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The Ultimate Super Shoe Tier List (40 Chinese and Western Competitors) — Transcript

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0:00All right, today we're going to be doing
0:01a tier list of every single super shoe
0:03that I've tried from both the western
0:04and Chinese markets. I've tried a lot of
0:06super shoes. Honestly, I think I would
0:08have one of the more diverse collections
0:10uh in general. So, I'm pretty keen to
0:12share my experience, give you a bit of a
0:14ranking of each of the shoes based on
0:16their raw performance. We're going to
0:17try to take away the price point
0:19arguments, the value arguments today,
0:21and just make it all about how good
0:23these shoes feel and whether they feel
0:25like they're going to give you that leg
0:26up, that kind of assistance for your
0:29races. I've got S through to D tier
0:31here. We've taken away E and F. I've
0:33expanded out A and B because I
0:35anticipate there being a lot of shoes
0:36which are sitting in that general area.
0:38And we're going to go through bring out
0:40these uh super shoes blind. So, I'm not
0:42actually going to know the order and
0:43we're just going to rank them. Yeah. off
0:45the dome, give you my impressions, and
0:48yeah, hopefully that should be
0:50interesting. Quick run through of what I
0:51think each of the tiers mean. S tier is
0:53like next level. It's like, you know,
0:55pretty much perfect, big booming ride,
0:57something that really feels like it
0:59unlocks a next level of performance.
1:01Easy example would be something like a
1:02fast. A tier is like top tier. You know,
1:06you've kind of reached the level where
1:07everyone respects you um and you can
1:10kind of expect to get a good race out of
1:12it. Um, but maybe it doesn't have that
1:14next gear that the S tier does. B tier
1:16is probably leaning more into the
1:18comfort side of things. Maybe it's a bit
1:19more stable. Maybe it has a little bit
1:21of extra weight. Easy example of a Btier
1:23super shoe would be an Endorphin Pro 4.
1:26Ctier, we're looking at something which
1:28is only just better than a speed
1:29trainer. So maybe it has full super
1:31foam, but it's not the best super foam.
1:33Maybe it's a little bit clunky, a little
1:35bit heavy. Um, but you know, it's still
1:37going to offer something which is nicer
1:39than a Boston 12 or 13, I guess. And
1:42then D tier is, you know, pretty much
1:44equivalent to a speed trainer. Not
1:46really sure why would you why you would
1:48buy it for a racing shoe. Uh that's
1:50pretty much all we need to explain.
1:52Let's get into it. Uh I think my screen
1:54recording has started
1:57now. Starting off, Hocus Yellow X1 3.0.
2:02This is going straight into a tier for
2:04me. Really caught me by surprise. I
2:06didn't think People Foam could feel that
2:07good in 2026, but I think the way that
2:09they've timed a pretty aggressive rocker
2:11with that soft compression makes for a
2:14really nice half marathon marathon
2:15focused uh experience. I do think it's
2:18maybe a little bit mushy for 5 and 10k
2:20pace, but for people who just want a
2:22smooth, protective, bouncy racing shoe,
2:25it's really, really good. Uh the fit was
2:27good as well, so no issues there. Clo
2:29x1, that's easy in the A tier for me.
2:32Next up, Adios Pro 4. Uh, yep. This
2:36would be another A tier shoe. It's been
2:38in the A tier for a long time. Really
2:40well respected. It's got that nice kind
2:42of rubbery rebound from the Light Strike
2:44Pro. It's not perfect. Um, I do have
2:46some upper issues with that one. Uh, and
2:48the fit is a little bit short, so that
2:51kind of got a few customers off. But in
2:53terms of the actual raw performance,
2:55yeah, this is an easy A tier. I don't
2:57think I would put it any lower. Next
3:00one. All right. First Chinese shoe. 361
3:03degrees. Furious Future 1 or 1.5 if you
3:06want to be really fussy. This is
3:08technically an older version of the
3:10Furious uh Future. There is the second
3:12version now, but you can still find
3:14these pretty reliably on Tao Ali
3:16Express, so I thought I'd still include
3:18it. This is another A tier. This has got
3:20a really punchy, propulsive, snappy
3:23feel. It's got a kind of ride which
3:25feels like a blend between a Fast R3 and
3:28a Vaporfly. So, it doesn't have that
3:30kind of really focused uh long kind of
3:34levering feeling through the toe off
3:36like the Fast R3 does, but it does have
3:38that kind of segmented feel where you
3:39can focus on the foroot compression and
3:41then the foam is like a kind of firmer
3:43version of ZoomX. It's light, it's
3:45punchy, it's quite snappy. Um, I would
3:47definitely put this in the A tier. Um,
3:50it's probably more suited to 510k pace.
3:52Uh, a bit more aggressive. Not going to
3:54be quite as comfortable as like an Adios
3:56Pro. um which you know I think is a
3:59little bit more protective and rubbery
4:01and it's kind of got that gooey
4:02sensation to it. Um but I do think it
4:05has that raw performance aspect which if
4:08you're on fresh legs I think will be a
4:10lot of fun. Next up, Vaporfly 4. I'm
4:14going to put this in a B tier now, but I
4:17do enjoy it a lot and I've kind of come
4:19around to it a fair bit more the more
4:21that I've used it. hasn't really grabbed
4:23me um a whole lot compared to other
4:26super shoes which are getting, you know,
4:27more and more engaging, more and more
4:29propulsive, but it's really solid. It's
4:31light, it's snappy. Um it turns over
4:33really well for 5 and 10k pace for me,
4:35but it definitely doesn't have that kind
4:37of next level bounce, which we're
4:38getting from the A tier. And so for
4:41that, I think I probably put it in B.
4:43I'll be interested to see how they go
4:45about updating this shoe. Like, you
4:47know, they've kind of exhausted all they
4:48can do with ZoomX as far as I'm
4:50concerned. Do they need to bring in a
4:52new type of foam? Do they need to move
4:54away from pea into ATBU or something
4:57that can get even lighter? Cuz right
4:59now, you know, they've stripped down the
5:00stackite, they've stripped down the
5:01weight, there's not a whole lot more
5:03midsole that you can carve away before
5:04it becomes pretty much a streak fly. Um,
5:07so I will be interested to see how that
5:09goes. Next up, uh, Saky Endorphin Elite
5:132. Uh, this is going to go
5:17Oh, I'm going to say I'm going to be
5:19brutal. I'm going to say B tier, but top
5:23end of B tier. We'll swap it with the
5:25Vaporfly only because I just felt like
5:27it was a little bit mushy. It works well
5:31once you learn how to run in it, but I
5:34couldn't help but feel that it was a
5:35little bit disjointed, pretty unstable.
5:38Uh, and especially if you're trying to
5:39rip, you know, 5 or 10k pace, the timing
5:42of the rebound just didn't really suit
5:44that for me. I felt like every time I
5:46punched down into the midsole, I spent
5:47so much time compressing with how
5:49squishy it was that by the time I
5:51actually tried to kind of push off the
5:53ground and get back out of the stride,
5:55the shoe wasn't really ready for that
5:56yet. So, I really had to adjust my
5:58stride a whole lot to the point where it
5:59felt a little bit disjointed, a little
6:01bit unnatural. And so, for me, I'm going
6:03to be brutal here. Going to put that in
6:04the B tier. Although, I know that it is,
6:06you know, pretty well loved by a lot of
6:08people who like that kind of soft feel.
