Manifesto

This page is what CoolWalking stands for. It's short on purpose. If you disagree with any of it, this site probably isn't for you — and that's fine.

What We Believe

• Real testing beats theoretical testing. A shoe that hasn't been walked in for 500 kilometers hasn't been tested. It's been described.
• Mileage beats branding. A $60 shoe that fits your foot is better than a $200 shoe that doesn't.
• Honesty beats conversion. Every pair of shoes reviewed here is bought at retail price. If a shoe is bad, the review says so — even though the affiliate commission is the same either way.
• Slow is fine. A review published a month late, but accurate, is worth more than a review published an hour after launch, but superficial.
• Readers are adults. We don't hide prices, don't hide downsides, and don't pretend every product is "amazing."

What We Are Against

• Sponsored reviews disguised as independent ones. If a review site gets free product, that's a business relationship, and it should be disclosed.
• Spec-sheet rewriting. Copying a manufacturer's bullet points is not a review. It's a re-print.
• Fake "tested" claims. "Tested" without a mileage number is meaningless. Every review here gives a mileage number or it doesn't get published.
• Hiding product downsides. Every shoe has a downside. If a review doesn't mention one, the review is wrong.

Our Commitments

• Every review will list the actual mileage tested.
• Every review will name at least three specific downsides of the shoe.
• Every review will say who should not buy the shoe.
• Every affiliate relationship will be disclosed at the top and bottom of every article.
• Scores will not be influenced by commission rates. If a shoe scores badly, it scores badly.

Business Model Disclosure

CoolWalking earns a commission when readers buy products through links on the site. This is the entirety of the business model — there are no ads, no sponsored posts, no paid reviews, no "affiliate partnerships" where a brand pays for placement.

This model works because the only asset the site has is reader trust. A reader who buys one bad recommendation doesn't come back. A reader who buys ten good ones does. So the incentives are aligned: recommend well, or lose the audience.

The Amazon Associates program is the primary affiliate partner. Commission rates for the shoes recommended here range between 3% and 10% of the sale price, at no cost to the reader. Secondary affiliate relationships with DHgate may be used for readers outside the US or for budget alternatives.

The "Why Should I Trust You?" Question

You shouldn't, without checking. Go to a shoe store. Try on the shoes we recommend. Walk around the block. If the shoe doesn't feel right, don't buy it — no matter what the score here says. The reviews are meant to filter, not to persuade.

Corrections Policy

If we get something wrong — a price, a specification, a test result — we correct it and note the correction in the article itself. We don't quietly edit. Corrections are part of the record.

— Crystal Yifei Liu, Editor-in-Chief