Asics Gel-Nimbus 28 vs Nike Vomero Plus: Which max-cushioned running shoe should you get?

Hello and welcome to The Run Testers. My name's Nick and in this video we're going to be comparing the Nike Vomero Plus to the Asics Gel Nimbus 28. So the Nike Vomero Plus and the Asics Gel Nimbus 28 are both premium max cushioned running shoes that sit at the top or near the top of their respective brand's range of neutral cushioned shoes. They offer a lot of comfort in particular for your daily training. They're designed to be more than just you know protective shoes they're fun enjoyable shoes you can take out each day. They're both pretty expensive but the Vomero Plus is a slightly cheaper shoe in the UK where it's 155 pounds whereas the Gel Nimbus is 180 pounds. In the US the Gel Nimbus is actually the cheapest shoe it's $170 versus $180 for the Nike. Gel Nimbus is the lighter shoe it's 285 grams or 10 ounces in the UK 9 US 10 the Nike is 300 grams or 10.6 ounces in the UK 9 US 10. The higher drop on the Vomero Plus which stands 45 millimetres tall at the heel 35 millimetres tall at the forefoot. The Gel Nimbus 28 has an 8 millimetre drop it's got a stack height of 43.5 millimetres at the heel and 35.5 at the forefoot. When it comes to the design of the two shoes you've got a pretty thick engineered mesh upper on the Vomero Plus loads of padding on the tongue in particular a fair bit around the collar of the shoe and a you know internal heel counter there as well. Midsole it's just a big slab of Nike's bouncy zoom x foam it's a pretty lightweight material hence why you know this isn't the heaviest shoe even with such a large stack height on there it's a very you know springy and fun material as well. Then you've got Nike's waffle tread outsole with pretty much full coverage on the Nike Vomero Plus. Then with the Asics Gel Nimbus 28 you've got an engineered mesh that I'd say is a slightly lighter feeling one to the one on the Nike there's certainly less padding around the tongue than you have on the Vomero Plus. A fair bit of padding around the back of the shoe though and again a stiff internal heel counter so add some structure there. The midsole is mostly Asics' Flight Foam Blast Plus, FF Blast Plus with a small pure gel insert under the heel as well. You've got an outsole made from high abrasion rubber but much less extensive coverage than you have on the Vomero Plus. You've got big air of exposed foam in the midfoot of the Gel Nimbus but the heel and forefoot are well covered with rubber. In terms of the fit of these two shoes I don't really have too many notes like I've got a very good fit with both of them in my normal running shoe size here but in the UK now I'm with both that is the size I use across the Asics and Nike ranges and have done for many many years and I nearly always get a very good fit with these brands. I find their sizing pretty consistent they both got quite a lot of room in the toe box which is kind of what you want a nice big easy recovery day shoe like this and let your toes breathe a bit in it and then you've got a good hold around the heel and midfoot. In terms of a direct comparison I think the only thing that really stood out as a major difference is how much padding there is on the tongue of the Vomero Plus which does give you a nice plush cushion feel as you put the shoe on but can feel a bit hot if you're running you know in sunny conditions for a long spell whereas you've got a slightly more breathable design on the Gel Nimbus 28 I would say but yeah really no notes the fit I just stick to a normal running shoe size with both of them. On to the run test I've done about 160 kilometers of running in the Nike Vomero Plus and about 50 kilometers in the Gel Nimbus 28 which we had in this year and I've done a mix of runs with both these shoes so just daily training runs really so lots of easy running I've done long runs in both shoes and easy to steady progression runs in both shoes which again is kind of another standard daily training run for me I've done things like strides in both of them as well but not really done loads of workouts in either shoe I view these very much as you know your kind of big cushion shoes for easy and long run days really now after that testing you know one of these is my favorite max cushion shoe on the market which is Nike Vomero Plus and the other one is just kind of fine which is the Gel Nimbus 28. I do think the Vomero Plus sets a standard that shoes like the Gel Nimbus should be going for because it is a lot more fun and bouncy and energetic than most of the max cushion shoes out there whereas the Gel Nimbus you know is in line with most options but it mainly focuses on things like protection and doesn't bring as much joy to the ride I would say as a shoe like the Vomero Plus. So I had the Vomero Plus in first to test and like I say it does have a very energetic ride like that big ZoomX midsole just provides a whole load of bounce and you sink into it but you come straight back up thanks to the springiness of that foam and it's such a deep midsole because you've just got that one material in there you can really feel like you're sinking into this huge cushy bed of foam it's not sappy or soggy or anything like that you don't have to wade through that foam it comes straight back up like I say and bounces you