We are back again with one of our favorite brands that a lot of folks just don’t give the time of day but should, it’s Skechers and their new Razor Excess 2. The first iteration of the Razor Excess was solid and provided a lower-cost entry into the carbon racer market for people. The Excess 2 improves on that just a bit with an improved upper but still delivers solid carbon plated performance. Paired with Skechers’ secret sauce, their Hyperburst midsole, one of the first nitrogen-infused midsoles to market, it almost annoys us how loud we have to scream about how good they are. If you need a speed, tempo, or even race day shoe but want something a little more affordable, the Razor Excess 2 can hang with the big boys.
Quick Details, Specs, and Availability
- An amazingly well built yet affordable carbon plated race day option.
- Weight – 7.9oz or 224g for a US Men’s 9
- Cushion – 34mm of cushion and a 4mm heel/toe drop
- Pricing – $135.00 USD
- Colors – 3 options
Construction and Materials
- Upper – The Razor Excess 2 features a mono mesh upper with standard lacing. They feature their patented Arch Fit insole which was podiatrist-designed to improve arch support.
- Midsole – The midsole is composed of their Hyperburst foam, nitrogen-infused supercritical, HYPER ARC tech to improve foot transition, and features an inserted carbon winglet to improve performance.
- Outsole – The outsole features a thin layer of their Goodyear rubber collaboration which handles most weather without an issue.
Performance Review
What we loved
We have been on the Skechers running journey since day one. From seeing the first iterations of Hyperburst and the risks that Skechers took across various models trying different uppers, and different stack heights and drops, all to see what would hit. They’ve taken a lot of risks and do not see a lot of credit for it. However, the Razor Excess 2 is a perfect place to sing their praises because again they have delivered on the promise of offering an affordable and well-built shoe that can compete head-to-head with almost anything out there.
They’re only a couple of changes here. First, the upper is just more refined overall. The first iteration felt almost plasticky up top so they have improved that mono mesh upper as well as increased the padding around the collar providing a more comfortable on-foot experience with this iteration. The upper is still light and breathes really well as always. As it is a performance-oriented shoe, it is going to run a bit more narrow but there is decent width in the toe box allowing for movement. Note, it is not this super padded and structured comfy upper, these things are meant to go fast, and comparatively, it does the job.
They have also introduced their Arch Fit and HYPER ARC tech to the shoe. The Arch Fit insole should provide better support on your medial side so as your feet get tired in a run, you’ve got a bit of structure under there to keep your feet from crashing in. The HYPER ARC technology is more about improving toe-off transition similar to a lot of the rockers that are out there. This does work well and all of this paired together with their super critical Hyperburst foam and their carbon winglet leads to generous forward propulsion. Basically, it just launches you forward.
The Razor Excess 2 is a very easy choice for faster speed days, The shoe weighs barely over 7oz so it’s light and fast underfoot. You just know that you’re going to get what you expect which is why we’ve always been a fan of a lot of the Skechers offerings.
What we didn’t
As for the negatives, there aren’t a ton. We still could use a little more roominess in that upper. A lot of the longer distance race-oriented shoes are starting to increase the volume of upper space and while this has been approved in the Excess 2, probably still some room for improvement here. Aesthetically, Skechers still struggles a bit and while again this is an improvement from the original, they still need a bit of help (highly subjective). Other than that, we are pretty happy with the shoe and it will be interesting to see what they do with the next iteration. Our guess is possibly a little bit more stack height?
Overall Conclusion
If it wasn’t clear from this review, then let us make it really easy for you. You owe it to yourself to try out a Skechers running shoe that uses their Hyperburst midsole technology. So if you want a plated shoe but are scared of the cost, then the Razor Excess 2 is a perfect place to start. Yes, it is more performance-oriented, but it is a lot of fun and not as aggressive as others out there. Plus, it won’t break the bank. There is a reason why other manufacturers have moved to nitrogen-infused midsoles but Hyperburst has been here for quite a while so don’t hold on to any misgivings you might have about the brand. The Razor Excess 2 is comfy and it flies.
Learn more on the Skechers website
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Check Out Other Reviewers Thoughts
As always, we gather together some of our favorite reviewers so you can get a well-rounded view of the shoe. Here are our favorites.
