Reebok Nano 2 – Our Review

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Best CrossFit Shoe to Revive the Magic: 83/100

The Reebok Nano 2.0 shoes are considered by many to be the greatest CrossFit shoes of all time. In recent years, the design of the shoe has been slightly altered, but it maintains almost all of the same qualities as its original version.

Being ideally suited to facilitate CrossFit movements and activities, the Nano 2s are “good-to-great” in just about all forms of dynamic movements, despite not having the most “technically” robust appearance.

Reebok’s customer service greatly contributes to the Nano 2s’ less-than-perfect overall score and it is suggested that if you decide to get a pair, you opt for Amazon…

Pros

Legit “do-everything” shoes for CrossFit workouts

Heel drop is ideal for “functional training” movements

Feels very similar to the OG Nano 2s

Cons

Not the most robust-looking shoes

Average as a “general training” shoe

Reebok’s customer service personnel aren’t…great

Read more on Amazon

Overall Score

83

CrossFit

95

Olympic Lifting

85

Running

85

General Training

80

Construction & Materials

85

Price

85

Customer Reviews

86

Customer Service

60

How we test & score products

Everyone loves a good dynasty.

Whether it’s something like the 2000/2010’s Patriots Dynasty or you wanna go more old school and talk about the Qing Dynasty, there is something really interesting about champs who stay on top for a long time.

Unfortunately, in CrossFit, we don’t have too many of these to speak of. You pretty much have Froning, Fraser, Toomey…and that’s about it.

However, if we look beyond “mere” athletes and at other mainstays of the sport, there are other entities with dynastical qualities…like shoes…

…and if we’re gonna have that conversation, the Nike Metcon and Reebok Nano lines would be the undisputed dynasties of the CrossFit shoe space.

Whether you’re on “Team Nike” or “Team Reebok” is obviously up to you (I’m partial to Reebok, but that’s just me), but today we’re going to discuss the shoe that is arguably the best of the Nano offerings and is always in contention for the greatest CrossFit shoe of all time…

…the Reebok Nano 2.0.

I know I’m a little late to the party in discussing the Nano 2s, but, to be fair, the current version of the shoe has been…well…I’ll let the good people at Reebok (briefly) explain what the deal is:

So these Nanos are a little different than the OG versions of the iconic shoe….but does this mean they’re worse…or even better than they were before?

Let’s get started!

CrossFit

The Nano 2s have been athlete favorites for a long time. Look at most lists of the “best CrossFit shoes” or even “the best Nanos” and the 2s are bound to be there.

…and with good reason; they are engineered to be able to do what you, as a CrossFitter, need them to do.

It’s like anything else; they had the formula figured out pretty early (I mean, it only took 2 iterations of Nanos for Reebok to get it right), but, either because they wanted to get cute or (more likely) because they wanted to sell a new pair of shoes every year, they made tweaks and other “improvements” that, in my opinion, just took them away from what they needed to be.

Thankfully, in my experience, they feel more or less the same as they did when I first laced mine up back in 2018.

Right off the bat, you know you’re dealing with a legit CrossFit shoe when its heel drop is actually:

  • Smaller than average/most other “functional fitness” shoes
  • Is actually smaller than how it is advertised!

It may just be my specific Nano 2s, but despite them being advertised and marketed as 4-millimeter heel drop shoes (which is already going to be quite a “drop off” (ha!) if you’re used to more padded shoes), mine are closer to 3 millimeters.

The minimalist “experience” this creates is so vital for so many CrossFit movements where “groundedness” (or at least the feeling of groundedness) is so important. The Nano 2s create a very stable base when setting my feet for a heavy deadlift or preparing to launch into a high box jump.

At the same time, the shoes’ general lightweight nature makes them comfortable (or, more appropriately, “tolerable”) when even moderately-long runs are programmed (the lack of heel padding doesn’t really bode well for longer runs, though). This also heavily plays into fatigue reduction during high-rep double-unders and other movements with continuous jumping.

THAT FACE!!!!!

