r/runningshoes

Looking pretty nice, can’t wait to try them on soon!

I own three pairs of Vomero Plus, two pairs of Vomero 18, two pairs of Vomero Premium, and two pairs of Pegasus 42. I did try several times to convince myself to buy the Pegasus Premiums, but man, the hype about how awful those are is absolutely real and justified.

Having this robust collection of current Nike shoes, “why on earth would I buy their entry level “paired down” version of the Vomero?” That’s what I said to myself every time I saw the Winflo 12 showing up on review sites, always with rather surprisingly positive reviews. After seeing Supwell give the Winflo a glowing review recently, I figured I’d just see what they were all about. I found my pair for $67, so I figured that was a sign from the gods to finally give these a try.

Didn’t get out of the house until later in the day, because of meetings, so I ran in high UV, zero wind, zero cloud cover, 80 degree weather. For us folks from the PNW, it might as well have been 110 degrees out. We are weaklings. Or at least I am. Anyway, it was warm, and I am someone who is always cold, but even I longed for the oncoming fall weather, during this run. 7.7 miles, 7:38 pace (👀👀🔥), hilly and undulating sidewalks and roadways. I wore white Puma running shorts and a very lightweight and light colored Puma running shirt to help keep me cool, and then I stopped paying attention and put on my thick ass black Nike unicorn crew running socks and my non-breathable black Nike Bowerman TC running hat. So some of me stayed cool at least. Good job, me.

Anyway, about 1/4 mile into the run I realized that these shoes are incredibly comfortable and stable feeling. About 1/2 mile into the run I realized that the fit and feel of these shoes is extremely solid and enjoyable. About 1 mile into the run I realized that the midsole felt similar to the Vomero 18 when I first put them on, but they had rather immediately transformed into the type of midsole feel and ride that I had always wished the Vomero 18 would be (squishy but firm enough to absorb any and all shock and impact, and with enough energy return to allow for an enjoyable run experience, but without the unstable feeling bounce that comes from the ZoomX in the Vomero 18’s, and the even more unstable bounce that comes from the version of the foam in the Vomero Plus.

This is the best daily trainer that Nike has right now, y’all. This isn’t me being a contrarian or shit talker, this is facts and logic. This is science. Sub-$70 shoes (obviously on sale, I’m not sure what the regular price is, but I’m assuming they are like $110 max) that are actually good. What a time to be alive. Now that I have said this, I don’t love Nike’s running shoes. As I’ve worked my way through so many shoes and shoe companies, I think Nike is making inferior shoes to the competition at this point, so these shoes are fantastic, and also they are fantastic for Nike’s. So keep that in mind when you see my score.

Fit:
Far and away the most comfortable and easy fitting shoe from Nike that I’ve put on in a long time (maybe ever). The laces are very nice and simple, the upper is a soft but very comfortable and stable mesh with open holes for breathability, and the tongue is very soft and sits in place nicely during the run, without being too thin or too bulbous. I haven’t tried the Structure line, but compared to the Vomero and Pegasus lines, these feel wide and stable like Nike’s basketball shoes. I have a pair of Giannis basketball shoes that I love, and these have a similar feeling fit upon the initial step in and lace up. For some people, they might not immediately feel enough like “running shoes,” but I’m here to tell you that they will function very well from everyday wear, up to slower runs (10mm drop so good for heel strikers and recovery runs), but that midsole (Cushlon 3.0 - my god they really are running out of names for this stuff, aren’t they?) is also firm and responsive enough that you can absolutely take it up a notch for intervals or some speed training.

The Vomero 18 always felt like they should be able to do this same thing, but they always just felt like bricks to me, and like they were lacking that “pop and energy” that we were promised by the nefarious “Big ZoomX lobby”. The Vomero Plus can handle that wide range of uses, but for me they fall flat and the instability of the build and midsole combination just makes me want to choose different shoes for whatever type of running I’m about to do (much better options out there, in all areas).

Ride:
Now that you’ve gotten over these shoes feeling somewhat like basketball shoes and you are starting to run in them, you’ll quickly realize that these are truer daily trainers than anything you’ve seen from Nike in a while. They have the “old school” trainer vibe, and honestly Nike should probably lean back into that space, since the Vomero line has seemed to quickly go pretty stale (other than the novelty of the Premium still holding our collective attention) for many people, and the Pegasus line is just dead. I say that as someone who wears my Pegasus 42’s all the time as regular shoes. Those things are tanks. Would NEVER run in them, but you get my point.

As with the shoes in the Vomero and Pegasus (and theoretically Structure) lines, the Winflo 12’s are great for heel strikers. I am not a heel striker, which is part of why I don’t experience the full joy or benefit of these types of shoes, but even as a midfoot boy, these worked very well. I felt incredibly supported and cushioned with each step, and I never felt any of the instability that exists for me with the 18’s or Vomero Plus.

