Skechers GOrun Razor 4 Review: Changes
By Senior Contributor David Salas and Chief Editor/Founder Matthew Klein
Following the immensely popular Skechers Razor 3 comes the 4th iteration of the line. The Razor 4 brings in a few updates. The shoe is now using Hyberburst Pro, a TPU-based midsole. The shoe also features a forefoot carbon-infused plate. There have also been some additions to the stack height and platform. The ride has changed a little but much of the DNA is the same. The Razor is still a fast-moving performance trainer.
Skecehrs GOrun Razor 4Releases 10/25
Weight: 8.0 oz, 227 g (men's size 9), 6.4oz, 181 g (women's size 7)
Stack Height: 30mm / 26 mm
Drop: 4mm
Classification: Performance/Lightweight Trainer
RUNNING SHOE SUMMARY
Matt: The Skechers GOrun Razor 4 is a lightweight training/workout shoe that has been completely redone. A new TPU midsole is more resilient underfoot, providing a combination of lightweight cushioning and mild responsiveness. Combined with a carbon fiber infused plate, the new ride is snappy while maintaining a moderate level of flexibility. A thicker upper is slightly snug, providing structure that locks the foot down well. The GOrun Razor returns with newer technology that makes it more durable and in line with current footwear trends, yet manages to maintain some of its roots as a lightweight faster shoe.
David: The Skechers Razor 4 is a neutral performance shoe that brings in some new materials for your workouts. The TPU midsole is similar to the original Hyperburst, though a little more compliant underfoot. The insertion of the forefoot plate also increases a little more snappiness up front to help give it some bounce when running quicker. The shoe is a little heavier than the previous model and leans more trainer than racing flat now. With that said, it can certainly turn over.
SIMILAR SHOES: Skechers GOrun Razor Excess 2, Hoka Rocket X
FIT
Matt: The Skechers Razor 4 fits me true to size in my normal US men's size 10. The toe box does taper, providing a snug fit up front. The forefoot fits surprisingly normal, similar to the midfoot and heel. The hyper mono mesh and polyester upper is thicker for such a lightweight shoe, providing a sturdy fit throughout the length of the shoe. The upper initially felt boxy, but does begin to stretch to your foot after a few miles. The thin, but mildly padded tongue is not gusseted but is secured by the laces. The laces and upper interact well and I did have to tighten them down to get a secure fit. Locking down the midfoot kept my heels secure and I did not have to lace lock the shoe. Those with more narrow feet will have to use additional security measures (lace lock). The heel collar is well-padded, and there is a moderately flexible heel counter at the rearfoot. The counter is more significant than previous versions and although there is cushioning, those with heel sensitivities may need to approach this shoe with caution. The newer ArchFit design is immediately noticeable and provided considerable pressure into my arch. This has broken in with time, so those that like it will enjoy it, but others that do not respond to higher arched shoes may need to switch out the insole.
David: The Razor 4 fits true to size in my men's 9.5. The mesh upper is pretty comfortable throughout and retains its structure well while still maintaining breathability. The ArchFit design gives a cinching sensation on the medial aspect of the midfoot. This hasn't always agreed with me in Skechers shoes. It still feels a little awkward to me in the 4, though better than some of the other Skechers models. There is still a heel counter present though padded decently well and provided no irritation. The width throughout is normal in the heel, midfoot, and forefoot. No area is particularly narrow or wide in this model. The tongue is thin but padded enough to allow for lockdown and good tightening of the laces. Overall, a pretty good upper that leans a little more daily trainer but has aspects of a performance feel.
PERFORMANCE
Matt: The Skechers GOrun Razor 4 features a brand new midsole and a forefoot plate for the first time in the series. The new expanded TPU midsole (HYPERBURST Pro) provides slightly firmer and mildly bouncy cushioning underfoot that continues to get softer as it breaks in. Unlike HYPERBURST, the PRO version midsole material is becoming more bouncy as it breaks in. The new carbon-infused plate in the front only adds a moderate amount of stiffness to the forefoot. There is still some flexibility to the forefoot and the plate requires picking up the pace to come to life. The ride is mildly rockered, with a slightly posterior lateral heel bevel and an early forefoot rocker. The combination of the arch fit with the HYPERARC (M-Strike?) provides a significant midfoot bump that reminds me of some of the original Skechers GOrun shoes. This offsets the 4mm drop a little, but the Razor 4 still feels like a lower offset shoe. The weight has increased, which combined with the far more sturdy upper and midsole make the Razor 4 feel better at training and workout paces. I have used this shoe for shorter easy runs, fartleks, and a tempo run. While it is not the fastest shoe, it transitions well between training and faster paces while balancing out the lighter weight with enough durability to handle both well. The slightly firmer HYPERBURST PRO does provide some responsiveness to pick up the pace for workouts. It doesn't feel quite snappy and fast enough to race in given the more flexible forefoot plate, but this also makes it more comfortable at easy paces.
