AKU trekking & outdoor footwear Reviews 13

Save your money and buy Scarpa or La Sportiva instead.

3 pairs of Aku all failed within hours of use which included peeling rands, bad quality glueing and stitching in general, eyelets coming detached and soles peeling.

On the positive they did get replaced under warranty but never again each pair has same issues.

Replaced with Scarpa and difference in quality night and day.

Aku made in Romania absolutely terrible quality.

I bought the AKU ROCKET DFS GTX and was really disappointed. The materials feel cheap and the build quality is not what I expected. After just one use, the shoes were already damaged, with a tear on the upper part of the inner lining. For €140, I expected much better. It feels like I wasted my money. I do not recommend these shoes.

AKU Rocket DFS GTX shoes, bought in October 2024. Initially quite impressed, but after only a few months of use for walking in lowland English countryside they have become very un-waterproof, owing to cracking of the uppers at the points where the shoes flex. This is unacceptable in supposedly waterproof shoes at this price. Definitely not recommended.

I have bought numerous boots in my time. Thought I’d try a pair of these. Wish I hadn’t! Made of plastic. Uncomfortable out of the box. Socks slide down when wearing. Overpriced rubbish. Back to my trusted Merrells.

I purchased a pair of AKU boots expecting high quality and durability, but I’ve been thoroughly disappointed. One boot wore down significantly, far beyond what should happen with normal use. I’ve never had this issue with any other brand, so I was shocked when both the retailer and AKU dismissed it as a “gait” or “supination” problem rather than a warranty issue.

For the price, I expected better performance and customer support. Sadly, I can’t recommend AKU boots and certainly won’t be buying them again. Save your money and go with a brand that stands by its products.

AKU Conero, size 10 Purchased 11/03/2024 from Tiso, Perth, Scotland. The boots are very comfortable to wear and fit perfect. They are worn only on Tarmac for around 3.5 miles per day on dry days. They have worn down to an unacceptable level in 5 months. Also have an issue starting with the rand. No advice was given regarding this possibility at point of sale. These boot cost £275 at Tiso. For them to last this amount of time is ridiculous. I have asked the Supplier Ardblair-Sports Importers to inspect them, as they need to update AKU with this concern. I would avoid purchasing these for any reason than other than walking on mountain trails and grass as they are not fit for purpose. This should also be annotated on the box as advice note to prevent purchasing and disappointment in future. Seriously disappointed with these!!

The stitching of the seams are broken at all 4 bending areas after 2,5 weeks of hiking in the Alps and additionally the shoes were not waterproof anymore.

I tried to return to AKU with reference to their 2 years quality guarantee. But they refused, I was told “wrong use of care product” – I did not use any.

Very disappointing… My first and last AKU trekking shoe - good bye AKU.

Second faulty pair of aku's.

Stitching started to come out of the first pair. Successfully returned for refund.

Sole started coming away from the upper on the second pair. Bought through a company called exxposed. Emailed them but can't get anywhere with them regarding a return.

Took it up with aku italia and this was their final response:

Dear Matthew,

I want to emphasize once again that we are unable to offer any further assistance with your return request.
As I have previously communicated multiple times, returns must be handled through the retailer from whom the purchase was made.

I kindly urge you to take this information into account and strongly recommend reaching out to Exxposed.

Best regards,
Beatrice
AKU ITALIA srl

The soles on my AKU boots came off when descending from the Old Man of Conniston. They only had moderate wear and had been well looked after. Had they been budget boots I would have been very disappointed with the performance but possibly put it down to buying cheap, although I hadn't experienced anything similar before. As they were expensive boots from a supposedly good brand, I alerted customer services expecting them to care. They just shrugged their shoulders and told me to look into getting them re-soled myself. I will stay well clear of AKU in future.

Bought a pair of AKU walking shoes in May 2022 the Quick lace system failed and the sole wore through between purchasing and failing within 5 months. The retail outlet did try and obtain a refund or exchange but AKU said wear and tear! basically don’t walk in these shoes too much. I normally get 18 months to 2 years from Scarpa and Salomon shoes. Otherwise sizing and comfort were good.

I bought a new pair of AKU boots from a private seller. Neither AKU or the distributor wanted to know that one of the boots allowed water in through the Goretex liner. Nice pair of boots lightweight and a nice sole ! However not waterproof as they are supposed to be. So now I’m left with a pair of work boots that I need for all weather that aren’t fit for use.