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DazTheSlug

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1 to 9 of 9 reviews.

Garmin Forerunner 50

Posted: 02/06/10

'Nearly a Great Bit Of Kit!'

Strengths:
Price - I bought the watch only from USA off eBay for £12 inc s/h!
Look/Feel - Stylish design - nice size - good build quality - nice large/clear display
100 Lap Memory

Weaknesses:
Eats Batteries
Battery Ludicrously Difficult To Replace
Stop/Start Button easy to press by accident

Overall:
re Battery Life: I don't have the hrm/footpod/antstick and it flatted a new battery in 4 months - it was indicating "Battery Low" after 3 months, so at that point you're loathe to go out with it for an important sesh in case it packs up half way round.

re Battery Replacement: think it was designed as a bet to see what the longest possible time was that could be taken to replace a battery - I actually managed it in 25 minutes last night, but I've had plenty of practice!

re Stop/Start Button: positioned in middle of front edge, and only light touch required to trigger it. If you're wearing a long-sleeved top and/or gloves, it's VERY easy to accidentally stop/restart/restop... etc...etc... which screws up all your splits/display - again, if you wanted to design a worse Stop/Start button you'd be hard pushed.

Overall: I bought it mainly cos it was the cheapest watch i could find with such a large Lap Memory, which is my main concern.
It looks/feels great, and when it's working smoothly it's perfect for my needs.
The Battery Life and the Stop/Start Button are VERY frustrating - I'm learning ways to cope cos I'm lumbered, but wouldn't recommend it to anybody else.

Set-Up		60%
Functionality		20%
Accuracy		100%
Features		100%
Value		100%

Overall Rating

76%

Mizuno Wave Harrier

Posted: 12/11/08

'PERFECT GENERAL-PURPOSE OFF-ROADER'

Strengths:
Comfy, Good Grip, Drain Well, Cushioning.

Weaknesses:
er... bit heavy... can't do TOO much road... take a long time to dry out - all minor points though.

Overall:
Harriers are now my "shoe of choice" for all my off-road running needs - I have 2 pairs on the go at all times: a "clapped out" pair for general training/trogging about, and a newer pair for racing/serious training.
They are basically the perfect compromise shoe for me: good enough grip/low enough profile to act as an out-and-out fell shoe, but with enough cushioning for the odd stretch of road or hard trail.
Also, price-wise, they get discounted more so than fell shoes :o)

Performance		100%
Comfort		100%
Value		100%

Overall Rating

100%

Feet in the Clouds: A Tale of Fell-Running and Obsession by Richard Askwith

Posted: 22/11/07

'BORROW A COPY, AND READ ONCE'

Strengths:
Good record of early history of fell-running;
some very funny/entertaining passages.

Weaknesses:
Lack of focus.

Overall:
Not very well written as a book.
Laying down some of the "old-time" history was a job well done, although the so-called "interviews" with the legendary figures were disappointingly thin/uninformative and, as such, seemed a lost opportunity.
Some of the individual passages read very well as journalistic pieces - you can imagine them in Sunday-supplement or in-flight magazines - and are very funny/entertaining.
However, as a book, it seemed rather contrived and messy - there didn't seem to be an overall "point" to it.
The "bitty" nature of it helps to make it a "page turner" though, and it's definitely worth borrowing a copy, and reading it once.

Readability		80%
Usefulness		60%
Value		80%

Overall Rating

73%

Saucony GRID Triumph 3

Posted: 29/03/07

'PERFECT LONG RUN SHOE'

Strengths:
Monstrously cushioned and comfortable.

Weaknesses:
None really, just a few MINOR gripes:
(the bright-blueness referred to by earlier reviewer!)
(not exactly a "performance" shoe - but that's not what they're intended for)
(expensive - but hey, you get what you pay for)

Overall:
Took only a couple of 6-8M runs to break them in, then it was straight into 10-12M long runs with no probs.
Very comfy and cushioned.
Not a shoe to be doing speed-intervals in, but not the point. Have given them 5/5 for "Performance" on the basis of how they perform at what they're intended to do.
Just ran my longest distance ever (Coniston 14) in them, and suffered no ill effects whatsoever afterwards.
I even managed to fine mine for £45 on eBay :o)
I would definitely choose to get these again in the future, but would be loath to shell out £80-90 (miserly skinflint that I am).

Performance		100%
Comfort		100%
Value		60%

Overall Rating

87%

Saucony Grid Trigon 3 Ride

Posted: 05/12/06
Updated: 01/02/07

'DISAPPOINTING - NOT AS GOOD AS THE TRIGON 2'

Strengths:
Good Value (can be obtained for £35 online!)

Weaknesses:
Inflexible;
Take ages to break in;
Too stable!;
Lack of grip off-road.

[Update 01/02/07] I've logged 75 miles in them now, and the comfort is much better - they lace up easier/snugger and don't hurt/blister my feet any more.

