What sneakers hold up to fat guys?

Brooks Beast - they're called that for a reason. One of the last and best overkill motion control shoes. 

Go to a proper running store and visually compare Beasts to what you have on your feet now. They live up to their name.

I have a pair of Hoka Bondis I'm using at the gym and they're like running on a feather bed. I'm not sure how they'll live under you long term, but they'll be COMFY.

I'm back to Brooks for running because they like my feet better than Hokas.

Link for Wally

Another benefit is the color pallette of the Beast. You won't look like a wanna-be Power Ranger or cause people to have seizures. 

As someone who has the same problem (I’m 6’5” and 340 lbs) I wish I Had a good answer for you but I’ve all but given up on tennis shoes. Any of the newer shoes since they started making the soles out of foam don’t seem to hold up at all. I haven’t tried k-swiss or vans in a while but they used to have decent soles and wider widths. Hiking shoes are also a decent option as far as soles that will hold up.

No help for shoes, but what are your toe, camber, and caster numbers?  Odd wear is usually an alignment issue.

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I'll show myself out...

More seriously though, have you considered seeing a podiatrist?  I'm not up on shoe store capabilities but maybe some custom inserts will help.

Im around 215 now, and have super flat feet and a weak/blown ankle, and started trying to walk more about 18 months ago. 

Others have said it, but a visit to a podiatrist is a likely good start.  Theyll probably end up suggesting custom orthotics.  I found that the  "medical grade" orthotics end up costing about the same, but work better and are a lot more comfortable & durable than the ones that a running store produces.  The other thing I did was switch to wearing light hiking shoes instead of sneakers. They have more "structure"  so they last longer before getting blown out.  They also do a better job of supporting and keeping my feet & ankle bones in the right position.  I have pair of Vasque something or others that are the first shoes in some years that let me walk more than a mile at a stretch with no foot pain.

I'm not that heavy but I run a lot (230lbs have done a marathon in both of these shoes)

I've got Saucony Omni 150 which I've gotten about 300 miles of running out of and the Toe area of the sole is starting to get thin.

I also wore the brooks Ghost series of shoe.  Those I put about 500 miles on.   I switched to the Saucony because the newest Ghost had a seam stitched in the toe area that hit my pinky toe wierd and would have been a blister source.  

I roll my ankle to the inside so both of the shoes are stiffer on the inside of the heel to help my stride.  This also increases their durability as the stiffer foam last longer.  I've also started using powerstep insoles at my appropriate arch support level.  These are very stiff and take the "coushiony" foam out of the shoe, but seem to increase the durability and long use comfort.  My shoes don't feel like I am walking on pillows but they feel stiff and responsive. 

If you heel strike (which it sounds like you do) look at shoes with a lower "lift".  The heel will be lower relative to the toe wich will somewhat reduce your tendency to heel strike some.  

I'll 100th go to a dedicated "running" shoe store.  Ideally go to one that deals with walkers as it sounds like your use will be more walking specific which likely has much different shoe demands than running.   

I can't say anything about the Good Feet Store, but I did have some luck with a similar franchise called Foot Solutions.

I had put on some weight, and gotten a new pair of nice looking Keens, I'd only worn Merrells for at least a decade prior.  I have crazy high arches, and noticed my new Keens didn't offer the same arch support my tried & true Merrells did.  I didn't think much of it, fast forward about a month of wearing the Keens everyday, and I developed plantar fasciitis in my left foot.

That SUCKED.

I tried all the home remedies, night splint (total waste of time, and loss of sleep), massage and ice were only temporary relief.  I finally went to my GP, confirmed plantar fasciitis, didn't offer much help, other than suggesting I go to a decent shoe store, like many have already suggested in this thread.  Doc told me if one of the running shoe stores couldn't help me out, I'd wind up with custom orthotic insoles.

I went to the shoe store my GP suggested, they did a lot of measurements, watched me walk, and suggested some shoes to try.  Also found out I've been wearing the wrong width shoes my entire life.

Shoe store put me in a pair of Brooks Ghost, they were comfortable, and helped a lot with the plantar facsiitis, but 6 months of wearing those Brooks everyday, I hadn't fully recovered, and I'd worn out my expensive Brooks.  I went back to the shoe store that helped so much initially, and commented how disappointed I was to only get 6 months out of such expensive shoes.  They seemed to think that was about normal.

I talked to the GP again, and he suggested I do orthotics, probably should have done that to begin with.  My GP actually suggested Foot Solutions.

I went to Foot Solutions, got my feet measured in just about every possible way, and had custom, expensive, orthotic, insoles made.  I also got some super cushy Croc style shoes to wear around the house.

After about 6 months in my orthotics my plantar fasciitis had mostly healed, with only some minor discomfort first thing in the morning, I was back to wearing Merrells for the past 3 years, swapping my orthotics into whatever shoes I'm wearing that day.

Fast forward about 4 years, I've lost about 30 lbs since then, still wearing my orthotics or crocs and the plantar fasciitis is gone.

I'm still getting new Merrells roughly once a year, I don't think they hold up as well as they used to.  I can't get any New Balances to last more than 6 months, and the Brooks that cost 2-3X more than New Balance, while maybe more comfortable, don't last any longer.

If you want long lasting, I'm on my 3rd pair of Asolo 520 boots that I usually get 7 years or more out of.  When I'm not wearing my Merrells, I'm wearing my Asolos.

