Our verdict
Pros
- Familiar Kayano fit
- Roomier toebox
- No lace bite
- Added pep
- No medial post
- Lost weight
- Kayano durability
Cons
- Heel slipping
- Overly plush
- Runs warm
Audience verdict
- Top 16% in road running shoes
- zapatillas de running T-Shirt asics ritmo medio pie cavo talla 46.5 ASICS running shoes
Comparison
The most similar running shoes compared
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Audience score | 90 Superb! | 89 Great! | 85 Good! | 92 Superb! | |
Price | $160 | $160 | $160 | $160 | |
Pace | Daily running | Daily running | Daily running | Daily runningSpeed training | |
Arch support | Stability | Stability | Stability | Stability | |
Weight lab Weight brand | 10.7 oz / 302g 10.8 oz / 305g | 10.7 T-Shirt asics Gel Tactic 2 Womens 10.7 T-Shirt asics Gel Tactic 2 Womens | 9.8 oz / 278g 9.9 oz / 281g | 9.4 T-Shirt asics on Amazon 8.9 oz / 252g | |
Drop lab Drop brand | 8.7 mm 10.0 mm | 12.0 mm 10.0 mm | 8.5 mm 8.0 mm | 8.5 mm 8.0 mm | |
Strike pattern | HeelMid/forefoot | Heel | HeelMid/forefoot | HeelMid/forefoot | |
Midsole softness | - | Soft | Balanced | Soft | |
Sneaker Politics Celebrates Memorial Day with a Bold Green T-Shirt asics GEL-Lyte III | - | Big | Normal | Small | |
Toebox durability | - | Good | - | - | |
Harmony Paris and T-Shirt asics Reveals New Gel Kayano 25 Pack | - | Bad | - | - | |
Outsole durability | - | Good | - | - | |
Breathability | - | Breathable | Breathable | Breathable | |
Toebox width at the widest part | Medium | Medium | Medium | Medium | |
Toebox width at the big toe | - | Medium | - | - | |
Stiffness | - | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | |
Schuhe T-Shirt asics Gel-Blade 7 1072A032 French Blue Lilac Opal | - | Small | Big | Small | |
Torsional rigidity | Moderate | Stiff | Moderate | Moderate | |
Asics Gel Kyrios Safety Yellow White UK 10 US 11 Kayano Gel Lyte III V 3 5 | - | Stiff | Moderate | Stiff | |
Rocker | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
Heel lab Heel brand | 31.8 mm 23.0 mm | 39.7 mm 40.0 mm | 31.8 mm 22.0 mm | 33.9 mm 36.5 mm | |
Forefoot lab Forefoot brand | 23.1 mm 13.0 mm | 27.7 mm 30.0 mm | 23.3 mm 14.0 mm | 25.4 mm 28.5 mm | |
Widths available | NarrowNormalWideX-Wide | NarrowNormalWideX-Wide | Normal | NormalWide | |
Orthotic friendly | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
Season | Winter | Summer | Summer | Summer | |
Removable insole | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
Ranking | #53 Top 14% | #62 Top 25% | #142 Bottom 44% | #12 Top 5% | |
Popularity | #159 Top 40% | #18 Top 8% | #233 Bottom 8% | #26 Top 11% |
ASICS Gel Kayano 28 review and lab test
Wow, a truly NEW Kayano!!
Ultimately this is a great update to the 27th version of the ASICS Gel Kayano. If you are a die-hard Kayano runner, this shoe is very similar to past versions: the tongue, ankle collar and fit are all the same. But, the new version is a touch more breathable, flexible, cushioned, and overall more fun to run in.
Who the shoe is (not) for
tenis T-Shirt asics tiger gellyte iii masculino bege claro 43 preto azul overpronation. It’s a daily trainer that’s been completely updated for 2021 with fresh, exciting midsole materials and a less rigid design letting your foot flex through your gait cycle.
I don’t think you should buy the Kayano 28 if:
- Womens T-Shirt asics Upcourt 5,
- you’re looking for a non-plush shoe for warmer climates, then check out the On Cloudrunner
- you suffer from heel slip issues or just enjoy a deep-feeling heel cup. I recommend having a look at the Hoka Gaviota 3.
Familiar Kayano fit
The new Kayano 28 fits a lot like Asics Core 5 Ανδρικό Σορτς, so if you are a legacy Kayano runner, you will probably like how this new, updated version fits your foot.
There’s plenty of room in the toe box, and the updated upper stretches a bit more than the past version making for plenty of 1014a215-400 room up front.