6:10Next up, I've got the We got Alpha Fly
6:133. Uh, this is going to be
6:17I I think it's going to have to go into
6:20the A tier, but I'm going to put it back
6:23end of a tier, bottom row, maybe. Um,
6:26and the reason for that is I just think
6:28it's a little bit clunky. Um, I know
6:29it's propulsive and I know that it's
6:32really assistive, but I think in this
6:34modern age with fantastic smooth,
6:37bouncy, soft super foams, there's ways
6:39that you can get that propulsion from
6:41the forefoot without putting a pretty
6:44firm, hard, sometimes clunky air unit in
6:47and you can save some extra weight. So,
6:49for me, it's still got that kind of, you
6:51know, booming marathon ride, but I just
6:54do think we would expect something a
6:56little bit smoother, a little bit more
6:59kind of continuous in feel to really get
7:01us up into that top end of A tier and
7:04even think about S tier. I will be again
7:06interested to see what Nike do with
7:08this. I feel like they've exhausted all
7:10of that the uh Air Zoom pod can give us.
7:12Whether they start to experiment with
7:14different materials, maybe a foam puck
7:16in the forefoot instead of the Air Zoom,
7:19um I do think they're going to need to
7:20change things up if they want to stay in
7:22that A tier because a lot of these other
7:24super shoes are getting really, really
7:26good. Next up, another Chinese one.
7:28We've got the Doughwin PB Pro. This is
7:31going straight in S tier. This is very
7:34nearly an Adios Pro Evo one. So, it's
7:37got that same uncompressed midsole foam,
7:40the stuff which feels furry to the touch
7:42cuz they cut it from a big block of foam
7:44rather than compressing it down from a
7:46larger one. Uh, and it is fantastic.
7:49It's smooth. It's light. Uh, it's got
7:52this kind of rubbery rebound which just
7:54keeps on coming back. Doesn't
7:55necessarily feel as kind of squishy and
7:58bouncy as some of these other super
8:00shoes. Like, I think if someone ran
8:02around the store in the Clo X1 3.0, know
8:05they would probably say this feels gooer
8:07and bouncier and more kind of
8:09protective, but in terms of the
8:11efficiency and the kind of smoothness
8:13and the consistency of the ride, this
8:16just keeps on coming back. I've had so
8:18many runs which go so well in this shoe.
8:20I'm actually kind of sad that I haven't
8:21raced in it yet, but I've also seen
8:23pictures of the PB Pro 2, so I'm kind of
8:26holding out for that one to get that
8:28into a race. This is a really, really
8:30good shoe. Obviously, I'm not factoring
8:32price point here. This is just
8:33performance, but you can also pick it up
8:35for about $250 Australian, which is
8:37insanely good for a shoe, which is
8:40pretty much giving you that Evo Pro one
8:42experience. And I've tried on an Evo
8:43Pro, so I know what it feels like, and
8:45it feels very, very similar to the PB
8:47Pro. Only thing I would say is that the
8:49PB Pro has maybe a slightly more uh
8:53subdued rocker or slightly more gentle
8:55rocker off the front of the shoe. So, S
8:57tier, first S tier here for the PB Pro
8:59from Dough Win. Really, really good
9:01shoe. Next up, Chowdown Fang Played
9:05three. This is going uh A tier. Um I
9:08would say, yeah, A tier. Let's put it
9:10top rung for now. This is a really
9:13protective marathon racing shoe. One for
9:15the people. I think it's one that
9:16everyone can enjoy. Faster people, I
9:18think, can still get a good bit of uh
9:20propulsion out of the forefoot. Uh and
9:22then more kind of steady marathoners,
9:24people who are looking for a bit more
9:25comfort. You got a lot of foam there
9:27underf foot which is giving you that
9:29kind of vibration dampening, that kind
9:31of smoothness. It's got a good leg
9:32saving feel to it. Um, I've had a really
9:34good time in it. I think it is in a very
9:36similar kind of space as a Cello and the
9:38Adios Pro in terms of that uh depth of
9:41cushioning. Um, it's certainly not the
9:43kind of quickest turnover. Doesn't have
9:44the sharpest rocker. More of a smooth
9:46drawn out transition. But I really
9:48enjoyed it. I think it's a good shoe.
9:49Good fit. Um, not much to complain
9:51about. All right. Next up, we have the
9:55361° Mirror Nude 2. Now, I've only done
9:58strides in this one, so this is a little
9:59bit of a guess, but I think this is
10:01pretty easily going to be in the A tier,
10:03probably threatening um the S tier, I
10:06reckon, by the time I get it broken in
10:08and kind of get a feel for it. Um, but
10:10it's a hypers shoe. It's super light,
10:12super critical pea. Not much to not
10:14like, honestly. It has a bit of that
10:17wave uh not wave, hyperwarp pure feel
10:20about it. very light, very smooth and
10:22efficient one that just disappears on
10:24foot. I love hypers shoes and this is a
10:27good hypershoe and I think it's going to
10:29have a little bit more durability than
10:31the old version which is quite important
10:32cuz that one fell apart in like 25ks for
10:36me. So I think this one here is going to
10:38be a little bit more hardy uh which
10:40should have a threatening S tier but for
10:42now with only you know a couple strides
10:45done in it I think it's only fair to put
10:47it in the top end of A tier but very
10:49very light. I think it's like
10:52150 160 g in my men's size 10 and a half
10:54which is really solid. All right, Be My
10:58Carbon Fly 2. Okay, I did a review on
11:00this one recently. Wasn't that
11:02enthusiastic about it. This is going to
11:04be our first C tier. It is an elevated
11:08experience over a speed trainer. Full
11:10beaded ATPU phone which is pretty
11:12propulsive, very stable, uh, and is
11:15going to be quite durable. So, there is
11:16that. But in terms of the geometry, they
11:19didn't do a great job of giving it
11:21enough towe off to compensate for the
11:23stiffness of the plate and the stiffness
11:25of the foam. So, it did end up feeling
11:27like a little bit too much work to get
11:29it to transition. I think it' probably
11:30benefit from a little bit more force.
11:32Like, I'm 79 kilos. I'm not the lightest
11:35bloke out there, but I do think if you
11:37had even a bit more weight um and a
11:39little bit more force behind you, you
11:41could probably open the midsole up and
11:42get the transition to work. But for most
11:44people, I think this is maybe a stable
11:46training option, maybe a stable marathon
11:48option, but it's just not that
11:51forgiving, which does put it in a bit of
11:53a weird spot. Next up, uh I've included
11:56the Shaan uh fang played one. Uh
11:59obviously I've got the [snorts] three
12:00here. The two is not to be seen. I
12:02didn't really get along with that one.
12:04I'd probably put it in B tier. Um, the
12:07Played One I think still deserves to be
12:09in A tier, but I would probably put it
12:11on the bottom end uh alongside the
12:14Alphalely for now. It's got a really
12:16smooth marshmallowy uh kind of
12:18propulsion to it. It's reasonably
12:20stable. One of the broadest carbon
12:21plates that I've ever seen. Like, it's
12:24[snorts] about that wide through the
12:25foreoot. It really does have a lot of
12:27surface area to it. And so, I've used
12:28that for long runs, for marathon
12:31workouts, and it's just so protective.
12:34late stage rocker seemed to work quite
12:35nicely for me, especially with a bit of
12:36a foroot strike. The upper was a little
12:39bit tricky with the um lacing setup,
12:42little bit slippery through the heel
12:43counter, but once you work that out, it
12:45was a really really fun shoe. I think
12:47it's still relevant now even I think
12:49it's 3 or 4 years old. Um which is yeah,
12:52testament to Chowdown. They've been
12:54doing it for a good bit of time. It's
12:56got a TPE foam as well, which I should
12:58mention. Um, it does feel well, it kind
13:00of feels like an Adios Pro 4 before the
13:02Adios Pro 4 got released. Um, which is
13:04quite impressive. Everyone loves Adios
13:06Pro 4. It's got a better upper, so maybe
13:08you like that one a little bit more.
