Now that we’ve clocked enough test miles, we’re ready to give our verdict on the new Mizuno Neo Zen, a non-plated daily trainer that Mizuno says is the perfect shoe for all distances, speeds, and personal needs. One thing we’ll say is this is a very different proposition to some of the plated super trainers that we’ve had on our feet in recent months. Is that a good thing? Did it live up to billing? Hit play on our Mizuno Neo Zen review to find out.
JUMP STRAIGHT IN:
0:00 – Intro
0:30 – Details: Drop, Stack Height, Weight, Price
1:31 – The Run Test
8:29 – Verdict
11:45 – How’s the fit?
13:26 – Now watch this:
Hey people welcome to the run test it's Kieran here now that we've clocked Enough test miles in the Muno neoen we Are ready to give you our verdict on This non-plated daily training that Muno Says is the perfect shoe for all Distances speeds and personal needs that Is quite a claim one thing we will say Is this is a very different proposition To some of the plated super trainers That we've had on our feet in recent Months is that a good thing did it live Up to billing we're going to tell you Let's get into it Let's give you some quick design details First then and first up you got the Specs you've got the mauno neoen packs Of 40 mil 34 mil stack of mauno eny NEX Nitrogen infused foam with a gentle Rocker and a 6 mil drop it weighs in 8.5 O or 241 g with my UK men's and a half That's about the weight of a sck Endorphin speed 4 or a Nike alphafly Next per 2 if you go back a generation And it's priced at £130 in the UK or $150 so it's at the cheaper end now mids Salt is super soft extremely cushioned Across the foot and compress a lot and That makes the drop feel lower up top You've got a one piece softnit upper That's light and Airy with an integrated Tongue for a booty style fit and a Minimal race style heel package with Some reinforcements but those are still
Pretty pliable they do add some Structure and support into that heel Package flip them over and the out soole Has a really generous covering of Mizuno's X10 rubber as well good for Durability and grip So in testing I've clocked more than 40 Miles in the mauno Neo Zen that includes A 7 Mile cruising kind of midling pace With a few faster efforts mixed in I've Done a couple of easy four to five miles At my slowest Pace I also did a big 20 Mile marathon training run with a hefty Chunk of marathon pace miles and a Portion of Struggle Bus Cas towards the End of that now I said it in my first Run video I always look at shoes with This kind of minimal style upper and Heel package with a little bit of Trepidation I worry that these are going To rub or just not quite offer the Comfort of your more traditional uppers For a daily that's a bit of a worry I Can sort of get away with it for a Rao Perhaps but these razor thin heel colors Give me the kind of heebie jeebies However the Neo Zen slips on easily and Quickly feels like it belongs on your Foot I like the wrapping booty style Upper that holds well across the midfoot It's nicely flexible but it supports and Moves with the foot it's all very Spacious the heel collors come up a Little bit High on my achilles and under
The ankles and some shoes in this style They actually made for a little bit of Extra security without any unwanted Rubbing I didn't have any cutting that Can happen with this kind of sty shoe Sometimes under the sort of kiles in the Heel now when it comes to the midsole And that all important ride this is a Soft chew the first sensation you get is Marshmallow squish from the nitrogen Infused foam like I found it really soft Squidgy highly compressive with some Wobble but it returns quickly as well to Deliver a decent dollar of buoyancy and Bounce from the first few steps you know You're in for a fun ride when you lace These up now I have to say I noticed the Lack of plate in here and at times I Wanted something to offset that softness With a bit of stap or a bit of Stabilization got these kind of big Squishy bouncy Foams of and the plate Gives it that little bit of rigidity now I've not running the Neo Vista but I Believe that's got a similar setup here But with a plate and I'm told that Offers a similar ride or range but with A bit more stiffness I don't tend to Struggle with stability in shoes but Even for me at times the Neo Zen felt a Little bit out of control with some Lateral movement that meant I had to pay Attention to my foot strike I think this Is a shoe kind of Demands a bit of
Concentration and some settling in on Each of your runs that you take it out However on that 20 mile marathon Training run I found that once I'd Settled into the shoe got my head around How it ran it ran with energy and Comfort I dropped in as many sub seven Minute mile marathon pace miles as I Could as many as my legs would muster at Least and it was good at that clip at That kind of pace it was also energetic At slower cruising Pace but I much Preferred it when I was moving mid to 4 Foot with intent the ride felt more Controlled and I think the Neo Zen Started to feel more natural when I was Moving like that I had to think less and Less about my Landings at those kind of Upper Paces when you engage them right What you get is a springy return that Feels Lively and exciting the softness In the foam also works well to eat up The road impact that makes it good for Longer mileage from an impact protection Point of view even at the slower miles As well and even moving slow you're Getting some assistance from the bounce In the mid soole however I do worry that The wobble might offer the support that Some Runners might want from a shoe to Do the easier miles and also those kind Of longer Miles when you might be Struggling or when you want to go slower Towards the end but in terms of
