New Carbon Infused Plate Performance & Rough Edges Gone! 12 Comparisons

Article by Renee Krusemark, Peter Stuart, Zack Dunn, and Sam Winebaum

Skechers Performance GO Run Razor Excess 2 ($140)

Introduction

The Razor Excess 2 is a lighter daily trainer to up tempo running shoe sitting between the Razor + and Ride in the Skechers line up. For 2022 it gets,as will the Ride 10, the carbon infused H plate previously seen in shoes such as the Speed Elite. It differs from the Razor + in having 3mm more stack height of cushion, a wider on the ground platform, a rigid now plated rocker profile, and a broader fit.  See our Skechers The Running Event preview video here.  

Skechers lively and light supercritical Hyperburst foam returns as does the 30mm heel / 26mm forefoot full stack height and Goodyear outsole. 

Addressing the issues of the prior upper (RTR Razor Excess 1 Review), instead of a full mono mesh upper we see a mono mesh and polyester blend material, more collar and tongue padding as well as Skechers new ArchFit sockliner which is more substantial than the prior flat thin sockliner. As a result we do gain some weight to 8.05 oz  / 204 g (US men’s 9)  so a 1.2 oz / 34g gain which is still remarkably light and which in our testing proved well worth it in terms of fit, comfort, cushion feel and plate performance.

Pros:

Cushioned and responsive ride: Renee/Sam/Peter/Zack

Comfortable and versatile for a variety of paces and distances: Renee/Sam/Peter/Zack

By measurement and feel the foam is softer, taking the hard edge of v1 off for me Sam

Moves from mostly uptempo type shoe to light daily trainer class Peter/Sam

ArchFit sockliner a clear plus, support, additional cushion (particularly forefoot) Sam/Peter/Zack

H plate gives a moderate impulse (and even seemingly more forefoot cushion feel)  and is not over rigid or harsh Sam/Peter/Zack

Considerably improved upper and fit. Toe box sharp creasing gone Sam/Peter/Zack

Cons:

Not the roomist of toe boxes: Renee/Peter/Sam

1.3 oz / 36g gain in weight (upper, ArchFit sockliner and new H plate) but well worth it in comfort and performance Sam/Peter/Zack

Stats

Estimated Weight: men’s 8.05 oz  / 204 g (US9)   

  Samples: 

men’s  8.1 oz  / 229 g (US9.5),  8.02 oz / 228g (US8.5)  8.80 oz (Men’s 11) 

10 oz / 284g (M12.5 US)

women’s 6.98 oz / 196g (US8)

Razor Excess 1: 6.81 oz / 193g (US8.5)  7.95 oz (men’s 11)

Stack Height: men’s 30 mm heel / 26 mm forefoot 

Available now including at our partner Running Warehouse here. $140

Tester Profiles

Renee is a former U. S. Marine journalist, which is when her enjoyment of running and writing started. She isn’t that awesome of a runner, but she tries really hard. Most of her weekly 50-60 miles take place on rural country roads in Nebraska, meaning mud, gravel, dirt, hills, and the occasional field. She has PR’s of 1:30:59 for the half marathon and 3:26:45 for the marathon.

Peter lives in Austin, Texas and has been a sub 3 hour marathoner as well as a 1:25 half marathoner in recent years.

Zack: I am a college freshman / runner at Lewis University. I’ve been running for 7 years, and focused solely on running after giving up on years of baseball and wrestling. I race distances between 800 meters and 10K  whether it be on the track, the roads, or on cross country courses. I do most of my training on the roads, some training on the track, and occasionally run trails logging anywhere from 40-60 miles a week. My typical training consists of easy days, long days, workouts (fartleks, tempos, interval training, etc.). My typical training paces range from 7’30 a mile on easy days to sub-5 minutes a mile on fast interval days, and with many paces in between. My personal bests are 2:00 for 800m, 4:25 for 1600m, 9:50 for 3200m, 15:57 for 5K, and 34:10 for 10K.

Sam is the Editor and Founder of Road Trail Run. He is 64 with a 2018 3:40 Boston qualifier. 2022 will be Sam’s 50th year of running. He has a decades old 2:28 marathon PR. These days he runs halves in the just sub 1:40 range training 30-40 miles per week mostly at moderate paces on the roads and trails of New Hampshire and Utah. He is 5’9” tall and weighs about 164 lbs if he is not enjoying too many fine New England IPA’s.

