Nike Vomero 18 Review | Going Up, Up and Up

I’ve run in a number of Vomero’s and often received the question, is it different from the Pegasus? Niké has taken a whole new look at things and the Nike Vomero 18 is a new shoe entirely. Let’s talk about the change and it’s substantial!

For 2025, Nike is moving to a new system of naming and creating shoes. You’ll see that for the everyday runner there is now the Structure for stability, the Vomero for that max cushion feed and Pegasus for the responsive ride. Within each of these, over the year you’re going to see Premium, Plus and Icon model of the shoe.

Confused yet?

I think it’s going to make buying a little strange at first…but um maybe less so once we all understand exactly how the shoe changes moving along the spectrum. I.e. The Vomero 18 is their icon version of the shoe, the previously labeled Invincible 4 will be the Plus version.

The 18 has been described as a combination of the Vomero 17 and the InfinityRN. As noted, they are streamlining to their 3 main shoe lines (plus the racing, trail and track line ups), so the InfinityRN will be phased out.

Nike Vomero 18 Overview

The Nike Vomero 18 is a max cushioned trainer for the middle of the pack and back to truly enjoy your easy days and long runs.

While it looks like a beast of a shoe, it never feels heavy or clunky underfoot. I’ve run everything from an easy 3 to a longer 12 miles and enjoyed it. I would happily take it out for 20 when those days return.

When I said this is a whole new shoe, you probably could see that from the photos immediately. And oh boy could I feel it the second I slipped on this shoe in Austin. At The Running Event I actually had to turn down some shoes for testing because of a full bag, but the Vomero I was bringing home no matter what.

Nike does love to be the biggest, the best or the flashiest and at 46mm they are standing out for one of the tallest max cushioned running shoes we’ve tested.

They added 6mm of stack height to really boost that cushioned feel and they went with a combination of foam. This is something we’re seeing more and more from brands to give you that softness, along with durability.

The top layer ZoomX foam is a PEBA foam, meaning that it’s lighter and has more energy return. Traditionally PEBAX is not as durable, meaning less mileage before a shoe wears out, but they’re layering it over top of their ReactX foam.

React X is what you know from the Pegasus as being slightly firmer and more responsive.

The combo does make this shoe feel really enjoyable on long runs because the softness doesn’t leave, but you never feel like the shoe is sucking away your energy. It can certainly pick up the pace a little for the average runner, but is in no way a speed workout shoe or something the front of the pack would use for tempos.

Plus, can I mention that I just like the way this shoe looks?

I know, I know it doesn’t matter. Except it does. I like the bubbles near the heel (which are actually helping cushion and stability), I like the colors which are both bold and neutral.

The outsole has some nice little grip that would make me comfortable on wet days, but as we are in winter I’ll still opt for trail shoes on a snow day.

Vomero 18 Fit

The big, big cushy tongue feels like a throwback to how all running shoes used to be and it’s part of why I’d say it’s not ideal for a wider foot. But they did offer extra wide in the 17, so my hope is that we’ll see that available again here.

Loved the padded heel collar and that nothing was super high hitting anywhere around the ankle. In fact, the fit felt so good I never needed to do the heel lock lacing that I’ve used on so many shoes over the years.

Length wise it feels very true to size. You’ve got an upper that’s breathable and the tongue is attached halfway, all things that we’re seeing across most daily trainers for a nice fit, nothing wild to write home about.

Vomero 18 Feel

If I had any hope for a future version it would be to see a lower heel to toe drop. I’ve always found my IT Band to feel better 4-8 mm and that makes sense as a higher heel drop can push the knee forward, plus with the bigger stack it feels a little more stable.

As noted, the feel is really that of a great cushioned shoe which isn’t holding you back. I think some of the early max shoes were just soft on soft on soft, which feels nice to put on, but then actually makes the miles feel harder the longer you go.

Similar Shoes to the Vomero 18

All right, let’s talk about what might be similar to this comfy cushioned trainer.

• Puma MagMax Nitro – Similar stack height, but bouncier.
• Hoka Skyward X – Ok not the same because of the plate, but if you want a midpack plated option for marathons, similar and we recommend.
• Asics Superblast 2 – Lighter, faster and more expensive big stack

All right, that’s our Nike Vomero 18 review. What do  you think of the changes?

Do you like how they are streamlining the whole shoe system??

Looking for additional shoe reviews?

• Nike Zoomfly 6 review – a middle of the pack marathon race day shoe
• Best Long Distance Running Shoes
• Nike Vs On Running Shoes

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