Article by Derek Li
Skechers Razor 5 SGD/$130 USD
Introduction
I have fond memories of that first magical GoMeb Razor 1 in 2017. Fast forward to 2024, and the Skechers GoRun Razor 5 sees an updated midsole and a return to a more traditional mesh upper. The key features are as follows:
1) HYPER BURST PRO midsole, utilizing spherical shaped cells compressed into the midsole using a supercritical process
2) Patented Skechers Arch Fit insole system with podiatrist-certified arch support
3) Carbon-infused H-plate providing a more efficient transition from mid-foot to toe off
4) HYPER ARC adapts to your stride to provide a smoother transition (I believe this refers to the shape of the toe-spring)
5) Goodyear rubber outsole
Pros:
Anatomical fit, especially good for people with lower arches
Excellent outsole traction
Snappy natural ride
Breathable, simple, effective upper
Cons:
Low stack profile limits utility for longer runs.
Most comparable shoes
Stats
Sample Weight: men’s 8.68oz / 246g US9.5
Stack Height: men’s 29mm heel / 24mm forefoot ( 5mm drop spec)
Platform Width: 86.5mm heel / 68mm midfoot / 115mm forefoot
First Impressions, Fit and Upper
Derek: The Razor has never shied away from flashy colour schemes, and while the Razor 5 does come in some more vanilla options, I got a very nice shoe with a white upper and rainbow sprinkles midsole. The official designation is white/multi. The fit is true to size here. I have to say, after oscillating from slightly short (Razor Elite) to slightly long and a little too roomy (Razor Excess), we now have a very diplomatic fit for the Razor 5. The arch structure is low enough to fit people with lower arches, and the overall volume and toebox width is right in the middle of the spectrum.
We have a thin slightly stretchy engineered mesh upper with an internal toe guard and a fairly rounded front end that should make the fit quite good for most feet. There are 5 rows of lace eyelets, excluding the heel lock eyelet, but they are quite closely spaced so you actually achieve a very solid lockdown through the midfoot. I never had to consider heel lock lacing for this shoe. There is a fairly stiff heel cup rounding up the rear of the shoe, and overall foothold is excellent.
It just shows that a conventional upper still does the job very well without the need to get overly creative.
Midsole & Platform
Derek: The midsole uses a single density pelletized supercritical midsole with an embedded carbon-infused H plate. As far as I can tell, the shape and compounds used in the midsole are the same as that used in the GoRun Razor 4. I never tested the Razor 4 with my last tested Razor being the Razor Excess, so this is my first experience with the pelletized midsole foam.
I would say it does feel like I get a bit more energy return out of the shoe compared to the non-pelletized foam used in earlier Razors. This experience is amplified at faster paces, where you really just glide along on a springy base and the shoe doesn’t bottom out; no easy feat with a 24mm forefoot stack and soft-ish foam. As for the carbon-infused H plate. It remains relatively flexible, not necessarily a bad thing for a lower stack shoe, but you won’t really feel a huge rocker effect in this shoe. If you are looking for that, I suggest having a look at the Skechers Speed Elite or Speed Freek. In terms of stability, the midsole sidewalls rise up at midfoot to a high point toward the heel. This design feature has already been seen in the past few iterations of the Razor and it works well to give a relatively stable platform at the heel.
Outsole
Derek: If you have used Skechers shoes before, you would already know that the Goodyear rubber they use is very durable and effective. There is plenty of outsole coverage here, and grip will not be an issue.
Ride, Conclusions and Recommendations
Derek: I have done a number of short intervals and some threshold intervals in the shoe, as well as taking it on some slower runs up to 12 miles. The shoe performs very well at faster paces (think 10km race pace or faster). It is still pretty good at threshold effort here; it sits in a bit of a gray zone where you just about start to miss a stiffer rocker from a regular carbon plated shoe.
