Nike Vomero Premium Review: Max Madness, Fury on the Road

Introduction to the Nike Vomero Premium

MEAGHAN: Nike’s been busy building out the Vomero family. First came the Vomero 18, then the beefed-up Vomero Plus, and now we’ve got the crown jewel: the Vomero Premium, easily the plushest of the bunch. All three live in the “recovery day” lane, but each takes its own spin on cushion. 

The Vomero 18 mixed ZoomX with ReactX, the Vomero Plus went all-in with a full ZoomX midsole, and the Premium cranks things up even higher with full ZoomX plus two massive Air Zoom units in the heel and forefoot. Oh, and did I mention the 55 mm stack height? This thing blurs the line between a running shoe and a luxury trampoline. Of course, all that tech comes at a price– $230 to be exact. The real question is: Does it earn the premium label? Let’s find out.

ROBBE: My Nike hot take of the year is that the Vomero line is the best thing Nike has going for them right now, outside of their race day models. As someone who likes a touch of cushion, but a more grounded feel overall, the Vomero 18 is one of my personal favorites for the year, a top 5 daily trainer that can be used at any distance.

Leveling up, we have the Vomero Plus. Again, I’m not a huge max cushion guy, but if there’s one max cushion shoe I’m going for, it’s this one. Aside from the head-scratching design of the Flywire-like eyelets (which many wearers have reported breaking, again and again), the shoe is fantastic. (For the record, we wrecked the New Balance SC Elite v3 for having the same awful design, which broke on my way to the start of the New York City Marathon, but apparently Nike didn’t get the memo. Would love to see the internal reports of how many replacement pairs have been issued for the Vomero Plus.) Aside from that glaring issue, the Vomero Plus is a fantastic shoe, possibly the overall best max cushion shoe of 2025.

Someone at Nike must have been a huge Creed fan, because clearly they had Scott Stapp’s “Can you take me higher?” bouncing around their head when it came to designing the Vomero Premium. With arms wide open, Nike took that refrain to heart, cranking up the stack height higher than it’s ever been in any running shoe that we’re aware of. Whether it works or doesn’t, at 55 mm, it’s objectively ridiculous, ludicrous, and insane. With that in mind, I’m making a prediction for what comes after the release of the Vomero Plus: The era of max cushion has finally peaked. It is over. We can’t go up from here. 

That said, let’s remain in the present. There’s going to be a huge discussion on whether or not the Vomero Premium is an actual running shoe or a lifestyle shoe. It’s the same discussion we had when the Pegasus Premium came out (a shoe that I maintain is strictly a lifestyle shoe). Believe it or not, I think this shoe is more runnable than the Pegasus Premium, but I also think it lends itself heavily to the lifestyle category.

There’s a lot to break down when comparing those two things, so let’s jump into it.

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What we like about the Nike Vomero Premium

MEAGHAN: I know a lot of people are saying the Vomero Premium doesn’t even look like a running shoe, and I’m gonna stop you right there. Sure, it’s massive. But this is the kind of max stack we’ve all wanted. Who’s mad about an extra 2.5 inches of cushion underfoot? Exactly.

Personally, I’m into the look. The clean white upper with its simple midfoot Swoosh feels sleek, while the oversized “AIR” stamped across the heel gives it some bold personality. Add in the neon air pods and you get a futuristic vibe without overdoing it.

The step-in feel is exactly what you’d expect, like some moon shoes. The upper hugs the foot nicely, padding around the collar and heel makes it extra plush, and there’s plenty of room in the forefoot so your toes can breathe. I had zero rubbing and no hot spots.

On the run? Pure fun. The Premium feels bouncy from the first mile to the last, and I kept reaching for it day after day. The combination of ZoomX and those massive Zoom Air units gives it an energetic, springy ride that’s perfect for easy days, recovery runs, and even those long slogs. The outsole is covered entirely in rubber too, so durability shouldn’t be an issue, and traction was great. I accidentally took these pretty guys out into a rainstorm on day 1, which was upsetting for aesthetics, but did fine in terms of performance. 

