Asics Gel Kayano 28 vs 27 Comparison Shoe Review

Josh reviews the Asics Gel Kayano 28 running shoes which stay honest to the stability concept behind this iconic running shoe family so both seasoned Kayano runners and new road warriors to the franchise can find their ideal fit. 

Following in the footsteps of the Asics Gel Kayano 27 and earlier models that have paved the way before it, this newest generation delivers overpronation guidance while providing a softer sensation underfoot.

Asics have modernised the outsole with full ground contact, offering consistently smooth transitions while delivering heel striker-friendly engineering with harder-wearing rubber placed underneath the rearfoot.

It guides you onto your most efficient motion path with arch support on the medial side and gender-specific engineering regarding the heel-to-drop. With a combination of plush Asics FlyteFoam Blast technology, firmer FlyteFoam technology and Gel cushioning sandwiched in between, your foot is cradled on a supremely plush platform.

Asics have transferred over the engineered mesh of previous generations to create a supportive and breathable upper, complete with a foot-hugging internal heel counter to crush your high mileage runs.  

With multiple widths on offer in both men’s and women’s models, Asics continue to bring one of their most popular stability running shoes to a wider audience in the running community.

Check out the review with full transcript below.

Hey guys, Josh here from Sportitude Running and it's shoe review time. Today we're going to be talking all things Asics Gel Kayano 28. This shoe has just landed in our warehouse mid part of 2021.

Like all my shoe reviews we're going to dive into the changes with the Asics Gel Kayano 28 from the Asics Gel Kayano 27 profile, the foot type that should be considering this shoe and break down the outsole, midsole and upper.

We’ll give you all the information you need at home to potentially throw this into your shoe rotation so without further ado let's get stuck in.

Runner Profile

Before we get stuck into the engineering of the Asics Gel Kayano 28 let's profile the foot type that could be considering this shoe. We are talking about someone who overpronates.

When this runner goes through their gait cycle their arches will splay out ever so slightly. When they make contact with the ground and come through their midstance phase, the arch will flatten out and you'll see a bias towards the medial side.

What Asics have done and what they've done for a number of years is use arch support on that medial side to give extra support and structure for that foot going through to the toe-off phase.

Outsole

Here's the fun part, let's talk about the Asics Gel Kayano 28. Like they have done in the past, Asics sent me a pair of Kayanos and I've put in about 30kms in the new model.

Straight off the bat it's noticeably softer and more flexible. The reason behind those two major differences is to do with what they have changed within this shoe. 

First thing we'll do is talk about the outsole. Probably one of my favourite changes with the Asics Gel Kayano 28 is the fact they've gone to full ground contact. We've seen this trend across the industry no matter what brand for three to four years plus now.

More brands are opting to offer rubber the whole way through the sole of the shoe because it provides a slightly smoother transition and a little bit more protection for the asset. In a shoe like this the asset is the cushioning.

At the back of the shoe we have a slightly harder, more durable rubber which is in play. The main reason is because this shoe is designed or targeted towards heel strikers so you need a little bit more protection underneath the foot at that first purchase with the ground.

As you come through to the midstance phase you can see the biggest change between the Asics Gel Kayano 28 and Kayano 27 is this Trusstic system. The Trusstic system has been on play with the Asics Kayano forever and a day.

Ever since the first model and for as long as I can remember, being about 16 years in the game, Asics Kayanos have offered a Trusstic system. That’s providing more of a rigid supportive system as you go through that midstance phase of your gait cycle, essentially splitting the heel engineering and the forefoot engineering.

In the Asics Gel Kayano 28 it is still on play. They still have that Trusstic system, however it's tucked underneath a little bit of cushioning being the FlyteFoam cushioning system and also the outsole. It's a great way to offer that structure and support but also protect and provide that smooth transition with full ground contact with the rubber. It's a great change and I like what they've done.

Midsole

Let's talk all things midsole. If you've been a Asics Gel Kayano wearer for one year, two years or a number of years you'd know that the magic in the Kayano happens underneath the foot. It's a max cushioned, high mileage shoe with arch support on the medial side and Asics have not changed that with the Asics Gel Kayano 28.

The couple of changes they have made is to do with a stack height. In the Kayano 28 we've gone up 1mm from the Kayano 27, so it's next to negligible regarding the change you have. It has a 23mm heel and a 13mm forefoot for a variance of 10mm heel-to-toe drop in the men's model.

In the women’s model we have a 25mm heel and a 12mm forefoot for a variance of 13mm heel-to-toe drop. In comparison to last year's Kayano 27, 1mm has been added. You might be wondering at home why they do a high heel-to-toe drop in the women’s versus the men's model.

Asics is probably one of the brands that's more researched and dependent. I shouldn't say that no brands do research but Asics have obviously identified for a max cushioned shoe that requires arch support, women on average have a tendency to strike the ground differently than men.

By increasing the heel-to-toe drop, it’s going to provide more structure, support and integrity to the midsole over the duration of the life of the shoe. They've done it now for a few years and in the Asics Gel Nimbus.

I like it when a brand calls out those key changes from one gender to the next. It's not like they have a cookie cutter approach between men's and women's models and they simply alter the widths.

Asics obviously identify there is a need for that change and that is why they have done it previously. That is probably why they'll continue to do it going forward.

Talking about the midsole, let's dive into what's happening underneath the foot. On the medial side we have the Asics Dynamic DuoMax arch support and that's placed on that blue foam.

