Asics Gel Kayano 24 Running Shoe Review vs Asics Gel Kayano 23 Comparison

Josh highlights the similarities and differences between the newest running shoe in the Kayano line up, the Asics Gel Kayano 24 and its predecessor, the Asics Gel Kayano 23.

In its 24th installment three key features of the Kayano stand out; the heel counter, toe box and the foam with comfortable inner lining.

These popular running shoes effortlessly accommodate a mildly pronated foot type and feature Dynamic DuoMax for a supportive ride.

Check out the full review with transcript below.

Hey guys. It’s Josh here from Sportitude again for another shoe review.

Today we're going to be talking about the new Asics Gel Kayano 24 which will be coming out in June 2017. I’m going to compare it to the old Kayano 23 which has been carried in the market for 12 months.

First and foremost there’s not a lot of difference between the two shoes and I say that because it's been such a consistent shoe for so many years.

We’re up to the 24th version of it. When they’re going from one version to the next they don’t want to tweak it too much because there would be a lot of runners that wouldn’t be impressed if they did. They don’t go back to the drawing board and redesign the whole shoe.

What we're going to talk to you about today is the three key features that have changed from the 23 to the 24.

I’m going to touch on the most important feature, the heel counter. It has changed the fit of the shoe a little bit but not much. 

If we just talk about the heel counter itself, it's essentially the structure support in the back half of the shoe, around that heel counter region in the upper. 

When the foot comes down and hits the ground the upper of the shoe is stabilised by how supportive that heel counter is at the back.

The Kayano 24 has a really stable heel counter. It’s incredibly solid but it’s not heavy. It’s not compromising on weight and certainly not pushing to the foot where it feels like it's too intrusive.

That heel counter is cut off the MetaRun which has been around now for about six months now. If you look at that heel counter structure and put it next to a MetaRun they are identical.

The other feature I’m going to talk about is the toe box. The toe box of the shoe is essentially how much space or how much play we've got in this region.

How many people have put a hole through there toe? I have myself. What they’ve done is deepen the amount of material through this region when you’re looking at the actual toe box. It's hard to see with the naked eye.

If I got scissors out and cut the upper out of the 23, put it on the table and did the same thing with the 24, you’d have a little bit more space, a little bit more play with the toe box region on the 24. 

Therefore when they cast or mould onto the midsole you’ve got more depth to play with. You don’t have that intrusive pinch on the toe off phase.

For a number of years Asics have used different versions of foam. They actually gave it a name once, PHF which stood for Personal Heel Fit. At the back what you’ll find with the new Kayano 24 is the actual comfort of the inner lining around the foam is remarkable.

In the old version 23 it feels just as good initially. I'm touching that foam. It’s soft and comfortable. You put your foot in there and it hugs the back of your Achilles and the base of your heel really nicely, same with the 24 of course. 

But the 24 feels that 5% better. From the top of the heel where it leans in a bit more, hugs the back of your Achilles and as it comes down to the base of the heel you get a really nice snug and secure fit.

It plays an important part, not only on your first kilometre but right through to the last K in the life of the shoe. It's important to make sure the upper or that heel lining at the back is nice and comfy from the get go.

I want to touch on the similarities between the two shoes because it’s important to let you know what Asics have stuck with from the 23 to the 24.

Looking at the two shoes the actual structure and stability in the outsole underneath the shoe is exactly the same. They haven’t used any new materials or changed any of the Guidance Lines at all. They still use the same Trusstic System.

When you’re looking at the midsole they've still gone with the FlyteFoam technology. The first release they did with FlyteFoam was the 23. It was a great feature and then they’ve obviously rolled it over again to the 24.

Essentially they’ve kept the same shoe from here down. All they’ve done is the comfortable tweaks in the upper which I've touched on.

What can I say about the shoe itself? It’s fantastic. I've been for a couple of runs in it and I really like it. My favourite feature in the new shoe is the support on the back of the heel counter. I really like that stable wrap and just that extra depth through the toe box.

I'm unfortunately known for wearing little holes in the top of my shoes. It's just one of those things I've put up with over the years. I'll be really interested to see if this little guy doesn’t do this for me.

When we're looking at someone in store and we are trying to understand what shoes would be suited to specific foot types, the runner that would fall into this category is one with a mildly pronated foot type.

Mildly pronated refers to when the foot comes through heel strike to midstance and the foot or the arch flattens out through midstance and requires some medial assistance through the inside of the shoe. This assists the foot to coming through and loading off the right areas with the toes off.

When we are looking at this in an Asics shoe, we are looking at the Dynamic DuoMax with the DuoMax medial posting. If I push my thumb on the section through here it's just a little firmer, therefore it won't collapse.

Also one feature they’ve done is increase the stability of the upper through the midsection. Not only do you get the support underneath with the Dynamic DuoMax, the upper itself has an extra underlay just to hold the foot in nice and stable as you transfer through to toe off. 

Thanks for watching. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to seek me out. Write me an email, [email protected] and we look forward to helping you out with your new shoe selections.

Take care, happy running.