What surprised me most was how much more “runnable” this feels compared to the Pegasus Premium (which is supposed to be the performance version of the two). While the Pegasus Premium was fine, the Vomero Premium just nails it – it fits better, rides smoother, and it’s more fun. If I had to choose between the two? Easy call: Vomero Premium all day.

ROBBE: For the record, when Meg says this is the max stack we all wanted, you can exclude me from that “all” qualifier. As someone who prefers a bit of ground feel in his shoes, I’m not sure I’ve ever wanted this, though it’s an interesting experiment for sure.

I think the past half decade has given me max stack fatigue, but even I have to admit that this shoe looks incredible. If anything, it closes out the final chapter of the Mad Max saga in grand fashion– a blitzkrieg of special effects and wow elements, from the ZoomX midsole to the dual Air Zoom units. There’s a million ways to mess up something so absurd, but Nike managed to make it look beautiful, especially the AIR lettering overlay on both the medial and lateral sides, an obvious nod to the Nike Air Max Uptempo basketball shoe.

The upper is Nike at its best. It’s clean and classy and wraps the foot perfectly. Heel lockdown is great, breathability is adequate, midfoot is fine, no issues whatsoever. The tongue offers plenty of padding. Comfort abounds.

I had some serious concerns coming into this review, mostly because of my floppy ankles and the contrasting stack height of the Vomero Premium. Surprisingly, it’s not terribly unstable for something with so many millimeters to its name. First step-in, as Meg said, feels ridiculous. Like maybe the most comfortable shoe you’ve ever worn. Or at least the most interesting. It certainly is different than any footwear you’ve ever owned, I can guarantee you that. The bounce is pronounced with a capital B.

On the run, it runs smooth, with a seamless transition from heel to forefoot. Once you get it going, there is a ridiculous amount of bounce to it, thanks to those dual Air Zoom units wedged in between the midsole. As Meg pointed out, it definitely has some moon shoe vibes. It’s interesting because when coming off the toes you do get a pronounced bounce (if you’re familiar with Air Zoom units in past versions of the Pegasus then you kind of know what I’m talking about, but just imagine it with ZoomX). And then when you land on the heel or midfoot, there’s the same comfort and energy return, which is kind of cool. 

The shoe shines the most when going downhill, as if you’re strapped up to a pair of monster truck tires. It’s pretty fun, I’m not even gonna lie.

A big surprise to me was the outsole grip. It was tackier than I had expected and helped mitigate the effects of the stack height when going around corners or changing direction.

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What we don’t like about the Nike Vomero Premium

MEAGHAN: Of course, sky-high stack comes with a few trade-offs. The first is weight: my women’s 7.5 tipped the scale at 9.6 oz, which is on the heavier side. The second is stability: it’s not exactly nimble up top. That said, considering you’re perched on 55 mm of foam, Nike did a solid job widening the base to keep things surprisingly steady. And honestly, if you’re cruising recovery miles, are you really stressing about a couple extra ounces? Still, both are worth keeping in mind.

Then there’s the price. At $220, the Vomero Premium definitely earns the “premium” label in more ways than one. That’s a serious chunk of change for what’s essentially an easy-day shoe.

ROBBE: This goes without saying, but the weight is enough to make you pay an extra baggage fee on Weight and Sea airlines. Nike really put the ‘ounce’ in the bounce for this one. It’s one of the heaviest road running shoes we’ve ever reviewed, tipping the scales even further than paperweights of the past like the ye olde Adidas Ultraboost 20 (12.5 ounces for a US M10.5). You just cannot convince me that that’s okay for a running shoe in 2025, no matter the stack height or foam composition. 

Max cushion shoes usually fall into the recovery category as well. This shoe does not speak recovery to me. In fact, the first few easy runs in this felt pretty hard, and my only enjoyable run in the shoe came after a couple days off. A recovery day in this shoe felt like I was actually doing more work because of the weight. The bounce is pronounced, but it’s just not enough to overcome the weight. For me, anyway. Additionally, it just feels too soft, just too much underfoot.