13:10Next up, Dowin PB. Uh, what's this? PB4.
13:16There's a PB4 Elite as well. Uh, let's
13:18say that this is a PB4. Uh, this is
13:21probably going to go in
13:23it's either Ctier or the back end of
13:25Btier. Uh, let's go back end of Btier.
13:28Uh it's got the kind of rubbery light
13:30strike pro foam. So uh it's a ATPU
13:35firmer riding foam with pretty simple
13:37geometry. It's reasonably lightweight.
13:39The upper is no fuss. Um but I did find
13:42that it has a bit of a weird beveling
13:43through the forefoot where it kind of
13:45forces you onto the uh medial side of
13:48your foot or doesn't force you onto it.
13:50It puts extra pressure on the medial
13:52side of your foot to keep you kind of
13:54leaning outwards, which is a clever
13:56stability um feature. But for myself, as
13:58someone who really drives through the
14:00big toe. Um I felt like it put a bit of
14:02extra pressure on my fore foot, gave me
14:04some blistering, a little bit of extra
14:05pressure and numbness, which I didn't
14:07appreciate a whole lot. And it's also
14:09just not as bouncy and propulsive as the
14:11A tier. It's definitely better than a
14:13speed trainer. Full super foam uh
14:15midsole, but yeah, probably not quite
14:17reaching up into that top category
14:20there. Next one, 361°
14:23Furious 2. So, they have the Furious
14:26Future, which uses a kind of elevated
14:29midsole foam, and then they have the
14:31standard Furious, which is this
14:33decoupled midsole. I guess it's kind of
14:35progressed more to like a 510K shoe.
14:38It's pretty firm, pretty aggressive. I
14:39would put this as a solid B tier. um
14:41probably top end of Btier alongside a
14:43Vaporfly. Um has a really quick tow off,
14:46bit of fast R um two vibes about it, not
14:49the new one, the old one. Um but it's a
14:52little bit lighter, bit snappier. Um and
14:54I think that yeah, people would enjoy it
14:56for 510, maybe a half marathon, but
14:59again, similar thing to the Vapor Fly 4.
15:01Probably not as much protection and
15:02propulsion as some of these top tier A
15:05and S tier models. Next up on Cloud Boom
15:10Strike. This is a bit of a lovehate
15:12relationship. I wore this for Perth
15:14Marathon 2020
15:17four. Uh I reckon it was. And I really
15:19love the ride on this shoe. Absolutely
15:22froth the uh 4oot experience. The pea
15:24slab is just great. But the upper was a
15:26nightmare. Ripped my Achilles to shreds.
15:28I ended up using a pair of scissors and
15:30cutting into the heel counter to make
15:32sure that it didn't um keep on arising
15:34my heel. and it sorted itself out, but
15:37the grip was still pretty rubbish, but I
15:39still love the ride. I'm going to put it
15:40back end of A tier. Um, I think if it
15:42works for you, it really works. But if
15:45it doesn't with the upper, with the
15:47softness, I think it might be a little
15:49bit more hard to get along with, but I
15:51still think it's a very good shoe. Bit
15:53of a baggy upper as well is probably
15:54another knock, but very keen for the
15:56update. I've actually tried that on and
15:58I think it's something to get excited
16:00about. It's a pretty good shoe. Next up,
16:02uh, Meta Speed, uh, Edge Tokyo is going
16:06to go A tier for sure. Um, I'm not going
16:09to be too fussy about the order, but
16:10just while I've got space, I will move a
16:12few things around. I brought this A tier
16:14for sure. Um, it's light, it's
16:17protective, uh, it's pretty propulsive.
16:19The one critique I would have u, which
16:21probably keeps it from S tier for me, is
16:23the fact that the softness of the foam
16:26makes them a little bit, um, friendly
16:29for some of the harder paces. Uh, and I
16:31probably lean more towards, you know,
16:32fast R3s, which are a little bit sharper
16:34for 5 and 10K. But for the Marathon,
16:36really solid option, smooth,
16:38comfortable. Uh, it's got a pretty roomy
16:40upper, which I think lends itself to
16:42more foot shapes, which is good. Uh, and
16:44it's pretty reasonably priced, or it was
16:46$380 is solid here in Australia. We're
16:48not factoring in price, but just a kind
16:50of side note. Um, yeah, I think it's a
16:52pretty typical A tier super shoe. Um,
16:55the only thing I would say is that I
16:56don't think there needs to be both the
16:58Sky and the Edge. I think that they both
17:00do very very similar things. And I think
17:02that ASEX are just trying to flood the
17:03market with more and more ASICH shoes to
17:06keep on building up attention for
17:07themselves, which is what they're doing
17:08with all their training shoes as well.
17:10Mega Blast, Super Blast, Sonic Blast,
17:12Nova Blast. There's going to be more
17:14Blast. I guarantee it. Uh, and I think
17:17it's just an attention-seeking stunt.
17:18And I think that they could just, you
17:20know, put all of their eggs in one
17:22basket like most brands do and give us
17:24just, you know, a Meta Speed. Uh, and
17:27then maybe a 5 and 10k racing shoe and I
17:29think we'd be sorted. But yeah, I think
17:31there's so much pointless debate over
17:33which one should you go for? Is it for
17:35stride? Is it for, you know, uh, what's
17:36the other one? Stride or cadence, which
17:38I just think is all biomechanical
17:40rubbish. So, next one. Puma Fast Rar 3 S
17:44tier. This thing is crazy good. I love
17:46the leverage off the forefoot. It
17:48definitely beats you up. I feel like I
17:50need a wheelchair after running in this
17:52shoe, especially over a hillier race.
17:53you have to put in a lot more effort to
17:55kind of get up the hills, but the
17:57payoff, the propulsion that you get
17:59through the forefoot, the kind of
18:01feeling of converting power through your
18:03legs onto the road is just pretty much
18:06unmatched at the moment. It's pretty
18:07impressive how they've managed to
18:09manipulate the plate shape to give us
18:11that kind of performance feel. I think a
18:13lot of other brands are, you know,
18:14leaning more into the foam combinations,
18:16the weight, but I feel like it's kind of
18:18cool that Puma have gone and thought,
18:20you know, the carbon plate is still
18:21something which can offer um a little
18:23bit of assistance and kind of manipulate
18:25your biomechanics. So, I think they've
18:27done a really good job there. Here in
18:28Australia, no, not talking about price
18:30point. It's 350 here in Australia, which
18:32is great. It's going to go up to 400
18:33next year um for the four, I'm pretty
18:36sure. So, enjoy it while it's there.
18:38Very, very good super shoe. I would wear
18:40it up to the half [snorts] marathon, I
18:41reckon. marathon? Maybe not. I think it
18:43might be a bit too aggressive, but if I
18:45was really, really fit and the legs were
18:46strong, I would definitely be trying to
18:48train in it in order to get it to work
18:50for me um over the marathon distance.
18:53All right, answer G9 C202 G9 Gen 1. Um,
18:59a lot of you guys don't know I have this
19:00one, but I do. Um, I think I've got it
19:02down here, actually.