The Nano 2s also rock features that, if you’ve been doing any type of CrossFit or related training over the past few years, should be familiar to you. These include:

  • EVA midsole – Despite being a relatively “unpadded” shoe, the EVA insert is vital for regulating impact reduction and adding a degree of comfort.
  • Rubber outsole – This would never be described as a “hard rubber” outsole that is common in many training shoes, but it is sufficient at providing sufficient grip and stability, while also be somewhat abrasion resistant

Regarding comfort, I would contend that the Nano 2s lack of rigidity (they are actually, for better or worse, very flexible on the outsides/lateral areas) makes them feel more comfortable and less restrictive than other shoes, but not quite as “moccasin”-feeling as the uber-comfortable Born Primitive Savage 1. If it weren’t for the Savage 1, I’d say that the Nano 2s are pretty close to the top on the comfort scale, but…ya know…the Savage 1s are excellent in this regard.

Overall, the Nano 2s are, for lack of a better way of putting it, great at all types of “non-extreme” CrossFit activity. They’re not for long runs or seriously heavy Olympic lifting. They’re also very susceptible to abrasions (more on this later) so they have potential to get torn up during moderate-rep rope climbs (you could just go legless to prevent this…). However, for 80-85 percent of movements/what your programmed metcon calls for, they’re more than capable.

CrossFit: 95

Olympic Lifting

When it comes to Oly lifting, the first thing to remember about the Nano 2s is that they have that small heel drop.

If you know anything about Olympic weightlifting shoes, you know that this is pretty much…ya know…the opposite of what most people want (and what is pretty much anatomically preferable) for cleaning and snatching.

With that being said, I think the Nano 2s hold up pretty well for this kind of activity, especially when cycling the bar (as opposed to going for max attempt lifts with it). The shoes hard outsole creates a stable “landing pad” as I finish the extension phase of each rep and even when I’m performing “full” versions of each lift, I generally feel secure in the bottom of each position.

Something else that’s worth noting is that the Nano 2s have a decently wide toe box. Now, I know I’m in the minority when I state that this is more of a turn off for me (I prefer a more “cramped” feeling in my training shoes), but for most lifters, I can imagine that this is “good news”, especially when higher-rep sets/workouts are programmed.

Overall, as far as non-dedicated weightlifting shoes go, depending on what the workout entails, I’m still partial to my GORUCK mid-top Ballistic Trainers (and their 8mm heel drop) for most metcons with significant Olympic lifting, but I’d actually opt for the Nano 2s over my Savage 1s for the same activities.

You’re probably never going to imagine you’re wearing actual lifters in these, but you also won’t feel too out of sorts when you get to that third barbell in next year’s Open workout, either…

Olympic Lifting: 80

Running

If you’re accustomed to minimalist or near-minimalist training shoes, the Nano 2s aren’t gonna feel too bad.

If you’re accustomed to actual running shoes…you’re gonna be in for an adjustment period.

At the end of the day, there has yet to be a CrossFit shoe that has been universally appreciated during longer (over ~400 meters) runs. I happen to think that the Born Primitive Savage 1 is an excellent running shoe, but I seem to be in the minority (plus, I’ve been rocking minimalist shoes for training and running since 2011).

The good news is the Nano 2s aren’t heavy so even though they lack a bit of padding and, to an extent, the support that many look for (and even rely on) in a running shoe, they’re not overly fatiguing to run in. Considering that most metcons with running tap out at 2 miles (if we’re talking something like Murph), you should be okay.

The shoes also feel, for lack of a better term, “consistent” to run in. By this I mean that when you come off of a set of cleans or something and immediately start into a run, neither exercise feels “weirder” than the other (like if you hit a heavy snatch and then tried to run in Olympic weightlifting shoes). This is kind of an unspoken and, as a result, underrated feature of some shoes.

There are definitely better running shoes (like just about any dedicated running shoe) and are even better CrossFit shoes to run in, but the Nano 2s are definitely better than average.

Running: 85

General Training

Ask anyone in the CrossFit “community” and they will tell you that the Reebok Nano 2.0s (and just about any other shoe in the “Nano” line) is a “CrossFit shoe”. These shoes have always been marketed at and designed for “functional training” ventures with the almost non-existent heel drop being a key differentiating (from “normal” shoes, that is) feature.

With that being said, the Nano 2s are pretty decent as “general training” shoes (and by this we mean shoes that you could wear around the gym during general circuit training, in a game of pickup basketball, running around the back yard, etc.). However, I wouldn’t suggest going out of your way to purchase them for these activities if these are the main things you have in mind.

