Nike Zoom Vomero+ 4 Mens Nike Zoom Vomero+ 4 Womens
	Full Name: Nike Zoom Vomero+ 4
	Category: Cushioning
	Weight: 12 oz. (344 gr.)
	Suggested Price: 135 $
	Reccomended For: Supinators (Under Pronators) to Neutral Pronators looking for good cushioning

• Nike Zoom Vomero +4 General Info:

The Zoom Vomero+ 4 is Nike’s top shoe for the cushioning category and therefore is aimed at Neutral to Under Pronators (Supinators).
Nike has had some good success with previous editions of this shoe and has put special care in this update. The Vomero comes in 2 versions, mens and womens, and each version has specific sole unit and upper solutions to better satisfy the needs of both.
Let’s take a look at the details.

• Nike Zoom Vomero +4 Sole Unit:

The sole unit of the Vomero 4 is the same as in last year’s Vomero 3, which was well received and got a pretty consistant feedback of being one of the best cushioned rides among cusioning shoes.
The Vomero, both in mens and womens, comes with full-foot Zoom Air cushioning. Air is Nike’s trademark cushioning technology. Compare to the traditional Nike Air or Air Max, the Zoom technology allows the shoes to achieve the same amount of cushioning with a much thinner air pad inserted in the midsole. As we said before, runners (even heavy ones) have been happy with the soft, bouncy ride offered by these shoes.
On the medial side we can notice am asymmetrical plastic shank, introduced to add stability to the midsole and guide your footstrke from heel to toe preventing dangerous dis alignment of your foot’s axe. Even though the shank is not as important in a cushioning shoe as it is in a stability or motion control one, it is still a very important part of the support your shoe can offer you and the Vomero’s is unfortunately not on par with the kind of shanks you find in Asics shoes (Space Trusstic System). One very good point though is that mens and womens version of the shoe incorporate different shanks – as womens need more support because of their naturally higher cue angle.

Heel and toe is where you notice the main differences between the mens and womens shoe. For both genders the heel is decoupled, so that you have two almost independent parts free to hit the ground at different times and speed and actually cushioning your foot when and where you need it. What the mens and womens’ heels differ is the bevel at the end of the heel: it is much more accentuated in the womens shoe than it is in the mens. Beveling the heel is a widely used solution in todays running shoes and its purpose is to help your heel roll on the impact instead of just hitting the ground. In the Vomero, the bevel is more accentuated in the womens shoe and that is because womens have a generally lower body mass than men: men hit the floor harder and the higher force applied by their body weight compresses the heel on the impact, while womens’ lighter bodies compress it less.
On the toe area we have gender specific flex grooves (the “cuts” on the outsole): mens cuts are not as accentuated since the higher weight makes it easier for a mens’ toe to flex than it is for womens – the deeper cuts in the Vomero help balance this difference.

Last word on the midsole, as all Nike running shoes, is the spot for inserting the Nike+ sensor: a device that communicates with your iPod tracking your running data such as mileage, speed…

• Nike Zoom Vomero +4 Upper:

While spotting the differences in the midsole requires a close look, it is easy to see that the mens and womens upper are very different – at least aesthetically. There’s a molded sockliner in the shoe that provides you extra cushion while adapting to the shape of your foot, providing for an extremely comfortable ride.
The midfoot section of the upper is wrapped in a flexible cage so to adapt to the natural expansion of your foot during the foot strike.
A molded heel counter makes sure your heel stays in position during your ride.
The mesh is very open and breathable, contributing to the lightness of this shoe. Womens version has more accentuated synthetic leather overlays to add support.

• Nike Zoom Vomero +4 Opinion:

The Vomero is a shoe with many fans and this is because of a consistant feedback of comfort and lightweight especially for runners who go long mileages.
Even though the shoe does not adapt as many technical solutions as Asics, for example, the final result is a shoe that deliver its promises: it offers a soft, cushy ride for both heavier Neutral Pronators and Supinator, and keeps the sensation for long rides.

2010 UPDATE! You can read our Nike Vomero+ 5 review here.

• Nike Zoom Vomero +4 Price Comparison:

Let us know what you think of this shoe in the comments!