Article by Sam Winebaum
Nike Vomero 18 ($150) & Nike Pegasus Premium ($210)
In the article, I test and compare two of Nike’s key 2025 road trainers. While both have essentially the same big super max 45-46 mm heel / 35-36 mm stack height and 10mm drop, they differ significantly in weight, outsole design and pricing, and to a lesser extent fit.
To keep it simple, before getting into the details, the heavier Pegasus Premium, in iconic Pegasus fashion, adds full length and novel Air Zoom “plate” shaped similarly to their racing Flyplate while the Vomero 18 leaves out the Zoom Air plate.
It sits between the ZoomX top midsole layer and lower ReactX layer.
The Vomero goes with a thinner top layer of ZoomX with the rest of the midsole ReactX
The ZoomX in the Premium (left above) is 20mm thick and above the Air Zoom while in the Vomero 18 the Zoom X is about 13-15mm thick above the red “ZoomX” area which is actually ReactX foam although we think the ZoomX in the Vomero 18 is somewhat thicker sitting in the side walls of ReactX.
The Premium retains an extensive and thick front waffle design outsole to create a rocker based shoe and protect the Air Zoom.
The plateless Vomero goes with a more skeletal outsole for lighter weight and more flexibility.
The difference in pricing between these 2 quite similar riding shoes is stark with the Premium at $210 (not unknown these days for top of line plated trainers) with Vomero 18 at very competitive in its class at $150.
In a somewhat strange, but not unknown for 2024- 2025 contradiction (think Skyward X from Hoka), the heavier (by 22g) and firmer and more responsive Premium can be thought of the uptempo long cruiser while the softer more mellow and lighter Vomero the everyday but speed days max cushion option.
Nike Run Trainer Product Strategy
First revealed in December 2025 at The Running Event, Nike will be creating a 3 tier product line for each of its “icon” models: Structure, Pegasus,and Vomero. Each style will have Premium, Plus, and Icon models.
Source: Nike.com
Premium models, we assume based on our experience testing the Pegasus Premium will. yes, be premium priced and will include more cutting edge technologies and more elaborate constructions.
Plus we can assume based on Pegasus Plus may include more performance focused materials than Icons and lighter weights but at this tme we can’t yet be sure what a Vomero Plus or Structure Plus will be.
By the Numbers
The Vomero 18 is lighter by 22g / 0.78 oz lighter
Stack heights and drops are essentially the same
Vomero 18 sits on a 5mm wider platform at the ground
Vomero 18 is $60 less
Peg Premium ($210)
Sample Weight: men’s 10.86 oz / 308g US8.5
Stack Height: men’s 45 mm heel / 35 mm forefoot (10 mm drop)
Platform Width: 90 mm heel / 65mm midfoot / 110 mm forefoot
Vomero 18 ($150)
Sample Weight: men’s 10.1oz / 286g US8.5
Stack Height: men’s 46mm heel / 36mm forefoot (10mm drop)
Platform Width: 95mm heel / 70mm midfoot / 115mm forefoot
Uppers
Both uppers are essentially on the same last and have the same basic fit. They differ in materials used which in my testing produced some differences in one foot fit and hold as well as breathability.
The Pegasus Premium has a very airy thinner and stiffer main mesh with mono mesh panels at midfoot and has a secure hold overall reminiscent of icon Pegasus but with more midfoot volume.
The Vomero 18 has a more conventional soft and somewhat stretchy engineered mesh and is more comfort focused and easier going than the Pegasus Premium’s upper Overall, it has more volume especially at the toe box where the mesh nas more give.
The Pegasus Premium has no gusset on its tongue while the Vomero has a full gusset which also serves as an inner all the way to the front lining, so a softer feel over the toes. The Premium midfoot hold given its side panels of non stretch mesh is more supportive although for neutral and light pronators the Vomero hold should be fine.
The Pegasus Premium has.. Premium ridged laces with lace up more aggressive ands secure but still padded by the plush ventilated tongue while the Vomero has more conventional flat laces.
There is no question given its more open unlined construction that the Premium’s upper is more breathable.
A big plus for the Premium is that is far more extensive reflectivity via a 360 wrap around overlay while the Vomero has more minimal yet still adequate reflectivity
While both have substantial heel counters, the Premium’s is more rigid, higher and more supportive.
The fits were both true to size for me.
The Premium has a more secure overall performance type hold while the Vomero is more comfort focused.
Given the non-stretch nature of the Premium’s toe mesh and the substantial reflective wrap around overlay up front and all around the shoe, those with higher volume needs up front might consider sizing up half a size in the Pegasus but not in the Vomero.
Midsoles and Platforms
Both shoes incorporate a top layer of supercritical Zoom X foam and a bottom layer of React X with the Premium adding a full length Air Zoom “plate” in between.
This Zoom Air is the first from Nike to be shaped with a similar geometry to their carbon racing FlyPlate.
There are differences beyond the Air Zoom unit even though both are within a millimeter in stack height at around 45-46mm heel / 35-36mm forefoot.