For one, if you’re not accustomed to a minimal heel drop, the shoes are gonna feel weird, if not downright uncomfortable, especially when you first start wearing them. There are arguments to be made for adopting shoes like this as regular training shoes, but this should be more of a conscious and deliberate decision.

Second, if you’re not really doing anything special in your shoes, you shouldn’t really be paying a premium for them. As we’ll see in a later section, these aren’t really “expensive” CrossFit shoes by any means, but you can pick up a bland, yet capable pair of training shoes for half the price of these. If that is your intention, by all means; save your money.

Those things being said, aside from the break-in period that will inevitably be necessary due to the minimalist heel drop, you can do just about any kind of light training in these. I wouldn’t say that the sides are overly supportive for quick, horizontal movements that you would make in a basketball game and they don’t have any traction for the field, but neither do most general purpose training shoes.

These will certainly hold up when it’s time to do some non-CrossFit activities, but don’t go out of your way to buy these solely (ha!) for such purposes.

General Training: 80

Construction & Materials

This is probably the weirdest part of the shoe to discuss and ultimately to assign a score to, largely due to the whole “don’t judge a book by its cover…” saying.

(We all know how often we do judge books by their cover; that should tell you where we’re going here…)

I can remember my old Nano 2s looking a bit…I don’t know…goofy. However, I can remember my wife’s immediate reaction when my new ones came in.

“How much did you pay for those? Those are cheap-looking shoes!”

Even one of my training partners, a guy who rarely mentions anything about equipment, echoed this sentiment.

…and to be honest, I think they’re right. The Nano 2s still look goofy and have that odd “glossy” look of a shoe that’s trying to hide something.

This is what makes the assessment so weird, because I don’t find the materials to be overly cheap feeling and the shoes’ construction is obviously good enough to rate so well in our different measurement areas.

With that said, the upper and outer materials do feel a bit cheap. They aren’t as flimsy feeling as something like the more budget Nanoflex “weave” material, but I wouldn’t recommend them for a trail run (they’d likely get pretty torn up).

The insole is also a little bit…non-substantive. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing because you can more or less just forget about it (in a training shoe, I’d rather have something I don’t know than something that I’m constantly thinking about), but I would suggest wearing a thicker sock just for a bit more “feeling” withing the shoe itself.

The good news is, the midsole holds up really well for dynamic CrossFit movements and has a decent amount of flex, ensuring that it moves with you.

To finish up here, the Nano 2s are more of….”the sum of their parts” than of the individual parts themselves. If you look at each individual component (or look at them for too long in general), you’ll probably come away a bit unimpressed. However, collectively, their engineering and materials do “work”…even if you wouldn’t think they would at first glance.

Construction & Materials: 85

Price

The Reebok Nano 2.0 is not really a “budget” shoe, but it isn’t an overly expensive training shoe, either. The “official” price on the Reebok website is usually right around $120, but it isn’t hard to find them for less than that on Amazon or when they’re on sale.

It’s not too difficult to find other shoes in the Nano line, such as different Nanoflex varieties, that are less expensive (while also being a flimsier, less robust shoe) nor is it harder to find shoes like the GORUCK Ballistic Trainers that start at ~$20-30 more per pair.

You probably have an idea in your head of what you want to spend and unless you’re looking for a true budget shoe, these probably fall into your price range. They’re not overpriced or out of the range of “normal” by any means.

Price: 85

Customer Reviews

A lot of the time when we review something, we’re actually a bit surprised at the existing collective customer review score for the particular item. In the vast majority of cases, we may like something, but the review scores indicate that the rest of the world really likes the item.

In some cases, though, we actually hold the gear in higher esteem than the vast majority of other reviewers. The Nano 2s represent one of those situations.

When you add up the scores for the Reebok Nano 2s from Amazon and from the official Reebok website, they score a good, but not great, 4.3 out of 5 (collectively). When you put this into further context, where scores below…I don’t know…4.5 out of 5 are deemed to be, “not good”, the shoes would appear to not be held in the highest esteem.

I tend to rate these shoes a bit higher (especially if if we take out the next category…), but I can’t go against what the people have to say, especially in this category.

Thankfully, there aren’t a ton of really low reviews, but where they are present, the common complaint seems to be that they wear out faster than expected. Take that however you will…

Customer Reviews: 86

Customer Service

As we’ve seen so far, the Reebok Nano 2s have been pretty good, if not pretty great in just about all reviewed areas. Unfortunately, this last category is where all of the fun and games come to an end.

