Nike Air Zoom Elite 6

Name: Nike Air Zoom Elite 6
Brand: Nike
Rating: 4.6 (38 reviews)

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 9.7 oz

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The Nike Air Zoom Elite 7 replaced it

How it ranks

The Nike Air Zoom Elite 6 is one of the strongest daily trainers in our data. Looks and value are its strongest sub-ratings. Cushioning scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating rests on 38 runner reviews and 4 other rated shoes in the Air Zoom Elite product line.

Excellent

93/100

Overall

Excellent 93

Appearance

Excellent 97

Value

Very good 90

Cushioning

Good 81

Durability

Good 83

Comfort

Good 84

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

92/100

High 92

What runners say

“Zoom crash pad in the forefoot protects your forefoot unlike neutral trainers where the forefoot feels like a piece of paper”

5/5 Full review 55 mpw training for a half marathon

“The cushioning is superb and has held up more or less unchanged for me through about 400 miles”

5/5 Full review 70 mpw training for a half marathon

“The firmness of the shoe gives me enough support for longer training runs, but keeps feeling fast enough to do speedwork in”

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

“Zero plastic under the arch, which gives the shoe a nice predictable feel and allows it to flex as needed”

5/5 Full review 55 mpw training for a half marathon

“I get between 400-500 miles out of a pair of Elite 6s”

5/5 Full review 70 mpw training for a half marathon

“Relatively durable and lasts 400-500 miles, with the sole wearing away before the upper”

5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a marathon

“The nike zoom elite 6 is a lightweight, durable trainer, that is uncomfortable to heel strike in”

4/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon

“Light enough for tempo runs and speed workouts, but has enough support for longer runs too”

5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a half marathon

“The out-sole does tend to wear out slightly quicker than other parts of the shoe”

5/5 Full review 70 mpw training for a half marathon

“Very good for forefoot runners. Not a lot of cushion but lightweight and low profile.”

5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a half marathon

Prefer this shoe over another

50% 5/10

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.

Pros

A firm, responsive ride reviewers use for easy runs, long runs and tempos.
At 9.7 oz, reviewers call it light but supportive enough for distance.
Reviewers report 400 to 500 miles from a pair, and it lists at $110.

Cons

Three reviewers report the outsole wearing out before the upper.
Two reviewers find the midfoot tight or the shoe stiff out of the box.
One reviewer says there is not a lot of cushion underfoot.

Air Zoom Elite 6 rates 93. This shoe has high certainty. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the Nike Air Zoom Elite

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

Rating

40 60 80 100

69 2012 93 2013 85 2014 90 2016 84 2017

Release year

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

Air Zoom Elite 9

2017 · 20 reviews

84 Good

89 Confidence
Air Zoom Elite 8

2016 · 11 reviews

90 Good

88 Confidence
Air Zoom Elite 7

2014 · 27 reviews

85 Good

93 Confidence
Air Zoom Elite 6 This shoe

2013 · 38 reviews

93 Excellent

92 Confidence
Air Zoom Elite 5

2012 · 9 reviews

69 Below average

71 Confidence

Reader Ratings

38 ratings

5/5 26

4/5 9

3/5 2

2/5 1

1/5 0

See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight: 9.7 oz
Release: 2013
MSRP: $110

Runner reviews

Write a review

Reader review

5/5

Overall

Anonymous runner · Sep 19, 2014

40 mpw training for a half marathon

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

Reader review

5/5

Overall

Experience with Nike shoes is overwhelmingly positive. But things vary model by model. I like the version 7 of the Zoom Elite. But I use lots of different shoes. At any one time I have about a dozen shoes on the go from all the main shoe companies. I refer to the Nike Zoom Elite because (a) it is my go to shoe at the moment (along with Brooks Launch) and (b) I have a better experience with Nike than others.

Anonymous runner · Sep 19, 2014

60 mpw training for a half marathon

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

Reader review

4/5

Overall

A great shoe, Ive been searching far and wide for a shoe just right for me, and have finally found it! Previous pairs of shoes included the nike pegasus 29 (found had too little support), and then the asics cumulus 15 (too much!) . One problem i have faced with running is heel striking, which has resulted in several injuries. My research found that the nike zoom elite 6 is a lightweight, durable trainer, that is uncomfortable to heel strike in; often slowly forcing the occupying runner to adapt to forefoot running. Perfect! slowly but surely this is being made evident, and am now having less and less problems with heel striking! Also have the nike oregon project version which gives them a fashionable look that no one can compare with (as it is unavailable in nz stores, bought online for cheaper than the normal version!)

Peter_CUNTIS · Sep 14, 2014

35 mpw training for a half marathon

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

Reader review

5/5

Overall

Was recommended them by a local running store after struggling with my previous shoe (adidas tempos) as my gait changed due to an injury. I'm on to my 4th pair of them now and will look at purchasing more in the future. I find them light and responsive enough to work out in them for longer workouts or reps but cushioned and comfortable enough that I can do all o fmy long runs in them.

tg96 · Sep 13, 2014

28 mpw training for middle distance