Shoe review: K-Swiss Blade-Max Trail
- Weight: 375.80g.
- High mileage trail running shoe.
- Midsole/Outsole: A bed of Superfoam® sits on top of high-impact Blade-Max™ technolgy. A rock block protection plate™ protects the runner from bumps in the rocky road.
- Upper: A very durable and supportive upper featuring Ion Mask(ion-mask™by P2i) water resistance and seamfree™ technolgy.
- Colour: Black/Grey/Yellow.
Tennis, tennis, tennis. That did seem to be all that K-Swiss did once over, oh, and fashion. That has all changed now with the brand taking a good look at the shoe market and sneaking up on the big boys with a range of shoes that so far have been very fit for purpose.
What we have here is another area of the training shoe market about to get hit with the K-Swiss technology stick! The Blade-Max Trail is aimed at the off road and trail market and does so with some style. Some have said this is an aggressive looking shoe but I think it looks just right and can happily rub heel counters with the existing brands out there.
Drafting in a range of K-Swiss technology to attract runners looking for a shoe that has lots of features to benefit their activities. Of particular note is the hydrophobic Ion Mask technology and the stitched toungue to keep water and debris out respectively. Still with the uppers, the seamfree uppers for better comfort and this will be a blessing on longer runs.
Providing very good cushioning over harder terrain and great stability the shoe does what it and does it well. Comfort levels are high so they are perfect for longer runs and did not seem as though they would generate any uncomfortable friction points.
Taking the shoes off road I encountered no problems with grip but unfortunately the dry season has not let me try them out in deep mud yet! Looking at the outsole I suspect that this particular shoe would not really have many problems with traction or with clogging. The grip pattern is a safe middle of the road depth, seemingly a good all rounder.
From a styling point of view they do look good, have kept their appearance over several shorter park runs. What I have learned about this type of shoe is that they are designed to be used and function must come first, no good looking great as you slide backwards down your local fell!
So far so good with the Blade-Max Trail, a very credible entry into this market, good use of shoe technology and I have no issues with them. And that is how I like it, hassle free.
£90.00
For more information or to purchase the shoes click here
