Torin 9 vs Winflo 12

Altra made the Torin lower and cheaper for version 9. It stands 25.8mm at the heel and 25.5mm at the forefoot, down from 30mm flat on the Torin 8, it weighs 264g against 278g, and the RRP has come down from £150 to £135. The result is a flatter, more planted zero-drop daily training shoe than the soft Torin that many Altra fans are used to. Reviewers agree the Vibram outsole grips very well on wet roads and that the shoe is steadier than before. How it feels underfoot splits them. Canadian Running found it soft and bouncy, while Run To The Finish called it much firmer than the Torin 8 and short on life, and lab testing measured very little energy return. We rate it a good road running shoe for easy miles if you're already used to zero drop. Try it on before you buy, though, because the toe box doesn't suit every Altra foot this time.

At £99.99 the Winflo 12 is one of the cheapest ways into a high-stack Nike running shoe, and it's a very different shoe from the Winflo 11. Nike piled on foam, taking the heel to 40.9mm and the forefoot to 30.3mm with a 10.6mm drop. The result is a soft, stable daily training shoe for easy miles and long runs. It isn't built for speed, and at 305g it's heavy, which is the complaint that keeps coming up. RunRepeat rated it highly, mostly for how much protection you get for the money. Fordy Runs was cooler, calling it a decent budget shoe but pointing serious runners to the Vomero 18, which costs £45 more at RRP. We sit somewhere between the two. If your budget stops around £100 and most of your running is steady, it makes a lot of sense. If you want a shoe that can also handle tempo work, pick something lighter.