Up next in 10
Novablast 6: Same weight, same stack height gets a snazzy new woven upper and front A-TPU trampoline insert that together livens the ride and looks of ASICS fun runner while making it more versatile yet!
Multi Tester Written Review with 9 Comparisons:
https://www.roadtrailrun.com/2026/05/asics-novablast-6-multi-tester-review.html?m=1
Samples were provided at no charge for testing purposes with no additional compensation. The opinions herein are entirely the author's
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0:02
Hi everybody, Sam from RoadTrailRun.
0:04
Today we're going to take a look at the
0:06
ASICS Novablast 6 in detail. Okay, let's
0:10
take a look at the ASICS Novablast 6,
0:13
which is releasing July 1st, $155.
0:18
So, a bit of history. Back in about
0:20
2020, ASICS came out with the Novablast
0:24
1.
0:25
Uh and they didn't think it would do
0:26
much because they were so well known for
0:29
those super stable, super burly Nimbus,
0:32
Kayano, etc. They thought maybe it might
0:35
appeal to some younger runners,
0:37
um
0:37
and probably would be, you know, not the
0:39
their best seller. Well,
0:42
time has proved it otherwise because one
0:44
heck of a light shoe in all its
0:47
versions. It's had various changes, but
0:50
basically what we've got is a
0:52
lightweight daily trainer
0:55
that's very versatile and fun to run.
0:58
And that continues here with number 6.
1:01
Uh basic stats,
1:03
the weight remains to the gram pretty
1:06
much unchanged, 243 g, 8.6 oz in my US
1:12
8.5 sample. The same. The stack height
1:15
is 41 and 1/2 at the heel, 33 and 1/2 at
1:19
the forefoot. Um that remains unchanged.
1:22
The women's remains 1 mm lower.
1:26
What does change and you and I'll show
1:29
you number five here. Look at that kind
1:32
of aggro
1:33
kind of bright dark look is the upper.
1:38
We now get a woven
1:41
a woven type upper. It sort of reminds
1:43
me of
1:44
uh almost like a canvas.
1:46
Um you can see it's quite dense.
1:49
Um it probably is not the most
1:51
breathable, but it is thin, um
1:53
and it's very sleek. I think ASICS here
1:56
is trying to have the Novablast, which
2:00
was the number one shoe for runners on
2:03
Strava, dethroning the Pegasus last
2:07
year, be yet more popular with even a
2:10
broader kind of audience of runners.
2:14
I've taken them out twice here in Park
2:17
City on
2:19
on the rail trail, a little bit of
2:20
gravel,
2:21
and I'll give you a bit of commentary
2:23
about fit from the run. Although it was
2:25
very windy, so the it's the the audio's
2:28
a bit subpar, but so we'll we'll get
2:31
into a bit more detail
2:33
in describing it. Now, I just touched
2:35
briefly on the upper. I'm going to get
2:36
back to it.
2:38
You see here it says flight foam turbo
2:41
squared. Well, that's an ATPE foam, and
2:45
what they've done
2:47
is try to increase the trampoline
2:50
effect,
2:51
which they started in number five,
2:55
this pod in here,
2:57
by putting an insert of ATPE foam. And
3:01
I'm going to show you a diagram or a
3:03
schematic
3:06
that the this pod actually is broader
3:09
broader through here
3:11
as it as it goes up towards the foot.
3:13
The rest of the mid-sole is flight foam
3:18
blast max and OBC
3:21
polyolefin co-polymer block, sort of
3:23
like an EVA, but not quite. It's not a
3:25
super critical foam
3:27
as their insert is.
3:29
So, what did I feel on the run here, and
3:32
how did they sort of compare? Well,
3:35
the pod, and we have a full written
3:38
multi-test review over on Road Trail
3:40
Run, we all agreed the pod
3:43
created an increased trampoline effect,
3:46
an increased bounce off the front, even
3:49
though you can see it's a fairly still a
3:51
fairly stiff shoe and in fact
3:55
it's stiffer than than it or almost
3:58
well, stiffer and longer flexing
4:01
longer flexing than number five. Yet,
4:04
while I was running, I noticed it felt
4:07
more flexible.
