WHICH IS THE BEST?! SUPER SHOE Comparison Review | FAST-R NITRO ELITE 3 – VAPORFLY 4 – SKY TOKYO

WHICH IS THE BEST?! SUPER SHOE Comparison Review | FAST-R NITRO ELITE 3 – VAPORFLY 4 – SKY TOKYO – Welcome back to another video and today I share my thoughts on some of the best super shoes of 2025 in this comparison review. I have included 5 releases from this year and a cheeky 2024 release which, was ultimately my racing shoe for the first half of this year!

What has been your favourite super shoe you have tested this year?

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00:00 – Intro
00:37 – Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3
02:56 – Nike Vaporfly 4
04:32 – Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite 3
06:27 – Asics Metaspeed Sky Toyko
08:03 – Li Ning Fedian Challenger 5
09:46 – Nike Streakfly 2
10:58 – Your Favourites?

2025 has been a great year for Super Shoes. Some of the best for me have been produced. Last week, I did a comparison video on my daily trainers of the year, and today we’re going to be doing the same for the Super Shoes. Now, one of my goals for this year was to test more Super Shoes. Last year, it was my weakest category when I came to produce my running shoe of the year video. So, this year, I wanted to make a point of testing more of them. I’ve got five of them today that I’ve managed to test out this year, and I’m excited to give you guys a comparison headto-head. I won’t be going into as much detail as I will in the running shoe awards, but today, as per last week, I’ll be going through the pros and cons of each of these shoes and showing you my preferences. And I want to kick start with the Puma DV8 Nitro Elite 3. Now, technically, I believe this was actually released in December or maybe end of November last year, but I picked this up and have raced in it exclusively this year, or for the most part, Pummer has been the mainstay in my racing lineup, so I couldn’t not include this shoe. It absolutely blew me away. I tested the first version of this shoe and it was a great shoe, but it really was just a super trainer. It felt really fast in workouts, but it never really had that extra edge that I was needing for a racing shoe. The second version I didn’t test, so it was great to get back into a new version. A few of you when I picked this up had said, “This is absolutely incredible.” I got it and I was blown away. I ran all of my races in the first part of the year with this shoe and what was the most impressive is I always got on really well with the Vaporfly. So, in terms of the pros and cons, this was a very similar feeling geometry setup to the Vaporfly. Low scoop plate felt an aggressive shoe, something that really worked well for me. As I landed, I really felt like I got some good spring back as I was towing off the ground. It was just a wonderful shoe and still is got over 200 miles in this thing. It’s been retired to a training shoe and it’s still going really strong. If I could race in it still now, I would. It’s still got that much life left in it. In terms of pros and cons, well, the midsole is super lively. It’s Puma’s biggest feature this year is they’ve probably produced for me the best midsole out there. This nitro midsole whether it’s in the base level velocity or this Nitro Elite which we’re seeing in the Fast Start and this one it is absolutely outstanding. The perfect blend. Not too soft, not too firm. It is really hitting that sweet spot. The only issue I found with this shoe other than the fact that the upper fits really well and everything about this shoe works for me, the heel counter. I just can’t take it on any really long runs. I had to rule it out from my marathon just because I get heel rub in the shoe and I spend in and around 90 minutes in the shoe. Towards the end of a couple of half marathons I raced in it this year, I was starting to get a bit of heel rub back in Newport and Alakanti. I then tested it in my marathon training and I got a couple of long runs done and it wasn’t too bad, but as soon as I picked up the pace and the intensity, it really started to rub the back of the heel. And so if they change anything in version 4, I hope they change nothing other than just flare this a little bit away from the Achilles so that it doesn’t quite rub on the back. Otherwise, this is a near perfect shoe and trending in completely the other direction, the Nike Vaporfly 4. So this is the second one I picked up this year. I was really excited to get my hands on this one. And this feels like, as I said in the previous section with the Puma DV8 Nitro Elite, the original version, a great super trainer. This is better than that, but it doesn’t feel like it’s got that racing edge to it. So, what I found in the version three of the Vaporfly is that it just felt like it really bottomed out after being in it for a while. It lost its spring back, its responsiveness, and it just felt quite