The only extremely large criticism I have for these shoes is that, just like with the V18’s, these are comically heavy. They are a little lighter than the 18’s, but still unacceptably heavy compared to the competition that exists in the running shoe world these days. It’s the same reason why I absolutely adore my R.A.D. Mallows, but I only wear them as “walkin’ around” shoes at this point. Daily trainers cannot be 280 grams or higher for Men’s Size 8.5’s. They cannot be 270 or higher, for that matter. I can handle something in the 255-265 range, but once you creep up near 300 grams, you really start to feel that weight in your legs over time. So while these were a surprising joy to run in, my legs felt similarly to how they always felt after a 7+ mile run in the V18’s, and that feeling is dead-tired.

If New Balance, ADIDAS, ASICS, Saucony, and pretty much all of Nike’s direct competitors can produce similarly stacked daily trainers that are 50-60 grams lighter, it’s a pretty clear indication that Nike needs to figure something out.

Overall thoughts on the Nike Winflo 12:
These really did surprise me, even after reading and seeing all of the hype about them. These are considered to be “entry level” running shoes for Nike, and I think it’s really cool that people who aren’t sending themselves into financial ruin from buying tons of $200 pairs of running shoes, can scoop these up for under $100 and have real, high functioning daily trainers. That’s important. So yeah, it’s crazy that these are better functioning shoes than the Vomeros or the Pegasus, but also good job to Nike for not just making their budget shoes the crappy versions of something else.

These are their own thing, and while they share some traits with the Vomero 18’s, the added stability and (in my opinion) superior midsole that the Winflo 12’s possess, make them not only the best value in the Nike shoe game right now, but they are also the best shoe for your daily runs, in general. Hell yeah, Nike.

Score: 7.9/10

Order of best current trainers from Nike:

Winflo 12
Vomero Plus
Vomero 18
Pegasus Plus
Pegasus 42

Also I did include someone else’s picture from the run I did for Rose Endurance this last weekend, since I didn’t get any of my own, and I wanted to remind everyone that I’m an actual human person and not AI like that one guy said. 💪😂

My Shins have been acting up recently and I'm not certain if it's because I've increased my milage too fast or if I overpronate or underpronate. Does this wear pattern provide any insight? Shoes are NewBalance 1080 with 500km on them.

I was skeptical of these right up until the moment I ran in them for the first time today. Even pulling them out of the box and trying them on for the first time, I didn't like the laces, the wide flare at the top of the tongue, the flimsy insoles. I swapped in a Currex arch support insole and that made a big difference. I envisioned these as more of a daily trainer than a speed shoe, but I set a PB 10k in these without even realizing it until my run was over. I was absolutely flying, and my legs feel as fresh as can be. And from what I've read, the foam only gets better as you break them in. These are like those Chinese EV's that are better than ours for a fraction of the price. I'm really excited to see what else they can do - my initial impression is there's probably not much they can't. Believe the hype.

I’m posting this because I’m genuinely disappointed with my experience with the ASICS Superblast 3 and would love to hear if anyone else has faced something similar.

The sole on my Superblast 3 started coming apart (see the first 2 images) after the very first run (~10KMs). I sent the shoes back to the retailer, but after inspection, I was told that there isn't any manufacturing defect but a “cosmetic issue” and there shouldn't be any performance issues. The shoes were returned to me with adhesive applied to the affected area.

Unfortunately, the problem didn’t end there.

With less than 100 km on the shoes, the foam has now been damaged as well. I contacted the retailer again, and their explanation was that the sole had brushed against the edge of a treadmill, which caused the damage to the foam. They consider this external damage and therefore unrelated to the durability of the shoe (see the last 2 images)

What makes this particularly frustrating is that I have two other pairs (Asics Novablast 4 and Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3) both nearing 1000kms, and significant portion of those kilometres were also on the same treadmill, and neither shoe has experienced anything remotely similar.

I’ve actually loved the Novablast 4, which is why this experience with the Superblast 3 has been especially disappointing. It’s difficult to reconcile the durability of a shoe I’ve previously loved with what I’m seeing on these Superblasts.

I’d just like to understand whether this is considered normal wear/damage for the Superblast 3, or whether I’ve ended up with a defective pair.

Has anyone else experienced similar sole/foam issues with the Superblast 3? And if so, how did ASICS or the retailer handle it?

Would especially appreciate hearing from anyone who has dealt with ASICS India on a similar warranty claim.

Oh hello again, friends. Just got back from a lovely long weekend in LA, where I went to the Sound and Fury festival, and also amassed five fantastic LA-centric runs.

One of those runs was a “coolest 5k run opportunity of my life” through DTLA, with Rose Endurance (for their Terror merch collaboration, for which I bought one of every item…my poor wallet) and a bunch of important people from the hardcore music world (wore On Cloudmonster 3 Hypers). Very, very cool experience.