4:08
Because I think my foot was really
4:11
sinking down into this softer pod. This
4:13
is a really soft uh foam. The same foam
4:17
is is found in um the entire mid-sole in
4:21
the lighter and higher stack Megablast.
4:23
And the um
4:24
Sonic Blast as a layer.
4:27
So, here they've combined it uh but
4:29
those shoes are considered more
4:30
expensive. We're at 155 here.
4:33
I think
4:35
at 155
4:37
uh with really no compromises
4:40
uh beyond maybe you could say some of
4:43
the uh others are are lighter in weight
4:46
um because they're all super critical
4:48
foam. You've got a really quality
4:50
quality uh shoe here.
4:53
They've also increased the stability and
4:56
I did an AB run
4:57
and I'll give you the commentary on fit
4:59
from the run.
5:01
Um they increased they changed some of
5:04
our rear
5:05
geometry here even though the stack
5:07
height is the same. So, this bulging
5:10
area, there's weight reduction but also
5:12
this stabilizes the shoe yet uh even
5:16
better, I think. It's quite stable
5:18
um
5:19
for what's a fairly soft foam shoe.
5:22
Uh
5:23
one thing I really really really noticed
5:26
is the difference in the
5:29
collars here. These are really really
5:32
plush
5:33
thick collars that work really well. So,
5:37
in other words, you've got an incredible
5:38
hold
5:40
um and I think it'll accommodate uh even
5:42
narrower feet because in our written
5:44
review, one of our testers is a woman
5:46
with with the Sally with narrower kind
5:49
of lower volume feet. This will hold
5:51
just about anybody's foot, I think. Yet,
5:53
it still retains a a good solid heel
5:55
counter. Whereas in version 5, we had a
5:58
thinner collar, still well padded. I
6:00
noticed during the AB run
6:03
actually a bit of kind of irritation
6:05
from the 5, more irritation and zero
6:08
over here.
6:09
Now, a few other elements of the upper
6:11
to consider.
6:13
It's a soft mesh tongue with these pads
6:16
and down below here you can see we have
6:18
some perforations, quite similar to
6:21
version 5. Version 5,
6:24
the pads were kind of in two parts. It's
6:27
a little hard to see.
6:29
Um but this is an upper
6:32
with as was 5 with zero overlays. All
6:35
the structure and support is provided
6:38
and there's there is a gusset in here, a
6:41
small gusset to the tongue, but all the
6:44
structure is provided by the mesh and
6:46
the lacing and it works really well. I
6:48
think it holds my foot a little bit
6:51
better than the 5
6:53
with a little more volume but a little
6:55
bit less kind of stretch cuz this is a
6:58
pretty substantial if thin mesh. Whereas
7:00
over here it was a bit softer, maybe a
7:02
bit stretchier. So, a significant um
7:06
upper upgrade and I think the look here
7:09
is really nice. I
7:11
I venture that a lot of people are going
7:12
to wear them more casually. This is the
7:15
champagne rose.
7:17
A few other things to note in terms of
7:20
the outsole. Let me put my camera down
7:22
here.
7:23
Um and compare.
7:26
You can see
7:28
um they've decreased the
7:32
rubber a bit in here to accentuate the
7:34
trampoline effect of the pod compared to
7:37
the 5. And also there is a bit less
7:41
width of outsole coverage. I think we're
7:43
going to have plenty of good wear
7:45
surfaces. So, they are to the gram the
7:48
same weight, same stack height, but I
7:50
think what happened here is the upper is
7:53
a bit heavier on our number six than in
7:56
our five. Um we also have, you can see,
8:00
the carving out of the rear. This feels
8:02
like it's a bit maybe a bit bit
8:05
shallower in the in the six provide a
8:08
bit more of that stability.
