Great for the roads!
5/5
Overall
cdawgxc · Jul 12, 2018
70 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GEL-Super J33
- Comfort
- 5/5
- Cushioning
- 4/5
- Durability
- 4/5
- Appearance
- 5/5
- Value
- 5/5
Mizuno Wave Inspire 12
Daily trainer · Stability · Road · 11 oz · 12mm drop · 32/20mm stack
Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The Mizuno Wave Inspire 7 replaced it
How it ranks
The Mizuno Wave Inspire 12 sits about average for daily trainers in our data. Durability and cushioning are its strongest sub-ratings. The rating rests on 4 runner reviews and 14 other rated shoes in the Wave Inspire product line. Another 8 reviews would set the confidence on this shoe's own reviews.
Decent
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 will score low when we have few ratings or when runners disagree.
Confidence
71/100
What runners say
“Ample support without sacrificing mobility or adding excessive weight”
“Good for giving my legs a break with fantastic support”
“Responsive enough, yet durable enough to handle either or”
Prefer this shoe over another
67% 4/6
Where to buy
No offers available
Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.
Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.
Pros
- Two reviewers say it feels supportive without adding weight or bulk.
- One reviewer running 70 miles a week splits road and trail in it and calls it durable enough for both.
- One reviewer uses it to give their legs a break through big training blocks.
Cons
- Value is its lowest-rated dimension, at 4.0 out of 5.
- Averaging 9.9 oz across the men's and women's builds, it is well above the 8.9 oz median for daily trainers on sale.
Rating & Confidence vs. other shoes for sale
Each dot is one rated shoe for sale, placed by its rating and by how much evidence sits behind it. Shoes toward the top right are both well rated and well established.
50
60
70
80
90
100
25
50
75
100
Better Shoes Rating
Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the Mizuno Wave Inspire
Each dot is one version of the Wave Inspire, placed by its rating and release year. The gold dot is this shoe.
Release year
-
Release year unknown · 2 reviews
66 Below average
44 Confidence
-
2025 · 2 reviews
60 Bottom-tier
44 Confidence
-
2025 · 1 review
72 Decent
55 Confidence
-
2023 · 8 reviews
69 Below average
76 Confidence
-
2022 · 5 reviews
78 Decent
75 Confidence
-
2021 · 1 review
63 Below average
49 Confidence
-
2019 · 1 review
69 Below average
40 Confidence
-
2019 · 7 reviews
88 Good
74 Confidence
-
2018 · 6 reviews
68 Below average
77 Confidence
-
2016 · 7 reviews
56 Bottom-tier
81 Confidence
-
Wave Inspire 12 This shoe
2016 · 4 reviews
77 Decent
71 Confidence
-
2014 · 7 reviews
54 Bottom-tier
88 Confidence
-
2013 · 44 reviews
49 Bottom-tier
97 Confidence
-
2012 · 19 reviews
80 Decent
87 Confidence
-
2014 · 5 reviews
68 Below average
72 Confidence
Specs & fit
Sizing and ride details at a glance.
- Weight
- 11 oz
- Release
- 2016 Q3
- MSRP
- $120
- Stack Height
- 32mm heel - 20mm toe
- Drop Height
- 12mm
Runner reviews
Great choice for the roads
5/5
Overall
Anonymous runner · Feb 6, 2018
60 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Mizuno Wave Inspire 11
- Comfort
- 5/5
- Cushioning
- 5/5
- Durability
- 5/5
- Appearance
- 5/5
- Value
- 4/5
Reader review
5/5
Overall
Anonymous runner · Feb 13, 2016
45 mpw came from the Brooks Ravenna 5
- Comfort
- 4/5
- Durability
- 5/5
- Appearance
- 5/5
- Value
- 3/5
Reader review
4/5
Overall
Anonymous runner · Dec 5, 2015
30 mpw came from the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 15
- Comfort
- 4/5
- Durability
- 4/5
- Appearance
- 4/5
- Value
- 4/5
Alternatives
Other shoes worth considering.
More from Mizuno
Compared to other shoes
See how this shoe compares to others like it.
Mizuno Wave Inspire 12 In Context
More on the Mizuno Wave Inspire
- Mizuno Wave Inspire 22
- Mizuno Wave Inspire 21
- Mizuno Wave Inspire 20
- Mizuno Wave Inspire 19
- Mizuno Wave Inspire 18
- Mizuno Wave Inspire 17
- Mizuno Wave Inspire 7 next version
- Mizuno Wave Inspire 8 previous version
Reviewers Also Ran In
- Brooks Adrenaline GTS 15 1 runner
- ASICS GEL-Super J33 1 runner
- Brooks Ravenna 5 1 runner