Cushioning they can certainly eat the Road impact are they protective enough In terms of all that movement uh jury is Out okay so I have spoken in many videos About how much I like soft shoes I like Loads of cushioning I like uh really Bouncy shoes um the mauno Neo Vista is One of my favorite shoes I talk about That shoe all the time um and the big Difference between that shoe and this Shoe is really just because it has a Plate going through it um and that does Make a massive difference the M Vista is Very soft very bouncy but but that plate Does add some structure to the shoe so That you can do faster sessions in it You can do Tempo sessions you can do Intervals in it and it's also a really Nice easy day shoe as well they really Work that shoe out well as being a Versatile daily trainer that can do Quite a lot of stuff really enjoyable Shooter running and quite cost effective As well um this is essentially the Neo Vista but without a plate running Through it so as a result um you don't Get the structure from the plate you Just get the the really soft Midol foam Um and there's quite a big it's quite a Chunky stack height of of mid Sal foam In here but it doesn't feel like that This this foam is really soft and when You first take it out for a run uh I've Done about 50k in this shoe now and and
Um when I first took it out for an easy Run it felt really really nice it feels Nice and bouncy like Theo Neo Vista it Feels very comfortable um but when you Pick up the pace or when you're running Longer distances that softness becomes Really really noticeable it doesn't feel Like a shoe that's got a 40 mm stack in It it feels like a much more minimal Shoe because the way that that midso Compresses so you can really feel it Squishing down as you run and if you're Running on slightly uneven surfaces it's That soft all the way around you can Really feel it squish squishing in um And compressing across the whole of the Run now that's very nice if you're doing A nice easy run um because you're not Really expecting a lot from it little Bit like the 1080 v13 or something like That where it's really a shoe that is Very very nice for easy runs but if you Want to pick up the pace or you're Running longer it does SAP your energy a Little bit you do get Bounce from it When you first start running it but over Time what I found in the shoe is that The balance is overridden by the Softness and when you compress you don't It doesn't feel like you're getting as Much back from it um as you would in Something like the Neo Vista because of That plate and it's it's stopping it Compressing too much um so as a result
It's a nice comfortable shoe to wear but Even for me it it's probably the softest Shoe I've tested um and I would only use It for easy runs uh recovery runs things Like that uh I definitely wouldn't use It if you're a runner that needs a bit Of stability um because it's not a very Stable shoe uh you can definitely feel It moving around under your feet and Where wherever you hit that mid tole It's soft so it does get a bit wobbly um Some points in the shoe so if you need Stability this wouldn't be a shoe that You that you looked at it's fun for easy Runs but other than that I definitely Wouldn't use it for anything else Because I just don't feel like that that Phone works so well as it does in the Neo Vista when it's got a a plate Running through it because it it Controls the foam and without it it Feels like it's a little bit um out of Control um so uh it's a comfortable Shoes it's really nice to to wear for an Easy run but definitely not a shoe that I would use to anything else just Because that foam is just too soft and That's something that I've very rarely Say about running shoes um but other Than that the outsole it's pretty good I've not had any issues with the outsole Um I've been running in the wet quite a Lot recently and it's been absolutely Fine I've not been slipping around or
