These are quality shoes, however, zero bells and whistles.  I've been a runner for less then a year, and the Asics Phoenix Gel was (up until now) my first and only shoe.  I wore through the bottoms and needed something "now," and I was on a budget.  The store recommended this low-end Asics over higher priced Nike and Reebok shoes.  After about 40 miles (I'm a 25+ mile a week guy)I had pain in my calves and feet, both during and after runs.  I took a close look at the stability, pronation and other buzz words/features that clutter shoe reviews and gave serious thought to what I was experiencing.  Having compared middle-of-the-road, and low-end shoes, I now understand the differences.

I'll keep these shoes for the times my (soon to be) new shoes are wet, days at amusement parks and a good pair of sneakers to have on hand, but in my opinion, they're not good enough to be an everyday pair of running shoes.

These shoes have a new home....the floor of my closet.  Made well?...yes.  Made for a serious runner?....no.