19:04This is a really good shoe. This is
19:05better than the uh second version, which
19:07is why I've included it here. You can
19:08still easily get it on Tab Power. Um,
19:11this feels like something between an
19:13Adios Pro 3 and a, uh, Evo Pro One in
19:17terms of weight and that kind of
19:18efficiency. Even a PB Pro, it's actually
19:21not far away from the feel that I get in
19:23this shoe. It's got a kind of rubbery
19:25rebound. It's very light. It's very
19:26nimble, sharp towe off. Um, and yeah, it
19:29just seemed to work for me. I've only
19:31done a treadmill session in it so far.
19:33Uh, and some strides outside and I loved
19:36it. So, I'm going to put this straight
19:37up into a tier. Um, I know a good super
19:40shoe when I feel one and I think that
19:43this is a good super shoe. Um, I don't
19:45think it's going to be um the kind of,
19:48you know, best out there at the moment.
19:51We've got some great competition uh in
19:53that kind of 510k half marathon space
19:56such as the fast 3, but certainly going
19:58to be pretty close to the top, but we'll
20:00have to do a little bit more testing
20:02just to make sure. Uh, next up, boring
20:06measure speed. Uh, Sky Tokyo. I'm going
20:08to put it right next to the edge cuz I
20:10think they're honestly just as good as
20:11each other. I reckon they rolled a dice
20:13and just put the foams in the shoes
20:16based on that. I don't think there's any
20:18science behind the way that they
20:20manipulated the plate or the um foam
20:23setup. They just yeah, randomly did it.
20:26There's no way that the optimal
20:30sensation for the stride and cadence
20:32runner was based on whether the soft
20:34phone was on top or on the bottom. It's
20:36just marketing. I don't like it, but
20:38it's a good shoe. Um, yeah, I would say
20:39about 5% difference based on my
20:41experience. I don't think they're
20:43completely different super shoes. Again,
20:45I feel like they could just summarize
20:46them into one model and save us all the
20:49trouble. Next up, 361° Furious Future 2
20:52as is Btier, I reckon. Um, I had a
20:55decent time. It's very protective, very
20:56stable. It's got a pretty welldirected
20:59ride, but it did feel a little bit big
21:03underfoot. Like there's a lot of foam.
21:05feels like a lot of your force is being
21:07distributed amongst a pretty big
21:09midsole. And so I would put this as a B
21:11tier shoe for someone who's looking for
21:13something a little bit more stable, bit
21:14more consistent, reliable for a first
21:16time marathon maybe. Um, and I think it
21:19would do a pretty solid job, but the the
21:21rate of rebound and the kind of degree,
21:24the magnitude of the bounce is not as
21:27impressive as some of these top tier
21:28models. I would love to see them use um
21:31the newer foam that they've got in the
21:33Flame 5 future in this model. I think it
21:35would drop weight. It would give it a
21:36bit more propulsion. I think it'd be
21:38very, very exciting.
21:41160x 3.5 Pro from XEP. This is going S
21:46tier. Um, don't ask me how a 5-year-old
21:48shoe that weighs 244 g um, is this good?
21:52Because I just don't understand it. It's
21:54one of the biggest, most booming
21:55propulsive rides that I've ever come
21:57across, and it just keeps on coming back
21:59for more. The rocker here is ridiculous.
22:02The plate stiffness is crazy. The foam
22:05just doesn't die off. Like that's one
22:07thing I've noticed is I love this yellow
22:09X. The PA foam is great. It's very
22:11smooth. But I do notice that it fatigues
22:13over the course of some of the longer
22:14sessions. Like put 12, 14ks of hard
22:17running into it, and it does start to
22:19kind of soften out, become a little bit
22:20more mushy. Whereas this foam just gets
22:23better over the course of the run.
22:24Running in a half marathon, by the end
22:26of the race, it still had that
22:27structured propulsion, but it just felt
22:29a little bit more comfortable and it was
22:31great. Um, I honestly don't notice the
22:33weight at all. This is one that just
22:35seems to suit my stride. Make gets you
22:36to really pick your legs up off the
22:38ground and it feels like you spend a
22:40little bit more time in the air, which
22:41is, yeah, it's kind of counterintuitive
22:43because that's very similar things to
22:44what I say about the Hyperlite racing
22:46shoes. You know, you're spending more
22:48time in the air, easy to pick your feet
22:49up off the ground, but this shoe is just
22:51so propulsive and bouncy that it helps
22:53you do it. Anyway, so yeah, really,
22:55really fantastic. I've got the 160X
22:597 Pro on order. It's on its way. Should
23:02be here in the next couple of days. Um,
23:04so we're going to see if that has any of
23:05the magic of this shoe. But I'm really
23:07hoping that XDEP can kind of replicate
23:09this geometry or this sensation with
23:12modern foams and a slightly lighter
23:14weight. Like I'm not obsessed with
23:15weight obviously. You know, I'm happy to
23:17race in this cuz it feels so good. But I
23:19feel like there is opportunity there to
23:21give us that experience and shave 60 70
23:24g, which could actually be significant
23:27in terms of efficiency. Next up, uh,
23:29Doian PB4 Elite. Uh, this is going right
23:33next to the PB4. I thought they were
23:34pretty much identical. I don't actually
23:36know why they released two models. I
23:39wonder if they maybe they like ran out
23:42of contract with a foam supplier or
23:45maybe the production of the PB4 was a
23:47bit annoying, but they didn't really
23:49feel like there was any real difference
23:51between the two. Both had a rubbery
23:52smooth rebound. Both had very similar
23:54geometries. The only difference I
23:56noticed was the PB4 Elite was a little
23:59bit firmer and so I noticed that kind of
24:01pressure through the forefoot area a
24:03little bit more. Uppers are the same,
24:04outsoles are the same. It's a little bit
24:06more expensive as well. So, I'd probably
24:08recommend go for the PB4 instead. Solid
24:10shoe. Um, better than a Speed Trainer
24:12for sure, but not really close to that
24:15top A or S tier, uh, as far as I'm
24:17concerned.
24:19All right, Urka Infinite 4. Um, I've
24:22done strides in this one, so I haven't
24:23actually run it properly, but I'm going
24:25to say it's probably either on the back
24:27end of A tier or the top end of B tier.
24:31Let's shuffle a couple along. I think
24:33because I haven't run it, I can't really
24:35put it in a tier just yet. It's not the
24:38most impressive in terms of specs. It's
24:39got a pretty firm, punchy pea foam,
24:42beaded pea foam. Pretty sharp geometry
24:45though, which is what I think is getting
24:46me interested. Has a really nice
24:49directed ride. Um, and it's quite stable
24:51as well. So, I think this will be a
24:52popular shoe, but whether it's A or B
24:54tier, it's up in the air for now. I
24:56think I've got it here. Do I? Oh, maybe
24:58not. Or maybe do. Oh, I got this
25:00colorway here. I thought I got it red
25:02because it's red on the screen, but I
25:03actually got this colorway, which I
25:04think looks sick. Um, so yeah, it's got
25:06quite a sharp rocker, firmer pea foam,
25:09bit of flaring up into the fore foot,
25:10which I think will suit me quite nicely.
25:12I'm keen to see how this goes. Um, it's
25:14reasonably light, so yeah, I think this
25:16is a pretty easy B tier, but possibly a
25:18tier. I think it's getting somewhat
25:20close. All right, shuffling up along.
25:24Be my Turbo 3. This is their I guess
25:29it's their best racing shoe. It's the
25:31lightest. It's using a super critical uh
25:33pea foam uh which I think could be
25:36really good, but I think we just need
25:38geometry revisions um on a fair few of
25:40their shoes. I think the complaint is
25:42pretty similar across the board. they
25:43just don't have a sharp enough to off to
25:46really make the carbon plate pay off.
