UAE’s First Nike Vomero 17 Running Shoe Review | Luxury Daily Trainer

Nike’s entry product into the premium running shoe category just got a complete overhaul and has a mixed bag of attributes

After seeing great variations, generation after generation, Nike’s entry shoe in the premium segment is here in its new avatar, the Nike Vomero 17.

Staring at the wall of running shoes at an athletic store, the Vomero 17 wasn’t calling out to me. Neither is it a super shoe that is talked about much, like the Vaporfly or Alphafly series, nor is it as popular as the affordable Pegasus range. It isn’t all blinged up either to catch one’s gaze. But a closer look and the discounted price coerced me into trying out my size…and eventually, swiping my credit card. Some 3 months and 100 kilometres of mostly running (and training) later I’ve gotten a real feel for this new shoe. So, if you’re planning on getting a new pair of running shoes or the Nike Vomero 17 specifically, here’s what you need to know!

Aesthetics & Design

The Vomero 17 has been completely refashioned from the ground up. It’s no Vomero 16, which had a slightly frumpy looking, lifestyle shoe aesthetic. The 17 looks like a more focused runner. It looks almost like the Nike Structure 25 matched with a high stack dual-density midsole foam. The upper is an engineered mesh with contrasting designs weaved into it and comes in a variety of colour choices, but the midsole, quite unfortunately, only comes in one colour i.e. white, regardless. It uses flat, stretchy laces through a mix of loops and holes to fasten the shoes to your feet and has two reflective spots on the rear heel, but no heel tab. The heel-to-toe drop remains the same 10 mm as before, but with a high-stack visual. At 300g, it is lighter than the Vomero 16 but heavier than the Structure 25, which still puts it on the heavier side by a little. Overall, I like the look of it as running shoes and for casual wear but it isn’t a radically-styled, attention grabber or a fashionista’s choice in any sense.

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Build quality & Fit

Nike build quality isn’t industry-leading and it certainly isn’t consistent through their ranges. The materials in the Vomero 17 don’t feel super expensive or high-grade as you’d find in say Asics or Under Armour shoes. But the engineered mesh upper is rather robust and won’t easily rip and I didn’t see any glue remnants between parts, which was good. So, it is more the look and feel of the materials that are average, than actual build quality.

The Vomero 17’s strong point is its rather comfortable overall fit. A big thanks to the robust but flexible engineered mesh, thick padded tongue and soft collar which helps the shoe wrap around your foot well, while keeping your instep supremely comfy. The toe box is a tad shallow, my recommendation is to go a half size up. Although by doing so, it loosens the rest of the shoe marginally, reducing heel lockdown by a tiny bit. But the laces and the gusseted tongue are there to help keep your foot in place.

Cushioning, Support & Breathability

The Vomero 16 had ZoomX foam in midsole, paired with Zoom Air cushioning under the forefoot. But in the 17, you have full length ZoomX underfoot over Cushlon 3.0 foam. Together they provide good bounce and energy return. You could run for miles without feeling the stomp i.e. foot fatigue, creep in. The insole thickness also adds to the plush ride. However, with it comes mild lateral instability around the forefoot. Perhaps if it had structured toe section and the curvature of the midsole’s rear end of this “neutral support shoe” was made less prominent, it would have been more stable. This is something you can wear to the gym but it isn’t ready for any kind sport like basketball and certainly, not lifting. It also has quite a breathable outer, but if you’re running under the sun, you may start to feel the heat in a few miles.

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Traction & Propulsion

For a shoe that is probably intended for road and gym use, it has a rather thick waffle-inspired lugged sole, almost showing traits of a trail running shoes. Thankfully it also has break points for a smooth, flexible stride. The Vomero 17 grips rather well on all surfaces dry tarmac, wet tarmac, treadmill deck and it can even be used for light off tarmac use. The high-abrasion sole makes sure it will last a few hundred kilometres without much deviation in performance.

It doesn’t have energy rods or a carbon plate like some of those super shoes to give you that exaggerated roll-forward effect, but the stack height and tapered midsole at the forefoot gives a more natural transition in your stride, more so than the Vomero 16.

Price & Verdict

The new Nike Vomero 17 is a versatile running shoe. It is a daily trainer that can be used for casual runs, tempo runs, recovery runs and even race day with decent output and satisfaction. And it works out for those can only afford to get one pair of running shoes either due to the lack of budget or space in their shoe rack. The soft ZoomX foam gives it a plush ride and the tapered forefoot helps propel you forward, but stability isn’t at the highest level. You can even use it for light trails or park runs thanks to its groovy outsole which will last a while. But for the full fat price of AED 750, which is sadly the average price of a runner these days, it isn’t worth it. I purchased mine it at a discounted price of AED 429, at which rate it makes a lot more sense. Also note that for AED 479 (discounted rate) you can also get the Invincible 3 with a full-length ZoomX foam and better materials.