2023 Review Links

The Japan series of ASICS shoes enjoy the kind of loyal following unheard of among other sports brands, to the extent that everything underfoot (i.e. midsole and outsole) have remained largely unadulterated for over a decade. After all, you don’t fix what isn’t broken. The Japan series shoes are in fact made in Japan; everything from overlays to SpEVA foam production. This is in contrast to their mass market shoes which are mostly made in China. I was very excited to try out these two shoes because they were supposed to have a bouncier and more responsive feel compared to their non-Japan equivalents, i.e. Skysensor Glide and Tartherzeal. The main thing that puts people off is probably the price. The MSRP of the Skysensor is S$399 and that of the Tarther Japan is S$369 a pair. That is exceedingly exorbitant for running shoes, by any stretch of the imagination, though it is rumoured that the retail price might be dropped to a more competitive price point in the ...

First Impressions: ASICS Gel Quantum 360 Knit

April 23, 2017

Over the past 2 weeks I've had the opportunity to try out the new ASICS Gel Quantum 360 Knit. This is arguably ASICS's first formal foray into the now fairly crowded knit-upper marketspace. First introduced by Nike in 2012 in the Flyknit racer, the knitted upper is now being used in various forms in the following brands in no particular order: Adidas, Altra, Hoka, Brooks, Reebok, Skechers, Under Armour, and now of course ASICS as well. The Gel Quantum 360 itself is not a new shoe, and came out (IIRC) around the end of 2015, utilizing a thin midsole of Solyte sitting on a large and heavily segmented wedge of Gel. So what's new about this version? Of course that would be the knit upper. I must confess I never tried the original Gel Quantum 360, so i can't really provide any sort of comparison of the knit upper to its predecessor. What ASICS says: "With 360 degrees of GEL-Cushioning, the GEL-QUANTUM 360 KNIT is the ideal running shoe to meet the activ...

REVIEW: Nike Vapor Street

May 23, 2018

Disclaimer: I currently own three pairs of Vapor Street, all of them purchased at full retail. The opinions herein are my own. The Nike Vapor Street is Nike’s attempt at a casual lifestyle version of the very exclusive unicorn that is the Nike Zoom Vaporfly Elite. Many in the running community saw it as lifestyle shoe, and hoped (myself included) that interest in the Vapor Street would draw sneakerheads’ attentions away from the Vaporfly 4% and allow real runners to finally get their hands on some 4% magic. The reality is that the 4% is still incredibly hard to come back, and is still being sold at ridiculous prices on the resale market, while the Vapor Street sits on shelves in the likes of Dover Street Market and End Clothing, amid a lukewarm response from shoe collectors. I saw the Vapor Street for what it really is- a cheaper trainer version of the Vaporfly Elite. Where else can you get your hands on that incredible anatomical fit knit upper that only the Vaporfly Elite...

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