Latest Reviews
 |  | | Posted: 17/06/12 | | 'Brilliant!' | | Strengths:
Heel cushioning. Fast and smooth transition. Upper fit is snug yet comfy. No heel slippage. Discrete but effective stability. Feels faster and less shoe than competitors with similar stability. | | Weaknesses:
Utterly perplexed at the RW review - sounds like a different shoe!
Flex controllers can sometimes be felt through the forefoot midsole, creating sore spots on the ball of the foot. Needs more insulation over the flex controllers, or delete them from the next model. IMO they're uneccesary | | Overall:
Takes the best elements of Inspire 6 and the few good ones from Inspire 7 and combines them in a shoe superior to both. For the stability provided, the Inspire 8 feels light, lively and well cushioned in the heel. My foot strike varies from heel to midfoot and the Inspire 8 caters for both equally well.
I have over 400km on mine and the cushioning is still as-new and the sole looks approx half-worn.
Almost a faultless running shoe. |
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| | | | Fit | | 100% | | Responsiveness | | 100% | | Cushioning | | 80% | | Comfort | | 100% | | Breathability | | 100% | | Durability | | 100% | | Value | | 100% |
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| | | Posted: 09/10/11 | | 'A Cracking Shoe' | | Strengths:
Great cushion, front & rear. Very smooth, natural feeling transition. Light(-ish). Very good stability without feeling clunky. | | Weaknesses:
AP foam not the most durable and loses it's cushioning properties sooner than other brands. | | Overall:
Brilliant shoe for light to moderate over-pronators. |
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| | | | Fit | | 100% | | Responsiveness | | 100% | | Cushioning | | 80% | | Comfort | | 100% | | Breathability | | 80% | | Durability | | 40% | | Value | | 80% |
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| | | Posted: 20/06/11 | | 'Oh dear....Mizuno have really lost the plot - both Inspire and Nirvana.' | | Strengths:
Umm....they look nice and apparently are very durable (although I'll never find out). Very breathable upper materials. | | Weaknesses:
Heavy. Clunky ride. Lack of cushioning. No road feel at all. High heel collar irritates my ankle bone similar to Inspire 7. | | Overall:
I bought these to replace a pair of Inspire 7s I couldn't wear due to pain caused by the high and tight heel collar. These are little better, despite feeling fine in the shop.
I really can't see the point of this shoe - it has a very thick midsole and props the foot high off the ground, yet they're as hard as rocks. It's not as if the midsole depth provides any cushion. There is no road feel, so I feel like I'm running on bricks. The upper fit is nice in the front and midfoot, but too tall around the ankle. Also the shoe's exaggerated toe upturn means one's toes are never flat in the shoe - always turned up and "pre-loaded", which can play havoc with some people's plantar fascia.
My Kayano 17s and Inspire 6s feel like heaven compared to these.
BTW, I'm 73kg and 173cm. |
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| | | | Fit | | 40% | | Responsiveness | | 20% | | Cushioning | | 20% | | Comfort | | 40% | | Breathability | | 80% | | Durability | | 80% | | Value | | 40% |
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| | | Posted: 27/04/11 | | 'Beware' | | Strengths:
Good heel cushion and improved forefoot cushion with more resilient AP+ foam. Stable. | | Weaknesses:
The heel counter is narrower than the 6 and consequently gives me heel blisters.
