The Saucony Ride 18 is a daily shoe that receives a few updates to the popular Ride 17. The biggest of those is the addition of PWRRUN+ in the midsole, a foam designed to make the shoe lighter, softer and more responsive than its predecessor, as well as an improved level of energy return.
The Novablast 5 continues the popular daily shoe line with a new FF Blast Max midsole foam designed to be softer and bouncier, while still retaining the same weight as the Novablast 4.
The shoe also features a new Jacquard mesh upper instead of the previous woven material used in the Novablast 4 – the aim being to improve the fit and ensure a good level of breathability.
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Hey, Tommy from the run testers. In this Video, we are going to be comparing the Sony Ride 18 with the Asex Novast 5. Let's peruse these [Music] Shoes. The Sony Ride 18 costs £130 or $140. It weighs 266 g or 9.4 oz for men In a size 8 and the drop is 8 mm. The ASX Nova Blast 5 costs £135 or $140. It Weighs £256 g or 9 oz for men in a size 8 and the drop is 8 [Music] Mm. The Sony Ride 18 is a daily shoe That receives a few updates to the Popular Ride 17. The biggest of those is The addition of Power Run Plus in the Midsole, a foam designed to make the Shoe lighter, softer, and more Responsive than its predecessor, as well As an improved level of energy return. The outsole also aims to have better Durability and grip alongside a smoother Ride due to flex grooves towards the Front of the shoe. Finally, there's a New engineered mesh upper to increase Breathability and provide a stretchy fit To improve lock down and comfort. In Addition, there's an updated heel collar Designed for an improved level of Cushioning. The shoe is also available In a wide version. The Asex Novaglast 5 Continues the popular daily shoe line With a new FF Blast Max midsole foam Designed to be softer and bouncier while
Still retaining the same weight as the Nova Blast 4. The shoe features a new Jacketed mesh upper instead of the Previous woven material used in the Nova Blast 4. The aim being to improve the Fit and ensure a good level of Breathability. There's a similar Trampoline inspired outsole to previous Versions to improve comfort. And Covering that is a healthy layer of Rubber for grip and protection. So, in terms of fit, it's been very good For me on both of these shoes. No major Issues to report. I've got them both in UK size eight. That is my typical Running shoe size. I would say they are True to size fitting shoes. And what I Like about the approach on both front is That they have a nonsense approach to Delivering that kind of experience. They Are kind of padded in the key areas Without feeling overly padded. There's Good space up from the toe box. So I've Had no issues in terms of getting good Lock down with the laces and the tongue Though the tongues are slightly Differently the heel collars are very Good very consistent as well and of Course no irritation. Now there are a Couple of key areas where I would say They are slightly different. I think if You look at the midfoot or mid middle Section of these shoes the midoot hold Feels a little bit nicer on the sock
Ride 18 just hugs a little bit closer And I think I I slightly prefer that but Some might prefer the kind of more kind Of accommodating one on the nose 5. When You look at the tongues, the no blast Hive has this kind of gusseted style one Which takes a little bit of fiddling Around to get it in place initially but Doesn't move about. The uh one on the Ride 18 is kind of definitely a more Heavily padded one, not overly padded But kind of offers a little bit more Comfort on the top of your foot. So Yeah, those are kind of key little Differences, but overall I think these Are very nonsense fitting shoes, very Comfortable, padded in the right places And are going to give you good room in That kind of foroot area and generally Give you no issues elsewhere. Okay, so The fit for me in these two shoes is Pretty similar actually. There is plenty Of space in the fore foot of both of These shoes. Very nice, comfortable bit Of space. Um, and they're very similar Overall, uh, in terms of the space you Get in the upper. The forefoot, um, There's plenty of space around the sides Of the feet. Um, and overall, I'd say Definitely stick to your size in both of These shoes. Uh, the only slight Difference is I think the ride's Probably a little bit thinner, a little Bit narrower, but not massively. I'm a
Size eight in the UK. These are both Size eights and I definitely say to my Size in both of these shoes. Very, very Comfortable shoes. Nice bit of padding In them. Definitely stick to your Size. Okay, so these are two great daily Shoes that tick a lot of boxes for People. Whether you want cost effective Um general running shoes that you can Use for lots of different things, Whether you want comfort, whether you Want a little bit of versatility, all Those sorts of things, these two shoes Tick off. Uh and I like both of these Shoes. I think they're both really solid Options if you're looking for a good Daily trainer. Uh, and in fact, these Are probably a good example of where Brands are producing a daily trainer That undercuts some of the more premium Shoes they've got, but is actually Slightly better in some ways. I would Say definitely with a Ride 18. Uh, I Think this is a better shoe than the Triumph 22 now, which is considerably More expensive. So, really good solid Shoes and a great value um on both Counts. Um, both shoes are great all Rounders uh up to a point. Ride 18. Uh, I just think is a a great shoe for Anything from easy runs all the way up To slightly faster training sessions. If You're about to do a tempo session, if You're going to do a long run at a
