Asics Gel Kayano 27 vs 26 Comparison Shoe Review

Josh reviews the next evolution of the popular max cushioned family, the Asics Gel Kayano 27 running shoes side by side with its predecessor the Asics Gel Kayano 26.

A stable ride for overpronators, this highly anticipated update focuses less on speed and more on the pure joy of running. Strategically placed rubber on the outsole creates a springy sensation at the forefoot and harder-wearing protection at the heel strike zone.

It cradles your feet in a responsive FlyteFoam Propel top layer and plusher FlyteFoam base layer closer to the ground – making longer runs feel easy. Asics have stuck with what works on the upper, rolling over the MetaClutch system for a secure rearfoot fit and engineered jacquard mesh for a blend of strength and breathability.

Running true to how the top-end Kayano series should fit and feel, the Asics Gel Kayano 27 has earned its place on the road - delivering guidance for overpronators, premium comfort and an ultra-smooth ride. 

Check out the review with full transcript below.

Hey guys, Josh here from Sportitude and it’s shoe review time. It's time to unveil the new Asics Gel Kayano 27, a very popular running shoe globally. There's quite a bit of change within this shoe regarding the engineering.

We’re talking about a new outsole, new midsole and some subtle additions regarding the upper. We're going to touch on the changes from the Kayano 26 to the Kayano 27. We're going to talk about what runner should be considering adding this shoe into your rotation. It might be a shoe that you could consider at home. Without further ado let's get stuck in.

Runner Profile

Like all Kayanos, we're talking about a shoe that has a form of arch support on the medial side. They haven't gone away from that engineering feature. The reason they have the DuoMax medial posting through the medial side is purely and simply to cater for an overpronator.

When we're talking about an overpronator we're talking about the runner that comes down on the heel and as they transition through midstance they tend to slightly collapse in those arches.

Asics is giving a little bit of arch assistance in this shoe. They’re not stopping overpronation, they’re just helping assist that movement path. The end game is to slow down the rate of pronation in the runner’s gait and get yourself in a good position to toe-off as efficiently as you possibly can.

This is a max cushioned shoe. It's getting a little bit lighter over the last couple of years which is a good thing because if you can engineer your shoes in a way that are lighter on the foot, it certainly helps in regard to comfort and performance.

Being max cushioned, we're talking about a Gel pod at the back of the heel with plenty of crash pad area underneath the lateral side of your first point of contact with your heel.

As you come through to the forefoot, there is Twist Gel under your first metatarsal or your big toe that helps assist that toe joint on that last phase of your gait cycle. There’s a couple of extra layers of FlyteFoam Propel and your traditional FlyteFoam in the midsole.

Being a max cushioned shoe, it's something that's going to cater quite well for a runner that's looking to get out on the road and enjoy their running. It's not super light where you want to throw it into your rotation for tempo runs by any means, however you can do that. It's certainly a shoe that's really catered to clock up the Ks. It’s a very easy shoe to run in, that's for sure.

Outsole

Let’s talk all things outsole. The first thing that jumped out at me when I started playing around with this sample is that the Trusstic system is probably the biggest change I've seen over the last couple years with this shoe. I'm going to hold up the men's Kayano 27 because I'm going to compare it to the Kayano 26 from the men's as well.

To the naked eye it doesn't look like a whole heap has changed in the outsole. You still have a Trusstic system splitting the heel and the forefoot. However, what they’ve executed in the Kayano 27 is a complete encapsulated Trusstic beam. You can see there's a couple of cutaways in the Kayano 26 and that's been the case for a couple of years now with the Kayano series.

By making the Kayano 27 with a solid Trusstic beam, I initially thought it was going to be heavy and stiff, however it's a little bit lighter. When you put the shoe on it's not as intrusive as the Trusstic systems have been previously.

Obviously, it plays a role in the gait cycle. When a runner comes down on the heel and starts transitioning through to the midstance phase of the gait cycle, it does help in that deceleration phase or braking phase, so it does play a critical role in slowing down the speed of movement.

However, in previous shoes it can be a little bit noticeable. I've always enjoyed running in Kayanos and I think they're a great shoe but I'm probably going to enjoy running in the Kayano 27 much more. I've only done a couple test runs in them and that's two 10 kilometre runs, and I've enjoyed the feeling of them. They are a nice, smooth shoe under the foot which is great.

Going back to the rubber now because that's probably the biggest change. We have a very spongy rubber through the forefoot. Traditionally Asics have used their AHAR or AHARPLUS rubber system, which is on the back of the heel at the first point of contact with the ground.

It's like a carbon rubber, it’s harder-wearing and it's going to protect the foot and cushioning pad. It’s designed to be a little bit more durable. As you come through to the forefoot, the rubber generally speaking is blown rubber. We're talking a softer, slightly thicker foam so it is a nice feeling running with that forefoot bounce and knowing you've got extra cushioning in the rubber as well.

The other thing too is the Guidance Line. I must go back a couple of Kayanos to really prove a point. For a while we used to see a vertical line come through the outsole of this shoe. That was essentially all about encouraging the foot to continually transition through a natural movement path. Asics have done away with that.

They started to tinker with it within the Kayano 26. You can see it ever so slightly with the flex grooves in the forefoot. We’ve got three flex grooves in the Kayano 27 and you still have three flex grooves in the Kayano 26, however you’ve got a little indentation through the outsole to midsole. It’s ever so slightly shaving away what was that noticeable Guidance Line through the vertical line of the outsole.

