Asics Gel Nimbus 28 vs the Rivals: How It Compares to the Nike Vomero Plus, Asics Megablast and Brooks Glycerin Max 2

Introduction

The Asics Gel Nimbus 28 has landed, and with so many requests for in-depth comparisons against similarly specified max-cushion trainers, we put it up against three of the closest rivals: the Nike Vomero Plus, the Asics Megablast and the Brooks Glycerin Max 2. All four chase the same idea, a deeply cushioned daily ride, but they get there in noticeably different ways. Here is how they separate.

How the Four Shoes Stack Up

The specs tell the first story. The Megablast is easily the lightest of the bunch by a large margin, especially over the Glycerin Max 2, which got significantly heavier over its first version. The Vomero Plus sits in the middle with its very cushioned midsole, and Nike’s shoe easily has the most surface area underfoot thanks to a very wide heel landing platform.

Stack height is where things get interesting. A UK 11 Gel Nimbus 28 measures around 45 mm at the heel, which is among the shortest of all four shoes, and remember that shoes scale in stack height as sizes get bigger. The Megablast’s recorded 49 mm stack is quite bonkers really, especially considering its very low weight, and it still comes in with the favoured 8 mm drop that most runners seem to have settled on.

On foam feel, the Nike shoe has the softest foam, closely followed by the Megablast. The Glycerin Max 2 is firm by comparison. Those differences shape everything that follows.

Nike Vomero Plus

Nike has pitched the Vomero Plus aggressively with pricing around £155 in the UK, though it has recently appeared in sales for just under £100, which is a really great price for this shoe. If you are buying it, you want that out-and-out squash and cushion from the ZoomX foam.

One thing to note: if you have run in the Alphafly or the Vaporfly before, you might be surprised. It is not quite the ZoomX you felt in those shoes. It feels a bit more rubbery, perhaps because Nike made it a little more durable for daily trainer duty. It also has the widest, most plush platform of the group, but that same softness means it does not always feel like a shoe you want to run fast in.

Asics Gel Nimbus 28

The Nimbus 28 is now much lighter than the Vomero Plus, by over 20 g in a UK 11, which makes it a much more nimble shoe. Oddly, it feels a little closer to something like the Megablast or the Superblast, and it looks like Asics learned from the success of those shoes and put some of that DNA into this one.

The narrower heel here makes it more versatile, allowing it to occupy more positions in a shoe rotation than previous Nimbus versions could. It is not nearly as plush in the upper as the Vomero Plus, and it does not feel soft and clunky like some maximally cushioned offerings. There is a bit more response to it, and the pure gel stabilizes and smooths things out. It is the kind of shoe you can throw on for travel, with a bit of running mixed in.

Asics Megablast

The magic of the Megablast is that it comes in around 2 oz lighter than the Nimbus, almost race shoe weight in the tested size, but with the durability and resilience people want from a trainer. You could probably race in it too. A marathon seems plausible, though it may be a little too wide and bulky for a 5k or 10k.

Asics have clearly found the space where people want non-plated, more responsive shoes that are still stacked and forgiving, and this is the fullest expression of that: a massive stack of bouncy foam. Think of it as a slightly more wild and unstable version of the Nimbus, or a higher-stacked, slightly less stable take on the Nova Blast 5. The outsole has a more aggressive forefoot pattern, though there is quite a bit of exposed foam on both shoes, presumably to save weight.

For many runners, though, it may be a touch too soft and bouncy, and a little unpredictable in the heel. If you want something more consistent, the Nimbus 28 is the steadier pick.

Brooks Glycerin Max 2

The Glycerin Max 2 is a denser and slightly more stacked shoe, and much heavier on foot than the Nimbus, with differences that are quite stark. Even the previous Nimbus was a whole ounce lighter than this. Brooks opted for a similar stack but with a much denser foam than last year’s model, so it is still soft and forgiving but certainly denser, without feeling quite as quicksand-like.

The outsole has a more aggressive pattern with more rubber coverage, particularly in the heel. Forefoot and heel widths are very similar in both shoes, and both feel stable compared with the Vomero Plus or the Megablast. Prices are similar too, but Asics holds a significant advantage thanks to the huge weight difference, which is very noticeable on foot.

The Glycerin Max 2 feels locked into the easy recovery zone, whereas the Nimbus could be used for practically anything. There is also a slightly lower drop on the Brooks, which some runners prefer, and the denser ride may soften up and break in over more miles. But in this comparison, the Nimbus 28 comes out on top.

Overall Buying Advice

If you want one shoe that can do a bit of everything, from easy miles to quicker running and travel, the Gel Nimbus 28 is the most versatile of the four right now. If your priority is the softest possible landing and you can find it discounted, the Vomero Plus is a strong value buy. If you want maximum stack with minimal weight and can tolerate a bouncier, less predictable heel, the Megablast is the wild card that could even cover race day. And if your rotation is specifically missing a dedicated easy recovery shoe and you do not mind the weight, the Glycerin Max 2 fits that niche exactly.

Conclusion

All four of these trainers deliver on max cushioning, but the Nimbus 28’s combination of a lighter build, a narrower and more versatile heel, and a smoother, more stable ride than the bounciest options makes it the standout of this group in early testing. Choose based on what your rotation is missing: plush softness, featherweight bounce, dense recovery comfort, or one shoe that can do a bit of everything.