The Premium has a deeper 20mm layer of Zoom X underfoot while the Vomero has between 13 and 15mm of Zoom X, the layer above the red colored “ZoomX” area in the photo below although we think the ZoomX in the Vomero 18 is somewhat thicker sitting in the side walls of ReactX.
The React X layer in the Premium only extends from the heel to midfoot while in the Vomero it is full length.
When taking into account the 5mm thick full coverage front outsole and 10mm thick Air Zoom unit, we get a very different front of the shoe feel. The Premium is clearly more reactive and firmer (more Zoom X, Air Zoom and 5mm thick rubber) off the front on toe off while the Vomero with all Zoom X and ReactX and a thinner more segmented outsole is softer and bouncier, again its comfort on the run focus vs more performance focus of the Premium.
Despite the Premium being heavier by 22g / 0.78 oz, and this was felt in an A/B test run, its platform is more dynamic and quicker off the ground.
In terms of overall cushioning with 45-46 mm at the heel and 35-36mm upfront, there is plenty in both! The Premium, due to its Air Zoom and more extensive rubber, especially up front is somewhat firmer.
It is also important to note that Peg Premium is a rigid shoe (fuller outsole coverage and Air Zoom in the mix) while the Vomero 18, even after a few runs has some flexibility. Both are easy enough to turn over in large part to the wise choice by Nike to keep the drop at 10mm. The Vomero has an advantage at slower paces due to its more segmented front outsole and no Air Zoom.
Outsoles
Left: Vomero 18 Right: Pegasus Premium
The outsoles are very different in design and, as said above, affect the rides. While the heel coverage in both is similar, the front outsoles are very different.
The Pegasus Premium has full coverage of mini square lugs in a very dense pattern with the traction somewhat slick on wet surfaces and for sure on snow. I think the dense pattern and overall outsole 5mm depth (lugs and plate) serves 2 purposes: protect the Air Zoom just above whose underside has a plastic plate and gives the shoe a quick if firmer rebound off the front. It does both, while on the negative side of the ledger, so much rubber contributes to weight as rubber is the heaviest material in a shoe.
In stark, contrast the Vomero outsole is much more segmented upfront with more exposed midsole at mid foot and towards the heel. The rubber is in all the right places so durability should be fine. I have not yet tested on the same wet and slushy roads as I did the Premium and will soon to compare traction.
Its design makes it more cushioned in feel and flexible up front and easier to toe off at slower paces but not as quickly reactive as the Premium. And less rubber contributes to the Vomero’s considerably lighter weight than the Premium.
Ride Comparisons
Having now tested both, including an A/B run one on each foot, it is clear while both are the same max cushion stack height of around 45mm heel with identical 10mm drops their rides are distinctly different, and especially upfront.
The Premium’s combination of materials underfoot give it a clearly more reactive/responsive and somewhat firmer forefoot feel favors faster paces over slower ones. The Premium’s upper is more supportive (its mesh and higher more rigid heel counter while lighter than the Vomero’s. Its Air Zoom, with at its base even a plastic plate and extensive outsole deliver a somewhat more stable ride than the Vomero.
The Vomero, in contrast, is somewhat softer upfront (ride and upper) and more all of a piece in feel there, and elsewhere as well and is more easy going in both fit and ride. It is a soft ride but but maintains nice energy return none the less, but not quite that of the Premium. It favors more mellow paces than the Premium yet is also a lighter shoe.
Conclusions
Nike pretty much invented the super max cushion trainer category (40mm plus at the heel) with the now ancient 2020 Tempo Next% which had an identical stack height to the Premium and Vomero, then did nothing much of note or new in road trainers until last year’s superb Pegasus Plus.
In 2025, with the Vomero 18 and Pegasus Premium Nike join the super max race with two solid entries, and I think well differentiated ones on a number of levels.
The Premiumn has the more supportive yet lighter upper and is the stable reactive faster paces entry despite its greater weight. By and large the inclusion of the full length Air Zoom “plate” is successful but along with the overdone outsole makes it on the scale but less so on road, a heavy shoe at 10.86 oz / 308g US8.5 in my US8.5 and on the wallet at $210. At its weight and price it is not totally out of line with its closest competitor the Hoka Skyward X,
What would I like to see done differently? An all ZoomX or other supercritical foam midsole eliminating the ReactX to reduce weight and increase energy return yet more.
Yes, Air Zoom is a signature Nike technology. Heck I wear tested the original Tailwind Air way back in the 1970’s! How about a lighter and more flexible propulsion technology such as a plastic type plate or even a three dimensional or skeletal carbon plate such as the Skyward X and Brooks Hyperion Elite 4 have? Or even no plate at all maintaining the 10mm drop and going all ZoomX with the outsole of the Vomero 18?
The Vomero 18 is a simpler shoe eliminating the Air Zoom from the design, reducing the thickness of ZoomX and incorporating more of a rocker. And I think, in a first for Nike in recent years if I can recall, with a more segmented lower coverage outsole and more flex. It’s upper is a really fine soft engineered mesh quite unlike the rough if more supportive Flyknits of recent Nike.