First Impressions and Fit

Renee: I love HYBER BURST® . Runners who are fans of other Skechers HYBER BURST®  shoes will enjoy the Razor Excess 2. Review over. 

Just kidding. If you’re reading RTR, you want all the details, and you’ll get them because we love talking about running shoes. The Excess 2 has the same great qualities of other Skechers performance shoes. The HYBER BURST®  midsole is magic, and the shoe is lightweight, versatile, fast, cushioned, and well priced. 

I ran easy paces, tempo paces, and speed runs with the Excess 2, ranging from 4 to 20 mile runs (including some mud and gravel). After 50 miles, the shoes look and feel unworn (despite my muddy/gravel runs). I’m hard pressed to find something “wrong” or negative with the shoe, but as with any shoe, some runners will like the Excess 2 more than others. I suggest true-to-size (typical Skechers sizing); for runners between half sizes, I suggest the half size up because of the toe box shape. 

Zack: I never had never run a Skechers, but I had definitely heard about the Razor Excess. Opening up the box and holding the shoe in hand, I got excited. I tried it on and the fit was perfect, with a comfortable upper and true-to-size fit. The shoe was cushioned, felt lightweight, and had some stiffness, all which made me immediately put the shoe in my practice bag for a track workout later in the day. 

Peter: I wanted to love the Razor Excess, but ultimately had some major issues with it. The original Excess gave me some blisters on the inside of my foot around the ball of the foot, didn’t stay comfortable on long runs and ultimately just didn’t pay off on the premise of ‘great razor feel with a little more cushion’. It’s a shoe that I occasionally tried to return to but found to have the same problematic fit and uninspiring ride each time I ran in them. When the Razor Excess 2 came in, I didn’t have particularly high expectations. Wait, they got heavier? Oy. 

I’m happy to say that there are several changes to the Razor Excess 2 that make it a much better shoe than the Razor Excess. The fit is better, the upper is more comfortable and the ride is excellent. They are true-to-size for me, but if you’re on the fence, size up a half size. The toe-box is a little on the narrow side. 

Sam: I found the original Excess a bit firm and rigid, a bit minimal and rough in upper fit and while very light weight a bit lost as to utility for me. Not really a day to day trainer, not exactly a tempo or race shoe. The H Plate, upper changes, ArchFit and what I immediately sensed all put together as a slightly softer overall ride and more secure and comfortable fit had me eager to test.  The weight gain did not concern me at we are still at just 8 oz in a US9, great for both racing and training given the 30/26 stack.

The fit is true to size but as others have said a bit narrow in the toe box as it now conforms to the foot more securely there unlike the crinkly thin and rougher feeling folding toe box of v1, see below. The tongue is more padded as are the heel collars.

And this new more comfortable front fit, if on the narrow side, was clearly felt during an A/B run, one on each foot with our contributor Joost (all blue pair) who was getting ready for Boston and will join the review soon..

Upper

Renee:  The Excess 2 upper is similar to the rest of the current Razor lineup, a  “hyper mono mesh and polyester upper” which is lightweight and very breathable. During the first 2 miles of my 20 mile run, the temperature was 17℉, and I attest that the breathability is good (too good for cold weather, but thankfully the temperature increased quickly). 

The tongue is not gusseted, but I had no irritation or issues with it sliding or slipping. Above the midfoot, the tongue has a fair amount of soft padding, which I think works well. I wore the Razor 3+ for a 50k, and I had some issues with my foot feeling numb across the midfoot because I laced too tight. I felt no issues with the Excess 2 during my long run, and I think the padding might be the reason. Initially, I thought the heel fit was loose, but after I started running in them, the heel has shaped around my foot. The toe box is a bit narrow on the medial side (same as the rest of the Razor lineup), and although it looked like my small toe would be crammed, I didn’t notice while running. 

Zack: I really enjoyed the monomesh / polyester upper. I found it to be soft and comfortable in the heel and collar area, while still maintaining a lightweight factor to it in the toe box, to allow for lightweight breathability.  The thin but padded tongue sat very nicely on the foot and was slightly cushioned for the right amount of comfort, without being too soft. My thoughts on this upper is that it is not as cushioned and supportive as a daily trainer’s, but not as stripped down and lightweight as a racer which makes it a great lightweight, fast paced training shoe upper. 

Some small but nice details added was a pull tab on the heel, as well as some reflectivity in the front. Overall, I was really pleased with the upper and how it felt and was engineered to perform. 

