DAA Industry Opt Out: A more versatile training counterpart to the zippy Razor, the Razor+ has more rubber underfoot and an accommodating upper.
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Price: $135
Type: Road
Weight: 6.9 oz. (M), 5.1 oz. (W)
Drop: 4mm
The GOrun Razor turned heads—and won our Editors’ Choice award—a couple years ago thanks to a superlight foam midsole that punched above its class. That lightweight build, however, didn’t suit everybody, so Skechers beefed up the shoe slightly without straying too far from its DNA.
At its core, the super-critical EVA midsole remains. To make it, Skechers exposes a tiny, shoe-shaped puck of plastic to CO2 gas under intense heat and pressure, forcing the gas back into a liquid that penetrates the plastic. The result is a slab of foam that is lighter, more responsive, and more durable than the basic EVA found in a majority of running shoes.
Pros
- Lightweight
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Cons
- Hyperburst foam is lightweight, but testers wanted more cushioning under the forefoot
This “plus” version of the model gets a monomesh upper that better accommodates different foot shapes and a grippy, more durable Goodyear outsole. Those changes add just three-tenths of an ounce, which you won’t even notice when the shoes are laced. Many runners, though, will like the sleek, graphic-free design the most.
The Magic of Hyperburst
Okay, so there’s no real magic happening here. Skechers was the first brand to tout its use of a supercritical foam, though other brands—Puma, Atreyu—are using similar construction techniques. But, Skechers’s application of the tech results in an exceptionally lightweight, yet relatively durable, midsole foam.
That foam, Hyperburst, starts with a solid block of plastic in the shape of a tiny shoe that is exposed to a supercritical fluid—basically, CO2 gas is heated under pressure until it returns to a liquid state. There’s a lot of science behind how it happens, but the CO2 penetrates the block of EVA and yields far different shapes to the internal cells when the block of foam expands to actual shoe size. This irregular composition of the midsole makes it lighter than standard EVA, but it’s still responsive and surprisingly well-cushioned.
That said, all of our testers found it to be the lightest trainer they’d tested and, while they appreciated the comfort under the heel, wanted for a little more padding under the toes. The experience underfoot in the Razor+ remains the same as we found in the standard Razor: It’s racy and likes to be pushed hard. So many of us will reserve the Razor and Razor+ for tempo runs or even intervals on the track.
Where the Rubber Meets the Blacktop
In all fairness, Skechers shoes are not the most durable. And, that’s okay. They’re built to be lighter and more affordable than comparable options. The trade-off is that we blow through them a little sooner. The Razor, in particular, was toast early for our bigger runners who logged daily mileage in them. The thin strips of rubber on the sole disappeared quickly. But the Razor+ gets a boost there, with slightly thicker pieces of rubber crafted by Goodyear, the tire company. That rubber is still thin if you’re comparing it to true daily trainers like the Brooks Ghost or Asics Gel-Cumulus, Great for speed days.
A Sleek Upper
The part of the shoe that earned high praise from all of our testers is the new upper. The original Razor was loud, to conservatively describe the shoe. “SPEED” was emblazoned down the sidewall, along with contrasting strips that provided some midfoot support. That’s all toned down for the plus model.
A mono-mesh and polyester knit remains exceptionally thin and lightweight, yet resists any stretching without the need for extra overlays or welded-on support straps. Often, when such support is integrated, we see fit issues because the shoe can’t accommodate larger feet. And that’s also true here. Our test team generally found the toe box to be snug. Most said the shoe fit true to size and the width didn’t cause any issues, but testers who require wider shoes wished for a little stretch from the fabric.
What One Tester Said
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“It’s a nice minimal-type shoe with a bit more structure and support in the heel than other minimalist sneakers I usually run in (Altra, Topo). I really liked the Hyperburst sole, which gave good bounce on my runs. It felt like I was being propelled forward and I extended a few of my runs because of that. I thought the toe box was way too narrow—I’m used to running in Altras or Topos that give my toes extra room to expand as I run. If the upper material would stretch, it might be more comfortable for those who need a wider toe box.”
A Part of Hearst Digital Media Runner's World, guiding the brand's shoes and gear coverage. A true shoe dog, he's spent more than a decade testing and reviewing shoes. In 2017, he ran in 285 different pairs of shoes, including a streak of 257 days wearing a different model.
