It is that time again when we get to talk about one of our favorite brands that everyone loves to hate on, the underdog in the running shoe market who dominates casual footwear, it’s Skechers, and this time we were talking about a phenomenal shoe the GO Run Razor 4. We will definitely irk some people with this review no question, but we stand by it, this shoe can compete with every other supercritical carbon plated low to mid mileage racer or speed trainer out there. It is too bad they still aren’t the best looking shoe and they are hampered by the brand halo because more people should be trying these and running in them.
Quick Details, Specs, and Availability
- An up-tempo, speed or race day shoe that can compete with the big boys.
- Weight – 8oz or 227g for a US Men’s 9, 6.4oz or 181g for a US Women’s 7
- Cushion – 30mm of cushion and a 4mm heel/toe drop
- Pricing – $145.00 USD
- Colors – 3 options for men and women
Construction and Materials
- Upper – Skechers continues to go with their hyper monomesh upper which remains strong and breathable. Overlays are then used to provide some level of additional structure.
- Midsole – The Razor 4 gets their new HYPERBURST PRO, a supercritical and lightweight TPU based foam paired with a carbon-infused forefoot plate. You will also find their HYPER ARC technology which is used to aid the foot through the stride.
- Outsole – Uses Skechers’ Goodyear rubber blend.
Performance Review
I’m not sure how many times we have to continue to write this for you all, but Skechers make some killer shoes. They try a lot of stuff and some things stick and some doesn’t, but they continue to iterate and produce killer shoes that can be used for a variety of purposes. In this case the Go Run Razor 4 is targeted directly at that up tempo, speed and race day segment delivering a supercritical nitrogen infused midsole along with a forefoot carbon plate putting it in the category of shoes like the Endorphin Speed or Pro 3, Puma Deviate Nitro 2, New Balance SuperComp Pacer, and more.
The problem might be that the shoe is so simple perceptively. The upper on here is a simple monomesh that is lightweight, strong, and breathable. The overlays that people love to yell about are really there to provide it structural support for side to side stability. This also features a more classic semi padded heel collar implementation. Again, really simple and traditional design, but if aint broke…
The midsole on here is the huge success and with the Razor 4 they have moved to HYPERBURST Pro. HYPERBURST was one of the first nitrogen-infused midsole technologies on the market and Skechers has only continued to iterate from there. You can expect a super responsive and lightweight ride from this TPU based cushioning, much more uptempo and it will remind you instantly of other technologies like FuelCell or PWRRUN PB note both of which landed after HYPERBURST.
If the midsole is the success, then the outsole is the unsung hero. Skechers partnered with Goodyear long ago to produce their own rubber technology and then layered almost the entire underfoot with it. They did a nice job using just enough to ensure grip and tracking on the roads through any sort of weather without making it too much where it starts to affect the weight.
This shoe is definitely targeted to your faster days. Sure they can be used to race in, but they are a great up-tempo and speed day partner. Given the stack height, we would keep use it more for half marathon and under levels and these things can knock out a really fast 10K.
Overall Conclusion
Skechers has delivered an awesome shoe with the GO Run Razor 4. It is hitting on all the right notes and it is super simple in its design, but also incredibly effective in its performance. Visually, it will still be hampered by some of the Skechers branding which people are really deterred from. That is too bad because this shoe is awesome and definitely can compete with anything else out there only at a slightly lower price point.
Learn more on the Skechers website
Buy them now and read more on Running Warehouse
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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.
