ECCO vs Hotter Shoes: Which is better?

What Are the Differences Between Hotter and ECCO Shoes?

Two of our most popular comfort brands, ECCO and Hotter shoes are both synonymous with comfort and quality. The iconic, best-selling styles from these two brands were for many years so similar as to look like copies and designers at Ecco would certainly argue that there had been a bit of plagiarism going on. We have worked with these brands for many years and found a clear divergence over time, between what two brands are so often confused for one another. In this blog, we hope to share what makes these two brands great and which brand is likely to be best for you.

About ECCO Shoes

ECCO Shoes is a Danish brand, manufacturing worldwide, and are well known for comfort footwear made from premium materials and quirky footwear technologies. Considered to be one of the most innovative footwear brands, ECCO creates high-performance footwear that supports your feet. Over many years the brand has been at the forefront of everyday leisure and outdoor footwear design and a long-standing partnership with Gore-Tex has yielded some of our all-time favourite shoes.

This represents the fundamental difference between these two brands, in our opinion. ECCO creates bold and technology-led styling, which can be unbeatable for comfort, though sometimes a bit challenging on the eye. Hotter, on the other hand, plays it safe, typically doing a great job of copying the best ideas from other brands (especially Ecco) and producing a high-quality product at a lower price point.

Are ECCO good for your feet?

ECCO Shoes are made on direct injection polyurethane sole units. This is by far the best sole construction method and ECCO is considered to be the innovator of this construction. Direct injection PU soles are lightweight, flexible, hard-wearing, shock-absorbent and long-lasting. These elements make their shoes exceptionally comfortable and supportive for your feet.

Another brand that creates shoes with PU sole units is Legero, which makes gorgeous trainers and boots with superb comfort. One of our exclusive brands IMAC creates superior leather shoes with cushioned lining and hard-wearing polyurethane soles.

Do ECCO shoes last longer?

The construction and materials used in the majority of ECCO Shoes mean that they are immediately at an advantage over many other brands, in terms of longevity. As with all high-quality goods, the better you look after something, the longer they could last, however, if they’ve made with hard wear in mind it helps a lot more.

One of the main reasons for the hard-wearing credentials of the brand is its consistent use of direct injection polyurethane soles. This is a major component of the cost of the shoe, but creates an extremely strong bond between upper and sole, as well as standing up to an immense amount of wear and tear. The really clever thing about this type of construction is that makes it wears well but does not compromise on comfort – after all a concrete block could be seen as hard-wearing. Injection moulded styles are also lightweight, soft and supremely flexible

ECCO is known within the trade for handling the full product supply chain – owning everything from farm to factory. They create and manufacture their own leathers, mostly used in footwear but also supplied to high-end designer handbag makers, which is a testament to the very quality of their leathercraft. Leather is a fantastic material and with proper care, is one of the most durable upper materials available in footwear today.

This has become a major marketing area for ECCO as a brand, and rightly so given some of the beautiful leather products they create. However, you may be wondering does good quality leather make shoes better, or more hard-wearing than any other brand? The answer is that it certainly helps. Ultimately a higher quality leather will look great for longer. Everything from the dyeing process to the leather splitting process in manufacture contributes – with deeper colours, stronger (not necessarily thicker) leathers that have been split fewer times, the upper of a shoe will last longer and be easier to care maintain (covering scuffs).

Are ECCO orthopedic?

Known for their comfort, support and style, it comes as no surprise that ECCO shoes are often recommended by podiatrists. The built-in support around the arch and the heel, along with innovative design and materials make their shoes a very strong contender and we very often recommend them to our customers in stores. The well-placed support encourages your feet into the correct natural alignment, whilst the removable insoles offer room for additional orthotics if required. The most important thing is to find a style and a size that is really well suited to your own foot shape. Even the best-designed shoes, with the finest materials, can be a bit hopeless if they are not the correct size for your foot.

About Hotter Shoes

Hotter is a British brand and manufacturer, best known for creating high-quality replications of styles that are known and loved by many. Their shoes are sometimes made in wider fittings, offering exceptional comfort. Many of our customers will reach for Hotter when looking for a high-quality comfort shoe, and the brand often features in shopping our guide for the best shoes for bunions.

Are Hotter Shoes made in the UK?

