Nike is a leading sports apparel and gear manufacturer. It designs and manufactures sports equipment, clothes, shoes, and accessories. It has a large consumer base worldwide who have been using its range of premium sports items for decades.
This article compares Nike Lunarglide and Lunar Eclipse. We compare two of their more popular lines, the Lunarglide 9 and the Lunar Eclipse 4 to help with the comparison.
Nike Lunarglide 9
The most supportive running shoes in the Lunar family is the Lunarglide. It features a softer foam housed in a harder shell to offer dynamic support, the first of its kind in the industry.
The midsole’s features a TPU plastic reinforcement for added support.
The upper FlyWire results in the shoes wrapping tight around your foot.
Lunarglide running shoes are ideal for runners with mild to neutral over-pronation looking for light runs (which means 10K or less)
In comparison to most running shoes on the market designed to support lightweight running with low arch support, Lunarglides are lighter weighing 10.7 ounces.
Materials and Design
Lunarglide 9 has the same form on the upper as its predecessor, but the latter is a sleaker look. The knit mesh upper is a one-piece, outer material designed to wrap your midfoot for a snug fit.
With the thicker cords, they feel like laces attached to the sides of the midfoot area. The Flywire columns are also less by one on the 9 shoe model. Moreover, they aren’t connected to the last two eyelets on the updated shoes.
The lacing panel has changed, but the round laces haven’t been altered. A no-sew synthetic has been used on the eye-stay instead of the transparent laminate used on its predecessor, strengthening this area of the shoe.
This supports the thicker Flywire cords that exert more friction on the shoes’ eyelets. Two minor updates were made on the heel counter. A plastic-like external heel cover has been added.
A combination of foam and rubber on the heel counter results in increased flexibility. However, this section has an inferior look in comparison to the molded plastic used on its predecessor’s heel counter.
Unlike previous Lunar Glide models, the rubberized clip exerts no pressure on the side. A tiny reflective trim on this section is similar to that on Lunar Glide 8.
The upper’s heel collar height is higher, translating to a better fit quality. Lunar Glide 9 and 8 feature similar foam padding levels. The tongue and collar feature generous foam quilting for better grip, comfort, and top-down insulation from the pressure of lacing your shoes.
Unlike the Lunar Glide 8 with a minimal upper and visual depth due to the two-tone Flymesh in use, version 9 appears subdued with a bland look because it lacks the texture.
The sole design of both Lunar Glide 9 and 8 is inspired by Lunar epic. A firmer midsole houses a softer Lunarlon core, with thin grooves on the sidewalls. However, Lunar Glide 9 has a different groove design on the sidewall.
The side grooves on Lunar Glide 9 run from the rearfoot to the front unlike 8’s that’s constricted to the rearfoot. The result is improved transition and cushioning, which enhance 9’s ride quality.
The outsole layout on 9 is similar to that of 8, except for a single groove on the midsole extending to the edge of the outer heel. The layout has heel pods and forefoot, but lacks rubber. The pods’ grooves trap dead bugs and tiny rocks when running or walking.
They also have good grip on dry surfaces. The blown foam, removable insole within the upper is on both Lunar Glide 9 and 8.
Durability
Lunar Glide 9 running shoes have a running life of about 300 miles, with all-foam outsole and Lunarlon core being among the first sections to wear out.
The Lunarlon core loses it cushioning over time while the outsole’s lack of rubber causes it to wear out fast. Wear and tear becomes visible around the heel pods and forefoot sections.
The Upper Fit and Feel
The upper fits well with good grip, a tight forefoot rear and no slippage. The fit quality is the same in 9 and 8 models. However, the thicker Flywire cords on the 9 results in a more snug-fit around the midfoot.
The cinching pressure is evenly spread for a better feel around the midfoot. The inner sleeve and a seamless construction results in a smoother upper on the inside.
With the plush heel and tongue padding, the inside of the upper offers good grip and comfort. The higher heel collar results in a more secure upper fit. The heel grip is great as in previous models.
The rubber-like outer heel counter doesn’t compress into the sides as in Lunar Glide 6 running shoes. The inner sleeves renders the shoes warm, making them ideal for running in cold weather.
The Quality and Behavior of Rides
The rearfoot and forefoot are medium soft. The running shoe is cushioned with lateral bias and a supportive ride. Although these make the shoes stable, even neutral shoes have the same features.
Lunar Glide 9 has a better forefoot than its predecessor with smooth rides. The lateral forefoot flex grooves enables compression of the midsole outwards unlike in model 8.
The embedded Lunarlon results in a softer forefoot at the mid-sections.
The midsole softness spreads to the outer forefoot for smoother transitions. The rearfoot ride is also firmer than in model 8. Despite featuring more grooves, the midsole design is responsible for the firmer rides.
The rearfoot grooves in 8 are packed together, meaning they all compress simultaneously upon application of pressure to deliver soft cushioning which has improved over previous versions.
However, the spaced out grooves in 9 reduces compression and results in a firmer rearfoot. The outer midsole compression is evenly distributed and thus feels better. In 8, it’s focused in the rear.
