Novablast 4

I have run 100 km in the Novablast 4, including two half marathons. ASICS built it as a lightweight daily trainer for marathon and half marathon training, for easy, recovery, long and tempo runs. The engineered mesh upper feels sock-like. Heel lockdown is perfect, the heel padding is moderate, the midfoot is snug, there is a thumb's width of space in the toe box in my US 9, and the forefoot is about 120 mm wide, which keeps it very stable. My only problem is breathability. Up to 10 to 15 km at 6:00 to 8:00/km it is fine, but after about 18 km my feet felt hot, even on an early morning run. I did not get blisters. I give the upper and fit 2.25 out of 3. The FF Blast Plus Eco midsole is why I love this shoe. It is a bit firmer than the Novablast 3, without the trampoline feel of the Novablast 3 or the bounce of the Novablast 5, and that keeps the ride stable. The rocker is moderate and the heel transition is smooth. I ran it from 8:00/km down to 4:30/km and felt a moderate, springy bounce at all of those paces. After 7:30/km it starts to feel a bit flatter. The sweet spot is 5:00 to 6:00/km. The stack is nearly 43 mm at the heel and 35 mm at the forefoot, with an 8 mm drop. I give the midsole 2.5 out of 3. The outsole is average. Traction was fine on dry roads but not great in the wet. Durability looks moderate, but I expect the foam to last a solid 800 km, especially with rotation. I give the outsole 1.25 out of 2. It still sells for ₹9,000 to ₹10,000 in India, maybe near ₹8,000 on promotion, and even at ₹10,000 it is one of the best-value lightweight daily trainers. My issue is availability. It is only with a few online resellers, and it is hard to know which are authorised. I give price and availability 1.25 out of 2, for 7.25 overall, plus half a grace mark for 7.75. It suits marathon and half marathon trainers who want one shoe for nearly all training, and first-year runners heading for their first half marathon or a 10K, anywhere from about 4:00 to 8:30/km.