Craft Atmosfär 1 Review

Cody

Right out of the box, it was impossible not to notice the stack. At 51 mm, this might be the tallest running shoe I have ever worn. But somehow, Craft made it incredibly stable.

During my longest run, I threw wet ground, big climbs, descents, and winding roads at it, and I never felt unstable. That’s impressive for a shoe this tall.

But the Px Foam is where the magic happens. Most max-cushion shoes are cruisers, but the Atmosfär 1 can move. Dropping into the low-7:00-per-mile range felt great, with a smooth roll and plenty of bounce.

The lockdown is also excellent. My widish foot fits comfortably with plenty of room without feeling sloppy.

Ryan

This shoe has been a complete shock to me. An absolute sleeper pick for shoe of the year… spoiler alert, much? I never gave the Atmosfar a solid look when I was at TRE… after all, I mostly run trails. David Laney was so generous and hooked me up with a pair, so I put them to the test.

The midsole is out of this world. It’s so bouncy, so responsive, and it finally finds that stability that so many max cushion shoes lack. The midsole is comprised of 51mm of eTPU that I just can’t get enough of. This shoe, especially at 51mm stack in the heel, may look like a max cushion recovery day shoe on paper… but it’s so much more. I think this might be one of the most versatile shoes on the market. I can do speed work in these, I can do long runs, easy runs, and recovery (although it usually wants to pick up the pace). I would park this in the non-plated super trainer category. Chalk this one up to extreme versatility.

The fit of the shoe is perfect, especially for those with a wider foot. It’s very accommodating, but I’m able to get a great lockdown when pulling the laces tighter. Plenty of room in the toe box, not a single issue.

The weight of this shoe comes in at 9.7 oz, which is the exact same as my size 12 ASICS Superblast 3s… mind you, those are 46mm… so same weight but 5mm more stack. I don’t know how they did it. A shoe this big and this stable, with a soft and protective upper and a structured heel, should weigh more. Craft scienced the heck out of this one, I’m telling ya. This shoe is so lightweight.

Lastly, as if I haven’t sung the praises of this shoe enough, I have been impressed with the durability of the shoe. Mind you, 30-ish miles isn’t a ton, but it’s where I’ve taken this shoe. I have run on pretty much all gravel with this shoe. I just live in a place where I’ve got a 30-mile trail just blocks from my house, so that’s where most of my runs occur. The outsole shows zero signs of wear, and I’ve been on loose and crunchy gravel. Another win for the Atmosfar!

Cody

Honestly, this section is pretty short.

The biggest issue is the 51 mm stack. It won’t be for everyone. There’s almost no ground feel, and even though the shoe is surprisingly stable, you definitely notice how high you’re sitting.

I also found that the Atmosfär 1 doesn’t love really slow paces. The rocker and Px Foam seem to come alive when you pick things up, so it feels more natural at steady or faster efforts.

Finally, narrow-footed runners may find the upper a little roomy. My widish foot fits great, but there’s definitely some extra space to work with.

Ryan

This section is going to be short for me, because the Craft Atmosfar is really an A+ in my book. One area that I’ll add to this section that isn’t necessarily a bad, but more of a “nice to know,” is that I wouldn’t use this shoe for recovery. In fact, as I’m sitting here writing this after my 4-miler run tonight, I intended to go for just some really slow casual miles to close out the week… that didn’t happen. Ended up doing a tempo run because the way this shoe bounces, it just becomes effortless to want to run faster. Lower heart rate, higher cadence. That’s what I keep seeing from this shoe.

Cody

At $190, Craft has put the Atmosfär 1 in a really interesting position.

Calling this simply a max-cushion shoe doesn’t tell the whole story. To me, this feels much closer to a top-tier super trainer.

It’s highly cushioned. It’s stable. It feels surprisingly light on foot. And, most importantly, it’s fast.

That’s what separates the Atmosfär 1 from a lot of the other massive max-cushion shoes I’ve tested. I can throw it on for a comfortable run, but when I want to start dropping the pace, the shoe comes alive.

The Craft Atmosfär 1 might end up being my shoe of the year.

Ryan

Certified banger. I’m completely in love with the Atmosfar. Craft came up out of nowhere this year, and I truly believe, may have released the road shoe of the year. It’s going to be a battle royale between the ASICS Superblast 3 and the Atmosfar. Between the bouncy and stable midsole, a wide comfortable fit, and a durable package… there’s so much to love in this versatile shoe.

Cody

Yes.

For what you’re getting, $190 really isn’t bad, especially when you consider that many of today’s top super trainers are already at or above the $200 mark.

The Atmosfär 1 gives you massive cushioning without feeling like a traditional max-cushion cruiser. It can handle long runs, steady miles, and faster efforts while still delivering a ton of protection underfoot.

At $190, Craft isn’t just competing with max-cushion shoes. They’re competing with some of the best super trainers on the market.

Ryan

Totally worth the price at $190. With the ASICS Superblast 3 and most other super trainers or max stack shoes coming in around $200-$210, the Craft Atmosfar will save you about $20 for just as good of a shoe. Many might overlook this shoe because Craft haven’t had a crazy notable model in a while, but you really shouldn’t sleep on this shoe. You’ll have so much fun running in it.