ASICS Blazeblast Review

Ryan

Throughout my testing period in the Blazeblast, I took these bad boys on a variety of runs including road only, road to trail, gravel roads, and just slightly mild terrain. My runs ranged from 3 miles up to 12.

The first good I want to chat through is the underfoot ride. A couple weeks ago I got to demo a pair of Novablast 6s and I can see how this shoe is going to be described as the trail Novablast. It's very reminiscent of that ride, but I think it still holds its own. I feel that the compound in the Blazeblast feels a touch softer than the Novablast, but has that same responsive and bouncy feel. Certainly not as bouncy as the Superblast or Megablast, but enough to give you a good time throughout long miles on some nice buffed-out trails.

The stack height on this one is wild to me. I actually had to go back and check my tech sheet, because I couldn't believe it was at 43mm...that makes no sense to me. It doesn't feel that high. In fact, I thought the Blazeblast actually had some great ground feel. I never felt like I was going to roll an ankle or felt sketched out with the stability of the shoe. It hugged the ground nicely and it just carried me forward, even on sections of trail that were rockier and had some scattered loose rocks. The Superblast 3 sits at a 46mm height in the heel...this doesn't feel remotely close to that.

The ASICSgrip is stellar. This might sound weird, but have you ever had a good pair of trail running shoes with excellent grip? The way I can sometimes tell the rubber is outstanding is when I'm walking and I just listen. It's almost like there's a sticky residue on the bottom of the shoe and you can feel the shoe peel and unpeel from the surface beneath you. That's how these were. The rubber felt sticky and I had absolutely no issue out on the trails. I think 2.5mm lugs are the sweet spot for a gravel shoe, because they were perfect for digging in and getting me over some uneven terrain, but they didn't feel odd or too much for asphalt sections.

The last item on my good list (shoutout Santa Claus) is a combination of the fit and the upper. This shoe fit exactly how my Superblast 3s fit. Spacious and no issues at all. I went on a 12-mile run and had no rubbing whatsoever. I love a wide toe box and sit on the wider side of sizing, but these were perfect. I took my true to size as well. The upper is comfortable, soft and forgiving. It's not very protective, but most gravel shoes aren't.

A lot to like about this one from ASICS.

Ryan

Now, there are just a few things I want to touch on in the big ole bad section. I am such an optimist and a positive person that I hate using the word "bad", but maybe we can think of these items as things to keep an eye on, or to watch out for.

The first is a big one for me and I don't want it to contradict what I said above in the good section. The first "bad" or "look out" is the midsole. "Huh? Wait, Ryan. You crazy fool, you just said that was great above." My defense to that is, you're absolutely correct. When I look at the midsole on its own, it's good, lively and fun. But...this is where I now compare it against one of my most beloved shoes and midsoles to ever grace the market...the Salomon Aero Glide series, both road and GRVL included.

If you want to know the quick and dirty answer to: "Is the ASICS Blazeblast better than the Salomon Aero Glide?" My answer is no. For $5 more, I would take the Aero Glide for sure. Again, the midsole in the Blazeblast is good and for anyone not familiar with the Aero Glide series, you will really enjoy it. If you are a fan of the Novablast, you will love it. But...and to me it's a strong but...it doesn't have that unique characteristic I've found in the Aero Glide series, and even in the H1 if we want to pull in another gravel category shoe so it's not only Blazeblast vs. Aero Glide. These midsoles just have even more bounce, resilience and responsiveness. I'm sorry if you were vibing with me and then I just threw this one at you, but I just needed to call it out for those wondering the major question. I really feel like the Blazeblast is going to get compared to the Aero Glide a lot as we see this new shoe hit the market.

The final area I wanted to call out was the weight. It's not heavy by any means, and it feels fine on foot, but again, against some of its competitors, the Blazeblast definitely comes in a heavier package.

Ryan

This shoe is good! It's really good. It's awesome to see ASICS coming to market with a no-nonsense, daily hitter that will bring you a lot of fun. ASICS has officially joined the gravel category and they've done so in a meaningful way. Is it a standout shoe of the year? I don't think it is. Again, it's a good, solid option for many people. If you're looking at the gravel category in terms of performance and the best bang for your buck, I think the Aero Glide and H1 are better options. Your dollar just goes further. That said, ASICS is definitely headed in the right direction with the Blazeblast. We've seen such success in the road space from them over the past years, I think their attention and focus on trail is going to continue and bring to market some of the best that can be offered. This is my bet at least. Time will tell!

Ryan

Absolutely. For $155, it's annoying to state that this seems to be in our realm of "affordability now". Everything in life has gone up...and we sure have seen it in shoes these days. However, the ASICS Blazeblast boasts incredible value at this price range. For $155 you're looking at a solid everyday shoe to get you a lot of mileage. It's so hard to know how long the shoe will last you, but I'd put it somewhere between 300-400 miles.