Nike Vomero Premium Performance Review

We covered the announcement of the Nike Vomero Premium and if our Instagram post about it is any indication the people were both excited to see it in real life and fairly split on whether it would be a real running shoe or just a casual banger.

Now that I have the Nike Vomero Premium in hand I can confirm it’s a really fun shoe for anyone that’s into sneakers. But how does it run? Let’s find out.

What is the Nike Vomero Premium?

According to Nike, the Vomero Premium is “the pinnacle expression of Nike’s maximum cushioning road running footwear…designed to meet the needs of elite marathon runners, who traditionally use a combination of super shoes and soft trainers while preparing for a race.

The new silhouette disrupts that standard, offering marathoners a single “super trainer” model to help them run more, recover faster and achieve their race-day goals.

Drawing inspiration from the anti-gravity treadmills elite athletes use to increase their mileage, push their bodies harder and speed up their recovery time, the Vomero Premium offers a data-informed combination of ZoomX foam and Air Zoom designed to create a low-impact running experience that enables athletes to feel like they can train beyond their limits.”

The inspiration being anti-gravity treadmills is a cool concept. But calling the Vomero Premium a super trainer may be a stretch. It’s cushion says super trainer but it’s bulky build and weight screams recovery runs only.

I got on the roads to figure out where the Nike Vomero Premium truly belongs.

Cushion

The Nike Vomero Premium features the most cushioning ever used on a Nike shoe. Any Nike shoe, not just a running shoe. The combo of ZoomX sandwiched around two large volume segmented Zoom Air units is best described as super plush. Did I mention the heel stack is 55mm and forefoot is at 45mm? That’s a crap ton of Nike’s best foam underfoot. [Editor’s Note: and 2.2 inches in height. Short kings take note.]

This cushion feels amazing underfoot. The ground beneath you isn’t really feel-able. Instead you’ll feel like you’re walking from mushy marshmallow to small trampoline to huge air bubble, every step lovingly protected from any sort of impact. It feels like a supersized version of the original Nike Invincible.

Which is good, to an extent, but it kills the versatility of the Vomero Premium. There’s not much energy return, just soft landings. And that makes the Vomero Premium ill-suited for anything other than easy or recovery runs. It can also handle long runs, though the weight may turn some people off that use case. 

This shoe’s place in Nike’s lineup reminds me of the Nike Air Max line from 2003-2017. Those models were running shoes mostly usable for easy/recovery running but often became more of a casual or lifestyle shoe. Most runners couldn’t justify the price due to the lack of versatility to use the Air Max line for workouts. The same thing will happen with the Nike Vomero Premium (and is currently happening with the Nike Pegasus Premium).

Anyone that loved the original Invincible will be able to appreciate the Vomero Premium and its underfoot comfort. But, even then, the $220 price point may be hard to justify given the primary use cases.

Support

The Nike Vomero Premium is not stable compared to the Nike Vomero 18 or the Nike Pegasus Plus. But it is much more stable than I expected given the stack height and amount of ZoomX used.

There’s a heel support bar ringing the heel of the Vomero Premium, much like we saw previously on the Nike Infinity Run series and the original Invincible. This helps curtail some of the side to side movement that happens with today’s super foams.

As my runs in the Vomero Premium got longer, I noticed the shoes sway a little side to side like a tall building [Editor’s Note: which it pretty much is]. You’ll need strong ankles and lower legs to handle this shoe over long distances, but walking and shorter recovery runs (< 6miles) won’t reveal the support shortcomings.

The support is also another area where the Vomero Premium performs like a supersized Invincible.

Traction

The waffle outsole on the Nike Vomero Premium performs well, gripping every surface, and with no issues when transitioning from dry to wet surfaces or vice versa. The dependable traction really helps add to the security and stability because it’s 100% reliable. It keeps the Vomero Premium feeling more connected to the ground and its surroundings than should be possible given the level of cushion and how far you actually are from the ground.

Upper

The thin engineered mesh upper features vinyl overlays that add some structure. Those overlays include “AIR” written across the lateral and medial sides. This is a callback to the Nike Air More Uptempo 96, originally worn on court by Scottie Pippen during the Chicago Bulls 1996 title run and the 1996 Olympics where the Dream Team 2 won a Gold Medal in Atlanta. They were also famously worn by Brendan Fraser in 1997’s George of the Jungle.

You can see all the historical callbacks in a short video I did when I first received the Nike Vomero Premium:

@weartesters

First impressions of the @Nike Vomero Premium #nikevomeropremium #nike #weartesters #connermantz @Drew

♬ OverDRIVEN – RACHARDY ANDRIYANTO

The upper is comfortable with a well padded tongue and heel collar. It’s a fairly standard running shoe upper setup but doesn’t feel cheap. It fits nicely with the midsole and caps off a shoe that will turn heads when worn casually.

Is the Nike Vomero Premium wide foot friendly?

The Nike Vomero Premium is true-to-size lengthwise and feels fairly typical in terms of width for a Nike shoe. If you’re a wide footer that doesn’t feel too cramped in Nike running shoes, the same will be true here.

Is the Nike Vomero Premium worth $230?

The Nike Vomero Premium is priced the same as the Pegasus Premium [Editor’s Note: though the Pegasus Premium initially launched at $210]. Turns out the Vomero Premium launched at $230…suprise! Still, the Nike premium [Editor’s Note: that’s is an awful joke] isn’t really present here because you get so much ZoomX and two big Zoom bags. That’s a lot of tech for the price.

But while I think the build of the shoe justifies the $230 price, the real quandary is whether you should pay $230 for a shoe you can basically only use for easy and recovery runs. The answer is yes if you’re a shoe tech nerd that will love wearing them casually just as much or more so than you’ll enjoy running in them.

But if you’re looking for versatility in your super trainers, the Vomero Premium won’t get the value you want out of a $230 investment. Instead, look at the other options on our best super trainers list.

How to use the Nike Vomero Premium

The Nike Vomero Premium is best used for easy or recovery runs, for impressing people with your awesome looking shoes, and getting 2 inches of added height.

Nike Vomero Premium Summary

The Nike Vomero Premium breaks Nike cushioning records, feels incredibly plush, and is surprisingly stable for being so tall. The Vomero Premium’s limited use cases will make it hard for many runners to justify the price but shoe tech nerds will love every moment with this groundbreaking sneaker.

How does the Author Run?

Drew Whitcomb (age 43, 6’6″ 200lbs): Runs daily with a once a week rest day. Runs a lot of miles due to testing needs and a growing affinity for long-distance races. Regularly competes in marathons, half-marathons, 10k, and 5k races.

Disclosure

While Nike did provide a pair of the Vomero Premium to facilitate this review, the company had no involvement in this review, didn’t receive an advance look at it, and has not attempted to influence it.