Fiona Parry
Reviewed: 08 December 2010
(W) LIGHT, FLEXIBLE AND FAST, WITH GREAT SHOCK ABSORPTION FOR SUCH A LIGHTWEIGHT SHOE
Incredibly light and flexible for a "cushioned" shoe (only 10g (4%) heavier than the Wave Precision racing shoe)
"Wave" mechanism provides excellent shock absorption
Very responsive
The "wave" cushioning mechanism can get clogged with mud, but didn't seem to affect cushioning performance dramatically
I haven't had them long enough to know, but the wave mechanism looks like it could be subject to fatigue failure after pounding out a lot of miles
This review relates to the women's version of the shoe.
When I first put these shoes on, I couldn't believe that they were Mizuno's top-of-the-range 'cushioned' shoe. Incredibly light (almost as light as my Adidas racing flats), and feeling very firm underfoot (compared with my Asics Cumulus Shoes), I was sceptical about the shock absorbing capabilities of the shoe. In fact, I resisted running in them for a few weeks, as I was just coming back from a severe over-use lower leg injury.
I need not have been so cautious.
Instead of the shock-absorption in the shoe being absorbed by materials (as in the Asics Gel range), the "Wave" technology provides cushioning through a specially engineered wave-shaped insert in the sole, which acts like a set of successive springs to control the impact of the foot hitting the road. This enables the shoe to be incredibly light and responsive without compromising shock absorption.
The wave has become my major training shoe, and I even use it for faster road work and for up to 1500m pace track sessions. My racing flats are more or less redundant these days!
The shoes do come up slightly small (I am a 4.5 - 5.0 and the size 5 is snug), so I would recommend trying them first to get the best fit.
