Asics Novablast 6.

The Gavler Review.

Asics Novablast 6 Review: The Best 150-Dollar Shoe in Running, If You Land on Your Forefoot

The Asics Novablast 6 ranks second on our Best Running Shoes list with a 9.5 and a 93 expert consensus — the value pick of Gavler's top tier, and arguably the most versatile shoe on the list for the money. At $150, it does something unusual: RunRepeat rates it strongly not just for easy daily miles but for tempo work and even race duty. Buy it if you run through your forefoot and want one shoe that covers most of your training. Skip it if you're a pronounced heel striker — two independent testers flag exactly that as the shoe's weak point.

What it actually is

The Novablast became Asics's best-selling shoe in 2025 by being unusually well-rounded for a max-cushion trainer, and version 6 sharpens that character rather than softening it. The headline change is a forefoot pod of FF Turbo Squared — a bouncier PEBA-family foam pulled from Asics's race-day line — sitting ahead of FF Blast Max in the heel. RunRepeat's lab measured a men's 9 at 8.8 oz / 249g on a 41.5mm heel / 33.5mm forefoot stack with an 8mm drop, and found the shoe lighter and more agile than both the 4 and 5 despite that stack height.

The result, per RunRepeat's summary, is a shoe with "a genuinely lively toe-off" that still handles easy miles competently — a combination that's rare enough in this price bracket that the lab specifically called out how strongly it scores across daily, tempo, and even race-day use categories.

In use

The forefoot is where this shoe earns its reputation. RunRepeat's lab testers wrote plainly that "the shoe feels faster and more agile than the previous version, bringing back some of the fun-loving character of the first editions" — a notable statement given how many generations of Novablast have come and gone since the original defined the category. The ASICSGRIP outsole holds up across conditions, and the upper breathes properly in warm weather, both qualities that matter more over a 10-mile tempo session than a spec sheet does.

The value case is straightforward: RunRepeat's own conclusion is "still amazing value despite price increase" — a shoe that scores well enough across three different use cases (daily, tempo, race) that it can legitimately anchor a runner's entire rotation at a price point where most competitors only do one job well.

Strengths

• A genuinely lively forefoot at a value price. The FF Turbo Squared pod is race-line foam technology filtering down into a $150 trainer — most shoes at this price don't attempt tempo-day performance, let alone deliver it.
• Broad use-case scoring that's rare at this price. RunRepeat's lab specifically flags strong scores across daily running, tempo, and race duty in the same shoe — the kind of range usually reserved for shoes twice this price.
• Lighter and more agile than its own predecessors. Coming in lighter than both the Novablast 4 and 5 while adding a livelier forefoot is real iteration, not just a refresh.
• A durable, breathable everyday package. The ASICSGRIP outsole and ventilated upper hold up to daily mileage without the compromises that sometimes come with performance-forefoot foams.

The trade-offs — who should skip it

This is the section that matters most for this specific shoe, because the criticism isn't vague — it's specific, and it comes from two directions independently.

• The heel is a genuine weak point for heel strikers. Doctors of Running's Matt Klein was direct: the transition is "clunky/slappy," the FF Blast Max "feels dead in the heel," and there's "excessive lateral forefoot flare" that causes a medial push during the gait cycle — a biomechanical observation, not a taste preference. RunRepeat reached a related conclusion independently, calling the shoe less stable than the Novablast 5 and specifically cautioning heel strikers against it.
• Fit runs slightly short in the heel. Klein also noted "excessive heel padding makes fit slightly short" — worth trying on rather than ordering blind if you're between sizes.
• It's not a specialist race shoe. The versatility that makes this shoe valuable also means it doesn't match a dedicated plated racer on race day — treat the "race duty" scoring as strong-for-a-trainer, not competitive with the Alphafly 3 or Metaspeed Sky Paris further down this same list.

How it compares

The shoe directly above it on Gavler's Best Running Shoes list is the clearest contrast. The Asics Superblast 3 at rank one costs $60 more but doesn't carry the Novablast 6's stability caveat — RunRepeat measured category-leading shock absorption and traction on the Superblast, with no equivalent heel-strike warning from either outlet that tested it. The trade is straightforward: pay more and get a shoe built for a wider range of strike patterns and paces, or pay less and get excellent value specifically if you're a forefoot- or midfoot-striking runner.

The Nike Vomero 18 at rank three sits at the opposite end of the spectrum entirely — a pure comfort-and-recovery specialist that RunRepeat scored only 54 for tempo work, versus the Novablast 6's genuine strength in exactly that category. A heel-striking runner who wants Novablast-adjacent value without the stability trade-off would be better served looking at the Vomero 18 or the Gel-Kayano 33 one rank up, rather than forcing the Novablast 6 to do a job it wasn't built for.

The Gavler verdict

A 9.5, with a 93 expert consensus that reflects broad agreement this is a lighter, livelier, still-excellent-value shoe than its predecessor. The score sits below the Superblast 3 not on a matter of taste but on a genuine, independently corroborated weakness: both RunRepeat and Doctors of Running identified the heel and lateral stability as a real step back from the Novablast 5. Buy it if you run through your forefoot and want the best $150 shoe in this category. If you're a pronounced heel striker, the Gel-Kayano 33 or Vomero 18 will serve you better than forcing this one to fit.

Common Questions

Is the Asics Novablast 6 worth it in 2026?

Yes, for the right runner. It ranks second on Gavler's Best Running Shoes list with a 9.5 and a 93 expert consensus, and at 150 dollars it's the value pick of the top tier — RunRepeat rates it strongly not just for daily running but for tempo and even race duty, which is unusual at this price. The caveat is real: it's built for forefoot and midfoot strikers, and two independent testers flag the heel as a weak point.

Is the Asics Novablast 6 good for heel strikers?

Not the best choice. Both RunRepeat and Doctors of Running's Matt Klein independently identified the same weakness — Klein described the FF Blast Max heel as feeling 'dead' with a clunky, slappy transition, and RunRepeat separately called the shoe less stable than its predecessor and cautioned heel strikers against it. If you land hard on your heel, Gavler's own testers point instead to the Asics Gel-Kayano 33 or the Nike Vomero 18.

What changed in the Asics Novablast 6 versus the Novablast 5?

The headline change is a new FF Turbo Squared forefoot pod — a bouncier PEBA-family foam borrowed from Asics's race line — sitting ahead of FF Blast Max in the heel. RunRepeat found it lighter and more agile than the 5, with a genuinely livelier toe-off, at the cost of some heel-area stability that both RunRepeat and Doctors of Running called out independently.

Asics Novablast 6 or Asics Superblast 3 — which should I buy?

Buy the Novablast 6 if you're a forefoot- or midfoot-striking runner who wants excellent value — it's 60 dollars cheaper and RunRepeat rates it strongly even for tempo and race duty. Buy the Superblast 3 if you want more range across paces and strike patterns, or if you're a heel striker, since it doesn't carry the same stability caveat.