At $150, which is a $10 price drop in price from the 17, with essentially equivalent cushion depth as the Premium and with plenty of ZoomX, it is a better value and a more everyday run comfortable option than the Pegasus Premium.
Now imagine if it was all Zoom X (even dual density with lower layer slightly firmer) with the same geometry and outsole. Weight would drop and energy return would increase.
7 Comparisons
Vomero 17 (RTR Review)
Compared to the 17, the 18 goes up 6.5 mm in stack height at the heel and 5mm at the forefoot yet only goes up 0.1 oz in weight. Credit to the less extensive outsole coverage and simpler and more comfortable upper. The prior Cushlon lower layer is replaced by the newer more energy returning React X foam. Clearly the 18 is a more mellow riding and more cushioned trainer.
Pegasus 40/41 (RTR Review)
Much lower stack height at: 9.2 oz / 261 g (US8.5) and lower height at 33 mm heel / 23 mm forefoot, the “icon” Peg shares Air Zoom with the Premium but as a forefoot unit and not the full length plate like design of the Premium. While very “different” shoes you will feel the characteristic firmer response of the Air in both. Much more traditional in stack height, the icon Peg is a classic daily trainer with less cushion and more road feel and is better suited to speed work than the much heavier and more rigid Premium
Invincible Run 3 (RTR Review)
At 10.13 oz / 287g in my US8.5 sample with a 40mm heel / 30.6mm forefoot stack height the Invincible is the same weight as the Vomero 18 but 5mm lower in cushion stack yet 0.75 oz lighter than the Premium. It has an all ZoomX foam midsole. As with the Peg Premium, it has in my view an overdone outsole which adds to weight and rigidity. Its stiff upper is less comfortable and less roomy than either of the 2025 Nike max cushion trainers here. A really fine more uptempo longer run shoe its most direct current Nike comparison from a performance standpoint would be the Pegasus Premium, understanding that the Premium is heavier.
Pegasus Plus (RTR Review)
My unplated speed days pairing to either Peg Premium or Vomero 18 and my pick any day over the current “icon” Pegasus The Plus has Zoom X on a far lower weight 8.42 oz / 239g US8.5 and stack height 35 mm heel / 25 mm forefoot platform than the Premium. At $180 its pricing does give pause but it ends up a very light and versatile complement to max cushion trainers.
Hoka Bondi 9 (RTR Review)
At about the same weight of 10.2 oz / 286g US8.5, on a very slightly lower heel platform of 43mm but much higher (+8mm) forefoot of 38mmt and wider 100mm heel / 85mm midfoot / 100 mm forefoot platform, the Bondi gets there with an all supercritical EVA single foam midsole. Somewhat softer and bouncier than the Vomero 18, its closet comparison, it is not quite as fast feeling but yet easier on tired legs. True to size for me and with comparable fits.
Hoka Skyward X (RTR Review)
The Skyward X is the closest competitor to the Peg Premium including in pricing at $225. it is considerably higher stacked than the Premium at 48 mm heel / 43 mm forefoot. Its midsole is made of 2 types of supercritical foam: PEBA and EVA and it incorporate an elaborate forked carbon plate. While the front of the Premium is more direct and responsive (and firmer), the Skyward is more pleasant overall and seems to have more bounce and return off the front wh
ile the Peg Premium is more direct and responsive. Both are true to size with the heavier (overdone) Hoka upper having more forefoot volume
ASICS Supeblast (RTR Review)
A direct compartive to the Vomero 18, the Superblast has a single density all supercritical FF Turbo midsole. At 8.6 oz / 243.8 g US 8.5, the SB is a big 1.5 oz lighter than the Nike. At 45 mm heel / 37 mm forefoot the heels are at the same height while the Superblast’s forefoot is 7mm higher. It is not only stiffer in flex but quite a bit harder to turn over and especially at slower faster paces despite its considerable weight advantage over the Nike. The Nike is a more practical max cushion daily trainer and a better value at $50 less than the Superblast.
Full Pegasus Premium multi tester review HERE. Vomero 18 Multi Tester review coming soon
Sam is the Editor and Founder of Road Trail Run. He is in his 60’s with 2024 Sam’s 52th year of running roads and trails. He has a decades old 2:28 marathon PR. These days he runs halves in the just sub 1:40 range if he gets very, very lucky. Sam trains 30-40 miles per week mostly at moderate paces on the roads and trails of New Hampshire and Utah be it on the run, hiking or on nordic skis. He is 5’9” tall and weighs about 160 lbs, if he is not enjoying too many fine New England IPA’s.
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2 comments:
I like how you pretty much ask for both shoes to be a higher stack Invincible :o)
I'm hoping that's what the Vomero Plus will be - I'm running kind of low on Invincible 1's and 2's. My experience is that I really run faster at the same HR in those shoes.
There are so many ads, it is virtually impossible to read your reviews, unfortunately.
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