Nike Lunar midsole technology – what can it do?

Nike Lunar is the common name for all Nike shoes that have Lunarlon cushioning and absorption. The advanced and popular cushioning is found in a myriad of different shoes. I will mainly use it to review and guide you to the Nike Lunar in Nike running shoes. Here you will find all information about the Nike Lunar, comparison with other midsoles and a look at the many different Nike Lunar shoes.

Advantages and disadvantages

Running shoes with Nike Lunar

Nike Flyknit Lunar

A revolutionary running shoe that I have tested myself. You can read my review of Nike Flyknit Lunar here.It is a lightweight running shoe for the runner with a neutral running shoe and is mainly intended for use on fast runs, interval training sessions and competitive races. It is not a natural running running shoe, but still has a low heel drop of just 10 mm. Read more about the Nike Flyknit Lunar in the previous link.

Nike Lunar Racer

The popular running shoe combines the feel of an effectively cushioned training shoe with the weight of a featherweight competition running shoes. Used at all distances between 5 km and marathon. A versatile and fast running shoe. Nike Lunaracer is mainly aimed at the neutral runner, but with its comfortable and tight fit provides good support all around. For you to set new personal records without compromising on comfort.

Nike Lunarglide

Is a versatile running shoe that can be used by runners with everything from supinating to pronating running styles. It is a training running shoe, with a comfortable fit and very soft Nike Lunar midsole. Although Lunarglide is a training shoe, they have managed to keep the weight down, so the running shoe can also function as a competition and interval shoe for heavier runners. Read more about Nike Lunarglide in my review of the running shoe.

Nike LunarEclipse

The Nike LunarEclipse is an extremely comfortable running shoe. I have called it the Rolls Royce of running shoes in my Nike LunarEclipse test. It is an obvious mass training shoe, especially aimed at the pronator runner. The Nike Lunar cushioning is very pronounced in the LunarEclipse and provides a comfortable and shock-absorbing run.

Other shoes

In addition to the aforementioned running shoes, there are countless other shoes for basketball, golf, tennis, skateboarding, etc. that use the popular and widespread Nike Lunar cushioning. The fact that the versatile cushioning is found in so many different shoes shows a bit about its popularity and functionality.

How does Lunar cushioning work?

Nike Lunar is a collective term for all Nike shoes that feature the advanced and comfortable Lunarlon cushioning. Lunarlon cushioning or midsole has a soft, yet resilient, foam core that is encapsulated in a supportive foam carrier. This provides effective and soft lightweight cushioning with a springy response and support. The innovative Lunarlon foam, which is 100% invented by Nike, is 30% lighter than traditional Phylon foam, which is found in many other running shoes. At the same time, Nike Lunar distributes the pressure of landing more evenly across the entire foot, helping to reduce painful pressure points on the feet.

Lunarlite

Nike Lunarlite is a sister, or variant if you will, of the tried and tested and popular Lunarlon. As in the Nike Lunar, Lunarlon is the heart of the Lunarlite system, which is part of Nike Dynamic Support. What Lunarlite does is combine Lunarlon, and its Phylon capsule, with Nike Waffle Piston geometry, which provides a unique blend of soft cushioning and springy response.

In the heel they have removed the Phylon capsule and exposed the Lunarlon. Imagine it acting like a trampoline. You have this structure on the outside and soft material in the middle. When you land on it, the structure will support the movement while allowing the very soft foam to provide maximum response.

Personal review

I have tested a number of different Nike Lunar running shoes over the years, both more specialized competition shoes and more common training shoes. There are of course a number of differences in the shoe, but here I will try to find the common denominators found in Nike running shoes with Lunarlon shock absorption. Although, as mentioned, I have run in a number of different Nike Lunar and other Nike running shoes, these are not running shoes that I normally run in.

Personally, I find that Nike shoes wear out a little too quickly. I think the reason for this is that the Nike Lunar running shoes that I have tested over time, which are often lighter running shoes and lightweight running shoes, will usually wear out a little faster than mass training shoes. However, I also find that the Nike LunarGlide and Nike LunarEclipse that I have reviewed wore out faster than comparable running shoes from other brands such as Asics and New Balance.

On the other hand, I think you get a really good performance with Nike Lunar running shoes. Although the lower weight may have caused the running shoes to wear out a little faster, it also makes the shoes really good to run in. When the low weight is combined with relatively strong shock absorption and responsive take-off, you get a really good running experience. It also makes it possible for even less experienced runners to use lightweight shoes for longer distance runs and competitions. This quickly and easily leads us to a point of criticism. I don’t like the very soft sole for competitions where speed is the main goal. Comfort and shock absorption come second here. For really fast runs and intervals, the sole may feel a little too soft.