The new outsole has longer and thicker strips of Goodyear rubber. I have almost 30 miles on my pair and have barely any wear on the outsole. The outsole has never before remained intact with any prior version of the Razor. I expect the Razor 4 to last as long as most lightweight trainers.
David: The Skechers Razor 4 seems to have a little bit more versatility to me into the daily training category. The previous always felt a little too light to enjoy for daily runs and ran like a racing flat. This one seems like it can pick and choose those efforts a little bit easier. The TPU midsole and slightly beveled geometry creates a pretty natural ride throughout. The shoe is not overly rockered, but does not feel flat either. The Hyperburst Pro midsole has a little bit more give to it than the original Hyperburst, but still rides a little on the firmer end. I like that the shoe only uses a forefoot plate in this model. The plate is not super noticeable at daily efforts or easy paces, but does add some responsiveness and bounce at toe off.
For me, the Razor 4 does best as a training companion or workout shoe, but can definitely be warmed up and cooled down in with decent comfort. The increase in weight is noticeable, though not overly problematic. If anything the shoe feels a little more balanced out. The Goodyear outsole underfoot provides good traction. I find I can take the Razor 4 into pretty much any runnable conditions like light trails, dirt, or grass. I do feel that the upper integration with the platform could be better, especially since the foam has a little more give to it now. I have found some small translation with forceful turns or changes in footing as well as some slight instability through the midfoot. Other than that I have found the shoe to be quite fun for road workouts.
STABILITY
Matt: The Skechers Razor 4 is a neutral performance shoe, but has far more guidance than previous versions. There are now small sidewalls in the heel into the midfoot on both the medial and lateral sides of the this shoe. The heel and forefoot width are wider for such a lightweight shoe, but the midfoot does narrow. The ArchFit insole provides a decent amount of pressure into the medial arch. The insole is flexible, so this acts more like a proprioceptive cue to keep the arch up rather than actual support. The sturdy upper and heel counter that travels farther forward guides in the heel fairly well. Finally, the forefoot plate adds a high level of torsional rigidity to the forefoot, which combined with the wider shape at the front makes it mildly guided. The narrow midfoot is slightly offset by the ArchFit feeling initially, but the compressive midsole still makes this shoe decently neutral. This is a much farther step than previous versions toward being stable neutral.
David: The Razor 4 is a neutral performance shoe, but does have some elements of stability sprinkled in. The upper locks down pretty well throughout, but does have a little bit of stretch to it that can create some instability medially in fast turns or changes in footing. The outsole traction is quite good underfoot for a shoe in this category. The forefoot plate also helps with keeping some rigidity and balances out some of the foam deformation upon landing and the transitioning through toe off. With this said, the shoe certainly still runs pretty darn neutral.
THOUGHTS AS A DPT / FOOTWEAR SCIENCE
The changes to the Skechers Razor 4 are in line with current industry trends. The addition of a forefoot plate is unique to Skechers, but the use of this general type of stiffening agent is quite common. This is now frequently seen in all shoes, including racing, workout and training shoes. The foam upgrade was a little overdue but is exciting given the solid durability improvement. Finally, the weight increase is also expected given the improved outsole, tougher upper and shift in feel to a fast but more training-focused ride.
Many shoes are increasing in weight at the moment as the trend higher cushioning trend continues. Some companies have managed to figure out how to use geometry and lower-density foams to maintain cushioning while reducing weight. Others just upgrading their foams still need some practice tweaking them to work on going lighter.
