When you buy a pair of sneakers you want a few things. You’re looking for something comfortable, light weight, and supportive for when you workout. But then you have these huge companies that keep innovating to create a far superior product. These days Nike has Lunarlon while Adidas has boost. Is one better than the other? how are they similar and most importantly how are they different?
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First up we've go the older of the two. Nike’s Lunarlon technology debuted in two new shoes in time for the summer olympics of 2008 in Beijing, the Nike Lunaracer for the marathon and Nike Hyperdunk for basketball. After Athletes of all levels loved the way Lunarlon minimized impact while providing both spring and support Nike’s designers began exploring how the technology could benefit athletes in other sports by adapting it for sport-specific needs. Lunarlon itself is a fusion of lightweight Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) with the bouncy ball-like spring of Nitrile Rubber. The result is a light foam that reduces the amount of impact each time your foot hits the pavement by evenly distributing the force through out the mid sole of the shoe.
On the other hand we Adidas’s Boost technology which is much younger than Lunarlon. Adidas’s boost technology is a highly elastic thermoplastic urethane that is formed into individual foam pellets. these pellets are super soft, yet very springy which are characteristics that are usually never found together. The pellets are then molded into the shape of a midsole through the use of steam. The Soft and springy characteristics of boost results in a material that has far superior energy return than anything else on the market.
When it comes to being used in the final products, each company’s approach is very different. In the case of the Lunarepic Low Flyknit one and two, the lunarlon is encased in an outer foam layer with flex pods built into the lunarlon. This gives the shoe a very distinct feel and makes them extremely supportive. Adidas on the other hand uses boost as the main component of the mid sole, throws in a torsion system for arch support, and wraps the boost in a continental rubber outsole. the result is a very soft ride with a lot of traction.
But if you’re trying to decide between getting Adidas Ultra Boosts or Nike Lunarepics there are some key differences to consider aside from mid sole technology. Although both shoes have knit uppers, they also have very different characteristics. Sure they're both breathable, but the prime knit is far more elastic and comfortable to wear. The soft prime knit upper and the comfortable cushioning of the Ultra Boost is why its also a popular casual slash lifestyle shoe. On the other hand the Nike Lunarepic flyknit 2 is a better training shoe than the Ultra Boost for a few reasons. Since the Flyknit on the Lunarepic isn't as elastic that means your foot stays in place better inside the shoe when working out. The Lunarepic also has a firmer feeling mid sole. and finally the lunar epic also uses Nike’s fly wire system. The flywire system really helps with lock down when you tighten your shoes. and when you tighten your laces it feels like your whole foot is being compressed. Where Adidas’s cage dosnt really do much when you tighten your laces. All you get is some compression near the instep of your foot.
Over all both shoes have some cool technology in them that have helped drive innovation. Nike has been working with lunarlon for years and they have developed many different techniques to utilize the material. they tweak their midsole design depending on different sports to meet sport-specific needs. Yet, Adidas’s Boost technology is fairly younger and has some growing up to do. Boost is an amazing material that I'm sure will evolve as time goes on. Neither shoe or technology is better per say, they just have different characteristics that are advantageous in different scenarios. Personally, if i were looking for a training shoe id pick up the Nike Lunarepic. But for all other situations or long distance running I'm definitely going with boost.