25:48Like you get up into the forefoot and
25:50there's just not enough geometry to kind
25:52of bring you through and then it feels
25:53like you're fighting the stiffness of
25:54the plate or the foam doesn't really
25:56give uh get its best opportunity to
25:59shine. And so this is going to be
26:01another, you know, top end of B tier uh
26:04kind of shoe. It's light, it's smooth,
26:06it's pretty stable, it's pretty
26:07comfortable, the fit is nice, um and
26:09it's quite light. So, yeah, there's not
26:11a whole lot to complain about, but the
26:14kind of seriousness of the ride, the
26:15propulsion, um, is not good enough to be
26:17putting it up in the A tier.
26:21All right, Brooks Hyperion Elite 5.
26:23Okay, this surprisingly good. I was not
26:27expecting to like this shoe as much as I
26:29have. It's pretty basic, honestly. Like,
26:31I'm not giving him a pat on the back for
26:33working out that pee and a carbon plate
26:35is a good way to make a super shoe. I
26:37think that the geometry, the the length
26:39of the rocker works really well with my
26:41stride and the upper is fantastic. If
26:43you've actually been able to put your
26:45foot in this shoe, I think a lot of
26:47people would be able to uh tell me that
26:49it's one of the best uh uppers that
26:50you'll put your foot into. It grips the
26:52back of your foot nicely, but it's soft
26:54and gentle, very, very breathable. This
26:56is going to be going top end of B tier
26:58as well. I would be pretty willing uh to
27:02race in this shoe, I would say. It's got
27:04a really nice geometry to it. Uh, and
27:07things just seem to go well when I run
27:09it. It's nothing special. Like, I'm not
27:10going to exaggerate how good it is, but
27:13it just seems to work. They've done it
27:14well. You can keep things simple and you
27:16can make an effective super shoe just by
27:18doing the simple things well. And that's
27:21what they've done. Just trying to
27:22reorder things here so they kind of
27:23represent what I'm feeling. So, yeah,
27:26I'm very keen for the update, though.
27:27I've actually tried on the Hyperion
27:29Elite 6 uh sample, though. So, size N
27:32might be a little bit different when it
27:33comes through, but I'm very keen on that
27:35one. I think it's going to be up in that
27:37A tier in terms of propulsion. It's a
27:39bit lighter, and the geometry felt
27:41pretty serious as well. What we got
27:44next? All right. Leaning Fadian Ultra 5.
27:48I think this is going to go H. Ah, S
27:51tier. A S tier. S tier. Yep. This is
27:55another one of those ones where uh it
27:58just feels smooth and propulsive and
28:00rhythmic and efficient. Like you don't
28:02necessarily get again that kind of big
28:05gooey squishy kind of [snorts] it is
28:08bouncy. It is very bouncy, but it's a
28:10firmer bounce. It's a more kind of
28:12serious bounce than something like the
28:13Cello X. Uh and I found that I've had
28:15some of the best sessions of my life in
28:17this shoe, especially once you kind of
28:20learn how to run in it. My first
28:21session, I wasn't that blown away. I
28:23knew it was good, but I wasn't like, you
28:25know, losing my mind over it. But now
28:27since coming back to it, putting a good
28:2970ks of running into it. Um, I've just
28:31realized how well it can work. Smashing
28:34down into the forefoot, the propulsion
28:36from the PA foam, the carbon plate
28:38setup, it really is a very, very special
28:40shoe. I'm going to go S tier. It's
28:43probably a little bit closer to A tier
28:44than some of these others. Um, I think
28:46I've realized with some of the other
28:48shoes which are going to make an
28:49appearance in the A and S tier, but it's
28:52Yeah, I think it's S tier. I think
28:54that's fair to do. All right, next up,
28:57Ant C202
28:59uh 6 Pro. Slightly older shoe here, but
29:02I have actually managed to get this one
29:04in. Do I have it here? Only done strides
29:07in it so far, but I picked it up because
29:09someone said that it felt like the 160X
29:113.5. I can definitely see that with a
29:14sharp rocker, beaded foam, firmer ride.
29:17I think this is going to suit me as
29:18well. Really sharp, snappy turnover. Um,
29:21I'm going to put this up in a tier. Um,
29:24as well, maybe I need to expand this
29:26out. We're going to put it over in a
29:29tier. I definitely think it's going to
29:30be up towards the top end in terms of
29:33that kind of sharper, faster propulsion.
29:35I think it will probably have a leg up
29:38over some of the kind of more comfort
29:39focused, softer, squishier super shoes
29:42out there. Um, but it probably not on
29:45the same level, I think, as the 160X
29:48just off those first strides. I knew
29:49this one was special from the moment I
29:51stepped into it. Whereas this one here,
29:53I think I know that I'm going to like
29:55it, but we're just going to have to work
29:56out how much um I do. So, yeah, we'll
29:59get a few more runs into that. See how
30:00that goes. Very stiff carbon play. One
30:02of the stiffest I've ever felt.
30:05All right. Uh, Ant C10 Pro 2 S tier for
30:09sure. Top end of S tier. I'll probably
30:11bump these two along and put it.
30:14It's probably similar level of
30:16propulsion to the Fast R3. Now, I know
30:19my first impressions video was a little
30:21bit subdued on this one. And I think I
30:23worked out that I was just a little bit
30:24sore. And I've also have just learned
30:26how to use it a little bit better since
30:28then. On sore legs, this shoe is not the
30:32best, but on fresh legs, running hard,
30:35this is one of the most propulsive
30:36assistive rides that I've felt. It
30:39almost feels a little bit too fast for
30:41me. And that's not something I would
30:42usually say. One, because, you know, bit
30:45of a weird concept, a shoe being too
30:46fast for you, but secondly, it's a bit
30:48embarrassing to admit that you're not
30:49fast enough to use a super shoe. This
30:52one, there was times when I was pushing
30:54the pace in my sessions, especially for
30:55some 400 reps, where the shoe felt like
30:58it was running away from me. It was
31:00almost like I was trying to lean forward
31:02to um try and kind of like, you know,
31:05really get on the front of the shoe and
31:06get that propulsion, but then it felt
31:08like my feet were kind of falling
31:10forward too quickly underneath me. And
31:12so I needed to kind of st like lean
31:14back, I guess. And so it was this weird
31:16kind of push and pull between um yeah,
31:19running really really hard and enjoying
31:21it, but also having the shoe kind of get
31:23away from itself and become a bit of a
31:25hassle. It was so much fun slamming down
31:28into that forefoot. The turnover is so
31:31quick. The rocker here is ridiculously
31:33sharp. Um but it does beat you up. Um
31:35it's not not even close to how bad the
31:38Fast R3 beats you up, but you definitely
31:40do notice it the next day. um and you
31:42can't go on into it on sore legs, but in
31:45terms of yeah, that kind of 5 10 half
31:48marathon option, I think it's one of the
31:50best uh for the marathon, it would be
31:52one of those ones where I want to learn
31:53to use it at marathon pace first. But
31:56yeah, very very optimistic with this
31:57one. It just seems to get better and
31:59better the more that I use it. I've now
32:00done 40ks of running in it, including a
32:045k treadmill time trial. Um so I'm not
32:07too far away from review. This has been
32:09a huge turnaround from the first
32:10impressions. Insanely good. Not worth
32:12$500, but you can get it cheaper at the
32:14moment. I've also got the C10 Balance on
32:18um order, which I think is meant to be a
32:20more stable version of this one, so
32:21we'll see how that compares. Um but
32:24yeah, very very good shoe. I'm kind of
32:26embarrassed how much it's turned around
32:28since the first impressions. So, so
32:30good.