That is the dual density arch support system which has been strategically placed through the midstance phase of the gait cycle to provide the arch more support as you transition.

With the midsole, we're talking about a couple of densities of foam. That's pretty consistent with Asics and they tend to do that with the Kayanos, wedging in the Gel cushioning system between two densities of foam.

On the Asics Gel Kayano 28 through the forefoot we have the FlyteFoam Blast cushioning system and that's highlighted with that orange foam. The blue foam is their patented FlyteFoam technology.

The FlyteFoam Blast is a little bit softer underneath the foot and the FlyteFoam in this instance is a bit firmer. In between it as I touched on a minute ago you have Gel cushioning through the heel.

Underneath the forefoot under your first metatarsal there is strategically placed Twist Gel as well. That Twist Gel isn't there to provide cushioning, it's there to provide support for that first metatarsal.

Upper

Let's get talking all things upper. We're talking about a shoe that is max cushioned and it's designed for mileage running. That means it's going to be spending plenty of minutes and hours out on the road over the duration of its life.

That could vary depending on the runner. It might be 30 minutes for someone but it might be 90 minutes plus for someone else. When you're talking about that amount of time out on the road we need to consider comfort, breathability and support.

The engineered mesh which is on offer in the Asics Gel Kayano 28 was also on offer in the Kayano 26 and the Kayano 27 through the forefoot. All they have really done is slightly change the fit of the forefoot toe box.

The Kayano 27 had a little bit more of a tapered feel through the forefoot. I personally found this nice and comfortable. I did not have any issues whatsoever with how the Kayano 27 fit through the forefoot. If anything, I did not notice the forefoot at all and sometimes when you don't notice something it's a good thing.

The forefoot of the Kayano 28 is breathable and high enough with enough depth and width on offer in my standard 9 USD width. It fitted well and is true to size which is fantastic.

As you're coming through to the midsection of the Asics Gel Kayano 28 with regards to the upper around the navicular, I personally feel like I got a slightly better lockdown and that's just me being subjective.

Again, I liked what the Kayano 27 did around my arch but I personally find the fit of the Kayano 28 just to be more premium up top. I felt nice and secure around the arch.

As we transition back to the heel of Kayano 28, this is probably where most of the change has occurred with the upper. Over the last almost 10 years now Asics have been rolling an external heel counter and it started with a clutch collar if we're going back to the Asics Gel Kayano 18. Over the last nearly 10 years they've obviously altered the engineering of that shoe.

The external heel counter was a great way to get more of a customised fit for the runner but still offer the support which you require at the back.

The Asics Gel Kayano 27 has that plastic system which runs around the back of the heel counter. If you look at the Kayano 28 it looks like there is no external heel counter but Asics have just dropped it a little bit lower.

The external heel counter runs around the base of your heel calcaneus and it goes around the lateral side. It’s a little bit higher on the medial side so in theory this running shoe is designed for an overpronator. You want to build up the walls a little bit on that medial side which is exactly what that external heel counter does.

The internal heel counter which is the plastic structure within this foam region is in my opinion perfect. It's the right height, the right support and in conjunction with the memory foam and the lining on the inside, I found this shoe to fit perfectly around the back of my heel.

The great thing for me personally is I didn't have to use a heel lock lace. Sometimes I do from time to time depending on the shoe and the model. I just went back to my last eyelet, skipping the second last hole and got the exact dialled in fit that I liked with this shoe.

Widths

Last but not least when we're talking about uppers we need to dial in on the widths. When we're looking at the men's Asics Gel Kayano 28 we have 3 widths on offer, being D which is standard, 2E and then 4E which is their widest offering. In the women’s model we have two widths, a B which is standard and a D which is their widest women's width on offer here in Australia.

The other thing to note of course is not every single colour comes in every single width. Asics Australia do a very good job with regards to selecting the models that they would like to carry in widths and they specifically bring them into the country to cater for you the running community.

The Wrap Up

In summary the Asics Gel Kayano 28 is a great update in my opinion. In the 30km I have done in this shoe so far it is lighter, softer and smoother so I can't fault how it has performed straight out of the box. I didn't have to wear it in, it felt great on the foot and the fit is fantastic. It's true to size so if you happen to be a specific size and width in this shoe previously you will be the same in the current Kayano 28.

Being a high mileage, max cushioned shoe with arch support the other models that you could potentially be considering in this space include the Brooks Glycerin GTS, Mizuno Wave Horizon, Hoka One One Arahi, Hoka One One Gaviota and the Saucony Hurricane previously.

I believe that shoe is going to be having a bit of a change going forward but if you happen to be a Saucony Hurricane runner the Kayano 28 fits into that same category.

There you have it, thank you very much for watching my review on the Asics Gel Kayano 28. If you have any questions, comments theories or queries about this shoe please contact our Sportitude shoe experts.

Please subscribe to the Sportitude YouTube channel if you haven’t already to stay notified and we'll continue to pump out as many shoe reviews for you the running community out there.

Until next time stay safe, be kind to one another, happy running and we'll see you on the road. Take care.

 FEATURES

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

Men

• Heel Height: 23mm
• Forefoot Height: 13mm
• Offset / Drop: 10mm
• Weight: 308g / 10.9oz
• Width: D (standard), 2E (wide), 4E (extra wide)

Women

• Heel Height: 25mm
• Forefoot Height: 12mm
• Offset / Drop: 13mm
• Weight: 258g / 9.1oz
• Width: B (standard), D (wide)