mushy the longer I stayed in the shoe. I didn’t find this one to be too dissimilar. I think the main difference for me was just slightly the lower stack in this shoe meant that it felt a little bit more like a trainer rather than a racer. We’re not pushing this thing up to the full 40 mil at the back here, which is right on that legal limit that you can race in. They’ve just shaved a little bit off in this shoe. And so, it does feel a little bit more like something you want to lace up for some K reps or something like that rather than racing 5 or 10K. ZoomX still one of my favorite midsoles. A really, really good one, but it just doesn’t quite have the edge for me. Now, we’re seeing a lot of advancements with other brands. I’ve been more impressed with what I’ve tested in Asex this year and Puma, of course. I feel like Nike really have a job to do to try and catch back up to the competition. The Alphal Fly for me in my size is just a massive boat. It’s a great shoe, but it really is a lot of shoe sadly. And again, weight wise, it just doesn’t compare to anything else uh that I’ve tested this year. The Vapor Fly used to be one of my favorites, so their other racing option. And yeah, just sadly seeing this one go into decline for me. Still a great shoe, but it’s certainly not up there to be in contention for a decent racer. And then after missing out on the first drop of this one, I stayed up to midnight to purchase myself a pair of these beauties. These are quite honestly the most incredible racing shoe that I have ever run in. I can’t say it enough. Puma have absolutely knocked it out of the park this year. They really feel to me like Sorcin were three or four years ago when we were in that speed one and two phase and they were really developing some great shoes. We had the launch of the Elite 1. I really felt like Sorin had put themselves on the map again. And now they’ve regressed and I feel like Puma have come to the forefront this year with a couple of really strong for me the best racing options out there. I have had a great time racing in this shoe. The only con I can say about it obviously it’s very lightweight. It’s my lightest racer this year. The only thing I can say about it is just that I can’t run long distances in this shoe. It did baffle me slightly that Puma were doing the whole Breaking Three project and getting normal everyday runners with. Maybe not the best form to be racing a marathon in a shoe like this. I do actually find that if my form gets a bit sloppy as I stay in it a bit longer. It almost feels like it’s a bit of a negative drop in the shoe. It’s a very weird sensation and I can often feel like I then as I start to land a little bit back here as my hips sag a bit and I don’t have great form as I try and go through it just kind of feels a little bit clunky. But when I’m up on my toes, this is by far the best racing shoe out there. I thought nothing could get better than the DV8, but this one is absolutely incredible. set a brilliant half marathon PB in this. The other races I’ve done it have been brilliant. Raced in it the other weekend, got a course PB on a really tough hilly course. Absolutely spectacular. I honestly bar the fact that I don’t think this shoe really for the most part for a lot of us runners is going to suit us for the marathon. Unless you’re kind of a really strong, solid foroot striker with good forward hips and really strikingly good form. I don’t think it’s going to be for everyone over the longer distance. But as I said, this is for the shorter stuff. There’s nothing that compares. And then we move on to the Asex Meta Speed Sky Tokyo, I think this one is. So, this was their new release this year. After years of banging on to Asex about not making my size, UK size 13, EU49, they finally did. And so, I couldn’t pass up on the opportunity to test one of their racing shoes. Again, been very impressed with this. Although, I will say I don’t feel like it’s quite got the edge for me. I do feel actually like I probably should have gone for the edge. So, speaking to a few of you, I feel like the slightly less aggressive scoop plate in this makes it feel like a bit more of a cruiser. It’s absolutely fantastic. I’ve been using it for a few workouts lately. I’m very efficient in this shoe. There’s one thing that does bug me a little bit. I’m a little bit sloppy in the heel counter. I can find uh that my heel can maybe slide a bit left or right in this shoe and then I start to feel like my heel is hanging over the edge of the midsole a little bit. It’s a bit of a weird sensation just kind of getting that lock down. I’d probably need to use the extra eyelet there just to hold things secure. But ultimately the midsole foam in this shoe is beautiful. It’s a mixed compound here. We’ve got their FF Leap on the bottom. I think is it FF Turbo on the top? I’ll put it on screen. I can’t remember exactly. But the FF Leap is wonderful and