Let’s be honest: carrier foams suck. The modern midsole compounds on the best new running shoes are a blessing because they can make a shoe feel soft, lightweight, and bouncy all at the same time. But those foams tend to be relatively fragile and unstable, too, so enter the carrier—a more dense wrapper that encapsulates the good stuff. Toss a layer of glue into the mix, and the whole underfoot sensation gets stiff and firm, and all the magic of the high-powered foam disappears. Carriers are where good foams go to die.
The latest version of the Asics Novablast gets a hunk of super foam and, out of necessity, needs a carrier of sorts. But Asics wanted to be sure the springy sensation wasn’t lost, so it took an unconventional approach in this shoe—one that in turn delivers good stability and durability, but also nudges the fun factor upward.
Pros
- Bouncy forefoot foam feels lively
- Much improved traction
- Comfortably soft at all touch points
Cons
- Back half of the shoe not as lively as modern performance trainers
- Upper can feel warm on hot summer days
| Weight | 8.7 oz (M), 7.2 oz (W) |
| Drop | 8 mm |
| Heel Height | 41.5 mm (M), 40.5 mm (W) |
| Midsole | FF Blast Max (carrier) and FF Turbo Squared (forefoot) |
Quick history lesson to start: Asics launched the original Novablast just as the world shut down because of Covid. I packed up a few giant blue IKEA bags with shoes from under my office desk as I headed home, and atop the pile was a pair of shiny blue pogo sticks. That debut Novablast had a new FF Blast foam best described as “bouncy,” “uncontrollable,” and “squirrelly.” Rounding a corner at quick speeds was a truly harrowing experience. Gosh, I loved that dumb shoe.
That affair was short-lived because, like so many debut models, the follow-up could almost have been given a different name. Novablast 2 was so reined in that it became an entirely different beast. In a way, that makes sense: Not everybody could harness the unbridled energy.
Flash forward a few more years, though, and some of the joy has returned—minus the ankle-breaking instability. Fear not, friends, the Novablast is still a quality daily driver that’s going to prove stable and comfortable for your morning jogs. But now it’s ready to boogie on those days when you feel the wind shift to your rump at the turnaround of an out-and-back.
A-TPU Is the New Cheat Code
It’s hard to keep up with all of the new foam compounds—and even harder to make sense of what actually lies beneath a brand’s trademarked name for its foam. But aliphatic TPU has been making the rounds lately as one of the lightest and bounciest foams. Asics is using an especially lightweight version called FF Leap in shoes like the Metaspeed Ray and for the top layer of the Superblast 3. A more sturdy version is dubbed FF Turbo2 in the Megablast, a versatile performance trainer.
The Novablast gets the latter concoction because it’s meant to stand up to hundreds of miles of training. And, whereas the Megablast gets a single-piece, full-length slab, here there’s just a puck of it dropped into the forefoot. Unlike other pucks we’ve seen that were fully encased—think Gel inserts in other models—the A-TPU foam in this shoe goes from the ball of your foot all the way to the rubber. The firm carrier foam only encircles it on the edges.
Why’s that important? Refer to my earlier rant on carriers. And in this shoe, the configuration works. You get the sturdy landing and durable cushioning that will last through all of your training miles from the back half of the shoe. But, then, when you’re ready to bounce back off the pavement, you push down into the A-TPU for a snappier, springier feeling. Asics is calling it a trampoline pod, but that might be a wee bit of a stretch by the marketing folks. Regardless, the difference doesn’t go unnoticed.
“Compared to other uptempo daily trainers I’ve tested, like the New Balance Rebel V5 and Nike Pegasus 42, it has more cushion and a softer feel, yet is still light and bouncier than both,” said RW editorial assistant Michael McDonough.
And, if you’re coming from such traditional shoes, the Novablast 6 is going to be a joyful addition to your shoe rotation. But other testers who log much more mileage in super trainers and racing shoes found the ride a bit tame. If that’s you, you’re better suited with the livelier Superblast 3 or Megablast.
I’m in the latter camp and gravitate toward more propulsive models, even for my easy morning jogs. But I’ve found the Novablast 6 a good companion during my current marathon training block. It’s helped me ease into the day when I’m still creaky after climbing out of bed, delivering just enough cushioning and stability when I’m loosening up. But it also has plenty of pop so I feel speedy when doing post-run strides.
Grip and Comfort Get Turned Up, Too
The forefoot foam steals all the headlines, but a significant improvement was also made to the rubber outsole. Earlier versions of the shoe were pretty atrocious in foul weather—rain and snow caused our testers to step gingerly. Traction was consistently the lowest-rated feature by our wear-test team.
For the Novablast 6, Asics stuck with its high-abrasion rubber in the back half of the shoe, but swapped out the forefoot for Asicsgrip. This softer and stickier rubber gave us way more confidence to push off with power.
“I AM SHOCKED these did so well in the rain,” reported Anthony Calantoni, who also tested the Novablast 4. “I know these shoes had a bad rap for not having good traction. I was very pleasantly surprised and never felt like I was slipping.”
Calantoni wasn’t a fan of the ample padding around the heel collar, telling us that he felt like his feet were being suffocated. But he was mostly alone in that assessment, as other testers loved the shoe’s secure hug. Combined with a new woven upper, it’s comfortably soft at all the touch points and breathes well enough on warm-weather long runs.
“I loved the plush comfort of the shoes and the padded heel collar and tongue,” said Trevor Conde, who averages 50 miles per week at 6:45 pace. “The heel cushioning was especially generous with a high stack height.”
Buy Men’s Novablast 6 at Amazon
Buy Women’s Novablast 6 at Amazon
Trainers Like the Novablast 6, but ...
Nike Vomero Plus
The Vomero Plus delivers more cushioning along the full length of the shoe.
The Megablast uses more of the FF Turbo Squared foam.
Jeff is Runner-in-Chief for Runner’s World and the director of product testing. He has tested and reviewed running shoes, GPS watches, headphones, apparel, and more for nearly two decades. He regularly tests more than 100 pairs of shoes each year, and once had a 257-day streak running in different models. Jeff can usually be found on the roads, racing anything from the mile to a marathon, but he also enjoys racing up mountains and on snowshoes. When he’s not running, you’ll probably find him hanging from a ladder making repairs and renovations to his house (he’s also director of product testing for Popular Mechanics).
