Mizuno Wave Paradox

Name: Mizuno Wave Paradox
Brand: Mizuno
Rating: 4.3 (10 reviews)

Daily trainer · Stability · Road · 8.6 oz (men's) · 29/18mm stack · 11mm drop

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The Mizuno Wave Paradox 2 replaced it

How it ranks

The Mizuno Wave Paradox trails most daily trainers in our data. Cushioning and looks are its strongest sub-ratings. Value scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating is based on 10 runner reviews and 1 other rated shoe in the Wave Paradox product line.

Decent

Overall

Decent 70

Cushioning

Decent 75

Appearance

Decent 74

Durability

Below average 69

Comfort

Below average 67

Value

Below average 66

Confidence

How settled the rating is against every other rated shoe. A shoe can rate high on confidence with relatively few reviews of its own when its product line has a long record and external ratings from retailer sites agree. Confidence is low when we have few ratings or when runners disagree.

See the product line's history

Confidence

76 Moderate

Moderate 76

Based on

The bars show roughly how much each source contributes to this shoe’s rating. Their influence depends on how many reviews we’ve collected, how many earlier versions are in the product line, and the external ratings available.

Brand rating
Our ratings
External ratings

What runners say

“The foam on the sole quickly gets tattered and shows wear in the first few runs.”

4/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a half marathon

“Feels very hard both in the midsole and the heel, which gets annoying.”

3/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon

“Not as responsive as I'd like for tempos/speed work but a great daily trainer.”

5/5 Full review 65 mpw training for a marathon came from the Mizuno Wave Inspire 11

“Smooth ride, however the shoe is very stiff.”

3/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon

“The feel felt familiar as soon as I laced them up, and that's all it took.”

4/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a half marathon

“Relatively light and flexible for a stability shoe compared to the shoes it replaced.”

4/5 Full review 20 mpw

“Got 450 miles out of them before they died.”

4/5 Full review 80 mpw training for a half marathon

“Logged roughly 250+ miles and intend to purchase a new pair in the very near future.”

4/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a half marathon

“Light for a stability shoe.”

3/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon

“Much sturdier than previous running shoes.”

5/5 Full review 10 mpw came from the Saucony Hurricane 16

“A little heavy.”

4/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a half marathon

“Takes a few runs to get used to.”

4/5 Full review 80 mpw training for a half marathon

Prefer this shoe over another

57% 4/7

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Oct 22.

Pros

Two reviewers call it light and flexible for a stability shoe, though one finds it a little heavy.
One reviewer calls it a good high-mileage daily trainer, and one got 450 miles from a pair.
Two reviewers came to it from the Mizuno Wave Nirvana, and one found the feel familiar straight away.

Cons

One reviewer found the exposed foam on the sole tattering in the first few runs, with plastic showing underneath.
Two reviewers find it firm and stiff, and one wants more response for tempo and speed work.

Wave Paradox rates 70. This shoe has moderate confidence. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the Mizuno Wave Paradox

Each dot is one version of the Wave Paradox, placed by its rating and release year. The gold dot is this shoe.

Rating

40 60 80 100

70 2014 75 2015

Release year

We use the reviews of past versions to inform this shoe’s rating. See why.

Wave Paradox 2

2015 · 1 review

75 Decent

57 Confidence
Wave Paradox This shoe

2014 · 10 reviews

70 Decent

76 Confidence

Runner Ratings

10 ratings

5/5 4

4/5 5

3/5 1

2/5 0

1/5 0

See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight: 8.6 oz (men's)
Release: 2014
MSRP: $135
Stack: 29/18mm
Drop: 11mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

5/5

Overall

Nice high mileage daily trainer - not as responsive as Id like for tempos / speed work but a great daily trainer for runners with excess forefoot motion / pre-existing foot pain. I run with a powerstep orthotic as well and they go together nicely.

RunnerPod · Dec 4, 2015

65 mpw training for a marathon came from the Mizuno Wave Inspire 11

Comfort: 4/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 5/5
Value: 4/5

5/5

Overall

So far I like it a lot. I haven't had a lot of opportunity to run in it of late due to my schedule. It's very comfortable and seems well built.

oldog94 · May 13, 2015

came from the Saucony Hurricane 16

Comfort: 5/5
Durability: 5/5
Appearance: 5/5
Value: 5/5

5/5

Overall

It seems much sturdier than my previous running shoes. I've ran in the hurricanes since the 5 or 6 model and they basically cured my nagging shin splints. However, they seem to have went downhill in quality in the last few models. So, hopefully these will do the trick. So far so good. Right now I'm just getting back into shape d/t injury and hope to do some local 5k again.

oldog94 · Apr 17, 2015

10 mpw came from the Saucony Hurricane 16

Comfort: 5/5
Durability: 5/5
Appearance: 5/5
Value: 5/5

4/5

Overall

Have been running in Mizuno stability shoes (Wave Nirvana) for several years. This shoe is relatively light and flexible for a stability shoe compared to the shoes it replaced. Works well, although I am making shift to lower heel toe drop shoes gradually (bought my first Hoka recently) and more midfoot strike to reduce injury.

Anonymous runner · Apr 5, 2015

20 mpw

Comfort: 4/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 5/5
Value: 4/5

3/5

Overall

Background info: I was running in the wave rider since model 13 then walked into a running store on my way home from work and wound up on the treadmill for a gait assessment. The Paradox is "light" for a stability shoe in my opinion so I do like that about it. However, it feels very hard both in the midsole and the heal which gets annoying. If it is doing what the salesman said it would do (keeping my right foot from overpronating) I will rotate the shoe during my runs hopefully to keep some of the injuries away. Overall, I like what the shoe does and the weight of it. It is a smooth ride, however the shoe is very stiff. I've been running in them for about 2 weeks so maybe they need some break in time.

OTRunner3 · Sep 10, 2014

30 mpw training for a half marathon