Another run was a gorgeous 5.2 miles along the Santa Monica Pier area (wore Puma Deviate Pure Nitro - my very favorite bright-hot-red colorway - these are the shoes I get the most compliments on whenever I wear them in public, which I normally wear as “everyday walkin’ around” shoes).

One was a 7.2 mile run from Exposition Park back to my hotel in Hollywood (wore On Cloudmonster 3 Hypers again). It was 74 degrees, partly cloudy, a nice little breeze, and just perfect weather to run across town. Several strangers gave me genuine, non-sarcastic high fives as I ran by them. California people are nicer than us PNW people. That’s a fact. Here, people usually just look at you like you are a weirdo for running in public.

The other two were both runs from my hotel up to Griffith Observatory and back. Honestly planned on doing something different that last day, but holy hell that’s a fun, gorgeous, and uniquely LA run, so I did just do it twice. Each time I went for 7.8 miles and wore my black New Balance 1080v15’s, and each time I was just more impressed with those damn things. Honestly mad that it took me so long to give them an actual shot. That Infinion foam is something special, y’all. But you all already knew this fact. I was the last to the party.

Anyway, today we are talking about another shoe brand that I have slept on, and regret not checking out much sooner. The VENTUS 2 from 361°.

I knew nothing about this brand until I saw an ad on Instagram, and it wasn’t even for this model. I think the ad was for the Miro, which got my attention because that’s a damn good looking shoe. After checking out their website, I knew I wanted to give them a try, and I debated between the ELEOS 2 and the VENTUS 2, and I was sold by the VENTUS’s dual foam midsole, with the CQT EXTREM3 supercritical PEBA foam on top, which they claimed would give the shoe some extra pop and then their “standard” Primo foam on the bottom to help absorb the beating and allow for longer and smoother runs. Seems like the ELEOS 2 is meant to be a more “regular” daily trainer, and the VENTUS is the upgraded model with more performance-based cushioning and geometry, and two midsole foams, rather than one? I’m still learning about them myself, so correct me if you know more than me. The insole is also their “Comfort Foam” and is aimed at “moisture management and breathability,” so yeah, they have all of the right buzzwords in their marketing. Also they are almost the same price, so I figured I might as well get the “premium, but still reasonably priced” option.

The other thing that sold me on giving these a shot is that they talk a lot about their “Comfort Pressure-Free” tongue, midfoot lockdown build, and smooth, plush foam padding in the heel collar, that helps maintain stability and comfort for long runs. After all of my lace bite injury trauma thanks to Hoka’s Speedgoat 7’s, and ankle and heel injury trauma from Adidas Hyperboost Edges (still sad about that, because the shoe was fun as hell to run in) I figured that these shoes looked interesting and had enough potential, that they’d be worth me trying out a lesser known/smaller brand for the first time.

Today’s run was 7.1 miles throughout my neighborhood (you know, hilly and undulating) in a partly cloudy 66 degree morning. I moved so much this weekend that I had planned on only going about 5 miles today, but the shoes felt so good that I just kept on a-goin’. 7:58 pace, and that came with feeling like I was taking it very easy. For me, usually the cushioned, long run shoes take a little bit of oomph and effort to average under 8-minutes per mile over 7+ miles, but these felt like a dream underfoot, and I felt stable and energetically moving forward the whole time. No heel sink on these (looking at you, UFOs, SB3s and Atmos 2s).

Fit:
Yeah that micro-elastic mesh upper is incredibly comfortable and lightweight. I first thought the shoes looked a little narrow, but once they were on foot they were extremely comfortable and stable, while still stretchy and forgiving enough that I had zero complaints at all. The build quality is exemplary, and these felt so secure on my feet, while also truly having that “I can run for a long-ass time in these” feeling, which usually comes at the expense of a secure lockdown for me. Having that stable feeling and also the feeling of lightness and breathability…chef’s kiss as far as my ideal type of fit, right there.

The other key to the comfort and feeling of security and stability is that tongue. Very soft and also long and large enough that it snugly covers the upper portion of the foot very nicely, but remains softly supportive, instead of digging in or feeling like it is getting in the way. The tongue description is what sold me on these shoes, and it lived up to the damn hype, y’all. Perfectly comfortable up top. Perfect half marathon “comfy boy” shoes, in my opinion.

Ride:
I realize that everyone is using ultra-advanced foams in the midsoles these days, but whatever is going on here in this foam combination, is something special. Walking around in my house, they felt like nice light, springy, comfortable and stable shoes, but the minute I started running, they kicked into gear and the performance element of these shoes really took over. That top layer is ASICS Megablast-ish, and that bottom layer is Tracksmith Eliot Ryder-ish, which is a damn glorious feeling underfoot.