Hokas wear very fast, they are good but probably not the answer in this case.  Have you tried the more expensive made in USA New Balance?  They are $179.99 normal price but you can find them for as little as $100.

When I was a little dump truck - 6 foot and 325ish - I would go to the outlet mall and buy a few boxes of Nikes and rotate them out every day.  Get about a year on all the pairs, spend 40 or 50 a pair on them, 5 or 6 pairs.  The variety helped me from fatigue, and I know shoes last longer if they get to dry fully between wearings.

Now that I am about a bill less, I still wear my Nikes on rotation.  Just get more life out of them. 

I'm a bit bigger... 225 lbs.  I have had awesome luck with Adidas walking shoes.  New Balance makes some great shoes, but they don't work will with my funny-shaped feet.  I have to special order EEEE width and then my heel swims in the back.  My feet are wide, but only out near my toes.

Sketchers hold up fine for me and are super comfy.  I have some of the GoWalk Goga mat shoes on right now and they have lasted for a couple years.

I'm wondering if your broken ankles are causing a strange gait.  I think I just accused you of walking funny, but it's a real thing.  Any manner of difference in how your ankles healed could be causing you to wear heels fast, regardless of your weight.  Heck, one of my best friends is 125 soaking wet and he kills shoes because he walks on the balls of his feet.  He'll wear through the balls of a set of chuck taylors in 3 months, but the heels look brand new.

Toebra said:

 

 

Are the heels wearing at the inside of the outside?  Outside is a normal wear pattern, inside not so much.  Has anything else changed, different model of shoe, change in activity, anything like that?

 

When you say you are 350# and have broken both ankles, what do you mean exactly?  Are you diabetic, do you have Charcot arthropathy?  I am perhaps biased, but have you seen a podiatrist?

 

 

The shoes always wear more on the outsides, and there's been a dramatic increase in activity. In the past few months I went from doing practically nothing to walking about an hour a day and with the gym reopening going there about 45 minutes a day too. I put on a ton of weight the past three years and am trying to get it back off. I'm not diabetic but have been seeing a podiatrist over a problem with some toenails. I haven't been since I started walking more but I'll ask her next month when I go in.  I broke my right tallis (sp) in a car accident about 15 years ago and I'm not sure which bone I broke on the left side when I was a teenager. They've both healed well but aren't perfect. I don't know if that's the problem.

I didn't realize there are different grades of New Balance. I picked up a pair of Asics to try because they were all I could get Saturday night but on my days off I'm going to try a running store. There's a couple near me. 

Talar fracture, ouch, tough to bounce back from that, orthotics maybe, tough to tell from my house

You probably would do well with Hoka or the Brooks Beast

Keen makes a damn fine work boot

In reply to Toebra :

I got really lucky with that fracture. I always wore tall work boots laced tight and when I got to the ER the orthopedist had me xrayed in the boot, saw it didn't move much and then carefully cut the boot apart and cast it. I was non weight baring for a couple months and it healed very well. 

Brooks beast.  They are expensive but work. 

Another vote of confidence for Brooks Beast. I wore them when I caddied, and while I was much slimmer then, I had some pronation issues and they were the best for my foot (along with an orthotic). Mine always wore out when they got holes in the toes, but the cushion was gone by then too -- walking all day on soft grass, the tread never gave out really. 

Woody said:

My friend the podiatrist recommended New Balance 700 series or better. 

I can concur this. I saw a podiatrist because my doctor said everyone over 40 should see one and they recommended New Balance.  
 

Wally if you have not seen a podiatrist I think it may be a good thing for you to consider particularly with your ankles.  I did and was given some inserts (non prescription) that really helped in general. 

wheelsmithy (Joe-with-an-L) (Forum Supporter) said:

I like KEEN. Not sure they're the answer to your question. 3 weeks seems like miserable service life.

Came here to suggest this^^^^

I've never owned a pair of shoes (Merrell, Nike, Adidas, Columbia, Sketchers) that lasted more than 6 months of daily use until I found KEEN. I'm at my third pair with an average life of about 2.5 years. And when I retired them, they were still in functional enough shape to become garage shoes. Love them. 

RevRico said:

I get about a year out of my DC skate shoes before they wear through the bottom at 280 in a size 14.

Maybe not the sneaker you're looking for, but for they're comfortable enough to walk 4-5 miles a day in. 

If you look hard enough you can get them in basic colors, or crazy if that's your thing, but mine are all either all black, or a subtle black and white.

These ones actually, $55

Came here to recommend real-deal skate shoes, durability is in a different league, mainly because of the strongly stitched-on soles vs. the glued-on soles which will eventually peel right off of most shoes. The last set of skate shoes I had to throw out died from the sole being completely worn through. I think they lasted a full decade.

Just checked the age of my current Etnies Faders which are starting to go slick at the bottom. I've had them since 2016.

I used to run a lot. I wore only Asics or NB running shoes. Shattered my calcaneus (heel) in Nov and 3 months later when I could try walking again, I needed new shoes. I was instructed to go to the local running store specialists and get fitted. OMG I've never had shoes that felt this good. Pressure point scans, sizing, stride, all were checked and I walked out better than I thought possible. 

Saucony Echelon 8. I also picked up a pair of Saucony Omni 20, very similar biometrics. I'm not light (225) and these are the best ever. Also haven't worn out the heels like I used to, because the size is actually right.