Peter: The upper is a nice play on the zebra pattern of some of the Skechers prototypes. The mesh looks and feels good and has just enough stretch to make them comfortable over the long run while also maintaining a solid mid-foot lockdown. 

The tongue has an ideal amount of padding near the top laces and breathability down lower, and though not gusseted, has stayed in place just fine. It is more substantial and a little longer than v1 as shown below.

There’s a handy pull-tab on the rear of the shoe and a nice line of reflective dots on the outside edge of each toebox. Ankle/heel collar padding is good and holds the foot very well. The big improvement to the upper from the original Razor Excess is the new ARCHFIT insole. Unlike many previous Skechers shoes except the Razor Excess 1, the Archfit is glued in, so there’s no option to run with/without it. It’s there. And is far more substantial than the thin flat one of the Excess 1. 

And that’s a good thing. It’s a much better and more supportive insole than in the previous model. The insole holds the foot very well and seems to have eliminated the friction points that led to blistering in the original. Overall a good looking and comfortable upper that functions perfectly.

Midsole

Renee:  Again, I love HYBER BURST® . I wish all midsoles were as lightweight, cushioned, and responsive. If you’ve enjoyed other Skechers performance shoes, rest assured that the Excess 2 provides the same awesomeness. The forefoot has a carbon-infused plate, which Skechers says provides an “extremely high stiffness-to-weight ratio, which promotes stability and next level energy return.” I did not find the plate “stiff” in a bad way; rather, it provides extra spring off of the forefoot (see more in the ride section). 

Zack: This is my first experience with a Skechers shoe with Hyperburst cushioning, and I was quite pleased with it. It had all the factors of what is personally wanted in a performance shoe; lightweight, not too soft and not too firm, and had quite a bit of responsiveness in it, without being too overbearing in one of those factors. To me, the foam felt quite comparable underfoot to Asics Flytefoam Turbo, but not as soft. Integrated into the midsole is Skechers carbon infused plate, which takes shape as an “H”, and helps promote stability and a high level of energy return. I definitely felt both of these, but never found it to be overly stiff, instead just allowing for a very smooth toe off. 

Peter: Yup, they nailed it here. The addition of a carbon-infused H plate (effectively spreading the carbon plate out so that it’s not a slab under the forefoot) adds some snap to the excellent HyperBurst midsole. There’s a bit of a magic trick here, because while the shoe is snappier and feels more responsive, it’s also noticeably softer feeling on the run. The carbon H plate adds some focus and control to the ride. As much as I love the Razor 3, they can feel just a little unstable laterally. The Razor Excess feels very stable laterally and it feels like all of the energy is focused so that the shoe rolls forward. It’s a nice addition to a great foam. 

Sam: I measure the Hyperburst here as about 10% softer than v1 and this is felt particularly at the forefoot in an A/B test and this even with the addition of the H plate. But there is more making the ride friendlier, the Arch Fit sockliner. 

It is considerably more substantial than in the prior thin flat one in the Excess 1 not only taking the rough kind of firm edge off the v1 but also I think it provides more protection and cushion over the new H Plate. As such not only does the H Plate provide clear propulsion in v2 but overall the forefoot is more cushioned. One cannot say that the Excess 2 is a plush ride, in Skechers for that look to the higher stack ( 28/34 vs 26/30 here Ride but this midsole (Hyperburst, H Plate, and ArchFit) is now much more versatile allowing not only more cushioned easier days but snappier faster days runs.  My only slight concern with the midsole is that one can slightly sense the front of the H Plate at toe off as an edge. I wish this “interface” was a bit more gentle.

Outsole

Renee: The Goodyear outsole will look familiar to anyone who owns any other Razor shoe. I expect the durability to be similar to previous Razor renditions, although I had a lot more wear on my Razor 3+ outsole at 50 miles than I see with the Excess 2. I ran a 20 miler on flat, relatively smooth crushed rock, a 6 mile speed run on gravel, and another 4 mile easy run on muddy country roads (about 100ft of hill gain per mile). The outsole does nothing for traction, but the midsole and plate combo help with stability for anyone leaving pavement and running on other surfaces. 

Zack: I really enjoyed this outsole. It is made of Goodyear Rubber, and I found it to be naturally grippy, as well as providing coverage in vital places. It did just fine on road, and does decent on dirt/gravel terrain, but anything past that i would not recommend. After 50 miles, I don’t see very much wear. I can see this shoe lasting at least 350 miles, though I’m not sure how long the midsole will last. 