The very high and tight heel collar cuts deeply under my ankle bone causing severe pain. | | Overall:
My all-time favourite running shoe is the Inspire 6, yet I cannot wear the 7. It is a much changed shoe and is not at all like its predecessor. I went to buy Nirvana 7s but was talked into the Inspire 7s by the shop. Money wasted. I simply cannot wear the 7s, as they cripple me. |
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| | | | Fit | | 20% | | Responsiveness | | 60% | | Cushioning | | 80% | | Comfort | | 20% | | Breathability | | 100% | | Durability | | 60% | | Value | | 20% |
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| | | Posted: 21/04/11 | | 'Firm and supportive' | | Strengths:
Lovely fit. Unobtrusive stability. Lovely smooth characteristic Mizuno transition. Breathable. Durable. | | Weaknesses:
Just too firm for comfort. | | Overall:
A good shoe, but too firm in the heel for my weight (72kg). Probably a brilliant shoe for a 85kg+ over-pronator. I much prefer my Wave Inspire 6s because they have the same smooth transition, almost fit as well but are much better cushioned. |
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| | | | Fit | | 100% | | Responsiveness | | 100% | | Cushioning | | 40% | | Comfort | | 40% | | Breathability | | 100% | | Durability | | 100% | | Value | | 80% |
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| | | Posted: 01/03/11 | | 'A revelation after the 16s, which bruised and blistered my heels. The 17 is vastly improved. No blisters.' | | Strengths:
Like a dog returning to its vomit I took a chance on the 17 after the utterly disastrous 16. What a pleasant surprise! The 17 has brilliant forefoot cushioning, much better fit and much improved comfort over the 16. Also the 17 has a smoother transition due to the lower heel-to-toe drop & softer forefoot. It now rolls through the transition smoothly rather than slapping like the 16 did. The 17 breathes better - feet don't get sweaty like the 16s. | | Weaknesses:
None that I've discovered. | | Overall:
Could not be happier - this is a vastly improved shoe over the 16. The changes look small, but the net effect is large. |
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| | | | Fit | | 100% | | Responsiveness | | 80% | | Cushioning | | 100% | | Comfort | | 100% | | Breathability | | 60% | | Durability | | 100% | | Value | | 80% |
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| | | Posted: 14/08/10 | | 'Brilliant shoe!' | | Strengths:
Cushion, stability, fit, feel & comfort | | Weaknesses:
Pricey | | Overall:
The only issue I can see with this shoe is Brooks' placing it alongside the Adrenaline 10 as a moderate to maximum stability shoe. I have the Adrenaline 10, Trance 9 & Infinity 2 and the Trance 9 is much closer to the Infinity 2 in the stability spectrum than the Adrenaline 10. I could imagine runners looking for moderate to maximum stability would be disappointed by the Trance 9, but for those looking for light to moderate stability this shoe is a sensation in my opinion.
I've ranked the shoe's durability as "good" based on the fact the materials appear to be of similar high quality to my Infinity 2's which have worn well. |
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| | | | Fit | | 80% | | Responsiveness | | 100% | | Cushioning | | 100% | | Comfort | | 100% | | Breathability | | 100% | | Durability | | 80% | | Value | | 60% |
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| | | Posted: 19/07/10 | | 'Good shoe' | | Strengths:
Flat profile good for preventing late-stage pronation;
Great road feel from firm forefoot at toe-off;
High quality materials;
Good stability | | Weaknesses:
Ride feels a bit clunky - not very fluid. Forefoot and heel feel like they're from two different shoes. Almost feels like Brooks added another layer of cushion in the forefoot but forgot to adjust the heel correspondingly. Agree the heel is a bit sloppy. Bit too pricey for the performance and fit. | | Overall:
A stable, durable, high quality shoe. Feels flat, low and quite stable. |
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| | | | Fit | | 60% | | Responsiveness | | 60% | | Cushioning | | 80% | | Comfort | | 80% | | Breathability | | 60% | | Durability | | 80% | | Value | | 60% |
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| | | Posted: 19/07/10 | | 'Blisters!' | | Strengths:
Great cushion in forefoot and heel;
Latest version of asymetrical lacing provides a snug fit without pressure points;
Alleviates my tibial compartment syndrome (shin splints) | | Weaknesses:
Heel counter causes blisters & bruising | | Overall:
What on Earth were Asics thinking? The rock hard, narrow heel counter of this shoe wraps into the sole underneath the heel on the medial side. With each step it feels like a hard, sharp object is protruding into the inside of my heel causing bruising and blisters from hell. |
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| | | | Fit | | 100% | | Responsiveness | | 80% | | Cushioning | | 100% | | Comfort | | 20% | | Breathability | | 80% | | Durability | | 80% | | Value | | 40% |
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| | | Posted: 19/07/10 | | 'Stable but not controlling' | | Strengths:
Feels low and stable - provides good road feel;
Great heel cushioning, OK forefoot cushioning;
Great for late-stage pronation.
Provides good stability without feeling clunky or controlling;
Brilliant fit - in particular the heel collar | | Weaknesses:
None | | Overall:
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| | | | Fit | | 100% | | Responsiveness | | 80% | | Cushioning | | 80% | | Comfort | | 100% | | Breathability | | 80% | | Durability | | 80% | | Value | | 80% |
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