Sonicblast 2 vs SC Rebel 1

The Sonicblast 2 is ASICS building a super trainer for runners who want a bit of race-day energy on an ordinary Tuesday. It pairs FF Turbo Squared foam with an FF Blast Max base and a forked Pebax plate, so you get a bouncy, propulsive running shoe that still carries enough foam for long runs. With a 46mm heel and an 8mm drop it is a lot of shoe, yet at 242g it is light for that much stack. We see it as a do-it-all training partner: tempo sessions, long runs with marathon-pace blocks, and plenty of steady miles in between. The plate is Pebax, not carbon, which keeps the snap more forgiving than a race shoe and makes it easier to live with day to day. If you mostly run easy and want something simpler and cheaper, the Novablast 6 makes more sense. At £170 RRP it isn't cheap, so check the UK prices we track below before you buy.

The SC Rebel is New Balance's carbon-plated super trainer: a running shoe built to handle your long runs and faster sessions during the week, then line up with you on race day. It pairs Infinion foam with a carbon plate on a 40mm heel and 36mm forefoot with a 4mm drop, and at a listed 218g it is light for a shoe with this much underfoot. Put the numbers next to the SC Elite 4, New Balance's marathon racer, and they read almost identically: same stack, same drop, and the Rebel is listed lighter. At £180 against £280, that is the story. In our view it suits runners who want one plated shoe for tempo work, marathon-pace long runs and the race itself, rather than an expensive racer saved for a handful of days a year. It is not an easy-day shoe or a stability shoe, and the low drop asks a lot of your calves.