Our in depth review of the Nike Vomero Premium, sadly answering the question “does it light up?” with a no and “are they like moon boots?” with a yes. This is going to be fun.
We’ve talked a lot this year about how Nike has moved to new silos for their shoes and the cushioned line is the Vomero. We started with the new Nike Vomero 18 that I really loved, then they added even more cushion to the the Vomero Plus which is indeed plush and now we have the 55mm stack height Vomero Premium.
Personally, I love that they even called out on the heel this is not a shoe approved by the World Athletic Association. Meaning if you were to win a race in these it wouldn’t count…but they are not a race shoe, so it’s absolutely tongue in cheek and I’m here for it.
Who Is It Good For?
- Wide Feet: Wider fit than most Nike’s will work for more people.
- Heavier Runners: Enjoy this crazy cushion while still feeling stable and we think durable.
- Long Runs: Indeed they are designed for longer miles, but caution to consider ankle strength.
- Front of the Pack: Not in the slightest, these do not pick up the pace.
Nike Vomero Premium Overview
If you’re looking for a shoe that people are going to ask you about, look no farther. It gets some immediate reactions as noted above and the discussions are amazing.
And if I’m being honest, I took one look at the airpods and thought I’m not gonna like this. I was really disappointed by the Pegasus Premium, but I ate my words. I LOVE THIS. It’s fun on fun on fun.
Which is likely due to the difference of having the full ZoomX midsole cushion that I have loved, along side the larger forefoot and heel pods. In fact, these air units are set to 20PSI…yes like what you gauge tire pressure with. I’m fascinated.
Owner of runher magazine, Ashley Mateo, said she felt so good in these shoes, she took them out on back to back 10 mile runs. I think they worked extremely well for her because of a forefoot strike. As someone with more of a heel strike, I enjoyed them for 10 miles, but also could tell my ankles were putting in some work especially on my left side.
It’s not unstable per say, but it’s also just A WHOLE lot of shoe and cushion which is going to require more ankle stability.
Is 55mm to tall? I definitely feel like we’re starting to see a ceiling, but some interesting news.
While it is significantly above the 40mm that’s allowed for elites in road racing, I was pretty impressed to find the body adapts very quickly to this shift.
In fact, there’s some good data around this. So if stack height is your concern, let it go. Focus instead on what shoe feels great to you and makes you want to keep putting in the miles.
How to describe the cushion? If you’ve been running in a top tier super shoe, then you might not call them bouncy. BUT if you’ve been running in regular trainers or cushioned shoes these do have bounce. That moon shoe description is kind of right one.
In fact, Nike actually said “Drawing inspiration from the anti-gravity treadmills” — so yes, it’s all about that weightless bouncy feeling. And our fearless mile barrier breaker Faith Kipyegon says she used them for her easy mileage.
Over longer runs, they have enough firmness that I never felt I sank in to the shoe. This is HUGE. Many of the really plush shoes can actually cause lower back pain while running because you start to sink in and it changes your form.
Nike Vomero Premium Specifications
- Weight: 12.3 oz Men’s, 9.8 oz Women’s
- Stack Height: 55 mm men’s, 52 women’s
- Heel Drop: 10 mm
- Available 1 color
- Not available in wide
- Available at Nike.com for $180
Quick Take
- Very stable for high stack height
- Bouncy feeling
- Don’t overly sink in to cushion
- Price
- Will work ankles
- It’s a whole lot of shoe
Nike went all in on the look of this shoe being something to stand out. In fact, they have a whole program called the Moonshot right now for a group of women training for Chicago and I think maybe it’s because of the moon shoe that comes to mind with this shoe!
Nike Vomero Premium Fit
Unlike many of the racing shoes and even the Pegasus line, the Vomero line is not narrow. I wouldn’t go so far as to say wide foot friendly for all, but a very average fit through the midsole and then a standard rounded toe. In fact, I did spend a little more time adjusting laces through the midfoot to get better locked in, but once I did that it stayed very comfortable.
Super padded tongue, which is interesting only because maybe an opportunity to cut some weight. But it’s comfortable and I had no issues with it moving around. I DID need to do heel lock lacing and there is just barely enough to make that happen, but without out I couldn’t quite lock in to the heel.
Heel collar is lightly padded and really comfortable. It’s not too stiff and not extra padding that’s going to rub.
The outsole is really similar to the Nike Pegasus.
Basically that means it should perform pretty well on a wet road and you’ll be find taking these on crushed gravel paths, but wouldn’t recommend them for the treadmill. The tread is just enough that I think it would rub on the treadmill, but I don’t recommend max stack on the treadmill either.
Nike Vomero Line Up
As always, I think when we have a bunch of similarish shoes it’s helpful to compare, so let’s look at the Nike Vomero 18 Vs Vomero Plus Vs Vomero Premium.
While the Vomero 18 is a max cushioned shoe, I feel like I can still pick up the pace in it. If you were looking for a shoe for a 4:30 marathon, I think it could do that or faster. Meanwhile the Premium is absolutely great if you’ll be on your feet for a 6 hour marathon or simply want a great cushioned recovery day shoe.
- Vomero Plus is 45mm stack to the Vomero 46mm, not noticeable
- Vomero Premium is 55mm stack and noticeable shift
- Vomero Plus slight rocker is noticeable
- Both have a 10mm heel to toe drop
- Plus is actually almost an ounce lighter
- Vomero 18 is $25 less and still feels like a good deal to me
- Plus has a bit more bounce and liveliness to the shoe
- We have questions on if the Plus is as durable
Similar Shoes to the Nike Vomero Premium
Honestly, our set of similar shoes is really close to the Vomero Plus because there’s just not much more stack and cushion and bounce to be found from other brands than what we listed?
- Hoka Mafate X – It’s a trail shoe, but has that really great cushion and feels like a better comparison than the Bondi
- Puma Mag Max Nitro – Serious bounce to this max cushion show as well, 8mm drop, Unisex may provide wider fit
- Asics Gel-Nimbus 27 – Stack soft max cushion, slightly higher drop, not as bouncy, very much a recovery run shoe
Our Verdict
The Nike Vomero Premium is a next level cushioned running shoe that still manages to give you some bouncy energy return. It’s a conversation starter and a whole lot of fun, but it may be more shoe than most people need.
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