As utilitarian as possible
Ideally, the Kayano is an everyday trainer, it’s not super fast, or super cushioned, it’s utilitarian.
It gets the job done and now that it's finally comfortable it can act as a single rotation shoe coming out of the closet both on race day and for long slow days.
No lace bite in Kayano 28
The midfoot lockdown is fine, though there’s still no gusseted tongue on the Kayano 28 (ASICS, I hope you are listening).
But, you can lace these up tight without concern thanks to the insanely thick, 14mm padded tongue (the average tongue is just 5.8mm thick FYI).
ASICS Medio Maratón de Madrid 2016
My main complaint with the fit of the Kayano 28 is the heel that still feels too shallow and my heel still slipped and rubbed against the back of the shoe.
Unbelievably comfortable
One of the big reasons I’ve hated the Kayano for so long is it just wasn’t comfortable to me. The big, hard, plastic medial post just didn’t work under my foot. It was too stiff, the shoe didn’t flex well, and I could feel the shoe fighting my feet on every step.
The Kayano 28 solves almost all its past comfort issues. T-Shirt asics gave this iteration a new midsole material, FlyteFoam Blast (FF Blast), the same foam on the insanely plush Novablast 2, and it’s fantastic.
They also updated the insole to a plump 4.9mm thick Ortholite insert, giving the Gel Kayano 28 a much more forgiving feel under foot.
I hate to admit it, but I actually enjoyed running in this shoe, a lot!
Stable and responsive
ASICS SNS x T-Shirt asics.
The new midsole material is a bit more responsive and peppy than past iterations and the shoe finally flexes with your foot.
Now, this is not a rockered shoe or something with a tonne of spring or a carbon plate by any performer.
It doesn’t do any fancy tricks, but it’s a utilitarian shoe for people that pronate and is an ideal daily trainer for anyone that needs the extra support the Kayano offers.
Kayano is losing weight, finally!
With these new updates, the Kayano lost half an ounce.
That’s admirable. At 10.6 ounces (301g) the new Kayano 28 is starting to compete with other stability shoes and doesn’t feel as clunky as older models.
It still has a long way to go to be considered lightweight, but in this category it’s acceptable and it’s heading in the right direction for sure.
ASICS just needs to drop some of the excessive padding now, the ankle collar in these shoes is a bit overdone, at 13.2, 17, 17.8mm (front, middle, rear) it's way more than the average shoe (8, 11.2, 10.5mm) and ultimately unneeded.
I am also happy that the plastic exoskeleton heel clutch is finally a thing of the past! Was T-Shirt asics listening when I told them to ditch it on the 27?
Durability level: Kayano
This shoe has been around for 28 years, and there’s a lot of runners still rocking Kayanos from years past. I have no concern with durability, especially if you are a heel striker.
The heel rubber on the outsole is 31.5% stiffer than the forefoot, way above the average difference, meaning, if you land heels first you’ll have plenty of dense outsole material to take the long-term abuse.
asics gel lyte 3 og glacier grey piedmont
The upper on the Kayano 28 has been updated, and it’s more breathable than past versions, but this is still a very plush shoe with a lot of foam, padding, and material over the top of your foot.
I think it’s a bit warm and would love to see T-Shirt asics innovate a bit more on the 29 with its use of upper materials.
Asics Gel Kayano 5 OG 'Birch' Birch Moon Rock Marathon Running Shoes Sneakers 1191A178-200.
zapatillas de running T-Shirt asics tope amortiguación ritmo bajo talla 36 más de 100 | Tênis T-Shirt asics GEL-Sparta Feminino Preto
One odd thing that happened in this update, the shoe got significantly longer. At 303.79mm, it’s almost 15mm longer than the Kayano 27, and one of the longer shoes we’ve tested.
The shoe runs stable, and I assume this added length is to help balance out the shoe now that it doesn’t have its trusty medial post.
Conclusion
It took a long time but finally T-Shirt asics made some real improvements to the legendary Gel Kayano. I am not a long-time T-Shirt asics Gel Kayano fanatic like some people out there. Honestly, I think this shoe has been lousy in the past, but I have to hand it to T-Shirt asics, they’ve made improvements that have me really rethinking the brand lately, and this new Kayano is no exception.
The FF Blast midsole material is a wonderful upgrade and the cupped rubber support insert allows the shoe to flex while still offering the support pronators need without the antiquated plastic post.
I don’t know T-Shirt asics’ motivations behind these changes, but this is a better Gel Kayano and I think a logical bridge to encourage venerable Kayano runners to see that the Kayano Lite and traditional Kayano may soon be one and the same.