Chuck Taylor All Star Cx Exp2 4.5 Men A07199C vs F-Fly Max Men's Shoes: which is safer?

Converse Chuck Taylor All Star Cx Exp2 4.5 Men A07199C is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.

Our pick

Converse Chuck Taylor All Star Cx Exp2 4.5 Men A07199C

Converse

Chuck Taylor All Star Cx Exp2 4.5 Men A07199C

PFAS grade

Good 65/100

Overall grade

Good 57/100

Verdict

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Hazard flags

⚑ 2

Material

Canvas upper, rubber sole

Confidence

72%

PossibleAzo dyes in canvas

PossibleFormaldehyde resin finishing on canvas

Inov-8 F-Fly Max Men's Shoes

Inov-8

F-Fly Max Men's Shoes

PFAS grade

Bad 20/100

Overall grade

Bad 0/100

Verdict

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Hazard flags

⚑ 5

Material

Synthetic textile upper with unspecified waterproof coating

Confidence

35%

PossibleFormaldehyde-releasing resins in synthetic textile finishes

PossibleAzo dyes in colored synthetics

ReportedWaterproof coating degradation and unknown leachables

Where these two actually differ

  • We flag Azo dyes in canvas and Formaldehyde resin finishing on canvas on the Converse and not on the Inov-8.
  • We flag Formaldehyde-releasing resins in synthetic textile finishes, Azo dyes in colored synthetics, Waterproof coating degradation and unknown leachables and Formaldehyde releasers in synthetic textile dyeing and printing on the Inov-8 and not on the Converse.
  • The Converse is Canvas upper, rubber sole where the Inov-8 is Synthetic textile upper with unspecified waterproof coating, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
  • The gap is 45 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the Converse is the one to buy.
  • We are less certain about the Inov-8 grade, at 35% confidence against 72%, because it discloses less.

Both products run through the same public rubric: materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls, plus a beyond-PFAS hazard analysis. Grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests. How grades work →

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