The rearfoot and forefoot are mildly responsive. Generally, Lunar Glide has average responsiveness. The foam pods on the forefoot have a piston-like effect. However, the EVERUN and Boost technologies are more superior in responsiveness.
However, Lunar Glide 9 has efficient and smooth transitions. The forefoot outsole has good grip on synthetic tracks, resulting in fast push-offs.
The padded ride comes in handy when going for longer runs or half-marathons. It has sufficient foam to cushion your foot against the hard running surfaces for comfortable runs over long distances.
The Lunarlon midsole insert is made up of foam, which degrades with time. This means your rides mile zero will be better than rides at mile 100.
The Pros of Nike Lunar Glide 9
- Inner sleeves result in a secure upper fit
- Lightweight as it weighs only 10 ounces
- Delivers smooth ride quality
Cons:
- Lower durability
- No optional widths, hence tight forefoot
- Smooth and light, the LunarGlide Lunarlon foam provides a foam, cushy experience
- Newly upgraded for a stellar feel mile after glorious mile
- Flyknit material and flywire cables for breathability and support without bulk
The Lunar Eclipse
Lunar Eclipse + features Nike’s recent technological advancements in running shoes. Just like the Lunar Glide, it delivers dynamic support. It offers both stability of a denser foam and cushioning from a soft foam integrated into the shoes’ inner design.
It comes in a Bottomless Carrier Construction. The running shoes are also flexible due to low weight and features a softer forefoot. The floating heel support clip offers the best heel support on the market.
The clip links to the soft foam and goes across the midsole to the shoe’s chasis to offer locking support. The molded heel support cup is made from denser foam and attaches to the insole and the Flywire on the upper.
The seamless inner and outer upper construction offers 360 degrees comfort. The tongue is also stitched differently on the women’s version to prevent rubs on your ankle. It cost about $10 more than the Lunar Glide 9.
The lunar Eclipse 4 is a chunkier, more stable, plusher and better cushioned version of the lunar Glide 5. Lunar Eclipse was launched in 2011 after the Lunar Glide was launched earlier in 2010.
The two shoes were aimed at minimizing foot pronation in a different way from existing running shoes on the market. Traditionally, shoes featured a softer foam on the outer parts and a hard foam wedge on the inside to control foo pronation.
With the Eclipse and Glide, the midsole is stacked with two beveled foam of varying densities at a certain angle. The midsole gradually controls foot pronation instead of ceasing it suddenly as in foam wedge used in other running shoes.
The result is a more appealing shoe for neutral runners and mild to over pronators. The Eclipse is just as good as the Glide, but costs about 25% more and didn’t get heavy marketing as in the Glide.
This explains the kind of success the Glide has enjoyed despite the two shoes being based on the same technology. The hard midsole offers arch support.
The running shoes offer support and motion control to guide your foot to roll or move in a specific way without the underfoot being necessarily stable. However, stability shoes tend to limit foot pronation.
The Lunar Eclipse 4 offers motion control with a supportive upper. Unlike the Glide, the Eclipse is slow in adopting new design technologies.
The rear foot of the 2014 is flatter and less padded because the traditional under heel crash pad was removed, resulting in sudden transitions whenever you land on your rear foot. This is unlike recent technologies that involve the heel foam being splayed gradually.
The 2014 Lunar Eclipse has a reduced outsole rubber tread to lower the weight of the running shoes. This results in lower durability than in previous models. A reduction in underfoot rubber also diminishes the smoothness of transitions from heel to toe.
It also has poor traction, The Lunar Eclipse 4 is stiffer with a less flexible forefoot than its predecessors due to distortion of the ‘bottomless foam carrier’, which spreads out forefoot cushioning. In Eclipse 4, the cushioning is centered right beneath the forefoot.
Together forefoot foam that’s less exposed, the shoe reduces in flexibility. Even so, the upper has improved foot cinching.
Configuration of the asymmetrical lacing section changed, with the medial eyelet area connecting the upper to the Flywire to reduce top-down pressure and improve lacing efficacy.
In previous models, the eyelet holes and the Flywire were separated, with cords extending upwards to create a loop in alignment with eyelet holes. The forefoot has no-sew overlays and features an invisible toe bumper on the inside.
The mesh upper is both breathable and supportive on closed areas. The upper sleeve gives a secure fit and prevents tongue slide. The padded tongue space mesh cushions the top of your foot.
The smoother and professional collar is made up of two fabrics as in earlier models. The midfoot panels have been redesigned to integrate rubber panels integrated into the lacing system. Built-in reflectivity support night-time runs for visibility.
The large heel clip cups the entire rear foot and extends to the arch. The Fitsole 4 insole has plastic ribs beneath the arch section to offer support for your foot.
- Engineered mesh paired with dynamic Flywire technology, The Lunareclipse 4 provides ventilation and support where you need it most
- Stability without added weight
- Cushion and sprinting response
- Its innovative design allows for increased flexibility