8:11
And then um
8:12
so what the the heel landings here are
8:15
more stable. What I did notice is
8:19
um they're slappier than the five on the
8:21
other foot. And that may be because I
8:23
showed you earlier the the flexibility.
8:25
They're a little less flexible, longer
8:28
flexing. And that even though we have
8:30
this soft central landing, we do have
8:33
the rubber. So, they're a bit noisy. Uh
8:35
not ridiculously so.
8:37
Um I'd like to see it have a bit more
8:40
flex, but given we have this insert
8:42
which expands out, there's glue
8:44
involved, which gives it a
8:47
which gives it the the stiffness.
8:50
Um
8:51
who's this shoe for? Well,
8:54
uh
8:54
it's now even more so
8:57
uh than before, the lightweight daily
9:00
trainer uh that can pretty much do
9:03
anything.
9:04
Uh again, it's 8.6 oz, 243 g, uh US 8.5.
9:09
It is heavier than some of its
9:11
competitors.
9:13
Um
9:14
for example, the Evo SL or the new Puma
9:17
Pure Nitro because we do have a
9:20
non-supercritical
9:22
carrier foam on the uh
9:24
on the outside and just these this
9:26
insert. So, uh but but the ride is
9:29
lively, it's fun, it's versatile.
9:32
We all liked it, all three of us,
9:33
Stephen, Sally, and I thought it was
9:35
really a
9:36
a fine update which gives the the front
9:41
of the shoe
9:42
a more kind of dynamic feel as promised.
9:45
It's not super dynamic. There's no plate
9:48
and etc. But but it's just very reliable
9:51
and versatile and I think a pretty sharp
9:53
looking shoe to boot. Um so you can read
9:56
our full multi-tester
9:59
uh written review over on Road Trail
10:01
Run. I think we have nine comparisons.
10:04
So there's plenty to look at.
10:06
Uh and uh now I'm going to give you just
10:08
from the run even though the audio's a
10:10
little not quite as good as usual uh
10:14
some fit impressions and a bit of the
10:16
scenery here in Park City yesterday when
10:18
it was super windy.
10:21
Thank you very much for watching.
10:23
Have a great run.
10:27
Okay, let's talk a bit about the fit of
10:30
our two Novablasts.
10:32
Um first denser upper here.
10:35
Uh I'm finding the
10:37
fit a little broader up front and a bit
10:40
more supportive.
10:42
Uh midfoot feels about the same.
10:44
And we talked about the
10:47
Ooh, a lot of shadows here. It's sunny.
10:49
Uh the heel collars uh much
10:52
noticed here plusher in the
10:55
number six compared to the
10:58
five. Nothing wrong with the five, but
11:00
this is really comfortable over here and
11:02
I think slightly improved hold as well.
11:07
So I've been going up a little uphill,
11:09
nothing much on the pavement here.
11:11
And the
11:12
six is definitely
11:14
easier to climb it
11:16
because of its
11:18
I think I'm plunging into that front
11:21
foam
11:23
and able to throw off whereas the five
11:25
just feels stiffer.
11:28
If more responsive quicker responding,
11:30
but
11:31
not on these hills.
11:34
So, it's still a little bit of snow up
11:36
on the
11:36
Wasatch Crest now
11:39
on the gravel here
11:40
and then the Round Valley,
11:43
a little piece of it.
11:46
Decent grip on the gravel.
11:48
Not great
11:49
cuz as you can see
11:51
the outsole is fresh glued but more than
11:54
adequate.
11:55
The alfalfa field over there is
11:58
starting to come in already.
12:00
Very early
12:01
summer.
12:02
>> Very much for watching. Please make sure
12:04
to check out our full multi-tester
12:06
review with um nine comparisons over at
12:09
RoadTrailRun. Have a great run.
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