Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 2 vs Vaporfly Next% Comparison Shoe Review

Josh reviews the ultra-lightweight Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 2 running shoes, engineered for elite racers seeking the next generation of fast to conquer 5K runs up to your next marathon.

Following the success of the Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next%, the newest model has just landed in Australia and is already flying off the shelves. Challenging the traditional racing shoe concept, this carbon-plated running shoe stacks up on soft and energising cushioning without compromise to the featherlight design. 

Strategically placed rubber on the outsole improves the structure of your Nike racing shoes and protects your secret weapon for outrunning your rivals, the ZoomX midsole.

Responsive ZoomX cushioning creates an energy-returning ride to make quick work of your race day mileage and to deliver record-breaking speed. The full-length carbon plate increases rigidity for a propulsive feel on toe-off and improved gait efficiency.

An open, ventilated upper creates a form-fitting wrap around your feet to support high-speed performance and ensures a secure yet non-restrictive fit. For runners chasing quicker transitions and speed-driven running goals, it could be your best running shoe for race day.

Check out the review with full transcript below.

Hey guys, Josh here from Sportitude Running and in my hand I hold the incredibly lightweight Nike Vaporfly Next% 2. This shoe has just landed in Australia in the middle part of April 2021.

Obviously, it's had a global release a few weeks prior to this in the US and other parts of the northern hemisphere but here in Australia we've just got our hands on them. I've had a pair for about two weeks to get a read on what they’re doing in comparison to the old version.

In today's review we're going to dial into all the engineering features of this shoe being the outsole, midsole and the upper and where it's come from with the first Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next%.

We’ll talk about the specifications of this shoe and why you would be buying something like this. We’ll give you all the information at home to potentially make this your next race day shoe.

Runner Profile

Let's talk about race day shoes. We can even talk about race day shoes in the last 30 to 50 years. They are lighter weight with less construction, often less cushioning and they are designed to go fast.

Nike challenged that system a few years ago when they did the Nike Zoom Vaporfly 4% because it was a very light and cushioned shoe, but it had the full-length carbon plate injected into the midsole. That's exactly what they've kept with the Vaporfly Next% in the last version being version 1 and now up to the version 2.

This is a racing shoe. Anywhere from 5K road running right up to your marathon it's going to feel insanely light and very fast underneath your foot.

Nike were the pioneers in this space with the carbon plate. I say that with a grain of salt because Adidas were the first brand to inject a carbon plate into a shoe in the early 2000s, but they didn't go on with that momentum.

Nike spent the time in their lab testing their elite athletes and dialling into what a race day shoe now looks like. As we know a lot of other brands have jumped on and are making their versions of a full-length carbon plate shoe.

Let's touch on the Vaporfly Next% 2 right now because it is a popular race shoe in road running events around the world. With this specific shoe Nike have made something very light and soft.

Outsole

Touching on the outsole first, nothing has changed from the Vaporfly Next% 1 to the Vaporfly Next% 2. We have the exact same construction underneath the foot. We have a slightly more durable rubber through the forefoot to protect the asset which is the midsole.

Down the back half of the heel we have a strategically placed piece of rubber on the lateral and the medial side to provide the back half of this shoe structure and integrity to protect the ZoomX midsole.

Midsole

Coming up to the midsole, we have a 40mm stack in the heel to a 32mm stack in the forefoot, so a variance of 8mm. I've done some reading and there are subtle variances in that. Some people say it’s a 39.5mm stack in the heel but the consistent feedback was that it's 40mm in the heel and 32mm in the forefoot.

Inside this midsole is a whole heap of magic. The full-length carbon plate runs from the rear of the foot right through to the forefoot and dips down to get closer to the ground which provides that structure and integrity, and stiffens the shoe up through the forefoot. This allows you to lean on the ZoomX midsole to get that explosive, responsive feel that you are demanding out of your race day shoe.