I understand that some (most?) people aren’t going to be ordering directly from Reebok and likely acquire their shoes from other, third-party retailers. As such, there is a good possibility that if you go with the Nano 2s that you won’t be dealing with Reebok’s customer service personnel. However, we gotta tell you what it’s like dealing with them, regardless…

…and it ain’t good.

To be honest, the interaction I had with Reebok’s customer service (sic) personnel…I mean…I’m still not sure if I was dealing with a bot or not. If I was, it was the slowest, most badly programmed bot ever, unable to provide current information nor was it able to tell me anything about the shoes (I obviously already knew about them, but wanted to test them) or sizing.

The only fast response I got was when I indicated that I didn’t have further questions; the “goodbye, thanks for contacting us!” response came really fast.

Also, the return/exchange information I was provided had literally expired the week before so I couldn’t even be sure if what I was being told was actually accurate.

I guess they did actually reply to me (and relatively quickly, at that, in the chat box) so…that’s better than some other companies, but otherwise…

Customer Service: 60

Who is the Nano 2.0 really For?

The best CrossFit shoe to come out onto the market in quite some time has to be for everybody, right? Well, there are some who will probably appreciate it more than others. Let’s take a look at who they are:

Those looking to revive the magic

This isn’t the same shoe I loved so much in the mid-to-late 2010’s…but it’s close.

I was hesitant that the “new” Nano 2.0 would be anywhere close to the same as the “original” version of the shoe, but have been pleasantly surprised with how they have worked out.

If you loved the Nano 2 back around 2017 and want to know if you’ll love it again today, be ready for your beloved to be a little different, but don’t be surprised if you end up falling in love all over again…

Those looking for a less expensive training shoe

It’s cool that so many newer brands have started to come out with their own CrossFit training shoes. From more popular brands like GORUCK and Born Primitive to newer, more unknown brands like While on Earth, today, we have a lot more training shoe options than the Nano and Metcon lines.

Unfortunately, these brands seem to be playing a game of chicken with each other, having set ~$130 for their shoes’ baseline price with each seemingly upping the ante at $10 clips.

The Nano 2 isn’t as cheap as it was back in the day, but you can generally find it for a bit less than you can find most other CrossFit shoe options (besides the more “budget” lines like the Nanoflex).

If you want a top-of-the-line training shoe at a bit of a discount, the Nano 2 is the way to do it.

Not for those who want a “do-everything” (outside of CrossFit) shoe

As we’ve discussed, the Nano 2s range from “above average” to “really good” in just about all CrossFit-related categories. However, they’re not “great” at anything and it doesn’t make sense to pay a premium for shoes that are good at most CrossFit things, but are average for “general training”.

If you don’t do CrossFit and just want a shoe to run around in in the backyard or to wear to the bro gym, look for something less expensive (you should also probably look for a shoe with bit more of a heel drop, as well!)

How we Reviewed the Reebok Nano 2s

I was excited to get my hands back on (and my feet back in) the “new” Nano 2s a few months back and immediately put them to work a few days a week in my normal CrossFit workouts. Having not been used to the “extreme” heel drop and overall fit of the shoe for some time, I actually had to cut back during the first few weeks due to a slight blister I developed.

(These aren’t all that uncommon for me when I try a new shoe out, especially if the shoes are a bit different than ones I’ve been training with/in).

Since then, these have been in my rotation and I have worn them for a wide variety of different metcons (running-focused, heavier lifting-focused, etc.) as well as for some more dedicated lifting sessions (mainly those with heavier powerlifts).

Having owned these before, even in their previous iteration, I feel more confident in making assessments of the Nano 2s despite a shorter period of ownership.

Reebok Nano 2 Alternatives

This review has been slightly all over the place with my singing the praises of the Nano 2s as overall CrossFit shoes despite being decently critical of them as heavy Oly lifting shoes, as running shoes, and even how they look. As such, I don’t blame you for being interested in…other options. Thankfully, we got some verified heavy hitters on deck:

Best alternative

Born Primitive Savage 1

The Born Primitive Savage 1s are the best CrossFit shoes on the market today. Essentially slightly more capable, and much more comfortable, versions of the Nano 2s.

