Type a shoe name, like Pegasus, Clifton or Kayano.

Mizuno Wave Inspire 18

Daily trainer · Stability · Road · 11 oz

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The Mizuno Wave Inspire 19 replaced it

How it ranks

The Mizuno Wave Inspire 18 sits about average for daily trainers in our data. Durability and value are its strongest sub-ratings. The rating rests on 5 runner reviews and 14 other rated shoes in the Wave Inspire product line. Another 7 reviews would set the confidence on this shoe's own reviews.

Mizuno Wave Inspire 18

of 5

Decent

78/100
Overall
78
Durability
96
Value
93
Cushioning
85
Comfort
82
Appearance
75
Confidence

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.

See the product line's history

Confidence

75/100

75

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.


Pros

  • Reviewers rate comfort 5.0 out of 5 across daily training and speed workouts.
  • One reviewer has gone through seven pairs and keeps two more on the shelf.

Cons

  • Scores across the Wave Inspire line have ranged from 48 to 79 before this version.
  • At an average of 10.5 oz it sits in the heavy weight band.

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.

Confidence
50 60 70 80 90 100 25 50 75 100

Better Shoes Rating

Wave Inspire 18 rates 78. This shoe has moderate certainty. See how we rate shoes.

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.

Rating

Release year

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

    Release year unknown · 2 reviews

    66 Below average

    44 Confidence

  • Wave Inspire 22

    2025 · 2 reviews

    60 Bottom-tier

    44 Confidence

  • Wave Inspire 21

    2025 · 1 review

    72 Decent

    55 Confidence

  • Wave Inspire 19

    2023 · 8 reviews

    69 Below average

    76 Confidence

  • Wave Inspire 18 This shoe

    2022 · 5 reviews

    78 Decent

    75 Confidence

  • Wave Inspire 17

    2021 · 1 review

    63 Below average

    49 Confidence

  • Wave Inspire 16

    2019 · 1 review

    69 Below average

    40 Confidence

  • Wave Inspire 15

    2019 · 7 reviews

    88 Good

    74 Confidence

  • Wave Inspire 14

    2018 · 6 reviews

    68 Below average

    77 Confidence

  • Wave Inspire 13

    2016 · 7 reviews

    56 Bottom-tier

    81 Confidence

  • Wave Inspire 12

    2016 · 4 reviews

    77 Decent

    71 Confidence

  • Wave Inspire 11

    2014 · 7 reviews

    54 Bottom-tier

    88 Confidence

  • Wave Inspire 10

    2013 · 44 reviews

    49 Bottom-tier

    97 Confidence

  • Wave Inspire 9

    2012 · 19 reviews

    80 Decent

    87 Confidence

  • Wave Inspire 8

    2014 · 5 reviews

    68 Below average

    72 Confidence

Reader Ratings

5 ratings
5/5 5
4/5 0
3/5 0
2/5 0
1/5 0

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight
11 oz
Release
2022 Q2

Runner reviews

Write a review

Showing 1–1 of 1 written review

The old school, durable trainer

5/5

Overall

I have gone through 7 of these and have 2 more on my shelf. I use this shoe for most of my training runs that include speed workouts up to around 25k. It is heavier than modern trainers but is excellent as a stability shoe and has great durability. I have never moved on from one of these because of quality issues. I easily get 500 miles into each pair. As a note, on easy and recovery days, I do use a Kayano 30 for the cushion. The major difference between these two shoes is the Kayano feels like I'm running in sand. Last point: I can find these Wave Inspire 18s for as cheap as $50/pair. When I find those deals, most recently at Marshall's, I buy multiple pairs. 

Anonymous runner · Jun 16, 2024

30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GT-2000 5

Comfort
5/5
Cushioning
3/5
Durability
5/5
Appearance
4/5
Value
5/5

Alternatives

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Compared to other shoes

See how this shoe compares to others like it.

Current shoe
Choose a model
Best durability / Best value
Newest / Lowest price
Lightest / Best overall / Best comfort
Shoe properties
Type
Daily trainer
Daily trainer
Daily trainer
Pronation
Stability
Stability
Neutral
Weight
11 oz M
8.5 oz M Lightest
Stack
40/35mm
Drop
5mm
Release
2022 Q2
2025 Newest
2023 Q1
MSRP
$149.95
$145
Best price
$145 Lowest price
$149.99
Ratings
Overall
Decent (78)
Bottom-tier (60)
Exceptional (99) Best overall
Comfort
Good (82)
Below average (64)
Exceptional (99) Best comfort
Cushioning
Good (85)
Below average (67)
Exceptional (99) Best cushioning
Durability
Excellent (96) Best durability
Decent (72)
Very good (92)
Appearance
Decent (75)
Below average (62)
Very good (91) Best appearance
Value
Excellent (93) Best value
Below average (66)
Good (88)
Specific shoe

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