then work upwards. Once in place and tightened the foothold is good. The tongue is thin but efficient and absorbs the pressure from the laces. The tongue stays in place.
The laces spread the tension evenly around the foot with the help of fixed reinforcements at the eyelets. There is some thermo-glued material that ensures good mesh hold, so that it doesn’t overstretch. It has been carefully designed to be integrated and lightweight.
The toe box is quite narrow width ways and height wise. Feet that swell will quickly feel compressed, so choose your size wisely. More suitable for narrow feet. Yet this snug fit gives good foot placement precision.
The drop is a hefty 10mm (8.5 at the front and 18.5mm at the back) quite high positioning that could be delicate when traversing sloped terrain. But we found they had a good foot strike and stability on the ground. If you have a mid-foot strike the cushioning is very homogenous and very comfortable on bumpy ground. Even forefoot strikers will find a well dosed cushioning, the stride remains fluid. Torsional rigidity is fine.
The other massive positive point is the capacity of the forefoot to filter the rocks and stones, you can charge downhill at full force without a care in the world!
The only question mark we have is the state of the foam for pronators, if the foam could hold up to this runner’s problem. It would need long-term use to find out.
The heel is comfortably held and the foot is securely held in the shoe without any rubbing. Over all comfort is good.
The lugs are suitable for multi-terrain use. Very wet and muddy terrain pushes its limits but otherwise they hold out fine on all terrain types.
The stone guards are also well-designed, with several different rubber densities to ensure protection and suppleness. They are light and don’t modify the inertia of the forefoot.
The Ortega by 361° is a surprise discovery. A mature, well-finished, performant, good cushioning and comfortable product.
The Ortega 361° wins the Hot Deal Award for its great value for money.
8.5 mm10 mm 
We used this equipment over a long period of time
These are our thoughts after intensive use:
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