Sometimes I come across posts and articles titled, "The Best Shoes," or people come into the shop who have seen articles like this when they research online, and these posts actually list specific shoes as being the best.
In my opinion this is misleading and not very helpful. There isn't a best running shoe. There might be a category or type of shoe that's working well for you, but there isn't a best shoe.
The person writing that post might be sincere, but the the reason I say it's misleading is because I help people try on shoes all day, and everyone's a little different. People might not like what I like. For instance, there's a pair of neutral shoes that I love, and I pull them and say, "Hey I just ran a personal record and qualified for Boston in these shoes-- they're great." Then the person tries them on and says, "I don't like these." And I say, "Okay, let's try on the next ones."
THAT'S how you find good shoes for walking, running, and the gym--you try on a pile. The American College of Sports Medicine also suggests trying on a pile of shoes.
Now where you go to try on a pile of shoes is your local shoe store. I realize I am biased because I own a running store--I have a passion for it, and we are invested here in helping people who walk through the door. But I'll still argue that it's the best way to find good shoes.
Now there are different categories of shoes, and obviously you want to go to a shop where the staff knows what they're doing, knows some of the science, and knows all of the shoes, because shoes have different structures and offsets and work your tissues in different ways. But you get a sense when you talk to people whether they know their business. I'll still argue you're better off going to a shop than reading and purchasing online.
On that note there are also articles that promote shopping online for discounts. These shoes are most always older shoes, because the vendors have rules about pricing for current product online. So it's really no different from going to an actual shoe store. Every shoe store like ours is also going to have older shoes on sale.
So to sum it up, there is no best shoe. But if you visit your local shop then they can talk you through the shoe wall, pull a pile of shoes, and you can take them down the block. Then you say, "This one is more comfortable than that one," you get a great shoe at a great price, you leave happy, and you don't have to go to the highway or worry about the stuff fitting right buying online :)
