Changing shoes

Hi, when it comes to changing shoes, what's the general consensus on changing brands?

is it better to swap brands every now & again to keep things fresh? 

is there really any difference?

i'm on my 2nd pair of asics 1170's, and have plenty of time before it's time to choose, but the question's been in my mind.

Cheers

Neil

Its a personal choice - I used to stick religiously to the Asics 2000 series (with a pair of DS Trainers for faster stuff) but I was tempted to look for something different as I was finding the last couple of pairs of the 2000 series had been rubbing on my big toe.  I picked up a pair of Saucony Mirage in an online sale, and they immediately felt more comfortable (I always had a breaking-in period with the Asics) and are now my preferred choice.

Probably not the most sensible approach as I couldn't try on the Mirage before buying them, but it worked for me.  After this I'm a little more open to trying new shoes, but it will always carry a small risk.  However there's also a slight risk to sticking with the same shoe as most brands tweak them each year, so its possible that the tweaks will make the shoe wrong for you.