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

3/5

Overall

Solid shoe held up well for long runs of 14+ miles as well as tempos at 5:20 or faster track workouts

Fortius · Sep 1, 2014

60 mpw 782 miles in this shoe training for a half marathon

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

Reader review

4/5

Overall

I loved the Elite 6. It was relatively firm and allowed me to feel like not only a runner, but an athlete.I had previously been in a shoe that I didn't like very much to train in, but I got it for free so i kept wearing them. When I switched to the elite, I realized that training was so much more fun when you enjoy the shoe that you run in. The slight arch and smaller heel-toe drop and sleek feel made this shoe a great one to train in and wear.

[email protected] · Sep 1, 2014

75 mpw 3,911 miles in this shoe training for a half marathon

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

Reader review

5/5

Overall

Anonymous runner · Aug 31, 2014

80 mpw training for a marathon

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

Reader review

5/5

Overall

The fit is great. The firmness of the shoe gives me enough support for longer training runs, but keeps feeling fast enough to do speedwork in.

Anonymous runner · Aug 29, 2014

30 mpw training for a half marathon

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

Reader review

5/5

Overall

This is by far the most comfortable shoe I've ever worn. The cushioning is superb and has held up more or less unchanged for me through about 400 miles even with a majority of my running being done on pavement. Depending on the mix of terrain and the frequency with which I can rotate a pair in and out of my training schedule I get between 400-500 miles out of a pair of Elite 6s. Somewhere in or near that range I find that my feet start getting a little more "bumped and bruised" than usual and the cushioning has lost some of its resilience and effectiveness. The out-sole does tend to wear out slightly quicker than other parts of the shoe. It is the one area where durability could be improved although I'm not sure how much without changing the performance characteristics of the entire package. This is probably due mainly to the amount of running I do on harder surfaces, so if you predominantly run on grass or trail this trait is a lot less likely to present itself. Despite being unsuitable for daily training past 450+ total miles, these shoes are still comfortable and supportive enough to walk around in past 500 miles so don't hesitate to clean them up (or not) and put them to other uses (e.g. yard work, weight sessions, a day out at the park, etc.). As far as breaking them in I usually try to wear them around for a couple of days (about 8-10 hours or more total) before running in them the first time. They are pretty stiff out of the box so I've found this is necessary for me to avoid any undue tightness in my calves/achilles. After that initial break in I try to limit the first week's worth of mileage in them to easy-to-moderate pace running before doing any progression long runs or tempos. After that they offer good foot flexibility in the mid-sole and perform well on most any kind of run you see fit to use them for. In addition to their comfort and durability, which are both above board in my view, these shoes are easy on the eyes if that matters at all to you when it comes to picking a shoe. Nike has offered both this version and the Elite 5 in a range of colors and I suspect the recently released Elite 7 will follow in that tradition. If you don't like the way one looks chances are good Nike will release one you do. Beyond this appeal to vanity the variance in colors also ends up making this shoe a very good value. It is usually pretty easy (and relatively quick) to find "old" colors well below the initial MSRP, and considering what I've been able to get out of this model makes it a steal. The Nike Zoom Elite 6 has been great for me on roads, grass, and maintained dirt/wood chip trails. In my experience you will be hard pressed to find a much better combination of cushioning, durability, support, and performance in a single shoe. They offer enough protection to put in a 16 miler on the road and are light enough you can do the odd tempo or interval workout in if needed. I would recommend these shoes to anyone who runs semi-high to high mileage (50+/week) as a great daily trainer and mileage hog and for lower mileage runners who want a high-performance shoe that will last months.

evensplit · Aug 29, 2014

70 mpw training for a half marathon