32:32All right, Dina Fish Dion One. Uh this
32:35was their first uh super shoe. So, first
32:39and only, I guess, hyper shoe. Coming in
32:41very light, about 150 g in my men's
32:44size, the equivalent of a men's size 10.
32:46Um, it's good, but I would say it's
32:49probably in the back end of eight here,
32:51just due to the fact that the carbon
32:54plate is a little bit too close to the
32:57sock liner. Um, and you can feel it when
33:00you really read the pace. So, it felt
33:02fantastic and smooth and feathery and
33:04airy for that kind of half marathon
33:07pace, marathon tempo efforts. Used it
33:09for so many good thresholds, but
33:12slamming it down for 400, 800 m reps, I
33:15did start to get some discomfort in the
33:16bottom of my forefoot. And I think
33:18that's a pretty easy fix to be honest. I
33:19think the Dian 2, I haven't even seen or
33:22heard anything about it, but presuming
33:23it's on the way, I think, is going to be
33:25a really, really good shoe if they can
33:27just fix that one issue. Super critical
33:28paper foam, super cheap as well. or you
33:30can pick it up for like 100 bucks. It's
33:32not about price point, but
33:33performance-wise, I think this is a
33:35pretty fair A tier. But yeah, very, very
33:37good. I'm keen to see how they change
33:39that moving forward. Next up, Ant C202
33:43G92.
33:47All right, I think I've got to give it a
33:50tier, but it's going to be back end of A
33:51tier. Um, I think this shoe felt a
33:54little bit relaxed for me and I think
33:57part of that's just unfortunate because
33:59I do have a size 10 1/2T and Ant only
34:04sell the 44 and the 45 on Taobo. So, I
34:07had to go for um a 45 in order to get it
34:10to actually fit. The uh 44 was too
34:12short. 45 was, you know, it fit well,
34:15but I had a fair bit of extra room ahead
34:17of the toes. And I think that led to the
34:19flexibility at the end of the shoe being
34:20a little bit too much and it felt a
34:22little bit relaxed. I felt like I
34:24couldn't really get that propulsion,
34:25that rebound that I got from most other
34:27super shoes in that A category. And so
34:30it ended up feeling like a really
34:31smooth, comfortable marathon racing
34:32shoe. But in many ways, almost more of a
34:36kind of smooth super trainer, uh, the
34:38way that I felt it. But I know that's
34:40not the experience of everyone. I think
34:41that it is pretty equivalent to stuff
34:44like the Adios Pro 4. uh you probably
34:46bring it out alongside a fang played one
34:50or the three. Um but it is a little bit
34:52lower stacked, a little bit more light
34:54and nimble. So that might kind of sway
34:56it for some people. Back end of A tier.
34:59I'm kind of considering B tier, but I
35:00think it's a little bit better than a
35:02couple of these in here. So we can leave
35:04it at a tier for now.
35:07Uh
35:09Fadian Elite 6 from Leaning, I think.
35:17I think you got to go S tier. Um, I
35:19would have it like right up at the top
35:21of A tier, but I think it is a level up
35:24above most of those super shoes in
35:26there. The closest ride I think is the
35:28CLOX 1.3, but I think that this shoe
35:31just holds its bounce a little bit
35:33longer and has a bit more bit more
35:35bounce. It's a bit bigger. It's a bit
35:36more boommy. Um, and I think that it's a
35:39little bit more fun. Really, really
35:40great shoe. One of the most protective,
35:42gooey, um, ridiculous feeling racing
35:44shoes that I've worn. Highly, highly
35:47recommend it. It's, yeah, one of the
35:48best out there. The hype is real. Don't
35:50really need to say much more. All right.
35:53Indonesian brand. This is the Mills
35:56Hypercharge R26, which is their hypers
35:59shoe. It's coming in around about 180 g
36:01for my men's size EU44, which is not as
36:06uh kind of super competitive as it used
36:08to be. like a lot of super shoes like
36:10the Meta Speeds are coming in at 180.
36:12Um, but it is still a very nice shoe.
36:14It's got a paper based super foam. Um,
36:17it is kind of I guess a little bit more
36:21kind of flat in geometry. Uh, the plate
36:23is a little bit more flexible. It has a
36:25really nice fluid natural ride which
36:27reminds me a little bit of a combination
36:29between something like the uh old Meta
36:34Speed Edge Paris uh and something a
36:37little bit softer like the Hyperwarp
36:39Pure. It feels like somewhere in between
36:40that where you get a little bit of extra
36:42softness, a bit more forgiveness, but
36:44then a really nice decisive rebound.
36:46This is going to go a tier for me. I'll
36:48be be nice here. I think it is. Yeah,
36:50I'd say it's above the uh the Infinite
36:54and the Hyperion. So, we'll try to
36:55squeeze it into the A tier here. All
36:58right, we're back. I've managed to open
37:00up a little bit more space. We're going
37:01to put it in a tier. I think it's
37:03probably
37:05in the bottom half of a tier, but I
37:07don't think it's quite towards the
37:08bottom. So, let's put down a little bit
37:10lower. I think that's probably looking
37:13about right. So, yeah, Mills
37:14Hypercharge. Some good stuff coming out
37:16of Indonesia. I've been pretty impressed
37:18with that one so far. One thing is I did
37:20get a little bit of blistering because
37:22the sizing is a bit off. So EU44 is
37:24probably fitting more like an AU45.
37:27And so I feel like if I wanted to get
37:29the proper fit through the ankle collar,
37:30I'd probably need to go down to a 43.
37:33That would be my one caveat there. Her
37:36Rocket X3. Uh that's an easy B tier. Um
37:40I think it's good. It's comfortable.
37:42It's got a nice smooth geometry, but you
37:44know, it's a little bit on the heavier
37:46side and there's nothing that special
37:47about it. Um, I think yeah, I'd probably
37:50put it Oh, it's below a Vapor Fly.
37:52Vaporfly is high performing. Uh, it's
37:54probably equivalent to the B Mine. Let's
37:55leave it there. Um, I don't think it's,
37:57you know, a bad shoe, but it's
37:59definitely more one that you would
38:00choose for its stability, the comfort
38:03through the upper rather than its raw
38:05performance. Uh, in which case you would
38:06go for the yellow if you are stuck with
38:09Hoka. So, yeah, it's okay, but it's
38:12nothing super special in comparison to
38:16all these other models here. Next up,
38:20361 degrees Flame 5. Another B tier for
38:22sure. Stable. Uh, it's consistent. I
38:24reckon it's going to be very durable.
38:26Beaded foam. Um, the use of the carbon
38:28plate to kind of enhance that stability,
38:30I think, is pretty impressive. Um, but
38:33the Yeah, it doesn't have as much
38:34forgiveness and kind of uh smoothness as
38:38some other super shoes. I think it opens
38:40up nicely to force, but yeah, I just
38:42think that there's slightly higher
38:44performing models out there, which will
38:45probably be more attractive to most of
38:47you there. Stable, kind of an endorphin
38:49pro feel to it. I think it's solid, but
38:51yeah, Btier, I think, is pretty
38:53appropriate. Hyperwarp Pure from Mazuno.