Peter: Plenty of rubber on the bottom with nice big flex grooves to keep things flowing. I haven’t had any traction issues at all and agree that there’s little visible wear after a few good solid runs in these. 

Sam: A fine outsole with plenty of coverage and unchanged from the prior version. I do wish the outsole (and midsole), given the addition of the H plate and the 4mm drop had a deeper more extended forward decoupling to assist transitions a bit more at slower paces. I have never been much of a fan of the prior M-Strike and now here Hyper Arc, both focused on mid foot striking runners than more heel striking runners such as me.

Ride

Renee: The ride is so smooth! Honestly, I’m not sure if HYPER ARC™ is different from the M-Strike® or if the rewording is a branding issue. The transition feels much more pronounced under the forefoot as compared to the ride of Razor 3 or Razor 3+, but that could be from the carbon-infused plate and not the geometry. The ride is smooth from the midfoot, which I love. During a speed workout, I was landing more on my toe/forefoot, and I could feel the energy return from the carbon-infused plate. Over 6 miles of 150m intervals, my forefoot was a bit sore. During my long run (20 miles) and tempo day (10 miles, 20 seconds faster than marathon pace), I was striking midfoot, which felt awesome. The geometry of the HYPER ARC™ plus the HYBER BURST® , plus the carbon-infused plate made each stride smooth and effortless. The cushion feels thicker and more comfortable when heel or midfoot striking.

Zack: Overall, I was very pleased with the ride, especially with it being my first Skechers shoe. I found that it does everything well–from track workouts to road tempos. For shorter fast intervals, on both the road and the track, they perform quite well. They are very lightweight while still having cushion and spring from the plate, but they don’t quite match up to track spikes or very high-end racers when hitting high paces, such as the lightweight Nike Streakfly or Adidas Takumi Sen 8. With that being said, they most definitely excelled at the longer fast-paced work, such as tempo runs, or even fartleks. The reasoning behind this is that they had a fairly high cushioning, which reduced fatigue and increased comfort, but still had spring and responsiveness from the carbon plate. I personally wouldn’t use this for racing, but for someone who wants a more budget friendly half-marathon/marathon racer, in comparison to $200-$250 shoes, this would most certainly get the job done. In terms of anything other than face-paced work, such as long runs or daily training runs, I would go for a different option, as I prefer a non-plated, less stiff ride on moderate-easy pace runs, and would think most would want an easier ride for those kinds of runs.

Peter: Smooth is the key word here. The ride of the Razor Excess 2 is just soft enough to make every step comfortable, just snappy enough to make things fun at tempo and just firm enough to keep them feeling efficient. They don’t have the super fun moon bounce of some other new foams, but they are a great feeling everyday light trainer or tempo trainer. At a recent trade show, Skechers were very excited about the ArchFit insole and I was skeptical, but now that I’ve run in a shoe with the ArchFit insole, I’m a believer. I think it really smooths out the ride and helps the overall harmony of this shoe. 

Sam: As the others have said…smooth and particularly so at faster paces and not so much in the sand above!  Not a soft ride or a bouncy ride but a springy one not only from Hyperburst foam which is clearly energetic and springy but from the H Plate which gives a clear impulse without overdoing a far to the front spring effect or overemphasizing the need to mid foot strike. Compared to the Excess 1, run side by side, the ride is clearly more cushioned and friendly especially upfront making a wide range of paces more feasible even with the plate in the mix. Clear credit to the ArchFit insole here and to what I sensed on the run and measured as very slightly softer foam. If you like a snappy faster paces training or even racing ride with springy but not overdone zip and comfort the Excess blends them well.

Conclusions and Recommendations

Renee: The Excess 2 provides a great cushion-weight ratio with a midsole ride that transitions well, especially with a midfoot strike. I thought the Excess 2 felt good at a variety of paces (easy, uptempo, and speed work), although it’s probably not a daily trainer or “easy/slow” day shoe. I found the Excess 2 feels the best for uptempo paces at mid-distances, but I like it so much I wore it for my easy days and 20 mile long run. 

Renee’s Score: 9.5/10 (-.25 narrow toe box, -.25 forefoot landing firm)

Zack: Skechers really hit the mark with this shoe, and I am very happy this was my first Skechers running shoe experience. It provided everything that I wanted in a faster-paced road running shoe, with it being lightweight, cushioned, and responsive, all at a fair price of $140. All parts of it were great, with an upper that was both comfortable and lightweight, a grippy and nice outsole, and a cushioned and responsive midsole, but nothing being super outstanding or mind blowing. 

