When you take a step the Lunarlon really becomes the star of the show. Each step feels like you are bouncing on a cloud. This is a result of the Lunarlon being nearly 1.75 inches thick at the heel. The toe is a little under 1 inch thick making the heel toe drop .75 inches. Towards the middle the foam becomes less Lunarlon and has a little more Phylite material. This arch area does not flex very much at all. I am a Free Run enthusiast so this makes the shoe feel very different. Towards the front both foam layers begin to minimize into the toe area. On the instep side is mostly phylite with a midsole rim with lunarlon. This features Nikes proprietary Dynamic Support technology. Basically it is a wedge inside the shoe that counter acts pronation.
On the bottom is a completely redesigned outsole. It takes cues from the Free Runs by using only necessary areas for grip. The grip is mainly in the heel strike area and the toe strike area. It also features exposed lunarlon but the color is not volt like previous models. Now the lunarlon is entirely the color on the outside not painted over. I think Nike chose to do this because previous models when scraped on the side would reveal the volt lunarlon and would throw the color scheme off. Thanks Nike for that! Unlike previous models, this shoe also features a brand new inner groove. Instead of having one small, main vertical groove it has a wider groove with less cuts horizontally. This makes for a smoother transition from heel to toe.
Onto the upper. Again starting with the back to the front. A redesigned heel clip holds your heel in for a snug fit so your foot doesn't fly out of the shoe. This feature has been seen in all 4 of the Lunarglide series and in some other Nike running shoes. It was a stiff, solid plastic but now appears to be hollowed out to reduce weight. In the very back we see some of the same mesh used in the Free Run+ 2 but he rest of the upper is entirely different. A 3M reflective swoosh is a standout on both sides of the shoe and really lights up in low light conditions. Great for all the night runners out there! Back to the new mesh, it is now a very serrated look. The breath holes all seem to have a different size and shape which I am sure took Nike engineers a long time to design.
This new upper highlights the new Dynamic Flywire technology introduced this year at the Nike Innovation Summit (2012). The new nylon cords replace the fibers seen in the Lunarglide+ 2 and many other shoes. The cords are thicker and provide customizable support. I own a pair of Mercurial Vapor Superfly soccer cleats and they were a pain! The fibers took a while to break in as they do not stretch very much. Thankfully in this generation they can move freely. A misconception for me was that these cords were elasticy. However, they are not. Still, it makes for a great fit. When you tighten the laces it definitely does make a difference. Replacing the laces is not impossible but takes a little bit of patience. One of the first things I did was change the laces to the (PRODUCT) RED laces by Nike. It takes more work than a normal shoe but those of you that like to change their laces will be able to with practice.
Now onto a key problem: size and fitting. My daily shoe is a Free Run+ 3 in a size 11. Granted I am still growing so I usually get slightly bigger shoes so I can use them longer. My free runs have still have a little bit of room. Maybe a quarter inch at most. I had to get these in 12! An 11 was way too tight for my comfort and an 11.5 wasn't quite big enough either. I was surprised because I though Free runs fit small. Now I am not saying to order a pair a half size bigger because I said so. Ultimately the best way is to go out to a local store (I went to Sports Authority) and try them on yourself. Never buy a pair of shoes online without trying them on personally. Everybody's foot is different.
Wow you made it this far into my review? Well thanks for reading. I would rank these shoes 9/10 for comfort, 8/10 for fit, 9/10 for comfort, 7/10 for price, and 9/10 for cushioning. The LunarGlide+ 4 retails for $110 and you can get them from store.nike.com or a local outfitter near you!
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