Anything like that so the outs all Pretty good it's got a good covering Across the whole across the whole shoe Does have this exposed section here but It's quite low um against the rubber so Not a big issue there Verdict then and if you don't like soft Soft midsoles this shoe probably isn't For you because it is very soft but if You're a fan of very soft with some Bounce this definitely ticks both of Those boxes when you're Landing mid to 4 Foot really punching into the ground They work well when you're controlling The shoe moving with a bit of precision And intent it's a really fun ride I Personally lean towards stiffer shoes Have a little bit more snap in them and In my early test modes this shoe had me A bit worried from walking out of the House I felt that softness and wobble a Lot and I definitely noticed the lack of Plate I think this could still benefit From having a stabilized plate but this Is a shoe that's full of energy but I'd Really just like a little bit of extra Control to smooth out those or stiffness To smooth out those transitions a bit Some extra kind of control to really Punch up that Pham with a bit more Snappiness overall though I kind of like This shoe it's light and Lively in a Racy package fits well comfortable to Run in cruises well eats miles easily
Offers plenty of impact protection at Slower Paces overall I think it feels Really nicely versatile having pushed The pace close to Marathon distance it Can definitely handle fast and I think It can handle long if you can get on Board with that soft midsole you could Definitely race a marathon in the shoe I Think so at the price again provided you Get on with softer rides I think this is A properly good value allrounder and I Very much enjoyed it so my verdict on The Mao Neo Zen is that it's it's an Interesting shoe it's a comfortable shoe It's a fun shoe for certain types of Runs I think it's a very nce shoe I Think a lot of people aren't going to Get on on with it I wouldn't suggest a Beginner gets this shoe because it is a Little bit wobbly um and that Compression in it doesn't make it a very Versatile shoe um it really does take Away a lot of energy from you uh on most Runs if you go for an easy run and You're not really putting a lot of Pressure into the ground and running Forward quickly it it's fine fine it Feels quite nice you get a nice little Bit of bounce off of it when you pick up The pace or if you're going longer that Foam doesn't really help you in a lot of Ways it does just feel like um it's a Bit bit sponge likee and it's really Compressing a lot and not giving you as
Much back as you're putting into it so It's definitely not shoe that I would Suggest for um any sort of versatile Training uh if you're looking for an Allrounder shoe if you wanted an Allrounder shoe get the Neo Vista Because it makes such a big difference It's not the most stable shoe around but It's significantly more stable than this Just by having that plate running Through it uh it's also a lot faster a Lot more versatile um and one of my Favorite shoes um so yeah it's it's in It's inevitable I think that they there There would be a version without the Plate in because it's a bit more of a Natural shoe um but it's definitely a Shoe that's very specific to a certain Type of run and a certain type of Runner If you were really heavy I think you'd Just completely squash that midsole and You're not going to get anything out of It at all might work better if you Really light um but also if you need Stability I don't think this is a good Shoe um for for that as well because I Think you might struggle a bit with the The wobbly nature of that that mid cell Foam so fun shoe very nice for easy runs And things like that but definitely not A shoe I pick up for anything other than That when it comes to fit I ran in my Regular UK 8 and a half and these shoes Felt just ever so slightly long in the
Toe box I don't mind a bit of room but I Think I'd like a touch less length to Make everything in the shoe feel Slightly more connected into that kind Of midfoot 4ot area though I'm not sure I' actually risk going half a size down On the plus side they are nicely light Nicely Airy generally offer quite a Disappearing fit that's wrapping holds Well so overall I think I would Recommend sticking true to size so the Fit for me in the mauno Neo Zen I'm size Eight in the UK this is a size eight It's a very roomy shoe um and not just The length of the shoe so there's quite A lot of space before my big toe uh and There's loads of space in the forefoot Of the shoe it's it's it's really a Really spacious shoe it's very Comfortable as a result but also it does Feel like it's it's quite a roomy shoe And I did find it quite hard to get a Nice lock down fit that's also partly Due to the fact that it has this knitted Uh sock light upper and I've never been A massive fan of these uppers in a lot Of shoes um but in this it really does Feel quite roomy so it takes a while to Sort of pull all the laces together and Get a nice lock down fit in it so it is A very roomy shoe I'd probably um Tempted to go down half a size in this Just to minimize some of that space in The shoe uh it's definitely more space
Than I'd like in it I know some people Like to have more space than me uh Before the big toe um but I'd probably Go down half a size in this shoe to get A nicer lock down fit so there you have It that's been our review of the meduno Neoen hope you found it useful we'd Appreciate a subscribe if you're not Already ring that Bell as well if you do That so you'll be notified when other Videos land on the channel if you're Interested in fast daily trainings I'm Going to pop a review on screen now you Go and watch otherwise thanks very much For stopping by and until next time Happy running people