Zack’s Score: 9.4/10

Peter: A great improvement on the Razor Excess 1, and a shoe completely worthy of the Razor lineage. The Razor Excess 2 actually does everything just right and nothing to “excess”. It’s not too soft, too firm, too bouncy or too heavy. The upper is excellent, breathable and comfortable and the shoe feels great on the road. I agree that it isn’t laugh out loud fun, but it’s a terrific lightweight daily trainer that has no problem going fast. At 8.8 oz for a men’s 11, it’s still plenty light and should last for many miles. 

Peter’s Score: 9.5/10.

Sam: The Razor Excess 2 is a versatile trainer on the more uptempo side of the scale, Those seeking light and fast in a daily trainer can for sure consider it along with those looking for a more budget friendly long racer at $140. It has a great cushion to weight ratio, comfortable upper and an energetic combination of sufficient Hyperburst cushion and its new H plate for some propulsion and front stability. While it gained some weight to about 8 oz it is still on the very light side for its capabilities underfoot and for its comfortable and substantial upper and new and effective ArchFit which adds to cushion and support. It is a very successful update as it takes the edges off the predecessor firmer ride and thinner feeling forefoot while also significantly improving its upper comfort and hold.

Sam’s Score: 9.25/10

Ride 9.25 (50%): Energetic, fast, well enough cushioned. I think given the new plate the Excess could benefit from more heel cushion and more drop than 4mm drop to land transition more easily. Hyperburst could be a touch softer yet.

Fit (30%): A vastly improved near ideal upper could benefit from a touch more toe box room and softness

Value (15%): a superb value for a carbon infused plate durable and versatile shoe

Style: (5%): Subtle and sophisticated and quite a contrast from early Razor “Speed” billboards. 

12 Comparisons

Index to all RTR reviews: HERE

Skechers Razor Excess 1 (RTR Review)

Peter: The Razor Excess 2 is an improvement in every way. The upper is more comfortable. The blister issues I had with Excess 1 are gone, and the new Archfit insole adds a layer of cush. The ride is smoother, softer and somehow also feels more efficient. 

Sam: Agreed with Peter. Faster, more forgiving, better fitting what’s not to like! The 1.3 oz weight gain is really not a negative here as we are still at 8 oz and end up with a much more versatile shoe

Skechers Razor 3+  (RTR Review)

Peter: The Razor Excess adds a controlled maturity to the Razor line. I think the toe-box on the Razor 3 is a little tighter and the ride is a little softer. The Razor 3 can feel a little bit unstable at times, especially while cornering. The Razor Excess 2 feels snappier and a little more controllable. 

Renee: Like Peter, I think the toe box on the original Razor 3 is slightly more narrow than the Razor Excess 2 (could be the upper/overlays). The Razor 3 has a better ground feel and works better for me as a speed day (intervals) or a tempo run shoe. The Razor 3 and Razor 3+ are fine for me at long distances, although I think the stack and cushion of the Excess 2 is better suited for 15+ miles. The Excess has a more prominent rocker from the forefoot while the Razor 3 and 3+ have a more traditional rocker/ride from the midfoot. 

Skechers GoRun Razor Elite Hyper  (RTR Review)

Peter: Now that’s a lot of words for a shoe name. It’s a killer race shoe though. I’d highly recommend the Razor Elite Hyper to anyone who wants to race fast. I think it got overlooked, but it’s a hell of a shoe. The Razor Excess 2 makes an excellent training partner for the Elite. It’s still a great shoe for tempo runs and longer work and I’d certainly race a half marathon in the Excess. 

Renee: In terms of ride, the Razor  Elite feels more like the Razor 3 than the Excess. The midsole and ride are firm on the Razor Elite, and it doesn’t have enough comfort or cushion for me at a racing pace past the half marathon distance (I prefer the Razor 3/3+). For training and comfort for long distances, I’d choose the Excess 2. I had some discomfort on the ERazor  Elite on the midfoot because of the thin tongue, which is not an issue with the Excess 2.