Overall:
My old Trigon 2's were some of my fave shoes ever - ultra-comfy and with the famous triangluar-lugged outsole for good grip off-road.
The 3's are a tremendous disappointment - they feel very harsh and inflexible - not as much padding around the heel and tongue;
They are causing blistering on my arches, and leave red marks on the tops of my feet.
The lacing system is very stiff, and difficult to get them to lace up comfortably at all (again in MARKED contrast to the 2's)/.
It is possible that the comfort will improve with a few more miles of breaking in (might report back);

The famous plain black rubber triangular-lugged outsole that was one of the main attractions of the 2-series has GONE - the triangular bits are buried in a generally smooth sole that is next to useless off-road.

The cushioning on the forefoot is thickly built-up on the inside of the foot - effectively like a "stability" measure to counteract pronation - this is what I would've expected on the "Guide" variety, but I have the "Ride"! It is really weird having the shoes trying to throw you onto the outside edges of your foot-strike, when I naturally run like that anyway! These are supposed to be for a neutral runner... AREN'T THEY?

They're still not ACTUALLY that bad - just a huge disappointment after the 2's - I hope the 4's re-address these issues, or I will be switching my allegiance to Mizuno...

[Update 01/02/07] If you're prepared for a prolonged wear-in period, they're fine.
I'm still disappointed by the poor grip off-road, but am now happy using them for my bog-standard, medium distance road runs.

Performance		60%
Comfort		60%
Value		80%

Overall Rating

67%

Inov-8 Mudroc 290

Posted: 23/10/06

'LOVE THEM ALREADY!'

Strengths:
Like the last reviewer said: UNBELIEVABLE Grip; Very Comfy; Quick/Comfortable/Secure Lacing-Up; Nice Colour; Did I mention the GRIP?!

Weaknesses:
Lack of cushioning makes them rather "slappy" on harder/rockier trails/paths;
tongue is not gusseted;
not suitable for road-running.

Overall:
I've only worn these 3 times, but already feel I know them well enough to review.
Was worried by some reviewers mentioning heel blistering, and they did feel a bit weird when I first put them on with their low heel profile, but they lace-up so snugly on my feet that I'll be amazed if I ever get any blisters of any sort off these.
I was a bit surprised that the tongue wasn't gusseted, but the snug fit stops any junk getting in anyway.
The grip is absolutely STAGGERING. The only thing they've slipped on has been a couple of tree-roots, but that was mainly my fault for stopping looking where I was treading BECAUSE I TRUSTED THE SHOES SO MUCH.
The lack of cushioning means that they wouldn't be good for longer runs on harder trails, and the studded sole is unsuitable for roads, but that's obviously not what they're intended for.
I've only just started dabbling in off-road running, and I'm delighted to have found such a "forget-what-you've-got-on-your-feet" pair of shoes at my first attempt!

Performance		100%
Comfort		100%
Value		80%

Overall Rating

93%

Mizuno Wave Creation

Posted: 31/07/06

'GOOD BLEND OF CUSHIONING AND SPEED'

Strengths:
I usually find Mizuno's to be a bit "hard" for my liking, and usually only use them for faster runs of up to 5k, but these are sufficiently cushioned that I will use them up to 10k, and for "easy" runs as well.
Very comfortable, with no need even to be worn in.

Weaknesses:
Early signs of wear on some of the "marshmallowy" bits on the sole, as well as the mesh upper, which don't bode well for durability.

Overall:
If you can find them cheaper than £90 (found mine for £45 on eBay), would recommend as a good "blend of everything" shoe.

Performance		80%
Comfort		80%
Value		60%

Overall Rating

73%

New Balance 844

Posted: 31/07/06

'NO NONSENSE'

Strengths:
Extremely comfortable straight out of the box - didn't need any wearing in. Good cushioning. Excellent value for money (found for £35 on MandM).

Weaknesses:
As previous reviewer said, the lacing system is very basic, but if you don't need anything complicated, it does the job.
Sole lacks a bit of grip for wet/off-road conditions.

Overall:
Excellent everyday shoe for basic mileage.

Performance		60%
Comfort		100%
Value		80%

Overall Rating

80%

Saucony Grid Trigon 2

Posted: 31/05/06

'VERY COMFY'

Strengths:
Wide forefoot. Perfect fit!

Weaknesses:
Took a couple of weeks to break in (minor blisters and stiff laces);
Not QUITE as durable as I was expecting.

Overall:
Ive got the Durable version, but I seem to remember the Trigon 1 felt either more cushioned initially, or lasted better.

Saucony seem to be the best fit for my feet, and once worn in they are so comfortable that I don't even know I've got them on!

Perfect "everyday" shoe.

Performance		60%
Comfort		100%
Value		80%

Overall Rating

80%

See entire review section


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