Brooks Addiction 9 vs. Mizuno Wave Alchemy 9 review
Learn what the difference is between Brooks Addiction 9 and Mizuno Wave Alchemy 9 in this review, and compare prices to find the best deal.
In two previous articles I wrote about the Brooks Addiction 9 and the Mizuno Wave Alchemy 9 motion control running shoes for women.
The Brooks Addiction and the Mizuno Wave Alchemy are running shoes that are supposed to be similar to each other, but because they are made by two different running shoe manufacturers (Brooks and Mizuno), they will naturally differ. Let's compare them and take a look at where these running shoes are similar and how they differ.
Looking at the Brooks Addiction 9 and the Mizuno Wave Alchemy 9 side-by-side gives a good comparison of the two types of running shoes.
The Brooks Addiction 9 has a Rollbar, which is a plate that is designed to keep your foot in a neutral plane and control pronation during the gait cycle. However, the Mizuno Wave Alchemy 9 has a plate that is similar to a Rollbar in the midsole, but which only Mizuno motion control running shoes have.
The plate that controls pronation in the Mizuno Wave Alchemy 9 runs from the heel to midway forefoot throughout the midsole and offers excellent motion control and cushioning. As you touch the ground and roll inwards with your foot, the midsole does not collapse excessively, thereby providing superior motion control.
The inward rolling of the foot is further supported by the location of the durable rubber on the outsoles of the Mizuno Wave Alchemy 9 being located on the insides of the forefeet and all around the heel. Durable rubber on the Brooks Addiction 9 is located on the entire outsole with no pronounced emphasis anywhere.
What is also immediately visible from comparing the outsoles is that the Mizuno Wave Alchemy 9 has more flex grooves than the Brooks Addiction 9 both in the forefoot and in the heel. This gives the Mizuno Wave Alchemy 9 an edge over the Brooks Addiction 9 where flexibility is concerned.
The Mizuno Wave Alchemy 9 weighs approximately 252 grams (8.9 oz), while the Brooks Addiction 9 weighs approximately 301 grams (10.6 oz). So the Mizuno Wave Alchemy 9 is an 49 grams (1.7 oz) lighter motion control running shoe than the Brooks Addiction 9.
The uppers of both running shoes reveal a similar amount of mesh for breathability and synthentic overlays for stability and fit. However, there are synthetic layers on the Brooks Addiction 9 that run from the heel to the forefoot and others that wrap around the midfoot, so you'd expect the Brooks Addiction 9 to offer a more secure fit.
If you're looking for a lightweight motion control running shoe that is flexible and which provides pronation control in addition to a comfortable ride, then the Mizuno Wave Alchemy 9 would be the running shoe to go with.
If you're not concerned about the weight of your running shoes and are looking for pronation control in addition to a secure fit, then the Brooks Addiction 9 might be the running shoe for you.
The Mizuno Wave Alchemy 9 comes at a suggested retail running shoes price of approximately US $110 and the Brooks Addiction 9 costs around US $100, so is US $10 cheaper than the Mizuno Wave Alchemy 9.
If you enjoyed this article, you might also like the following motioncontrolrunningshoes.org articles:
Disclaimer: This running shoe review on www.motioncontrolrunningshoe.org is based on personal research and analysis, and is not claimed to be accurate and/or complete. While the information presented in this review is intended to help you better understand the differences between running shoes, we shall not be held liable for any purchasing decisions you make based on this information. Please use your own good judgment before making a purchase. The owner of this website receives a small compensation whenever you buy a product after clicking a product link on this website; that's how we keep this site online. Read our full disclaimer.