Guide 18 vs Hurricane 25

The Saucony Guide 18 is a supportive daily training shoe for runners who want a little guidance underfoot without the heavy, corrective feel of old-school stability shoes. This is the everyday workhorse in Saucony's line: a road running shoe built for easy miles, steady runs and marathon training blocks rather than race day. At a 6mm drop and around 269g it sits in the modern mould of gentle, non-intrusive support, so mild overpronators and neutral runners who just like a planted, secure ride will both get on with it. You will not feel a hard medial post shoving your foot around. Instead the Guide 18 keeps you centred and stable through the gait cycle while staying soft enough for long, slow days. If you want a dependable stability shoe that can absorb high weekly mileage, it is an easy one to live with. Runners chasing pace or pop should look elsewhere. The Saucony Ride 18 is the neutral sibling if you do not need the support.

Heavy and bulky it may be, but the Hurricane 25 scored higher with independent reviewers than most stability shoes we track. RunRepeat's lab review put it in its top band, and the other two reviews we read liked the ride just as much. It's Saucony's most cushioned support shoe: 38mm of stack under the heel, a 6mm drop and a wide base that keeps an inward-rolling foot in line without a hard medial post. At 283g it isn't built for intervals, and nobody we read tried to use it that way. It earns its £160 RRP on slow miles, recovery days and the back half of long runs, when your form starts to fade. Reviewers disagree on how much it moved on from the 24. Believe in the Run found it bouncier and less plodding, while a UK panel called it a mild update to a similar shoe. Neutral runners who like a big, planted shoe get on with it too.