Pros

Incredibly comfortable training shoes

Excellent for running and distance metcons

Lightweight, yet durable

Cons

Not the best robust for Olympic lifting

Not inexpensive shoes

Heel Drop Alternative

GORUCK Ballistic Trainers

The GORUCK Ballistic Trainers are newer entries on the CrossFit training shoe scene and are (for the time being) the “Official Shoe of CrossFit”. A lower “barrier-to-entry” kind of CrossFit shoe.

Pros

Larger heel drop is easier to acclimate to

Hard, durable sole completely stabilizes the foot

Largely Cordura upper materials makes it one of the few shoes that can handle rope climbs

Cons

Not inexpensive, especially mid-top option

Not great for any type of distance running

Affordable Alternative

Reebok Nanoflex TR 2.0

The Reebok Nanoflex TR 2.0 can be considered to be the Nano’s lighter, cheaper, “little brother”. An affordable training shoe with many of the same, important features as the more established “main” line.

Pros

Decently durable for a less expensive training shoe

Lightweight and easy to perform many dynamic movements in

Extremely affordable

Cons

Materials feel a bit cheaper

Not quite as stable as other CrossFit shoes

Frequently Asked Questions

You got questions, we got answers:

There is a good mix of "familiarity" and "relief" with the Savage 1s.

On one hand, they don't feel so different or odd that you feel the need to adjust or grow accustomed to wearing them.

On the other hand, they ways they do feel different are all generally positive, improving where necessary while not throwing the baby out with the bath water.

Got a day?

Like, seriously; there is almost zero break-in time with the Savage 1s. Others have discussed it took them one or two sessions to feel right (which is still really short relative to many others). Mine felt great from Day 1.

My wife and I both purchased our typical sizes (9 and 7, respectively) and both of our pairs fit perfectly.

As a side note, my wife really appreciates the separate mens' and womens' sizes. Unisex sizes aren't always...great.

The Reebok Nano 2.0…it’s like you never left…

Interestingly enough, the Nano 2s are more or less the same shoes that I fell in love with years ago and that for years were my all-time favorite CrossFit shoes. There is still so much to like about them and I’m really happy that they’ve found their way back into my training shoe “arsenal”.

The thing is, over the last few years, there have been a number of newer contenders, each looking to either establish themselves as legit choices in the CrossFit shoe space or even to pose challenges to long-time shoe “royalty” as kings of the mountain.

Through no fault of their own, the Nano 2s lost their title of my personal favorite CrossFit shoes of all time; I’d say they are tied for second with my GORUCK Ballistic Trainers while my Savage 1s are number 1.

However, they could still be your favorite shoes. Truth be told, me current favorites might be a little niche for most people whereas the Nano 2s have something for every CrossFit enthusiast to fall in love with.

They may not be the coolest-looking shoes out there, but you can do a lot worse than the Reebok Nano 2.0…the best of the Nano line!

Best CrossFit Shoe to Revive the Magic: 83/100

The Reebok Nano 2.0 shoes are considered by many to be the greatest CrossFit shoes of all time. In recent years, the design of the shoe has been slightly altered, but it maintains almost all of the same qualities as its original version.

Being ideally suited to facilitate CrossFit movements and activities, the Nano 2s are “good-to-great” in just about all forms of dynamic movements, despite not having the most “technically” robust appearance.

Reebok’s customer service greatly contributes to the Nano 2s’ less-than-perfect overall score and it is suggested that if you decide to get a pair, you opt for Amazon…

Pros

Legit “do-everything” shoes for CrossFit workouts

Heel drop is ideal for “functional training” movements

Feels very similar to the OG Nano 2s

Cons

Not the most robust-looking shoes

Average as a “general training” shoe

Reebok’s customer service personnel aren’t…great

Read more on Amazon

Overall Score

83

CrossFit

95

Olympic Lifting

85

Running

85

General Training

80

Construction & Materials

85

Price

85

Customer Reviews

86

Customer Service

60

How we test & score products

Photo of author

AUTHOR

Tom, CrossFit Level 1 Trainer, ISSA-CPT, PN1-NC, DPA, CAPM has been CrossFitting for over 10 years. He has participated in a number of team and individual CrossFit competitions across Europe and the United States. He was the 2012 Chick-fil-A Race Series champion (North Georgia Circuit) and has put together a few gnarly garage and basement gyms in his time!

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