Novablast 4 vs Superblast 2

The Asics Novablast 4 is a bouncy, high-stack daily training shoe built to make easy and steady miles feel fun. It sits in the cushioned-but-springy corner of the running shoe market, the sort of trainer you reach for when you want soft landings without a dead, sink-in feel. At 257g it is not the lightest max-cushion shoe out there, but the energetic midsole hides the weight well once you are moving. The 8mm drop keeps you in a slightly lower, more natural position than a traditional 10mm trainer, so midfoot and forefoot strikers tend to get on with it quickly. This is a do-most-things daily trainer rather than a specialist. It will happily soak up recovery jogs, cover a long run, and still has enough pop to enjoy the odd faster stretch. If you want one cushioned shoe for the bulk of your week, the Novablast 4 is an easy shoe to live with. The newer Novablast 5 refines the same recipe.

Two years on, the Superblast 2 is still the shoe other super trainers get measured against. Asics has since released the Superblast 3, but reviewers were close to unanimous on this one, and with the newer model out, the v2 is the one more likely to turn up discounted. It's a big, plate-free running shoe with a 45.5mm heel and a weight of 249g, and it copes with almost any pace: slow marathon-block long runs at one end, races from 10K upwards at the other, for runners who'd rather not wear a carbon racing shoe. Ben Parkes kept reaching for it for months after launch and ranks it among the best shoes they have run in, and Believe in the Run gave its performance their top grade. The catches are a ride that's firmer than it looks and a £200 RRP. If you want one shoe for most of your week and you run long, this is the one we'd pick. If most of your running is easy and short, the cheaper Novablast 5 gets you most of the way there.