Customer Reviews ASICS GEL-Kayano® 27

I’ve been buying gel Kayanos since 2012 when I damaged a tendon fitness walking and the Kayanos were one of the rare styles of runnning shoes that enabled me to pop in an orthotic and get back on the road. Since then my love affair with Kayanos has been happy though occasionally bumpy. The Kayano 20’s were my absolute favorites despite their less than spectacular colors. The fit was amazing and the bounce I got walking in them gave me a lot of energy. The 21-22’s were good too but I took a hiatus for two years during the 23-24 period. I returned for the 25’s—great fit but too hard and the 26’s were good but they ran short. I just wanted the 20’s back. Enter the 27s. My prayers were definitely answered. The kayano 27’s are a great running shoe for me. I have long narrow feet and they fit perfectly. If anything the length is generous. The width is on the tighter side even for my narrow feet, and I’ve had to lace them more loosely until they stretch more. The springiness I get walking on them is amazing. It’s like walking on marshmallows. I’ve even been able to forgo orthotics a few times. My two caveats are the colors aren’t exactly great and ASICS has an issue with fit between colors so that my white Gel Kayanos which I got directly from ASICS are longer, narrower and springier than the navy ones I just got from Zappos. Even so, I’ll keep buying them.

The fit and Size were fine, but the soles are very hard. This is my first time trying stability shoes. I did notice them feeling hard walking around the house, I thought it would just take some time adjusting to. Well, I was wrong. Went for a walk and came home with sore feet and pain under my toes which I have never experienced before. The next day went for a run in my old ASICS Quantum 90 and it felt like a dream. Now I cannot return because I wore them outside, so it has been a costly mistake.

I'm writing this review so I remember that I've tried the Gel-Kayano's (now and once in the past few years) ... and as much as they seem like a great stable shoe for overpronators, it turns out I need more a neutral shoe. If you pronate, and if you struggle to find a shoe that offers enough support, I highly recommend this shoe. I tried on the Mizuno Horizon stability shoe as well, and I could tell that the Gel-Kayano is so clearly designed for over-pronation that it's almost corrective in pivoting and supporting your ankle/heel. But, if you have a neutral foot/stride, it's going to feel really strange. Like everyone says, consider ordering "wide" - so the toe box has enough room, as Asics are typically more narrow than other running shoes. Lastly, I would say it's not the prettiest, so I took a star off for style.

I liked these shoes initially, but the right shoe has already developed a hole in the toe. These were ordered in early August and this hole appeared within 6 weeks of normal use. Not happy with this, I consider that to be defective, and will, therefore, return them for a refund. Shoes that cost $169.00 should not develop a hole in the toe that quickly and Asics needs to use better quality materials. In addition, the sole is wearing off quickly. Do a better job, Asic designers.

I normally wear anywhere from 8.5 to 9 and knowing you should size up half size for running shoes I ordered the 9 and they fit amazing. This show is like heaven on my feet. I am so impressed with them I will not buy any other running shoes than ASICS from now on. I suffer with shin splints and reading up on this shoe it was supposed to help with that. Well let me tell you, the first time I put them on and went out, absolutely no shin splints!!! True true believer in this amazing shoe!!!

I like them, but I think there's a manufacturing flaw. I bought the grey pair here on Zappos and the blue pair on Amazon. Both pair are splitting in the exact same place, the inside of the left shoe. The grey shoes are older, so more advanced hole. I don't think it's my gait doing it, as this has not happened with any other shoes in my 48 years...

Great for over probation .. lots of support & cushion.

I have the worst feet and have been through numerous shoes, wearing them only one, two or maybe three times before donating a perfectly good pair of expensive shoe because my feet would hurt. Between bunions, peripheral neuropathy, Rheumatoid Arthritis, poor arches, I didn’t think I would ever find a shoe that I could be comfortable wearing. However, this ASICS IS that shoe!! I have been able to walk my dog for 2-2.5 miles without my feet hurting! The arch support is awesome! The mesh top is so giving, even though I order a wide to help keep pressure off of my bunions and my toes that hurt so badly, my toes and bunions have not hurt one time since I got these shoes!!! Trust me when I say, I have bought numerous shoes and nothing has stayed in my house because if it hurts my feet, it is not staying here! My feet have hurt for years because I couldn’t find a shoe that didn’t hurt and I had to have something so I chose the path of least resistance, which was the shoe that hurt the least! Now I don’t have to do that! I will continue to purchases ASICS as long as they remain supportive in the arches, mesh tops, carry wides and have cushioning in the foot bed! Thank you ASICS for thinking of us with bad feet! My daughter also has bad feet and is a nurse, like her mother, and since I liked these so well, I bought a pair for her and sent them to her. She called me and asked if I sent her a pair of ASICS and I said yes. She said well she had just gotten home from going to buy some shoes for work with her husband but couldn’t find any that felt good and when she got home, they were at her front door! She was so happy as she loves them as much as I do!! Thank you ASICS!

