With such a vast choice of daily trainers available, which ones do we think are the cream of the crop? Remember, these are all personal opinions and all runners have different needs.
Daily Trainer Tier List – Myriad Options
The largest sector of shoes to choose from is the daily trainer market. In this daily trainer tier list, we will attempt to rank some of the most prominent shoes of the year to help you make the best pick. However, this list is based on Alex’s personal preferences and running style. Therefore, these rankings may not agree with your own choices. But, it will give a good place to start and hopefully save you time when you are making your choice for your next daily companion. Whether you strike forefoot, midfoot or with the heel, there is a shoe out there for you and perhaps you will find it here.
Daily Trainer Tier List God Tier – The Best of The Best
Top of the list this time we have three shoes which are fairly different in their feel and ride. The HOKA Skyward X is a giant of a shoe which has a carbon plate and a dual layer of foam. If you have the correct foot strike, which is somewhere from midfoot to heel, it gives the feeling of being suspended in air. That said, it is a shoe which wants you to run with a very specific footstrike so it is well worth trying out before purchasing.
Next up we have the New Balance 1080 v13. This is a far more traditional daily trainer. Unplated, soft and forgiving, Alex and Tim think it is one of the best daily trainers on the market at the moment. However, the big drawback if you are EU based is the price which is far higher than on the American side of the market. That said, new versions of shoes are always being released so it will probably be fairly soon that we can start picking up the 1080 v13 for a discounted price.
Our final top entry in our daily trainer tier list is the Miuzno Neo Vista. Another very large shoe, although nowhere near as mammoth as the Skyward X, the heel comes in at 44.5mm. It is a very soft shoe indeed, even with the fibreglass plate. Despite this softness, it is a fairly versatile shoe which is capable of both turning up the pace and cruising through the easier daily mileage. Keep your eyes out for our full review coming very soon.
Daily Trainer Tier List Home Run – Dependable Choices
Sitting slightly below the best of the best we find out dependable dailies which will get you where you need to be.
Firstly, we have the Brooks Glycerin 21. This is a very comfortable shoe which offers a well cushioned ride. It is slightly penalised by its weight which stops it being a true all rounder. That said, it will not let you down on your daily distance. With Brooks’ trademark excellent upper and fit, the Glycerin 21 is a no nonsense shoe which will work for the majority of runners. Although the price may be higher than some shoes on the list, the durability will ensure it will become one of the lowest cost per kilometre shoes in your whole collection.
Next up, we have the ASICS Nimbus 25, a shoe which relaunched the Nimbus line. Going from a fairly standard daily shoe, the 25th iteration launched the cushion into the stratosphere. Furtheremore, ASICS added some extra gel to the party. Alex had the Nimbus 25 as a shoe which would work for a wide range of runners. On the other hand, it is a little less versatile due to the weight. The upper is incredibly comfortable the cushion is excellent all round.
This tier also includes the Nike Vomero 17. A shoe which adds a section of Nike’s top rank ZoomX foam to the midsole and has excellent durability. While I haven’t used the 17, the Vomero 16 took me through a large chunk of my training miles for my last marathon. It is probably the best Nike daily trainer at the moment. Finising off this section of our daily trainer tier list, we have the PUMA Magnify 2. This is an upgrade on the shoe which was probably the weakest offered in PUMA’s original NITRO line. It has a softer midsole, redesigned geometry and is an all round better option for the daily grind.
Daily Trainer Tier List – Runner’s High
In this section, we find a large range of solid shoes which will do the job. While they may not be the best in class, they will make a lot of runners very happy for different reasons.
On have two entries in this section, the Cloudmonster 2 and the Cloudeclipse. The Monster is the shoe which launched them as a brand for serious runners. Meanwhile, the Eclipse is their more max stacked, thicker and more robust shoe. As with most On shoes, both have their foibles but are very capable of going the distance. Next up, we have the ASICS Novablast 4, a fun and bouncy shoe which has a good versatility. From long runs to fast sessions, the Novablast can handle it all.
Furthermore, we find the Altra FWD Experience, the first Altra to have a built in drop. While the midsole is fairly firm, it is a very comfortable shoe thanks to Altra’s foot shaped last. Moreover, the rocker is enjoyable at rolling through the gait cycle. Next up on the list, is adidas reworking of their Supernova line. The Supernova Rise has the Dreamstrike + foam which is PEBA infused and gives a comfortable ride for a reasonable price.
Finally, we move into the more max cushioned end of the market. Here, we find the Brooks Ghost Max and Nike’s Invincible 3. Many people have enjoyed the endless bounce of the ZoomX midsole of the Invincible, however, the fit in the third iteration leaves something to be desired. The Ghost Max has a good dampening cushion and while it may lack the excitement of ZoomX, it will last longer.
Daily Trainer Tier List Runnable – All Down To Taste
This is the section of the chart where I differ from some of Alex’s choices.
Personally, I would rate the Diadora Cellula more highly than this. For me, it is a better shoe than something like the Cloudeclipse or Nike’s Invincible 3. Also, from our reviewer’s takes, I am surprised that the Cloudsurfer 7 is this low on the chart. Perhaps, it is down to the squeak that they all seem to develop.
KIPRUN’s KS900.2 is a comfortable shoe which softens in the midsole after a while. Furthermore, it is a shoe which offers a huge durability. This is a similar tale to the Salomon Aero Glide. A shoe which offers comfort and durability even if it lacks the joy of many of the others above it in the list.
The Bottom of the Barrel – The Lowest of the Daily Trainer Tier List
Skecher’s Max Road 6 was not their finest moment of the year. That is reserved for the Go Run Ride 11 which had a much more enjoyable rocker and easy roll. Then, Nike’s Pegasus 40 was a rather uninspiring upper update to a shoe which has been in need of a real update for a while.
PUMA’s Velocity 3 probably deserves to be moved up at least one tier. While it may not be wildly exciting, it is more versatile and comfortable than some of the shoes which made the C tier.
That said, the adidas Ultraboost should probably be consigned to the past for good. Now adidas has their Supernova line, the heavy, dead Boost foam can probably be retired for good.
