Mizuno Wave Universe Review Update @MizunoRunning
Seven weeks since I wrote the last review on my Mizuno Wave Universe (WU) last. Now over 210 miles on WU4 and 190 miles on WU3, they are still going strong! Since many people are looking for a shoe review on WU and they seem to be concerned about its durability, I thought of writing a quick update. I mostly run on pavement (concrete or asphalt), so below should be representative of its durability as many people wear racing flat on pavement (right?), rather than strictly on track or soft trail. I’ve been running in WU4 on dry days and in WU3 in rainy days.
At 210 miles, my WU4s are showing some tear and wear at the outside of the mid-foot: The black rubber-ish material you see in the picture on the left. I don’t know how many more miles are left in the material until mid-sole starts showing. The same deterioration is found on my other shoe; however, the same material on the front and inside still looks as good as new – almost.
The outsole is still securely and tightly glued to the upper, and shows no sign of coming apart. This is the case all around the shoe. The same goes for WU3 I put through some wet weather, as well as washing machine and manual washing. One thing I noticed was I got a wet foot when I accidentally step on a mushy grass. As a result, I got a big blister exactly where the outsole is wearing out. I don’t know if the water came through the thinning outsole or the opening in the middle of outsole (I don’t know what it is called).
The orange thermal plastic that runs from heel to midfoot shows a little bit of damage as well, but nowhere near as bad as the outside of the midfoot. I guess I am not a serious heel-striker. This thermal plastic material is pretty springy, so it is supposed to help when I am pushing off and moving forward.
Overall, the shoes are still in a great shape. Except for picking up dirt stain, there is no functional damages in the upper. My feet are pretty wide, but they adjusted to the width of my feet and hug my feet every time I lace up. I am not showing WU3 but their upper does not have any damages, except it shows the dirt and stains much more due to its color.
I will write another update in additional 100 miles or so.
When it comes to running shoes, I have a hard time convincing me I don’t need any more running shoes. Very true that I have several shoes that are still in a good condition. While marketers say life of typical running shoes is about 350 miles, one can run in them after well over 350 miles and I still run in shoes that have more than 35o miles on them. But, it is also true that I want to find the best running shoes for different purposes; marathon race, track race, and regular trainer. No one pair of running shoes can fulfill all these purposes. Also, I run over 1,300 miles/year. In addition, new technologies are constantly developed, which may help run faster without incurring any injuries; therefore, it is not surprising that I seem to be buying running shoes all the time. So my running shoe purchases are well justified, and it only makes sense I know what are the hot running shoes and why (Wow, that was pretty convincing, wasn’t it?).
So, this is my first running shoe review in writing. I chose to write about Mizuno Wave Universe 3 that arrived on Dec 7, 2010. Yes, it is in pink-ish color, and no, it does not look like there is much cushioning or foot support, but this pair of shoes only weigh 3.8oz each shoe! This super light-weight-ness was enough to twist my both arms and made me frantically look online to get a pair as soon as I could. Waiting until after Christmas was not acceptable in case all others might have wanted them for their Christmas. Also, I have had many good lucks with Mizuno shoes. I wore Wave Rider 13 for over 500 miles. When I played volleyball, I often had Mizuno shoes. So, I totally trust the brand and its high-quality shoe manufacture-ability.
