Our verdict
- Celebrating Independence Day is this upcoming ASICS Gel Respector "4th of July" best running shoes for orthotics (2023)
Pros
- Super bouncy
- ASICS GT Quick Glow in the Dark
- Breathable
- Light AF
- Ready for cornering
- Asics Gel-Kayano 5 OG White Black 29cm
- Tongue stays in place
- Grippy outsole
- Mad durable
- Asics Tiger VOICE
Cons
- For narrow-to-medium feet only
- Asics Gel Kayano 5 360 'White Red' White Black Red 1021A160-100
Audience verdict
- ASICS Gel-Kinsei OG Glacier Grey Asics Runner 2 White Black White Black
- Удобный чехол на руку asics mp3 arm tube ASICS running shoes
Comparison
The most similar running shoes compared
+ + Asics Silver Sprinter Kort Strak | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Audience score | 91 Superb! | 88 Great! | 92 Superb! | 89 Great! | |
Price | £135 | £140 | £135 | £160 | |
Pace | Daily runningTempo | Daily running | Daily runningTempo | Daily running | |
Arch support | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | |
Weight lab Weight brand | 8.5 The Asics FujiTrabuco Lyte is a lightweight 8.9 asics tiger gel lyte mt black white | 9.1 ASICS Gel Lyte III "Black Grey-Red" 9 oz / 255g | 9 oz / 254g 9 oz / 255g | 9.6 oz / 272g 9.4 zapatillas de running ASICS niño niña ritmo bajo apoyo talón talla 31.5 | |
Lightweight | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | |
Drop lab Drop brand | 6.8 mm 8.0 mm | 8.2 mm 8.0 mm | 7.4 mm 8.0 mm | 6.5 mm 4.0 mm | |
Strike pattern | Mid/forefoot | HeelMid/forefoot | HeelMid/forefoot | Mid/forefoot | |
Size | True to size | True to size | True to size | True to size | |
Midsole softness | Soft | Soft | Soft | Balanced | |
Difference in midsole softness in cold | Big | Small | Big | Normal | |
Toebox durability | - | Good | Bad | - | |
Heel padding durability | - | Good | Decent | - | |
Outsole durability | - | Bad | Good | - | |
Breathability | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | |
Toebox width at the widest part | Narrow | Medium | Medium | Narrow | |
Toebox width at the big toe | - | Medium | Medium | - | |
Stiffness | Moderate | Moderate | Flexible | Stiff | |
Difference in gt1000 in cold | Big | Normal | Small | Small | |
Torsional rigidity | Stiff | Stiff | Stiff | Moderate | |
Tênis ASICS GEL-Nimbus 24 Masculino Azul | Flexible | Stiff | Moderate | Moderate | |
Rocker | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
Heel lab Heel brand | 37.2 mm 31.0 mm | 36.8 mm 38.5 mm | 40.9 mm 41.5 mm | 39.6 mm 39.0 mm | |
Forefoot lab Forefoot brand | 30.4 mm 23.0 mm | 28.6 mm 30.5 mm | 33.5 mm 33.5 mm | 33.1 mm 35.0 mm | |
Widths available | Normal | NormalWideX-Wide | NormalWide | NormalWide | |
Orthotic friendly | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
Season | All seasons | All seasons | All seasons | All seasons | |
Removable insole | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
Ranking | #38 Top 8% | #123 Top 39% | #9 Top 3% | #98 Top 32% | |
Popularity | #164 Top 31% | #85 Top 27% | #3 Top 1% | #139 Top 44% |
Who should buy
This shoe can do many things. And if you're eyeing a shoe that's any of the following, we think that the Novablast 3 might be the one for you:
- a running shoe for jogs and long, slow runs
- a daily trainer that's light and responsive for uptempo training
- Asics Basket SKU
Who should NOT buy
Even though we find the ASICS Gel-Lyte III Reigning Champ Grey to be nearly perfect, it still has a few caveats here and there. One, it's a tad narrow. And two, it's more expensive now by £10.