on your way it's not the most rocket shoe and you've got a fairly high 10 millimeter drop in the Vomero Plus I still found it quite smooth and rolling from heel to toe I think if you do sink in quite a lot the heel and then get thrust through onto that forefoot and I did actually find it a reasonably versatile shoe the Vomero Plus like it's not a shoe you want to go and do hardest workouts in necessarily but you can run at steady paces quite comfortably because of the level of energy return from that ZoomX midsole especially as you up the pace you get more and more bounce back from it but really it's at its best for just cruising along and like even at my slowest paces really shuffling I don't have a very bouncy stride pattern myself I have a very you know shuffly style and even just taking small steps at slow speeds even then you feel the bounce from midsole because it is you know very responsive I also say the Vomero Plus has never felt too unstable to me and it retains its bounce throughout long runs like sometimes with soft springy foams by the end of like a half marathon distance something like that they start to lose a bit of that bounce but that's not the case with the Vomero Plus and the Gel Limbus for its part I found basically fine like I say it's a very supportive and stable shoe I feel like it maybe has a touch more stability than Nike just because it is a bit firmer but they're both quite wide based shoes and they do provide a good amount of support on that front and the foam in the midsole of the Gel Limbus is just a little bit firmer a little bit more balanced like it is still comfortable it is still cushioned but it doesn't have that level of pleasant give you get from the Vomero Plus as you sink into it and then you obviously get bounced back by the Nike where you just kind of roll through and get pushed along quite nicely in the Gel Limbus 28 like it's not a shoe I think feels as versatile as a Nike even though it is a fair bit lighter it just feels like a big cushioned cruiser a protective one with lots of natural stability but it doesn't give the level of spring and fun that you do get from the Vomero Plus and like I said I do think the Vomero Plus sets almost a standard for max cushioned shoes like if you're hitting these kind of very high price points and you're aiming to offer like a deluxe premium experience in your top end daily trainer I do want a phone that's going to put a smile on my face really with the ride of the shoe and that's what you get with Vomero Plus and a few other shoes these days and the Gel Limbus is still more focused on things like protection and stuff which is great but shoes can do that now whilst having you know a much more fun ride as the Vomero Plus shows. I did do a short run wearing both shoes at the same time and yeah it is very noticeable how much more bounce and squish you get from the Vomero Plus and the way it kind of springs back up at you and it makes Gel Limbus feel very muted and dull in comparison and you know there's no real negative trade-off I don't think for that like I say maybe the Gel Limbus is a touch more stable but I think the Vomero Plus is perfectly stable and if you need more stability than it's giving you probably want to go for a full stability shoe anyway so I don't think there's a big downside to having the extra fun of that Zoom X for cushioning there in the middle of the Nike and it definitely gives a ride that I prefer. When it comes to my verdict it's an easy call for me when picking between these two shoes I would go for the Vomero Plus especially here in the UK where it's the cheaper option I think it's worth paying the extra in the US as well both these shoes might start cropping up in sales and might change the equation a bit on price but at any time they're priced reasonably similarly I would get the Vomero Plus because the ride is just a lot more fun you've got a big bouncy midsole foam there and it just provides extra joy and enjoyment on those easy daily runs you know we're just getting out the door and it's really nice to have a shoe that puts a bit more of a smile on your face than the Gel Limbus 28 which is a good daily trainer it will provide support it will last a long time I think it's going to be a good shoe if you pick it up but the Vomero Plus I think does the same role just that bit better because of the more energetic midsole foam and it'll be interesting to see if Asics starts to introduce its more lively foams into things like the Nimbus range and the Nova Blast because it has got some fantastic foams in its lineup that's used in shoes like the Mega Blast you know there's FF Leapfoam there's FF Turbo Squared and you know they provide fantastic rides in shoes that are really good shoes but the Gel Nimbus is still using you know what I think is a good but not outstanding foam whereas Nike has shown you can put in that kind of foam to your big Max Cushion daily trainer and get a ride that's more fun without sacrificing things like stability durability or anything like that so yeah I go for the Vomero Plus it's my favorite Max Cushion shoe and it was an easy call for me that's a comparison of the Nike Vomero Plus and the Asics Gel Nimbus 28 let us know what you think in the comments below please do like subscribe ring the little bell and we'll see you next time