Kane Footwear Revive Review | Recovery Shoes, Worth the Hype? (2024)

The Kane Footwear Revive has been making a considerable amount of waves on social media and in various recovery-focused communities. The Kane Footwear Revive is marketed as a recovery shoe for active individuals.

As a lifter and coach who is constantly pushing my personal limits for strength and endurance, I was excited to give the Kane Footwear Revive a try. I’m also constantly trying to improve my means of recovery to perform my best.

Overall, I can see contexts where the Kane Footwear Revive makes sense for certain athletes and lifters. I don’t necessarily think this is a recovery shoe for everyone and I’ll discuss this in detail below.

In this Kane Footwear Revive review, I’m going to talk about a variety of topics to help you decide if the Kane Footwear Revive is a good investment for you.

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The Kane Footwear Revive is an interesting shoe, to say the least. This shoe is marketed as a recovery shoe and in some contexts, I think this makes sense and can be useful for particular athletes and lifters.

For example, in the context of recovery use, I think if you’re someone who is routinely doing cold plunges outdoors or using recovery facilities that have saunas and ice baths, then the Kane Footwear Revive makes sense.

This model is easy to slip on and off, it dries quickly, and has a nice level of breathability. This gives the Kane Footwear Revive a nice edge over other shoes that hold water longer or lack the slip-on ability.

That being said, while the Kane Footwear Revive does have some nice niche uses, I don’t think it’s for everyone. From both a coaching and price point perspective, I think if you’re turned off by the price, then you’re not missing much by not investing in this model straight away.

Throughout my testing and review process, I’ve found a few really interesting uses for the Kane Footwear Revive that I enjoy.

1. Good Shoe for Cold Plunges/Settings Where You’re Wet
2. Comfortable for Short Distances and Errands
3. Quick-Drying and Breathable

From a coaching perspective, I tried to approach the Kane Footwear Revive with an objective eye toward the recovery claims this shoe makes. For example, I’m not sold that the raised nodes “activate blood flow in key pressure points” per Kane Footwear’s words on their site.

In this context of recovery, I think those benefits can be a little grandiose, especially because there are multiple layers here when it comes to the individuality of everyone’s recovery needs.

That being said, I do think there are areas of recovery where the Kane Footwear Revive excels. These settings include being a really good shoe for athletes and lifters that routinely do things like cold plunges or use recovery centers.

For example, I go to a recovery center here in Denver where they have saunas and ice baths for contrast therapy. In this recovery-focused context, the Kane Footwear Revive is great because they’re easy to slip on, they dry quickly, and are comfortable.

Essentially, they can be a great shoe for anyone that regularly does recovery work in settings where they don’t want to be barefoot. Another perk to the Kane Footwear Revive is that they’re a good comfortable option for slipping on for shorter periods.

For me specifically, I enjoy wearing this model post-workout and when running errands. After most of my workouts, I enjoy taking my shoes off to give my feet some air and this model does a good job at providing a nice level of ventilation for this setting.

The BounceBack™ foam used in this shoe’s sole provides a nice blend of comfort and support. The sole doesn’t feel overly cushioned to where it compresses super easily and the support you get from this shoe’s anatomical build is pretty solid, too, if it aligns with your foot’s anatomy.

The last thing to like about the Revive which I briefly mentioned above is how quick-drying and breathable they are. Unless you’re wearing something like a pair of Crocs, there aren’t a ton of casual quick-drying shoes out there for settings where you’ll be submerging the feet.

The quick-drying component and breathability also give the Kane Footwear Revive a nice feel for warmer settings and climates. I could see this being a good casual slip-on shoe for those that live in climates that are routinely hotter.

Kane Footwear Revive Cons

There are things to like about the Kane Footwear Revive, but there are also a few cons that come along with this recovery-focused shoe.

1. Can Give You Blisters During Longer Walks
2. May Not Align With Everyone’s Foot Anatomy and Can Squeak
3. Price Point Isn’t the Best

The first drawback to the Kane Footwear Revive is that this shoe will have its limitations regarding how long you can wear this shoe comfortably. Since testing the Kane Footwear Revive I’ve been keeping a walking log to test comfort thresholds with and without socks.

Without socks, I noted that once I started hitting anywhere above 4,500 steps, which is right around ~2 miles for me, this shoe would start to get uncomfortable and give the upper part of my foot little blisters. In socks, my threshold comfort was around ~3.5 miles.

This is also why I suggest using the Kane Footwear Revive for shorter durations and contexts versus using them as an all-day wear shoe like the On Cloud 5 (obviously, very different shoes for different contexts).

On the note of blisters, Crocs tend to do the same thing due to the materials causing friction and rubbing on the skin.

My second drawback to the Kane Footwear Revive is that I don’t think they’ll align with everyone’s anatomical needs. For example, my pair fits my foot relatively well without a ton of slip issues, however, my girlfriend, who has a narrow ankle found that she has heel slip issues even when sizing down a full size.

In her pair, the length fits true and she can’t size down any further, so narrow ankle lifters and athletes may want to consider this. It would be nice if Kane Footwear would make women’s and men’s models versus using unisex sizing.

On top of narrow ankles, I could also see super hair feet having an issue with the Revive regarding comfort. I could see the top of the foot experiencing some rub in this context and I think the material won’t be the most friendly for the hair on the top of your foot.

