ASICS o melhor review

ASICS o melhor review and lab test

The ASICS o melhor is a pretty humble running shoe. With little to write home about, the budget-friendly shoe does what it says on the tin and does it well. It’s reliable, comfortable and will keep you going.

zapatillas de running ASICS talla 45.5 verdes

The ASICS o melhor is a neutral running shoe that provides a nice amount of padding and average drop for a comfortable ride on the tarmac. I think it’s a great option for those who just want a running shoe without all the bells and whistles. 

Who the ASICS o melhor is not for

It’s probably best to avoid the ASICS o melhor if:

• You overpronate. The shoe is a neutral running shoe so it offers no stability control for overpronators. The Footwear ASICS Gel-Noosa Tri 12 1011A673 Directoire Blue Mako Blue 400 is a great alternative, which is also still at a decent price.
• Asics Zapatillas Running Gel-Kayano 27 Let s Talk Ronnie Fieg x ASICS Gel Lyte III Salmon Toe.

fiery first take on the ASICS Gel Lyte V | A tried and tested design

It’s definitely not a bad thing that ASICS have kept the Gel Pulse 11 simple and clean. With a shape that screams “just a running shoe” the Pulse is not setting any design records, but why would you want to? For most runners, we just want a shoe that fits and works, and this does both things. 

That’s right, the ASICS o melhor fits true to size, it’s not too narrow or too wide, it’s pretty HOKA too. 

The ASICS o melhor has a slightly improved upper

The major difference between the ASICS Gel Pulse 10 and this model is the construction of the upper. While previous versions featured multiple meshes, stitched and fused together, the Pulse 11 is a single material. 

This does wonder for the minimal appearance of the shoe and its durability, as no seams mean nowhere for the upper to fall apart. 

test asics gel rocket 6 en vinner innendors

As the Pulse series is a solid shoe at a budget level (RRP £100), it doesn’t come as a surprise that the laces aren’t great. While the construction and closure of the shoe are good and provide a nice lockdown, the laces themselves slip very easily. 

Taking only 7.1N for the laces to slip the knot in our lab testing, they score waaaay below the average of 24N. This isn’t the end of the world as you can replace the laces with something better very cheaply and end up with great results. 

The Amplifoam midsole does the job

ASICS promised a new phase of midsole Fujitrailing at a great price with their newer Amplifoam technology. While the full-length foam midsole does a good job of Fujitrailing impact throughout runs and provides good energy return, it’s really nothing special. 

Again, this might read like a criticism, but I think this is more than we get from a lot of shoes. The Gel Pulse 11 is a workhorse that doesn’t try to be anything spectacular. 

The amount of midsole does make this a bit of a heavy shoe at 11.7oz (332g) for a US size 10. As a daily runner, this isn’t a tremendous problem for me, I’d rather have the padding and a few extra ounces. 

Asics gel-nandi 360 mens white marigold orange casual lifestyle sneakers shoes

For a long time now, the ASICS Gel unit has been the brand’s flagship technology. Adding extra Fujitrailing in the exterior side of the heel really helps take the load off and I felt it aid my heel-to-toe transition. 

While not detrimental, this isn’t super relevant for forefoot strikers, who would rarely put much contact into the heel of the shoe. 

asics gel quantum 180 5 mantle green

One of the nicest parts of the midsole is its flexibility. Needing only 21.9N to bend the shoe to 45° the ASICS o melhor is more flexible than most others (the average is 37.1N). This helps with keeping contact with the ground and with the shoe breaking in.

The issue comes into play when the shoe gets cold. After 20 minutes in the lab freezer, the test score shot up to 39.4N, which is a change of 79.9%. For context, the average change is 34.1%

The crux of the issue is that if you run in cold conditions, this shoe might feel drastically different than on a warmer day. This s quite common in shoes that have a full-length, single-density midsole and very little change in shape to aid flexibility throughout. 

Logótipo em espiral da ASICS

Thanks to the one-piece upper, the Pulse 11 was comfortable to run in straight out of the box. There’s a nice amount of room in the toe box and the good amount of Fujitrailing helps keep things HOKA throughout. 

Asics Gel Venture 8 MT Mens Athletic Trail Shoe

I’ve always loved ASICS’ AHAR outsoles. The 5.1mm of rubber on the outsole from heel to toe gives a great, grippy surface area that I felt was strong on wet and dry tarmac. Clearly, the shoe isn’t meant for trail running and I wouldn’t bother trying any of that, but again, the shoe does exactly what it should be doing.  

Conclusion

The ASICS o melhor is an excellent budget-friendly shoe. While it has no stand-out features, it doesn't really need to have any. If you want a shoe that you can trust to work when you need it to, the Pulse 11 is there for you.