The theory has been that it's the carbon plate that makes your shoe so responsive. It's not the carbon plate, it's the ZoomX midsole. The carbon plate just stiffens your shoe up which aids in that release on your metatarsal heads as you explode out of your gait cycle, but the response comes from the softness and the responsiveness of the ZoomX foam. That's been something that's been debated now for a few years, but it certainly is the foam that is where the magic is within this shoe.

It is a very narrow construction through the arch and heel. It’s not a shoe that you're going to lean on for support. In all our testing we have done in our Sportitude fitting rooms using RunScribe technology, we have found that the range of movement is higher in the Vaporfly Next% 2 versus the other carbon plate shoes out there. We're seeing more movement and the velocity of movement is increased.

What does that mean? For you at home if you're looking at a race day shoe and you're running at race day paces, you are going to get a quicker transition through your gait cycle which is exactly what this shoe is all about.

You are going to be selecting this shoe if you are looking to run fast times. I would not be putting this on too many people's feet if they're looking to go slow in a race. You should be leaning on something with a little bit more structure and integrity. This is purely to chase personal bests, to get people up on the podium and to run a fast time.

Therefore, that runner is going to be able to tolerate that additional speed of transition through their gait cycle. Their foot and function of their lower limb mechanics is going to be able to tolerate that high velocity of movement which is what this shoe is putting through your lower limb.

Upper

Coming to the upper of this shoe which is essentially where the change has occurred from the version 1. You had the VaporWeave in the Vaporfly Next% 1 which was rolled out in 10 or so colours over the last 12 months and we have gone to a slightly more open construction.

I would say it's very similar to the knit they have used in the Nike Air Zoom AlphaFly Next% called the AtomKnit. If it's not exactly the same, it is almost identical. It is a little bit lighter and more breathable on top. The good thing is if you can reduce the weight and get more ventilation on your foot for race day that's absolutely spot on.

Nike have added a little bit more reinforcement through the forefoot. The welded construction with the blue as it comes around the lateral side of the forefoot to the medial side of that forefoot provides more structure and integrity for your forefoot or the toe box which sits on top of that midsole. It's going to aid the support structure as you toe-off out of your gait and as we touched on it's going to be a quick toe-off. You want to keep your foot in a good position up top.

Coming back to the back half of the shoe, on the internal heel collar system it's exactly the same. They have that strategically placed foam inside the heel collar to provide a little bit of padding and comfort and same thing goes with version 1. They haven't really changed the construction of the internal heel collar. If anything there’s a little bit more height around the suede material up top of that weave construction.

The Wrap Up

In wrapping up the Nike Vaporfly Next% 2, kudos to Nike because they have something that's working quite well so they haven't gone back to the drawing board and changed the midsole.

I would love to be a fly on the wall at Nike HQ because they will be working on version 3 of this, and I would love to know what they're going to be doing regarding the midsole.

Will they change it? Who knows, but it certainly has worked for the last 12 to 18 months and where they have come from, from the Nike Zoom Vaporfly 4% to the Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% they are dominating this space. That’s not to say there's not great options out there from other brands, but this shoe is in my opinion is the racers' race day shoe.

If you have any questions on this shoe please contact our Sportitude shoe experts. If you've been wearing a Vaporfly Next%, Vaporfly 4% back in the day, you've had a Zoom Fly or you're using a carbon plate shoe and you’d like to throw your opinion in there, drop us a comment.

Please subscribe to the Sportitude YouTube channel if you haven't already done so to stay notified and we'll keep pumping out shoe reviews for you the runner at home.

Until next time stay safe and be kind to one another. Happy racing, good luck with your training and we'll see you on the road. Take care. 

FEATURES

• Support: Neutral
• Upper: Mesh
• Midsole: Nike ZoomX
• Heel Height: 40mm
• Forefoot Height: 32mm
• Offset / Drop: 8mm

Men

• Width: D (standard)

Women

• Width: B (standard)