I have high hopes for these shoes. Its too early for me to rave about them because Ive only run 25 miles in them but Im really liking the ride so far. I thought that they would be awkward because of the platform-shoe like height but it hasn't been an issue. Theres less of a drop than others shoes that Im used too and I can tell when going up hills, that Im more efficient in these. I like the tread design, which gives me better traction on the beach, where I do about 1/3 of my running and the rest of the time when Im on asphalt, the cushioning is generous, as promised. As far as durability, Ill update this later.
Ive been running in Asics Gel Nimbus models forever, but the last model that I bought, the19, was not at all what Ive been accustomed too. Nimbus has slowly been transforming into more of a stability shoe and the cushioning has been lacking, leaving me with knee and hip pain.
Ive also on occasion tried New Balance Fresh Foam, but they too didn't deliver the maximum cushioning that they promised.
I keep track of how many miles I put in a pair of shoes and usually put 300 miles on a pair of Asics before I start to feel any discomfort and know its time replace them.
Time will tell with these.