Going lighter is not always possible, That is not necessarily a bad thing. We are seeing many shoes now that are just as fast despite small weight increases. Others are seeing weight increases with continued increases in stack height. While the number of super lightweight racing shoes is at an all-time low, the number high stack height, plated workout and racing shoes continue to increase. While these shoes are still aggressive, they are far more forgiving to newer runners than the super minimalist racing shoes of the past. More cushioned running shoes are often perceived to be more comfortable, which is why so many runners are attracted to highly soft shoes and foams that are marketed as "protective" or "highly cushioned." Whether they are actually forgiving or just feel forgiving is up for debate in regards to injury risk. Research has not gotten that far yet.
The Skechers GOrun Razor 4 upgrades may upset some people but will make the shoe more accessible to others. The changes are due to both industry trends, as well as the realization after the minimalist phase that when it comes to performance, a more cushioned shoe using lighter weight technologies can sometimes carry you a bit farther. How far each one of these components are actually taking us and how we can adjust them to continue trying to reduce weight remains to be seen.
RECOMMENDATIONS
David: My main recommendations for the Skechers Razor 4 lie within the upper integration into the platform. I would like to see the mesh material either have a little less stretch through the medial aspect of the foot. The arch fit gives you a hold in that region but the material still moves. This is most noticeable when navigating sharper turns on road and in non planar footing.
Matt: I agree with David that more reinforcement through the
midfoot would be great. A gusseted tongue may be helpful for this or
some medial integration with the upper. The other thing I would like to
see is a wider midfoot with additional creative geometries to keep
weight down. Outside of that, I am concerned that as much as I like the
changes to the Razor 4, it is becoming a bit redundant with the Razor
Excess series. I encourage Skechers to further differentiate these
models somehow as they are quite similar outside of the different
midsole materials.
WHO THIS SHOE IS FOR
Matt: The Skechers GOrun Razor 4 is a performance trainer for those with normal-width feet looking for a lighter ride and slightly stiffer but snappy ride. The new HYPERBURST PRO midsole is slightly firmer, sturdy and mildly to moderately responsive. The fit is normal throughout with a tapered toebox, although most will need to tighten down the laces in the midfoot for more security. The addition of a carbon plate makes the forefoot more snappy, but still retains some flexibility. The higher level of outsole durability and increased weight from being more sturdy make the newest Razor far better at tolerating daily training as a lighter-weight shoe. However, the snappy forefoot plate and moderately responsive new cushioning still makes the Razor 4 an excellent workout and uptempo shoe.
David: The Skechers Razor 4 is a performance trainer for someone looking to have a slightly firmer ride to their performance trainer. The shoe does have some give in the midsole, but not quite as much as some of the other soft foams on the market. The forefoot plate provides some good responsiveness when moving quicker. This is a solid training companion for workouts.
GRADING
Matt
Fit: B+ (Tapered toe box that stretches and normal width throughout. Midfoot can be locked down, but could use a bit more security)
Performance: B+/A- (Moderately bouncing new expanded TPU midsole combined with moderately flexible but snappy forefoot plate provides a lower drop ride that can handle some daily training miles and workouts)
Stability: B+ [Neutral] (New Sidewalls in rearfoot and wider shape in rearfoot and forefoot provides neutral but mildly guided ride in those areas)
DPT/Footwear Science: B+/A- (Solid attempt to upgrade the Razor while trying to stay true to the roots. May be better to replace ArchFit with sidewalls or a wider midfoot. I encourage Skechers to experiment more with geometry rather than straight slabs of midsole material)
Personal: B+ (I am enjoying the new midsole and better guidance, but find the ride somewhat redundant with the Razor Excess)
Overall: B+
David
Fit: B+ (Overall dimensions and lock down is pretty good, though some stretch to the material medially, arch fit can be a litee uncomfortable)
Performance: A- (A good amount of versatility with speed and daily efforts, good traction, good responsiveness, though the foam still a little more flat than some of the competitors, but solid performance trainer)
Stability: B+ (Traction is good, forefoot stability good, midfoot stability could be better to avoid stretching of the material and collapsing medially through the midfoot)
DPT/Footwear Science: B+/A- (The usage of the new materials in the midsole and forefoot plate work decently well together to provide a resilient yet still responsive ride)
Personal: B+/A- (Outside of some medial instability I am really enjoying this shoe for uptempo road efforts and workouts)
Overall: B+/A- (A solid performance trainer that is slightly firmer riding but provides good bounce at toe off. Some slight instability through the midfoot medially.)
SHOP | SUPPORT DORSkechers Go Run Razor 4Releases Oct. 25
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