38:56Uh, let's crop this one up so it
38:58actually fits a little bit nicer. Um, I
38:59would say this is an S tier. Um, it's
39:01probably the back end of S tier. Um, I
39:04think that it opens up really nicely to
39:07pace and I think for five and 10k
39:09especially, I found that it really, you
39:11know, holds its own. Maybe for like
39:14marathon, half marathon pace, you
39:15probably put it back in a tier. Um, I
39:18think that it's when it doesn't have the
39:20opportunity to really engage that sharp,
39:23stiff plate up in the forefoot, it
39:25doesn't feel quite as exceptional. Um,
39:28that's definitely the Pure. The Elite
39:30and the Pure look the same. Um, yeah,
39:31when you don't put as much force through
39:33it, it doesn't really feel quite as
39:34magic, but 5 and 10k pace, this thing
39:37absolutely goes and it is very, very
39:39light. One of the better hypers shoes
39:41that I've tried and I've tried a couple.
39:42So, yeah, well done there from Mizuno.
39:44They've also made one which is stable,
39:46um, which is pretty important. I know a
39:48lot of people froth on the Meta Speed
39:49Ray, but you know, for a marathon, that
39:52thing will definitely take a little bit
39:53more work than the Pure 361° flame 5
39:59future. Uh, this is going solid A tier.
40:01Really? Yeah, that was a bit of a
40:03surprise. I think I've got it here
40:04somewhere. Do I
40:07thought I did? Oh, yeah. Right here.
40:10This one, it's got some Dwin PB Pro
40:13vibes about it. The style of uh foam
40:15here, the TPE, I believe, has a really
40:18nice, durable, dense, resilient feel to
40:21it that just keeps on coming back. Works
40:23really well at half marathon, marathon
40:25pace threshold sessions. maybe loses out
40:28a little bit when you start to really
40:30step things up into uh that kind of uh
40:33510k zones, really rip the intervals,
40:36but I'd probably slot it in the middle
40:37of a tier. The foam is really good. The
40:40geometry is simple. It's good weight.
40:41The grip is good. Um not much to
40:43complain about. I'm very keen to see
40:45them use this TPE foam in some of their
40:48other models because I think it is a
40:50step up over the firmer PA that they've
40:52been using for a couple of years now.
40:54Uh, next up, the RunFly Flare Elite or
40:59the Gunfire. I think there's a couple of
41:00different names getting around. This is
41:02going to go back end of A tier as well.
41:04Probably threatening on B tier. Um, for
41:08me, I know it's very light. Uh, it's a
41:10good lightweight, super critical pea
41:13foam super shoe, but I found the
41:15geometry to be just a little bit weird
41:17for me. It's really long and extended.
41:19whole lot of toe spring which put me in
41:21a permanent state of dorsif flexion
41:23which then prevented me from really
41:25utilizing my calves almost putting them
41:27in a bit of a stretch position which did
41:29beat them up over some of the harder
41:31sessions pretty fine for uh tempos and
41:34marathon pace kind of stuff but for
41:36really ripping the pace didn't get along
41:38with me quite as nicely so it's probably
41:39threatening B tier I'll be honest but A
41:42tier it's light it's smooth it's quite
41:44stable um I think a lot of people would
41:46get along with it quite nicely as uh
41:49high performing Rocket X3. I think it
41:51would be a good way to describe it. It's
41:52a good shoe. Um yeah, for first shoe
41:55from a brand, I think that is a pretty
41:57good debut. Next up, uh RC SC Elite V5.
42:03It's going to be age here, but probably
42:04back end for me. I didn't really seem to
42:06get along with it as well. I felt like
42:08the forefoot was a little bit soft and
42:10the plate geometry was a little bit meh,
42:13like didn't have a whole lot of scooping
42:15to it. didn't really feel like it had as
42:16much direction as I would probably
42:18prefer. So, yeah, I'd probably put it in
42:21the kind of middle of a tier, middle to
42:24low. Um, pretty similar feelings to oh,
42:27the G92, I guess, uh, in terms of being
42:31a little bit soft, a little bit more
42:32relaxed. Something that I would use for
42:33a kind of marathon long run, but not
42:35something that I'd really use for a
42:37marathon race, if that makes sense. Good
42:39grip though, so that's good. But yeah, I
42:41think the pea foam I don't think that
42:44pea foam is the highest performing. I
42:46think New Balance have a comfy pea foam,
42:48but they don't have a serious pea foam
42:51like you find in uh Brooks shoes.
42:53Actually, I think Brooks and Nike and
42:56who else has a serious pea? Mazuno have
42:59a serious pea. Uh whereas I feel like
43:01Hoka and New Balance have a type of pea
43:03which is a little bit more soft and
43:05friendly and almost a little bit mushy.
43:07um whereas these ones have one which is
43:08kind of like tighter feeling and more
43:11immediate in its response. So yeah,
43:13that's why it would be kind of lower
43:15down in the A tier for me. Uh next up,
43:18Mazuno Hyperwarp Elite. Uh this is going
43:21top of A tier. I would put this above
43:23the meta speeds. I think it's more
43:25serious than those. I think the
43:27propulsion through the forefoot,
43:29especially someone who puts a little bit
43:30more force through the ground, uh is
43:33really really nice. I'm going to put it
43:36right up close. I think I'd have to put
43:38it above the mirror nude because I've
43:39only done strides. I'm going to put it
43:40right at the top of a tier there. It's
43:43definitely not as uh protective as some
43:45of these other marathon shoes. I think
43:47you'd find uh that the, you know, meta
43:51speeds would probably take over for the
43:53marathon, but half marathon, 10k, 5k,
43:56this is a more serious focused ride,
43:58which I think offers a little bit more
44:00reward for the force that you put in.
44:01Whereas these shoes a little bit softer
44:03and I think kind of yeah lose out a
44:06little bit of that anger which I really
44:08enjoy personally. Hyperwop Pro from
44:11Mizuno. This would be a B tier. Oh, what
44:13have I done?
44:18There we go. Btier. This uh is Btier
44:21because it is a little bit heavier. It's
44:23got a really nice stable base now, which
44:24is a bizarre pivot from Mizuno going
44:27from one of the most unstable super
44:28shoes on the market to one of the most
44:30stable. uh TPE foam all the way through.
44:33It's resilient. It's durable. This would
44:34be a really solid first time marathon
44:36racing shoe for many people or even as a
44:39kind of super trainer substitute. I
44:40think it would have its spot. Um the
44:42upper is comfortable. Grips great. Not
44:44much to complain about, but yeah, not
44:46scratching into the A tier. I think it's
44:48more of that kind of dense, durable,
44:50comfortable, stable super shoe. Uh next
44:53up on Cloud Boom Vault. Um, I did one
44:56run in this one. Thought it was okay,
44:58but not good enough uh that I would
45:00consider, you know, racing in it. Um, I
45:03think it could be a pickup that you
45:04might use for a cheap speed trainer,
45:07maybe. Um, Btier for sure. Um, but yeah,
45:10I didn't do any more running in it
45:11because I realized that if it's not a
45:14really good super shoe and if it's an on
45:16shoe, then it's probably not going to
45:18get enough views that it's worth
45:20actually completing it. So, yeah, put it
45:23in B tier. Don't think many people are
45:25going to notice it, but I think it's
45:26pretty solid. I would put it above uh
45:28the Bei probably. Let's do that.
45:32But it's not as good as a Vaporfly. The
45:34Vaporfly is a bit lighter uh and has a
45:37more kind of stripped down upper. This
45:39kind of feels like a true budget super
45:41uh speed shoe, racing shoe, which is
45:43giving you a full PE foam and a carbon
45:46plate, but the upper is a little bit
45:47more comfort focused, a little bit
45:49cheaper. Um I guess next up, Velocity
45:52Elite.