Slightly faster pace or a consistent Pace, great shoe for that. Um, the Midsole in the Ride 18 for me is just a Little bit firmer and as a result is Just a little bit more responsive. Um, If you want to pick up the pace, u, but It's still very, very comfortable at Easy pace. Uh, but it's not a really Soft midsole like you will get in some Shoes. It's not hard by any stretch of The imagination, but it sits in the Middle nicely. It's a nice balanced Midsole. So, I very much enjoyed using This for my marathon training over the Past few months. Used it for basically Any run I went out and I wanted to do a Nice comfortable pace. Uh I wouldn't use It specifically as an easy run shoe. I've got better shoes for that, things Like the MB5 that I prefer for easy Runs. Um but it can do it can do it Fine. If you're looking for one pair of Shoes to buy and you wanted to do all of Your runs in it, this is a nice option That isn't too expensive. Um and it's Good holiday shoe. you can take it away With you and you can do the easy stuff, You can do slightly faster stuff, it can Do a lot of stuff. The Nova Blast 5 Pretty similar uh on most counts. I Would say it's not as versatile. So, the Uh midsole foam in the Nova Blast 5 is a Little bit softer and um as a result, I I don't think it's as responsive and
It's it's not as good at picking up the Pace on those quicker sessions that you Want to do. So, slightly less versatile On that side, but it skews more towards The easier runs for me. So, even though It's relatively versatile for a daily Shoe, it's a better easy day shoe for Me. It's very comfortable. This midsole Is very nice. There's a little bit of Energy return from it. Not loads, but it Definitely helps you when you're trying To maintain a nice consistent pace, but I definitely would say it's a fast shoe. Um, but it is a versatile shoe to a Point. You could if you just had one Shoe and you wanted to go and do faster Sessions in it and you know your temper Runs or things like that, it's Absolutely fine for that. Um, and I know Some people use it for marathons at Certain paces because it's solid a solid Allrounder. So, both of these shoes Quite similar in a lot of ways. So, I Think it really just comes down to that Slight difference in the midsole um and Your preference when it comes to shoes. Um for me, I normally go for a softer Midsole uh when I'm doing easier stuff Uh and slightly firmer when I'm doing Faster stuff basically. Um so, uh I've Used these quite a lot uh but I think The Nobel Blast 5 just um just goes for Those easier sessions a bit better than The Ride 18, but the Ride 18 goes a
Little bit faster than the No Blast 5. Uh the outsole on the Ride uh 18 really Really good. Nice solid layer of rubber On this outsole. Really really good. Really grippy. Um and uh no signs of Wear or tear on that after all of the Miles I've done in it. The Nova 5 also a Very good outsole. Very thick layer of Rubber on the Nova 5. Really really Solid. Take a while to get down to that Midsole foam. So pretty impressed by it So far. Um and I've used both of these On lots of roads and public foot paths As well. They both really fared quite Well. So good outsole rubber on both of Them. So, in terms of my running time With these two shoes, I've done 50K in Both. I would say these definitely Epitomize what I would say are workhorse Daily trainer shoes. These are shoes if You've only got room for one shoe in Your life, you only got money for one Shoe in your life, these are ones that Can cover a lot of your running time. Maybe not your allout fastest runs, but Will do a lot of the other stuff and Cover a lot of other bases. Now I'll Start with the sock ride 18 which I Would kind of describe as a more kind of Traditional daily trainer particularly Compared to something like the Nova 5 And a lot of other daily trainers. Now That's not to do it any disservice. I Just think that that is probably going
To make it work for a lot more people or A lot of people. I would say what I like About this shoe is that it is it hasn't Arguably got sock live kind of midsole Technology. It's got a power run plus, But it's got a kind of kind of sock Line, power on plus sock line there, Which means you've got something that Feels very soft and comfortable to fit In. But what I think that midsole does In combination with everything else, it Gives you something that gives you a Little bit of bounce, a little bit of Enjoyment there, but also keeps things Very controlled, very balanced, and I Think very smooth, and it feels like a Shoe that you can really kind of roll Through very nicely. There isn't this Massively rockered feeling here, but I Think what you know the the makeup in Terms of the weight of the shoe, how That midsole feels underneath your foot. It definitely has a capability in making It feel like a very solid kind of Consistent shoe to run in. I think also What I think is, you know, obviously You're getting a lot of stack of kind of Foam here in both these shoes. I think You notice it a little bit less and I Feel like the Ride 18 keeps you a little Bit closer to the ground. I think that Adds to that kind of more responsive Feel that I feel I I get from it when I Run a little bit more uptempo in it. And