Skechers Ride 9  (RTR Review)

Sam: The Ride 9 with more stack height at 28/34 and 2mm more drop weighs about the same in its current version. It slots in as a daily trainer to the Excess’s more uptempo feel in the line up. Ride 10 coming soon will get the H Plate and a similar upper and ArchFit so will gain some weight to an expected 8.78 oz / 248g so about 0.75 oz more than Excess. 

Puma Deviate Nitro (RTR Review)

Sam: Also plated, the Deviate is an ounce heavier and more than double the  drop at 10mm with that extra cushion felt most at the heel. As such it is easier to transition for me and somewhat more slower pace friendly.  The Deviate has softer bouncier supercritical foam than Hyperburst. The plates are similar in feel and action with the Excess’s more isolated from the foot (2mm more stack) while also at the same time the midsole there feels firmer as Hyperburst is fimer. While the Skechers outsole is fine, if you really need grip or head on dirt the PumaGrip is superior. Both are true to size for me with a somewhat roomier toe box in the Deviate and better heel and mid foot hold in the Excess  

ASICS EVO Ride 2  (RTR Review)

Renee: I wore a women’s size 8 in both. The toebox room and overall length are very similar in both shoes. The EvoRide 2 has a much more prominent rocker from the forefoot, which made it feel somewhat clunky to me under the midfoot and heel. The Excess 2 ride and midsole are more responsive and more comfortable in comparison. 

Hoka Mach 4 (RTR Review) and Mach Supersonic (RTR Review)

Peter: Even though they have about the same stack, the Mach feels like more shoe. I’d say that the Razor Excess is smoother, but if I was headed out for more than 12-14 I’d probably grab the Mach 4 first. The Supersonic didn’t really do it for me, and I’d probably go with the Razor over the Supersonic.

Sam: The Supersonic is a plateless equivalent to the Excess with about the same stack height and with a somewhat bouncier vs here springier ride due to its bottom layer of rubberized foam midsole as outsole. Both have similar fitting more performance oriented uppers. I prefer the Supersonic for more moderate training uses as it is a bit more forgiving and more flexible than the rigid Excess while I lean to the Excess for faster efforts. 

Nike Zoom Fly  (RTR Review)

Zack: The Zoom Fly I have the most experience with is the Zoom Fly Flyknit, which is somewhat comparable to the newer version, moreso in the midsole than anything else. I would say the midsoles have a different feel, with the Zoom Fly having a firmer, more durable foam, but with a stiffer carbon fiber plate. On the other hand though, the Excess 2 has a soft, lightweight foam with a less-stiff plate as well. The upper of the Zoom Fly is definitely lighter weight, but not as comfortable as the Excess 2, so preference will be a factor for this one. Overall, both shoes are great for running; I would say the Zoom Fly is better for longer runs (due to the carbon fiber plate for running economy), while the Skechers is more so for faster paces, as it is lighter weight and has more responsive foam. 

Saucony Endorphin Speed  (RTR Review)

Sam: Close competitors. I prefer the Speed’s flexible nylon plate to the more rigid H Plate of the Excess but it is close. The Excess is more stable at the rear and more slower pace friendly and versatile towards that end of the spectrum. For uptempo the Speed still reigns but if you need a shoe for a wider range of uses the lower cost Skechers is the way to go.

Puma Velocity Nitro 2  (RTR Review)

Renee: I wore a women’s size 8 in both shoes. The Velocity Nitro 2 is slightly longer and for that reason, has more room in the toebox. The 4mm drop and geometry of the Excess 2 work better for me than the higher drop Velocity Nitro 2. For all distances and paces, I’d choose the Excess 2. The Velocity Nitro 2 can work better as a traditional daily trainer, especially for those wanting a higher drop shoe.

New Balance Rebel v2  (RTR Review)

Peter: The Rebel is hard to beat for me. I love the bouncy, soft, energetic and fun ride. Personally I’d choose it over the Razor just for the fun factor, but I wouldn’t be mad if you told me I had to take out the Razor Excess 2 instead. 

Renee: The Rebel 2 is one of my favorite road shoes. The Excess 2 has more cushion and firmness under the heel and midfoot, making it a better long distance shoe in my opinion (although I have ran the Rebel 2 up to 18 miles). The Rebel 2 has a more natural landing for me at the midfoot, while the Excess 2 has a more prominent rocker from the forefoot. For shorter, faster, and more natural strides, I’d choose the Rebel 2. For long distance tempo runs, especially when I want the help of a plate, I’d choose the Excess 2. I wore a women’s size 8 in both; the toebox on the Excess 2 is slightly more narrow.