Hotter manufactures its footwear here in the UK and has a factory based in Lancashire. They manufacture their own footwear from sketch to shoe and make 1.8 million pairs every year. It is our understanding much some of the initial assembly of components, including leather production is undertaken overseas – as is usually the case in our industry. This means that the UK manufacture of the final article is largely automated. In terms of supporting UK manufacturing, buying from this brand is a very helpful start,  however, we feel it’s worth adding the caveat that ‘Made in the UK’ is maybe not entirely what you would expect.

Are Hotter Shoes Comfortable?

Hotter uses an injection molded construction which is one of the very best in terms of overall comfort and durability. Their ranges are designed to keep your feet in the utmost comfort, it should come as no surprise that Hotter use many of the same construction technologies as ECCO to give your feet the support they need. They base their designs on Fit, Bounce and Flex – so that all their shoes offer a comfy fit, a responsive bounce and light flex.

Are all Hotter shoes leather?

All Hotter shoes are made from leather, though unlike ECCO they do not produce and control the supply chain behind their leathers. Whether it is a smooth leather, soft suede or velvety nubuck, Hotter uses high-quality materials to ensure your comfort and long-lasting style. The linings are made from either leather or high quality man-made materials like microfibre. Hotter cover their insoles in leather or microfibre, so you can be sure of comfort underfoot too. Typically a fully leather lined shoe is the best combination for comfort though sport and outdoor styles require a more grippy, man-made alternative to perform best.

What Are the best alternatives to Ecco Shoes?

For many years as an independent retailer, Begg Shoes has discovered, tried and tested the very best brands in the market. We would highly recommend that you try Legero Shoes for supreme technology, comfort and styling that you can wear happily every day. We find that in terms of everyday fashion and fitting comfort, Legero is currently the best in the business and Begg Shoes offer the biggest independent range from Legero in the UK for that reason.

The other brand which we highly recommend is Womens IMAC Shoes which offers an Italian-made range of comfort fashion footwear, with unrivaled value for money. Fans of Hotter are often drawn by the Italian fashion styling and superior value for money on offer from the IMAC range. Currently, Begg Shoes hold the largest UK range from IMAC including a large number of exclusive styles and colours.

ECCO vs Hotter – Trainers

Here we can see just how similar ECCO and Hotter styling can be, and why they are often confused with one another. The ECCO Soft 7 Lace Zip trainers have a beautifully finished upper which is supple, and the supportive sole will keep your feet feeling happy. The Hotter Chase trainers have a gorgeous metallic upper with a pretty leaf print pattern too, we think they would be lovely with a midi skirt and white t-shirt.

ECCO vs Hotter – Outdoor Walking Shoes

These two walking shoes are great examples of how ECCO and Hotter have added their own individual style, but both deploy the fantastic waterproof and breathable technology of GORE-TEX. The ECCO Xped 3 GTX walking shoes have a robust upper, hard-wearing polyurethane mid-sole and tacky rubber outsole – the best of both grip and hard wear. From a technical walking shoe perspective, this is undoubtedly the superior product, with better tread, grip and technology in its Receptor sole. This all comes at a price – a higher price.

The Hotter Mist GTX Walking shoe represents a simpler and more feminine silhouette, the combination of both smooth leather and nubuck is lovely. It also benefits from having a Gore-Tex membrane, designed to keep your feet 100% dry. The PU outsole will be hard-wearing, light and flexible. The key features here may be all that you need, for a fantastic, reliable dog walking shoe and comes in at a far more attractive price point too.

ECCO vs Hotter – Comfort Lacing Shoe

These styles represent the core, basic offering of each brand and probably represent a battleground for their respective lawyers – undoubtedly some copying going on! If you are looking for something supportive for casual wear, then either of these is a good choice. Offering comfort, casual style and superb quality, these shoes are sure to offer support and relief for your feet. The ECCO Soft 2.0 white shoes are a truly tried and tested style, so much so that we keep getting more colours for our loyal customers! The grey Hotter lacing shoes have a supple leather upper which is breathable and flexible too.

ECCO vs Hotter – Slip On Shoes

Comfy, casual and contemporary, a pair of slip-on shoes are perfect for running errands in style. We think the ECCO Soft 7 Laser pink slip-on shoes would look lovely with a summer dress and the PU sole unit is lightweight and flexible. The soft metallic glow is distinctive and involves more sophisticated manufacturing. Made using laser cutting technology, the for superior detail and definition.

The blue Hotter Daisy E Fit has a gorgeous perforated upper to help increase airflow and the padded collar will feel amazing against your feet. This represents the cheaper route in terms of manufacture, but by no means makes this an inferior product in terms of potential comfort. We would recommend that it’s best try on both and see which fits you better.