Mizuno Neo Zen 2

The Mizuno Neo Zen 2 is a max cushioned daily trainer designed for comfort and bounce. Priced at $160, it competes with shoes like the Nike Vomero 18 ($155) and New Balance 1080v15 ($170). Mizuno made some big changes in the second version, switching from a fun and bouncy supercritical TPU foam to a firmer supercritical EVA foam along with a significantly more dialed-in, performance-oriented upper. These changes were intended to make it a more approachable shoe with a more normal feeling geometry, a more stable and controlled ride, and a better fit. Upon step-in we found the upper to be significantly less voluminous than in the v1 with a pretty stiff, yet padded heel counter that provides a much more stable feel. On the run we found that It has some zip, it’s very energetic, and the toe-off is great and felt good picking up the pace a bit. The ride is still really smooth with a nice geometry, but it is more refined. The foam is firmer, but it still has a nice bounce to it. It’s a mileage-getter type of shoe—it feels like a reliable workhorse that has been modernized. You can do any type of run in it and it stands up to long miles. It might not be as special as the OG, but it will likely be a better overall shoe for the majority of runners.