Then there’s the general shape of the shoe. It’s obviously not a nimble shoe. It’s a chunky cruiser, the Cadillac Deville of the comfort class. Some may call it a boat. If you’re locked in for a long and straight stretch, by all means, go for it. But any uneven sidewalks or broken asphalt or turns makes this a not-ideal choice.

Despite its stack height, I do think this shoe is more stable than the Pegasus Premium, and a better running shoe in general (I personally think the Pegasus Premium is one of the worst running shoes that Nike has put out in the past few years, excluding the Zoom Fly 5). However, it ain’t exactly a solid slab of stability underfoot. It remains pretty unstable overall thanks to everything going on in the midsole, so just be aware of that.

Finally, there’s the very premium price point of $220. I try not to get too caught up on price tags, but $220 is a lot by any measure. Especially since this just isn’t the best running shoe out there. It may be the bounciest, but it’s not the best. If you’re looking for a premium lifestyle shoe, then maybe it fits the bill. But there are plenty (see: almost all) options that give you plenty of performance and comfort for 30% less dollars than this one.

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Final thoughts on the Nike Vomero Premium

MEAGHAN (13 out of 15): The Nike Vomero Premium was an instant hit for me. I’m a sucker for big stack heights and Zoom air units, so honestly, it was love at first step-in. I also appreciate that Nike keeps pushing the envelope and bringing race-day tech into daily trainers. But what really seals the deal is simple: this shoe is just plain fun to run in. Every time I lace it up, I’m excited to get out the door. And to me, that’s the ultimate test– if a shoe makes you want to run, it’s doing its job.

ROBBE (10 out of 15): It’s no surprise that Meg loves this shoe, and it may be no surprise that I don’t. I’m just not a big fan of maxed out shoes, and this one obliterates that category. That said, I can recognize when it’s a good shoe and understand when it works for someone else. And while I think there are elements of this shoe that are super fun and quite different from other shoes out there, I think it struggles to make a significant difference on account of its weight. That alone is a justification to pass on this for something else, like its younger sibling in the Vomero Plus. 

Playing my own devil’s advocate, I was also never a fan of the Nike Invincible 3, for many of the same reasons as this shoe. There are plenty of runners who absolutely loved the Invincible. This shoe feels like a roided out version of that shoe, so if you were an Invincible fan, something tells me you’re really going to enjoy the Vomero Premium. 

Meg is a much better and more experienced runner than me, so I can see how this works for her. Same with Nike athletes Conner Mantz and Faith Kipyegon, the former who ran through five prototypes of the shoe. Mostly though, I think this is a shoe for the casual runner, for someone who wants a nice lifestyle shoe that can double as a 3 to 5 mile shoe when necessary. I should clarify: the rich, casual runner. If you have $230 lying around and want to make a statement at your local run club, then by all means, go for it.

One last thing, a bold prediction that may or may not come true: This shoe marks the end point of the max cushion era, the high water mark of midsole madness. Deckers stock (Hoka’s parent company) is down 50% off its highs from last year. Slim silhouettes are returning to lifestyle. Max cushion has reigned supreme over the past five years and it has reached its logical end with the Vomero Premium. It cannot go any higher, which means it has to go lower. The pendulum will swing back and it will do so in short order. 

I’m interested to see which brands will crack into it first, or if we’ll see a drawn out tail of shoes drowning in the wake of a trend that went too far. 

I’m all for fun, but I’m also petitioning for a return to the thing that made running great in the first place: an attachment to the ground, a feel for the earth, a run just to run, with enough to keep you comfortable for mile after mile.

That, to me, is the most premium experience you can have.

You can pick up the Nike Vomero Premium for $230 on October 16, 2025, from nike.com by using the buttons below.

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Note: In our video review, Thomas gave the Vomero Premium a 12 out of 15 score. Our final score reflects the average of all three of our experiences).