As a final note in my personal review of the Nike Lunar, I would like to talk about the high comfort that you get in the Nike Lunar running shoes. It is really comfortable to run in. Both because of the soft cushioning and the low weight. Even though I mainly use more aggressive running shoes for my fastest runs, I really think that the Nike Lunar running shoes are comfortable to run in and that Nike has found a strong combination between weight and responsive cushioning.

Nike Lunar compared to other running shoes

Comparison with Adidas Boost

It’s not hard to compare Adidas Boost and Nike Lunar. In many ways, the two technologies are very similar and both claim to provide the lightest and most responsive cushioning. (However, Adidas Boost probably has an advantage here, as it is recognized Runner’s World Magazine (has named Adidas Boost as having the most responsive midsole in a test of 800 running shoes.) Both midsoles are a further development of the traditional EVA midsole, which still works great, but definitely doesn’t have the same high performance in a lightweight package as the Nike Lunar and Adidas Boost.

Adidas Boost, like Nike Lunar, is a foam midsole that has a lot of small air pockets in the foam, which provides responsive cushioning and efficient energy transfer from landing in the heel to a powerful push-off in the forefoot. Both midsoles are soft, and Adidas Boost in particular promotes itself a lot on the fact that the midsole is temperature neutral, so there is no difference between the cushioning and the midsole in sub-zero and tropical temperatures. As I express in my guide til Adidas Boost However, it’s not really something I’ve noticed.

All in all, I think the two midsoles are very similar and it’s mostly personal preference that should determine whether you should use the Nike Lunar or Adidas Boost.

Nike Lunar vs. Nike Air

These are two of Nike’s most popular cushioning systems. Where Nike Lunar works through soft and responsive foam, Nike Air works through encapsulated air. Nike Air is mainly used in shoes with more powerful cushioning, as the air capsules are more “bulky” than, for example, the Nike Lunar cushioning. In running shoes that need to be closer to the ground and have a more minimalist cushioning, Nike will instead use their Nike Zoom Air Unit, which you can read more about below. Both Nike Air and Nike Lunar are used in countless different shoes from sneakers to running shoes to sneakers. Both types provide soft cushioning. However, Nike Lunar does provide enough, and now it’s down to the smallest details, a more responsive take-off, while Nike Air is more durable and hard-wearing. Read all about Nike Air in ourthorough guide to Nike air shoes!

Similarities between Nike Lunar and Nike Zoom

Nike Zoom cushioning is part of the Nike Air family and, like the rest of the family, is lightweight and durable. Nike Zoom is incredibly thin, which brings your foot closer to the ground and improves stability, especially during quick changes of direction and other sudden movements. Both Nike Lunar and Nike Zoom are mainly used in running shoes and have many of the same benefits. The difference, as mentioned above, is probably in the stronger response of the Nike Lunar and the longer durability of the Nike Zoom. Find all information about and all running shoes with Nike Zoom here.

The story behind Lunar

Nike Lunar is the story of two designers and developers at Nike who were inspired by images of astronauts “bouncing” around on the surface of the moon. This planted the idea of ​​creating a midsole, Nike Lunar, or more precisely Nike Lunarlon, that would give the same feeling of jumping, or stepping on, a marshmallow. However, it would take a few years before the two designers could finally present Nike Lunar in 2008 for the Beijing Olympics. But since then, it has only gone one way, and that is forward. Nike Lunar immediately experienced enormous popularity among athletes and exercisers alike.

Since the first prototype, Nike Lunarlon has evolved to appeal to today’s minimalist-seeking consumers with a weight that is 30% lower than Nike’s standard Phylon midsole. Since weight is essential for all runners, it is exclusively an advantage of the Nike Lunar.

Top 10 Nike running shoes with Lunarlon

It is no longer the latest article, and some of the models are no longer available. But American sneakerreport has made a thorough article with a top 10 of the 10 best running shoes with Nike Lunar. I don’t want to reveal too much, it’s better if you look for yourself, but I can at least say that Nike LunarGlide and Nike Flyknit Lunar is well placed on the list. You can find the complete top 10 Nike Lunar running shoes here..

Summary

In my guide to, and review of, the Nike Lunar, I have given an overview of the different Nike Lunar running shoes. You will find in-depth reviews and tests of several of them. At the same time, you have been introduced to the Nike Lunar technology, which I am generally really excited about, but which I also think has a few shortcomings that drag down the overall package. However, I would like to emphasize that I would always recommend a Nike Lunar running shoe, as I think the good features clearly outweigh the shortcomings.

It is not without reason that the Nike Lunar has many fans around the world. Both among athletes and exercisers at all levels. Nike wanted to create something groundbreaking and with the Nike Lunar they have once again managed to play the ball into the opponent’s half of the field.

If you have any questions or comments about the Nike Lunar, don’t hesitate to leave a comment below!