soft. It’s their TPU based one. And then the one at the top is their pea based midsole which is what they’ve used in previous shoes. And the blend of these two is really good. I think in general we have a really solid shoe. And this would probably be one of my backup options for racing. As I said, just not quite so secure fit in the back for me. Great upper. Everything else is great. Lovely bitey laces that cinch down nicely. As I said, maybe the edge might suit me a little bit more than the sky. And I’m going to throw this little beauty in here as well, the leaning Challenger 5. So, this technically isn’t their racing shoe. It’s their speed day shoe. It does have a carbon plate in it. And when you read the blur about this shoe, it does say that it is one of their racing shoes. Again, weight-wise, it comes in very comparable with some of the other shoes in this list. Really impressive. Again, been using this over the last two or three weeks and running some of my best workouts in this shoe. Just kind of trying to feel out between the Asex in this shoe. And to be honest with you, I think I actually prefer this one to the Meta Speed Sky Tokyo, which is quite gling when I think I spent £198 on the ASEX and I spent 75 on this one. Again, with the leaning shoes, I get very much speed one and speed two vibes back in the good old days when those shoes were produced. Lovely beaded, super critical foam. It provides wonderful responsiveness as you’re going through the gate cycle. A little bit firmer than what we’re seeing in the Pummer, but still lovely and responsive. And again, this one works really nicely for me. Lovely low scoop plate. So, again, it’s on that aggressive side of things. Very comfortable upper. Does feel a bit more like a trainer upper, even though the weight is really light on this shoe. It’s just a shame I can’t test their racing shoe because they don’t do my size in it. I think in terms of cons, grip is the only thing that I’m just a little bit unsure of. I’ve had no issues. I’ve mentioned this in a couple of videos now. I do take a wide turn when I’m cornering. It doesn’t feel the tackiest grip in the world. So, it’s just going to be a case of seeing how long this lasts. If I get a couple of hundred miles out of this for 75 quid, I’ll be very happy. I think it will go way more than that. I think it honestly it’ll be the grip that fails first if anything. And that’s just a gut feeling, a prediction that I have. Otherwise, everything else is fantastic. Slightly narrower in the midfoot, widens nicely in the fore foot here. A beautiful fit. And whilst recording this video, I realized the Street Fly is another one that I should have put into this video. So, I guess that’s number six in the racing shoes. So, in terms of Nike’s Vaporfly 4. As I said, really not too keen on that one, but we’re going to finish on a high with the Street Fly. Absolutely fantastic. So, I’ve done some workouts in that shoe. very small workouts, but I’ve done a couple of onemile time trials and they are one of the funnest shoes. They’re one of the best shoes that I’ve tested this year. I have had a blast in that shoe. I’ve been a bit cautious because again, it’s a bit like a track spike but for the road. So again, when you’re just walking around, it does feel like there’s a negative drop. I’m aware that’s going to put more strain on the Achilles and calf. So, I haven’t used it in abundance. I actually hadn’t used it for a couple of months through the summer. I dug it back out a couple of weeks ago and remembered how much fun it was. So, I kind of feel like Nike did really well with the Street Fly. A great improvement from version one. Durability, I don’t think durability is going to be great on that. And I’m sure a lot of you guys out there have put a lot of miles in your pair already. But for me, it’s a shoe that I can have fun in. Really lightweight, the lightest shoe that I have. Very snappy, very nimble, something for those shorter distances up to a 5k for me. So, there we go. There are my five or six really super shoes that I have tested this year. So really grateful as I said to be able to test more. That’s fantastic. Got a better range in there and there have been some really good ones. It’s only that Vaporfly 4 that I’ve been a little bit disappointed with. Every other one has really shone and very very happy to have spent my money on them. But of course I’d love to throw the question back to you guys. What has been the super shoe that you’ve been loving this year? If you’ve got a few that you’ve been testing out, racing in, what has really worked well for you? Please do drop a comment below. It’d be great to hear your thoughts on this down there. If you missed last week’s daily trainer video, I’ll make sure I leave a link to that one up here. Or if you want to see my last race vlog where I use a Puma Fast R3, check out this one down here. And I’ll see you guys over on one of