Ultraboost 23 vs Vomero 18

The Ultraboost 23 is adidas at its most comfortable: a plush, heavy daily running shoe that leans as much into all-day wear as it does into your easy miles. This is not a shoe built to chase pace. At 310g it is one of the heaviest trainers you will run in, and you feel every gram when you try to push. What you get in return is a deeply soft, springy Boost midsole, a hard-wearing Continental rubber outsole with proper grip, and a knit upper that hugs like a slipper. In our view it makes most sense as a cushioned daily training shoe for shorter easy runs, recovery days and walking, where comfort and durability matter more than speed. The 10mm drop suits heel strikers well. The catch is the price: at an RRP of £180 it asks a lot for what is, at heart, a heavy cushioned cruiser. Watch for a discount and it becomes far easier to recommend. If you want something lighter and quicker from adidas, the Supernova Rise 3 is the more natural daily runner.

The Nike Vomero 18 is Nike's plushest everyday running shoe, a max-cushion daily trainer built to soak up easy miles and protect your legs over the long haul. This is the Vomero finally getting the soft, tall treatment people have wanted for years: a deep, dual-foam midsole that disappears underfoot and keeps feeling fresh deep into a run. It is not fast and it does not pretend to be. At 325g it is a substantial shoe, and the 10mm drop plus generous stack push it firmly into the cushioned-cruiser camp rather than the tempo one. We rate it as a premium easy-day and recovery option, the shoe you reach for the morning after a hard session or for a long, conversational effort. If you want one well-padded daily trainer to carry the bulk of your weekly mileage in comfort, the Vomero 18 makes a strong case. Just do not expect it to feel lively when you push the pace.