The last anatomical issue I’ve noticed with the Kane Footwear Revive is that they may be more prone to squeaking for those with high arches. I have a neutral/high arch and if I’m doing any form of activity that isn’t a casual walk my arch pushes air out and you can hear them squeak.

The final drawback I have with the Kane Footwear Revive is their price point could be better, in my opinion. I think a price point around $55-60 USD would be perfect for this shoe and that $75 can be a stretch for some athletes and lifters.

I do like that this shoe is made with BounceBack™ foam which is responsibly sourced from Brazilian sugarcane, but I still find the price to be high for what this shoe is.

More specifically, if the price is a turnoff for you in this shoe, then I wouldn’t break the bank for this model. The Revive can be super useful in certain contexts, but if you’re strapped on cash, then I’d pass on this model and invest in gear that can be more useful for your training.

To discuss the performance of the Kane Footwear Revive, I’m going to discuss how this shoe performs in a few different settings. I’m going to break down their performance for recovery contexts, daily wear, and walking.

This way you can contextualize if the Kane Footwear Revive is a good fit and investment for the context of your needs and wants.

Testing the Kane Footwear Revive for Recovery Contexts

When discussing recovery contexts with the Kane Footwear Revive, I’ve done my test to remain objective with this shoe’s performance. I’m not sure that just wearing this shoe will make a noticeable difference in most athletes’ recovery processes.

For example, the raised nodes on the sole are designed to “activate blood flow in key pressure points”. However, if the goal is stimulating blood flow and the idea is that the nodes are creating an almost massage-like stimulus to do this, then I’m a tad skeptical.

Why not use a different means and tool for a massage that can get the feet out of shoes entirely and be individuality manipulated? Such as a lacrosse ball, thumbs, or massage tool. For context, I’m not sure the nodes will produce the same effect on everyone in regard to the benefit Kane Footwear lists.

If you just got done with a workout or long run and need a pair of shoes to get you out of your training and running shoes, then I could see this component making more sense.

Note, this is just my coaching brain speaking here. I like the idea of a recovery shoe, but I’m trying to look at these shoes from a point of view that is all-encompassing for different consumers and contexts.

For recovery settings where you’ll be doing things like heat/cold immersions where you’ll want to have when getting in and out, then I could see this model being one of the better options on the market. In this recovery, context the Kane Footwear Revive.

Testing the Kane Footwear Revive for Walking and Daily Wear

For walking and daily wear, the Kane Footwear Revive performs pretty strongly in certain settings. I like this shoe best for daily wear cases where I’m not walking super long distances.

I found walking anywhere under 2-miles in the Revive at one time was perfect for comfort. They’re great for occasions where I’m doing things like walking the dogs, running errands, and walking around the recovery center where I do hot/cold immersion.

Much like shoes like Crocs, the Revive gives you a nice break from training and running shoes with more form-fitting uppers which can be nice for providing you with a nice contrast in footwear environments.

Again though, there are thresholds in which the Revive’s comfort can fall short. For example, walking long distances can be uncomfortable in this shoe and their comfort may not translate the same for every foot anatomy as noted in my cons section.

Kane Footwear Revive Sizing

For the Kane Footwear Revive, sizing can be a little interesting and they make multiple recommendations on their site for both men and women who need to size their shoes appropriately.

If you’re a guy with a neutral width foot, then you should be safe going true to size in the Kane Footwear Revive. If you have a narrow or wide foot, then Kane Footwear recommends sizing down and up a half size, respectively.

For women, I feel as though the sizing for the Revive can be a little more confusing since the shoes are unisex. On their site, Kane Footwear recommends sizing your model two sizes down compared to the men’s sizes.

• Kane Footwear Revive Sizing Thoughts: For neutral width feet, go true to size. Narrow feet, size down a half size. Wide feet, size up a half size. Refer to Kane Footwear’s sizing guide to be safe.

If you have additional Kane Footwear Revive questions, drop a comment below or reach out to me personally. You can also reach out to Kane Footwear’s support contact for additional help to ensure you’re sizing appropriately.

For the Kane Footwear Revive, you can expect to pay $75 USD. I find that price point to be a little high and that it can be hit or miss for some athletes and lifters.

I think if you have the money to spend and you’re someone who uses things like recovery centers regularly or just wants a casual slip-on shoe for daily wear that may have some recovery properties, then the price could be justified.

Conversely, if the price for the Kane Footwear Revive is a turnoff for you and you could use that $75 USD elsewhere to boost your training and recovery, then I’d suggest passing on this model for the time being and waiting for a sale.

The construction of the Kane Footwear Revive is relatively simple. Below are some of the key construction details that influence this shoe’s performance and durability.

• Heel-to-Toe Drop: 10mm
• Weight:
• Sizing: See the sizing section
• BounceBack™ Foam Sole
• Raised Nodes On Sole
• Breathable Upper Construction
• Hang Loops for Drying

If you have additional questions on the Kane Footwear Revive’s construction, drop a comment below.

Takeaway Thoughts

Overall, I can see certain contexts where the Kane Footwear Revive makes sense as a recovery shoe. I don’t think it’s a model that will necessarily resonate with everyone, but for those that it does resonate with, I could see enjoying this shoe.

I do wish the price point was a tad lower for the Kane Footwear Revive and I could also see that being a turnoff for some athletes and lifters.

If you have additional questions on the Kane Footwear Revive, drop a comment below or reach out to me personally via Instagram (@jake_boly or @that_fit_friend).