Since they've got a little bit softer with the rubber and midsole, it's compliant through midstance to toe-off. If you still had the Guidance Line it might be a little bit too unstable, so they're tinkered with that which is great. You're providing a slightly lighter, softer feel underneath your foot and you don't necessarily need to align that Guidance Line like they have previously.

Midsole

Coming through to the midsole of this shoe, it's relatively uncomplicated with what they've been doing over the years. They've tinkered with the Gel positioning and the execution of how they have placed the Gel in the back of this shoe.

There are no changes regarding the Gel technology underneath that first point of contact with your heel and no changes regarding where they place the Twist Gel under the forefoot. The majority of change has come in the layering of the foam that encapsulates those Gel pods. We're talking a FlyteFoam Propel top layer and then underneath a traditional FlyteFoam base, so the closer you get to the ground the softer the foam.

On top of that being a FlyteFoam Propel midsole, it's a little bit snappier and a slightly more responsive feel which is good. If they did a switch it'd be too soft through the forefoot, so it's important to have that Propel layer on top of the shoe.

Talking all things stack height, we've got a 22mm heel to 12mm forefoot for an offset of 10mm in the men’s. The ladies’ is gender specific - we've got a 24mm heel and 11mm forefoot for an offset of 13mm.

Obviously, the change from a running gait from female to male has been picked up with Asics in their research and development. They've been doing that for numerous years regarding the subtle variance of offsets for men’s and women’s in some of their top-end mileage shoes. They're going to continue doing that to the best of my knowledge moving forward.

The other thing I’ll call out with the midsole is what we touched on before, the DuoMax arch support. It's becoming less noticeable every single year a Kayano comes out. It's still placed on that medial side. There's no real change regarding how they positioned it underneath the arch. However, they’re shaving it down ever so slightly year in year out and it's not tracking as much into the medial side of the shoe.

They’re going down that Dynamic Support System path - it's there when you require it but it's not intrusive on your feet. You don't want to know there's a big arch block when you're going through your midstance phase. It can play with your mind a little bit and can potentially change your feeling when you want to make your next point of contact with the ground. You want it to be there but not be intrusive and they're getting that way.

The Kayano 27 is a great adjustment with the midsole and I’m loving what's going on.

Upper

As we come through to the upper of this shoe, there’s similar features rolled over from that what they did previously. We've got the MetaClutch system which is that external plastic support system that sits around the heel counter. The reason they've done that with this shoe is to allow for a more customised fit.

It features soft memory foam on the inside. From a comfort perspective I can't fault how this shoe feels around the back. It's very comfortable.

As we're coming through to the mesh construction, it’s jacquard engineered mesh. It’s very strong and breathable. I have found from a fitting perspective that it’s true to what the previous 26 was regarding size and width. I haven't had to alter the size I will be in this shoe and I fit a D width quite well.

The widths in this shoe is the next topic of discussion. You have in the men’s D, 2E and a 4E so three widths on offer. With the ladies’ we have just the two, a B width and D width.

It's good when brands call out widths for their flagship shoes. It helps us and specialty stores ensure that we have the right fit for the person at that time.

Regarding the upper, it is a nice secure fit. I want to touch on that because the Kayano 25 was a little bit boxy through the forefoot. I found with that specific shoe that I had good wriggle room with my toes but after about 200 - 300 kilometres, I had a bit too much stretch personally and I found it to be a little too spacious.

There's no measurement for depth of running shoes but I like the way the Kayano 27 wraps snugly to my forefoot without being too tight and restrictive. They’ve executed a very good upper on this shoe.

There you have it guys, the Asics Gel Kayano 27 that has launched in the middle of 2020. It’s always an anticipated shoe year in and year out. I can confidently say I have liked what they've done with this shoe.

There are some exciting times coming with the Kayano franchise. We have the traditional Kayano and there's a Kayano Lite coming out in the middle of 2020 as well.

There's a lot to like about what Asics are doing with their top-end running shoes and I can vouch for the fact that this is a comfortable shoe.

I’ve been a Kayano wearer previously and we've had some comments over the years that I like a particular Kayano or I don't like another one. The reality is when engineering features change we do hope that you can roll over to the next model but sometimes it's just not suitable for you as a runner.

The Kayano 27 for me is what I would expect a Kayano to feel like and what I expect the Kayano to run like. It’s very comfortable, supportive and with plenty of cushioning.

Thank you very much for tuning in. If you've got any questions on the Asics Gel Kayano 27 please contact our Sportitude shoe experts and if you haven't subscribed to the Sportitude YouTube channel please do. We like to give you as much information as we possibly can on all things product and running related.

Until next time, we'll see you soon and happy running. 

FEATURES

• Support: Stability
• Upper: Mesh
  
• Midsole: Asics FlyteFoam, FlyteFoam Propel

Men

• Heel Height: 22mm
• Forefoot Height: 12mm
• Offset / Drop: 10mm
• Weight: 310g / 10.9oz
• Width: D (standard), 2E (wide), 4E (extra wide)

Women

• Heel Height: 24mm
• Forefoot Height: 11mm
• Offset / Drop: 13mm
• Weight: 250g / 8.8oz
• Width: B (standard), D (wide)