I bought these sneakers in October and was really excited about them. However, within 6 weeks of pretty light wear (walking/jogging outside a few days a week, running errands, etc), the bridge tore and there's a small hole in the fabric. The bone in my foot does stick out a bit and I've had similar things happen with cheaper quality shoes. But I'm disappointed that these Asics sneakers ripped and didn't have more stretch in them to allow for friction and movement. I've worn Asics sneakers for a while and this is the first time it has happened, so it might be a fault of this specific design. But still, disappointing.

I have been struggling to find a comfortable shoe that can work with my orthotics and plantar fasciitis. I love ASICS but not all of them work with my condition. These definitely do!

I loved the kayano 25, so figured I’d stick with these? Awful. They’re so clunky compared to the 25. My feet are covered in blisters, back hurts, ankles ache...I’d 100% return them if it was an option. Would rather run in an old pair that actually has holes.

Room in the toe box. Kayano's are back!

The fit and size were excellent. This Gel Kayano 27 fits a bit differently than the 26. There is support along the side of the foot at the arch.It is very noticeable when you first wear the shoe. There is still excellent cushioning. Please for the price of the shoe include longer laces. I am just barely tie the shoe.

Excellent shoe but the wide definitely runs narrow. I had bunion surgery a year ago, and have been looking for the best shoe to provide support and comfort as I get back into my workout routine. After reading tons of reviews and trying on a regular width pair at a sports store near me, I decided to order the wide here online. Since the regular width didn't feel terribly tight, I figured a wide would work well. Took my first walk in them yesterday, and I'm having a little bit of pain in the area where my bunion repair was done. Zappos offers 30-day returns on running shoes (thanks, Zappos!), so I will wait a couple more weeks to see if they give a little in the toe box before deciding whether to keep them. On the positive side, they offer very good stability for pronators, and good arch support with a nice bit of cushion in the footbed without feeling too "marshmallow-y." And although these are technically a wide, they hug my narrow heel very well with no slipping. Also, to me, the length of the shoe is true to size. Some have mentioned they don't care for the large tongue, but I don't find it to be a problem.

I so wanted to love these shoes. They were my birthday present. I didn't even purchase for running. I purchased for aerobics in my home, however the second time I worked out in them half of my right foot went numb and it was a horrible experience. Also the box was very narrow even for a wide. Asics really messed up with this version.

These are the only sneakers I can wear due to the stability feature. They keep my foot from turning.

Absolutely my favorite Kayano so far. Absolutely elegant design. LOVE the throw back to 80s stickers with this iridescent green dragonfly sparky and glitter in heal support. The support and finally appropriate length laces.

I really like these shoes and they are very comfortable; however, they arrived to me and appeared to be worn with dirt on the left toe box.

Asics run narrow so even if your foot is a medium width, if your toe box is wide like mine, you have to get a D(wide) or your toes will be cramped. Get your true size, don't try to size down or you won't be happy with the fit. The turned up toe area on these is softer and gives more room for your toes also. I am a 10 and in this model I got a 10 D. The cushioning is excellent.

These are a great, supportive sneaker. I find that they cushion and absorb shock well, and I notice a difference in my knees when working out (cardio dance). I purchased my normal size, and found that they fit well. They felt a little snug on the first wear, but it didn't take much time to break them in. I would say if you fluctuate between two sizes, you may want to go with the bigger size.

I’m slightly less than being a true medium width, but my heels are slightly more on the narrow side. And this is the only running shoes out there that makes me feel more secure in the heels, therefore that helps keep me from over pronating as much(my ankles tend to turn inwards). The arch support is good, but I also wear inserts in most my shoes to help with that too. I’m an older person in my late sixties and possibly tried just about every brand out there to combat this problem. If you have similar problems you should consider this shoe. A few years back Asics sizing seemed off, but that seems to be fixed as my normal size fits now(instead of having to go up a size). I wear a size 11 in most running shoes and the size 11 fits me in this shoe, as I like a ‘thumbs width’ of space left with socks on while standing.

I bought these to replace my really old pair of the same shoe. The main difference for me was the shoelaces. Older pair had regular round laces. These are flat. So my brain just thought it was weird for a bit. But off course the reason I get these shoes is the fantastic cushion of the shoe. I use these only for running. I was able to put them on and go for a run with no problems and no hot spots.

Great shoes excellent support ( I over pronates) I wear a size 8 in non-athletic shoes

I go back and forth with the Kayano. I also wear Brooks Adrenaline and mix it up a bit. The Asics cost more but last longer. The Brooks are less, wear out faster, but they have a much better selection of colors. I just had surgery and probably won't be able to run again for a few months, but I'm starting to buy the year's shoes now and the grey black in this 27 is one I really love and the 27 is a good Kayano fit for me this year!. I would like the toe covered with more sole material like it used to be for the rain and snow, so I still need to see how these do in those elements. Asics, at least in the past, have always done loads better than Brooks in wet conditions!. We'll see how the Kayano 27, which appears to have less protection rising up toward the toes, does.