It does feel a touch more versatile for Me compared to my time in the No Blast 5. That's not to say the No Blast 5 Isn't a versatile shoe. Absolutely is. That's really what it's about. I think, You know, when you you got kind of Factoring the FF Blast Max midsole foam Here, which is definitely a lot softer. Definitely feels that you've got more of It, you know, foam wise compared to the Ride 18. It definitely does feel softer, But it does roll through very nicely as Well. I do think that it doesn't maybe Has the same level of snap that the Ride 18 has, but I do think you can tick very Nicely in the Nova Blast 5. I really Like running longer in the Nova Blast 5 Where you're not necessarily wanting to Run all out harder, maybe trying to go More up tempo, but it really knows or You really know you've got something Very comfortable Underneath. You really know you've got Something really comfortable underneath Your feet and really protective as Well, I think maybe the energy return works a Little bit better compared to the Ride 18. Again, I think I'll be using the Same types of runs. I think, you know, Not super easy runs, but definitely Something that a little bit slower than Your moderate pace. Moderate pace runs, They absolutely can work for. I think Some people would get some more tempo
Running time out of No Blast 5. I found It more comfortable to do it in the Ride 18. Now, from a durability outsole point Of view, there's similar levels of Outsole rubber here. bit maybe a bit More coverage on the lateral sides on Those boss 5 compared to the Ride 18. I Found them absolutely fine on pavements And roads. I wouldn't hesitate doing Some lighter trail going running in my Parks as well. I think they'd be fine to Do that. So, I think from that point of View being shoes, as I said, that are Workhorse shoes, they absolutely kind of Fit the bill. I do think there are some Differences. There are some things I've Liked about one over the other. Which One I'd go for? I'll get into that next. So my take away you should go for the Socky Ride 18 or the Asex Nova Blast 5. Now I do think these are two of the best Kind of value daily trainer shoes that You can get and even if you compare it To some other more expensive shoes they Definitely deliver better performance All around compared to some pricier Options. Now if it was me based on my Experience based on my running time Factoring things like the price as well Which again is very similar I personally Would be going for Sony Ride 80. I think They will work for the same generally The same types of runs. I have just Found that on slightly more uptempo
Running I felt more comfortable doing That in the sock ride 18. I would Definitely value when I look for a shoe Something that's going to give me a bit More versatility and maybe save me from Thinking I maybe need to get another Shoe and that's what I've kind of been Left kind of thinking when I've run in The Ride 18 compared to the No Blast 5. This isn't a bad shoe and I think loads Of people are going to love the Nova Blast 5 over the Ride 18. I think Particularly from a longer run Perspective, I think if you prefer a Softer feeling shoe, and again, this is A shoe that's going to feel very Controlled to run in, not too unstable Either, but probably is a little bit Less stable compared to the kind of Feeling of running in the Ride 18, which I think, you know, is going to make it a More accessible shoe for a lot more People, a shoe that's going to work for A lot more runners. And that is the shoe That I'd be going for. As I said, I Think the Novas 5 is a standout kind of Good value daily trainer shoe as well. But if it was my money, I'd be going for The Sockney Right BT. Okay, so my Verdict on these two shoes, tricky one Because I like both of them. Um, and I Think they're both great options if You're looking for a general all round Daily shoe that can do a lot of
Different types of runs. Um, I think it Really just comes down to your Preference when it comes to those sorts Of runs. If you are a general runner That basically does easiest runs all the Time, you want something that really Skews more towards the comfort side of Things, uh, I'd say the No Glass 5 is The best option. It's a very comfortable Shoe to run in, but is quite versatile To an extent as well. Um, Ride 18, if You like a slightly firmer midsole, Maybe if you're um you're running at Maybe a slightly faster pace uh than you Would in the Nobel Blast 5, I think that The Ride 18 is probably the one to go For. But they're both really solid all Round shoes. Um, I'd be happy to use Either of these for most of my runs Between easiest runs all the way up to Sort of faster consistent training Efforts. um because they really do a Similar job. For me, um I'm actually Going to pick the uh sock ride 18. And The reason for that is um I wouldn't use Either of these as my easy day shoe. I Prefer a much softer, easy shoe that is Nice and comfortable all the time and Then I will move on to another shoe to Maybe do my faster sessions and things Like that. Um, for me, the Ride 18 just Fits above the easy easy run shoes as a Little bit more of a versatile shoe. Um, That you could use for faster training
Sessions, things like that. Um, I tend To use this for if I'm just ticking off A lot of miles, but I want to be able to Maintain a nice consistent pace. I Wouldn't use something like the MOV if I Was doing that. Um, and uh, I'd probably Go for a faster Super Trainer if I was Going for proper interval sessions and Things like that. But I think this Really nicely sits just above that sort Of easy day shoe. um and that sort of Interval session shoe where you want Something that can do quite a bit but Allows you the flexibility to go out and Do whatever type of running you want to Do. Whereas the blast 5 um I think is Definitely more of an easy shoe for me Based on the ride and the comfort of That midsole foam. Um so I'm going to go For the Ride 18 on this one just cuz I Think there's a little bit more to it Especially for my style of running. That's it from us on this versus. Thanks A lot for watching. Don't forget to Like, subscribe and click that little Bell and if you catch below you find to Our podcast which comes out a couple of Times each month. Thanks for watching. Catch you next time.