45:54two. Um I think the three is out. Um but
45:57I haven't actually seen anywhere to buy
45:59it. Probably not going to buy it. Um
46:01considering that it is still pretty
46:02heavy. Um this one would be
46:07I think it' be somewhere between C and B
46:10tier. had a really nice foroot geometry,
46:12which is why I was kind of keeping my
46:14eyes out on the Under Armour shoe
46:16because, you know, if you can get this
46:18geometry, which is somewhat similar to
46:20the 160X 3.5 Pro and give us a lighter
46:23foam, then that could be a pretty easy
46:26recipe for a fun super shoe. But it
46:28seems like they've stuck with a pretty
46:30boring foam. And I think they've even
46:31reduced the 4 foot rocker, uh, which is
46:33a shame. I'm going to say, oh, let's go.
46:36Let's go Btier. I think back end of
46:38Btier. It's dense. It's got a kind of
46:41more gutsy feel up in the fore foot. I
46:43think it's like a 3 and a half mil drop.
46:44It's very low. Um, but a nice turnover
46:47for that kind of marathon pace session
46:50threshold, but probably loses out a
46:52little bit in terms of weight for the
46:53really fast stuff. All right, DV8 Nitro
46:57Elite 4. That is going in the back end
46:59of A tier. Uh, for sure. I'll probably
47:02mid tier. I would have it over the SC
47:05Elite V5 and the G92.
47:08Maybe I should have been a bit more
47:10harsh on those. Maybe they better belong
47:11in B tier. It's always hard when you're
47:13setting up these videos. You think that
47:14you're going to be able to kind of
47:15justify everything and put them all into
47:17a nice little order so that it all makes
47:19sense, but you get halfway through and
47:21then you realize that you've kind of
47:22been a bit too lenient on some. Okay,
47:24it's better than a C202 G9. It's got a
47:26more focused, snappy ride. There's
47:29nothing wrong with it either. That's
47:30also a reason that it's in a tier. It's
47:31got a good upper, good outsole. The
47:33weight is solid. The um feel of the foam
47:36is very nice. Uh, and there's nothing
47:38that I would really change about it, but
47:40it's also not quite as protective and
47:42propulsive as some of these higher up
47:44models. I would have it above the G902,
47:48probably below the Flame 5 future. Yeah,
47:51that's probably looking quite nice
47:52there. Let's just do a little bit more
47:54shuffling along. I'll get better at the
47:56uh ranking list, I promise. And we'll do
47:58a few for some daily trainers and super
48:00trainers as well.
48:03All right, next up we have the Urka
48:05Infinite 2. This is the stereotypical uh
48:09B tier super shoe. A little bit heavier,
48:11a little bit more protective and
48:13comfortable, very stable for sure. Uh I
48:16think that I would have this around
48:18about the same as the uh Furious Future
48:212. Um it's not quite as propulsive, I
48:25would say, as like an Endorphin Elite 2
48:28or the feel of the Urka. That's the
48:32Infinite 4. Man, the naming conventions
48:34are so tricky. I'm going to put it in
48:35the mid tier probably around the Wave
48:37Rebellion Pro. Hyperwarp Pro.
48:41Hyperwarp Pro. Man, so many different
48:44names. All right, next one is leaning
48:47Fadian Ultra 6. This is Yeah, this is S
48:51tier. Um, I would have it above the
48:54Ultra 5 and the Elite 6. Um, I think it
48:59offers one of the most smooth
49:01mechanical, assistive, and protective
49:04rides out there. Uh, but I do think it
49:07would probably lose out to the C10 Pro 2
49:09now after doing a little bit more
49:10running in that one just in terms of
49:13propulsion and that kind of like raw
49:15power feel. This feels kind of subtly
49:19efficient and smooth, whereas this is
49:21kind of outlandish and ridiculous and in
49:23your face. Um, I think it would probably
49:25suit slightly different people and
49:27preferences, but I think they're both in
49:29that S tier in terms of that kind of raw
49:32performance, that assistance, that
49:34smoothness. Um, both very, very capable.
49:37This Oh, that was actually it. Maybe I
49:39did need to expand it out. All right,
49:41let's have a quick run through. Bit of a
49:43summary. S tier here, PB Pro Fast R3,
49:46C10 Pro 2, 160X, Ultra 6, Ultra 5, Elite
49:516, and the Hyperwarp Pure. So few things
49:56leaning. It's got a couple in there
49:57doing pretty good things with their
49:58foams, their geometries, their use of
50:00carbon plates. Um Ant, it's good that
50:03your $500 Super Shoe has made it into S
50:05tier. Would be a little bit concerned if
50:07it wasn't. 160X is still hanging around
50:10even though it's 5 years old. Fast R3
50:13ridiculous propulsive doin PB Pro. If
50:16that's what you can make for 250 bucks.
50:19I can't wait to see what they do when
50:20they update it. I'll flash a picture of
50:22the prototype on screen. It looks
50:24insanely good. And then Mazuno Hyperwol
50:26Pure, super light, super smooth. I'm not
50:28going to run through every single list,
50:30but just kind of general overview, you
50:32got most of the ones which I think
50:33everyone would probably accept are in
50:35that kind of A tier zone. Um, I think
50:38the more kind of notable ones would be
50:40uh the Cello X, which I probably would
50:43have had in B tier last year, CL X2. Um,
50:46I think that the Alphal is slipping. I
50:48think we probably need to see something
50:49from that pretty soon before it becomes
50:52a little bit clunky, a little bit
50:53irrelevant. Uh, Hypercharge, very nice
50:56from you guys. Like that. Uh, and then a
50:58couple of very cheap um but good Chinese
51:02um Hypershoe um entries. I think that's
51:06one thing that I've noticed with my
51:07testing in the last couple months is
51:09that it's very easy for a lot of these
51:11brands to jump to market with something
51:13which is good like straight away. light
51:16foams, simple geometries, it's very easy
51:18to make a good super shoe these days
51:20with a lightweight technology. I think
51:22you can kind of compensate for any
51:24deficiencies in, you know, geometry or,
51:27you know, in Dino Fish's case, the fact
51:29that I could feel the shank through the
51:30forefoot wasn't that big of a deal
51:32because the ride was so good in the half
51:34marathon marathon paces, I was willing
51:36to kind of risk it. Um, Btier, fair few
51:39Super shoes, which I think are a little
51:41bit more stable and comfortable, which
51:42is good. Um, the main recommendations
51:44are stuff like the Infinite 2, Wave, not
51:48Wave, Hyperwarp Pro, Rocket X3, uh, the
51:51Infinite 4 I think could be pretty solid
51:53option for a lot of you. Fair options in
51:56there. There's only one Ctier, uh, which
51:58would be the Fly 2, uh, and no Dtier, so
52:01maybe I should have got rid of that, but
52:02thought there might be one, but maybe I
52:05changed my mind. Uh, yeah, that's that.
52:07Bit of a long video, little bit chaotic.
52:09I will improve my tier list technique
52:11moving forwards. Hopefully this all
52:12comes together nicely. Let me know if
52:15you want to see any other topics put
52:16through the tier list format. Stuff like
52:18brand ranking, super trainer ranking,
52:20daily trainer ranking. I'm sure there's
52:21some other things we could chat about as
52:23well. I'll put this into an Instagram
52:24graphic. Um, also just to make it look a
52:27little bit more pretty, but obviously
52:29benefit here is that we can chat through
52:30it, give a bit of justification. Yeah,
52:33look, that's pretty much it. Thanks for
52:34watching. Like, subscribe, share, all
52:36that kind of stuff. Uh, what else? Super
52:39thanks. If you feel like I've saved you
52:40some money, shout me a coffee.

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