ASICS GT 2000 8 Lite Show Pure Silver Black Pure Silver Saucony Endorphin Speed 3. And if you want a shoe that won't break the bank, the Asics Tokyo Graphic Koszulka Z Krótkim Rękawkiem is a budget option that will surprise you.
Cushioning
Heel stack
The ASICS Gel-Lyte III Reigning Champ Grey is a massively cushioned running shoe. And it was easily confirmed by our calliper measurement.
Our tool showed an impressive 37.2 mm of heel stack height! That is almost 4 mm taller than the average road running shoe and is within 16% tallest shoes in our lab!
We got tonnes of impact protection and underfoot comfort from the Novablast 3, no matter what distance we covered that day.
Novablast 3 | 37.2 mm |
Average | 34.2 mm |
Forefoot stack
The shoe's forefoot cushioning is just as generous, measuring 30.4 mm of stack height. That's a good 6 mm taller than average!
Novablast 3 | 30.4 mm |
Average | 25.6 mm |
Drop
However, to our surprise, the shoe's heel-to-toe drop turned out to be a little lower than stated. We measured it at 6.8 mm, while it is stated to be 8 mm.
But the good news is that it is not a critical deviation and doesn't affect the runner's experience.
Novablast 3 | 6.8 mm |
Average | 8.6 mm |
ASICS GT 2000 8 GS Black Black Gunmetal | Midsole softness
The shoe is comfy as hell! We found it to be so easy on our legs and body that running or walking in the shoe for hours feels like a breeze!
We attribute that to the shoe's very cushy and forgiving ride.
Checking the foam softness with a durometer, we can confirm that it is indeed one of the softest shoes not only from ASICS but on the market in general. At 13.5 HA, it is 77% softer than the average.
The new Flytefoam Blast+ midsole of the shoe has lots of pop and is very much capable of faster paces.
Novablast 3 | 13.5 HA |
Average | 20.9 HA |
ASICS COURT MZ 1203A127-751 (%)
Even when exposed to cold temperatures (20 minutes in our freezer) and getting 52% firmer, the Flytefoam Blast+ still presentan much softer than most running shoes at room temperature.
With a durometer measurement of 20.5 HA, the Novablast 3 is 47% softer than the average "frozen" foam.
Novablast 3 | 52% |
Average | 25% |
Insole thickness
This ASICS shoe features a moderately padded insole. With a thickness of 4.4 mm, it is just about the same as the average.
Novablast 3 | 4.4 mm |
Average | 4.4 mm |
Size and fit
The ASICS Gel-Lyte III Reigning Champ Grey is a massively cushioned running shoe. And it was easily confirmed by our calliper measurement.
Our tool showed an impressive 37.2 mm of heel stack height! That is almost 4 mm taller than the average road running shoe and is within 16% tallest shoes in our lab!
We got tonnes of impact protection and underfoot comfort from the Novablast 3, no matter what distance we covered that day.
Size
ASICS Gel-Lyte III Reigning Champ Grey is true to size (122 votes).
Toebox width - widest part
The Novablast 3 has a very snug one-to-one fit but it never felt constricting on our medium-width feet.
Measuring the toebox at its widest part, our caliper showed 96 mm which is only 2 mm narrower than the average of road shoes. But this might still be narrow enough for wide-footed runners to consider zapatillas de running ASICS pronador constitución media talla 35 negras.
Novablast 3 | 95.9 mm |
Average | 98.5 mm |
Stability
Lateral stability test
Despite the extra stack, the ride felt quite stable and secure to us.
In our opinion, this is thanks to the combination of the shoe's snug-fitting upper and stable midsole. Prior to this version, the foam was too squishy, which compromised the shoe's surefootedness.
But in the third iteration, our feet never felt as if they were about to topple over!
Torsional rigidity
One of the key contributing factors to the shoe's stability is the amount of torsional rigidity in its platform. And the best way we can assess this is by twisting the shoe with our hands.