I love an 8mm drop, and the weight is pretty low for shoes that can handle long cruising, but to be honest I am a stack snob (or so I thought) and I am generally not very interested in shoes that have “2” at the beginning of stack height number for the forefoot of the shoe. A 34mm/42mm stack? Oh hell yeah. 45mm in the heel? Now you’re talking.

I realized that I hadn’t even looked at the stack height on these at all before buying them, so I was shocked after my run today, when I finally read that they are 27mm/35mm in stack height. No wonder they felt so nimble and “quick” to me. That midsole kept me from feeling any ground noise at all, which is how I like it. I like cushion and I like to feel like I’m floating a bit, and these shoes absolutely provided that, but with a significant increase in stability and the actual ability to turn and change directions. Wait, is that why my wife likes lower stack heights? Have I just been incorrectly assuming she’s a crazy person? My world is suddenly upside down, thanks to these shoes. Anyway, apparently you can have excellent cushioning and minimal ground feel, and also not need a 55mm stack height in the heel. You learn something new everyday, folks. 🤷

These shoes felt quick, nimble, stable, plush, and sustaining for the entirety of my run. I only went 7.1 in them, but I can already tell that these are truly perfect non-plated half marathon shoes; especially if you want something different than what everyone else is wearing, or if you want to run in something fun and new feeling. They are unique in both function and visual appearance, and for a non-big brand, that’s very exciting.

Wear these to your run club and watch Sheila stare daggers of jealousy at you, until you are a few miles in, and she’s way behind you. To be fair she is wearing her Evo SL’s and has rolled her ankles 600 times.

Final thoughts on the VENTUS 2 from 361°:
Generally, I put these in the same larger category as the New Balance 1080v15, Saucony Triumph 24, and the Mizuno Wave Rider 30. Very cushioned, stable, and geared towards solid and comfy daily miles. That said, they also have an impressive amount of “get up and go,” similar to the Saucony Endorphin Azura or the ASICS Novablast 6, due to that snappier top foam. THEN, add in the fact that these can very clearly function for longer runs and maintain their integrity and comfort, both in the upper and underfoot, and we are seeing shades of Mount to Coast C1 or On Cloudmonster 3 Hyper in there as well. These aren’t quite to that level, but they offer a phenomenal level of legitimate competition to all of these fantastic aforementioned options.

If you want to try something new, and experience something that is familiar in all the right ways, but also unique enough that it’s well worth the very competitive $160 price point, I literally cannot recommend these highly enough. Am officially a fan of this brand. I did it. Go me.

Score: 9.1/10
One of the best daily trainer-to-long-run-handling shoes of the year

Very excited to review these ones for y’all!

I have the 361 Ventus 2 review coming today, the Nike Winflo 12 coming tomorrow (allegedly the secret best Nike running shoe right now?), and the Veloci Featherweight coming next week. Stay tuned.

Hey everyone,

This is my Asics Gel cumulus 28 in US8/UK7.. Does the fit look good or is it big for my foot? I have sized up on this shoe as Puma Velocity Nitro 4 US7.5/Uk6.5 have caused me blisters sometimes after long runs.

So it is okay for a running shoe to have this much gap at front?

I am a runner with 50 miles per week average. The shoe I had been using for my easy recovery runs (usually 3 runs every week) had got enough miles on and needed to be replaced. I was planing to get a new pair over the weekend. Yesterday a friend gifted me a brand new asics gel kinsei blast and it made my day. I know its an old model probably 2021 but this pair is still new.

I did 5 miles on them this morning (it was a kind of tempo run by mistake. I should have done a slower easy paced run on that but the new shoe made me excited lol) and the shoes performed OK. Neither too good nor too bad so I am in a fix.

I was wondering and seeking some guidance whether i can keep using these gel kinsei for my recovery runs or should I get something else like I was planning before of Nimbus 28 or Nike vomero plus?

Attaching a photo too

What can cause such a difference in wear on single pair of boots?

I’ve owned my super blast 3 for about 3 months and have put 367 miles on them. I loved all the changes from the previous model however they changed the durability of the shoe significantly. I got 535 miles out of the SB2.

Been using Nike, Adidas and Asics shoes and I got hold of the Anta Zone 2. Ang sarap niya gamitin! Dare I say favorite ko now over my Vomero Plus, SB3. Kapalitan lang niya for now is Megablast and AP4. Pero ang versatile gamitin and kahit easy/tempo ang dali niya pangtakbo.

Any other chinese branded shoes na ok gamitin? Will like to hear your suggestions!

New balance fuel cell super comp trainer with less than 250 miles on them.
This is the strangest wear I’ve ever seen in a shoe. Before anyone comments about form or weight I am an elite level runner and I weigh 119lbs.

Perfect for a pack of emergency gel perhaps?