As a daily trainer, I found I really enjoyed the lighter weight of the package, and this actually overshadowed the somewhat firmer underfoot experience compared to higher stacked trainers. Vibration dampening is decent and at no point did I feel beat up on the longer easy runs. I liked how whenever I needed to put in a surge to get over a short incline or overtake some hikers, the turn of speed came very easily. The shoe is very stable and grips very well on wet surfaces.
I think the best use case is as that of a workout shoe, either on a road or track, and for racing, maybe anything up to 10km would be fine. It could definitely work as a do-it-all type daily trainer, but I think one would ideally be running lower mileage or be on the lighter side.
My immediate reaction was that this would be great for school athletes who don’t usually run longer than 10 miles and maybe only run 4-5 times a week. I often read about how these athletes are all on shoes like the ASICS Hyperspeed (lighter end) or Nike Pegasus (workhorse) and I can’t help but think that the Razor 5 hits all the requirements of utility for speed work, as well as sufficient cushioning and durability for some daily training, for these athletes, especially given the decent price point.
Derek’s Score: 9.1 / 10
Ride (50%): 8.6 Fit (30%): 9.5 Value (15%): 10 Style (5%): 9
Smiles Score 😊😊😊 1/2
3 Comparisons
Adidas Adios 8 (RTR Review)
Derek: I wear US9.5 in both shoes. Both shoes have quite close retail prices, with the Skechers coming in a little bit cheaper. Both shoes have engaged excellent third parties to provide their outsole rubbers, Goodyear for Skechers and Continental for Adidas. Both shoes are pretty much a wash when it comes to outsole performance. I find that the Adios is a bit narrower and might not work as well for wider feet, compared to the Razor 5. The Razor has an overall softer underfoot feel, but also feels a bit more flexible through transition. That said, both have fairly traditional snappy and responsive rides. I think the biggest differentiator is in terms of fit. The Adios fits narrower feet a bit better, while the Razor 5 fits wider feet a bit better.
Nike Streakfly (RTR Review)
Derek: I wear US9.5 in both shoes. I find the Streakfly to have a generally low volume fit, such that there doesn’t seem to be quite enough material to the upper to fully wrap my foot properly, giving the shoe a bit of a bloated feeling after lacing up. Streakfly is softer, bouncier and more flexible, but also bottoms out significantly more for me. I find the Razor to be the more cushioned shoe, and it is also much easier to dial in the fit. Razor seems to have the more durable outsole as well, with Streakfly outsole wearing pretty easily for me. Overall, I think the Razor presents better value and has the more efficient ride.
New Balance Rebel 4 (RTR Review)
Derek: I wear US9.5 in both shoes. The Rebel is a bit more cushioned than Razor. It also feels a bit less snappy and responsive than the Razor 5 but not by much. In terms of fit, the Razor has a slightly roomier fit all around and should work better for people who find the Rebel 4 to be a bit narrow. Both shoes have similar degrees of bounce that shine more at slightly faster paces. I would say the Razor outsole seems to work better especially on wet surfaces than the Rebel, but on dry roads, it is a wash. Overall, I think if you tend to do longer workouts, the Rebel is the better shoe. If you have wider feet or prefer a wider toebox, the Razor is the better shoe.
Index to all RTR reviews: HERE
Tester Profile
Derek is in his 40’s and trains 70-80 miles per week at 7 to 8 minute pace in mostly tropical conditions in Singapore. He has a 2:39 marathon PR from the 2022 Zurich Marathon.
Europe only: use RTR code RTR5ALL for 5% off all products, even sale products
5 comments:
You had my immediate attention with the "Razor 3" headline! I thought it was a triumphant re-issue of that brilliant flat you were reviewing. Alas, it's the Razor 5. Would you mind giving us a comp to the R3 while we're here? RTR is the best!
The toebox looks very narow
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you can see how much RTR cares about this shoe when they don’t even bother to update the heading to the correct shoe name
Not sure why they even bother to review this shoes
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