The Novablast 3 has a lot of gt1000 to it! It convinced us to rate it as 4 out of 5 on a scale where 5 is the stiffest.
Novablast 3 | 4 |
Average | 3.4 |
Tênis ASICS GEL-Nimbus 24 Masculino Azul
As for the heel portion of the shoe, despite its soft and flexible nature, we have zero complaints regarding its ability to hold the heel in place.
Asics Gel Lyte 3 Mid Grey Black zapatero1975.
Novablast 3 | 2 |
Average | 2.9 |
footwear asics gel task 2 1072a038 white champagne
The Novablast 3 also gets a good deal of stability from a rather wide platform.
Based on our calliper measurement, the widest part of the shoe's forefoot midsole is 115.9 mm. This is almost 3 mm wider than average.
Novablast 3 | 115.9 mm |
Average | 114.1 mm |
Midsole width - heel
Asics Herrenkleidung Pullover.
Our calliper shows that the widest part here is 93.9 mm, almost 4 mm wider than average.
Novablast 3 | 93.9 mm |
Average | 90.6 mm |
asics asics gel quantum 90 2 noir footwear
The ASICS Gel-Lyte III Reigning Champ Grey is not from the flexible bunch but it's right at the average across all of our lab-tested shoes.
We should note, however, that a moderate level of gt1000 makes the shoe's ride more propulsive.
Novablast 3 | 30.6N |
Average | 28.1N |
Weight
The lightness of this ASICS shoe made it feel at home for both fast and slow paces.
Putting the shoe on our scale, we found that the ASICS Gel-Lyte III Reigning Champ Grey weighs only 8.5 oz (242g)! That's exactly how much we expect a speed-oriented trainer to weigh these days.
Novablast 3 | 8.54 oz (242g) |
Average | 9.38 oz (266g) |
Breathability
The mesh upper on the Novablast 3 scores high on our breathability tests. You can see how much more smoke passes through it compared to the ASICS Kayano 29 on the right.
But on a 1-5 scale, where 5 is the most breathable, we had to give it a 3 because it took a few seconds for the toebox material to release the smoke.
obuv asics gel fit sana.
Novablast 3 | 3 |
Average | 3.8 |
Durability
Outsole hardness
We have absolutely no concerns regarding the outsole durability of the Novablast 3. First of all, it's the brand's reputable AHAR rubber and second, it's pretty hard!
Gorres i passamuntanyes Asics.
Novablast 3 | 83.0 HC |
Average | 79.7 HC |
Outsole thickness
The Novablast 3 manages to be a lightweight tempo trainer without sacrificing outsole protection.
Measuring the thickness of rubber layering the shoe's bottom, we got 3.1 mm. This is as thick as the average!
Novablast 3 | 3.1 mm |
Average | 3.2 mm |
Misc
Grip / Traction
Whether you're running city miles or on paved surfaces, dirt roads, steep, wet, and loose gravel, the outsole of the third Novablast is awesome.
Tongue padding
Ténis ASICS GT-2000 9 GORE-TEX preto lilás branco mulher!
Novablast 3 | 1.3 mm |
Average | 5.8 mm |
womens asics gt1000 10 lam
The shoe's tongue comes in a unique shape that moulds to the ankle. But it works! We experienced no shifting, sliding, or bunching throughout the run. Plus, it's protective against lace bites.
zapatillas de running ASICS hombre neutro constitución media talla 48 rosas.
Novablast 3 | Both sides (semi) |
ASICS Gel-Lyte III Reigning Champ Grey vs. 2
They may not look radically different but the ASICS Gel-Lyte III Reigning Champ Grey and 2 have quite significant differences. These are the changes that make the third Novablast different:
- lighter by an ounce!
- has more spring
- You will love the Asics GT 2000 5 if
A true all-rounder
Whether you're running fast or slow or running short or long distances, the ASICS Gel-Lyte III Reigning Champ Grey will keep you covered. It's an out-and-out versatile shoe. Throughout our run tests, we've done just about everything in this running shoe and the shoe delivered every time!