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Mizuno Wave Universe 5 Review: A Feather-Light Racing Flat With a Roomy Toebox

October 3, 2013 By 26 Comments

IMG_2534[1]If you’ve been following my shoe reviews for awhile, you’ll know that I’m a fan of running in racing flats. I log most of my miles out on the roads, and I tend to like shoes that are lightweight, simple in design, and somewhat flashy in appearance – flats typically tick most of these boxes.

I started running in more minimally constructed shoes back in 2009. Back then, “minimalist” footwear as a category didn’t really exist. The Vibram Fivefingers were available, Vivobarefoot had a few minimal running shoes, and Nike had the Free which claimed to simulate running barefoot on grass. At the time, one of the most popular running shoes among minimalists was the Mizuno Wave Universe 3. It was a great shoe – ultra light, minimal sole, and a roomy toebox. It did look a bit pinkish in color when wet, but people were running in water shoes, so you took what you could get.

Fast forward 4 years and the minimal shoe craze has blown by. In its wake it left a new niche category of footwear, many of which are basically similar to racing flats built with a wider toebox, flatter sole, and heftier price tag. The venerable Mizuno Universe still remains, now in version 5. Over the past few weeks I’ve been running in the shoe (Disclosure: it was provided free of charge by Mizuno for review purposes), and I have to say that it trumps many of the minimalist shoes that have come out in the past few years when it comes to minimalism. In fact, although it’s categorized as a racing flat, it’s probably one of the best ultraminimal shoes I’ve run in.

Mizuno Wave Universe 5 side

First things first, the Mizuno Universe 5 is incredibly lightweight. Running Warehouse lists it at 2.8oz in men’s size 9. My pair in size 10 come in at 3.1oz. The only shoes I have that are in its league in terms of weight are the Asics Blazing Fast and the New Balance RC5000. You put it on and it feels like nothing – you can barely tell that there are shoes on your feet.

IMG_2561[1]

Upper Construction

Given that it weighs so little, everything about the shoe’s construction is minimal. The upper is nothing more than a thin, well ventilated mesh. There’s really no structure at all to the upper except for a small flexible tab at the back of the heel (presumably to keep it from slipping down) – it feels very much like a sock with a sole attached.

Mizuno Wave Universe 5 top

A big improvement over previous versions of the Universe is that Mizuno ditched the vinyl-like material that used to line the inside of the ankle collar. That stuff would chew up the skin over my Achilles if I went sockless. The collar of the Universe 5 is a soft, lightly padded fabric – it’s a welcome change and it does not bother my skin (just ran 6 miles sockless immediately before writing this and no trouble except for a bit of abrasion from a seam by the arch that appeared at about mile 5).

In terms of fit, the Mizuno Universe has been popular with minimalists in large part because it offers a much roomier fit than other racing flats, which typically fit narrow up front. My sense is that the U5 is roomier than previous iterations of the model. The forefoot is downright spacious, and should accommodate all but the most paddle-footed.

Here’s a picture comparing the MWU4 (I’ve kept a new pair in reserve, it’s a classic!) and MWU5 – the 5 may appear a bit wider in part because there is so little structure to the baggy upper, but it does feel considerably wider in the forefoot to me:

IMG_2680[1]

I did a set of fast 200m intervals on the track in the U5 and the baggy fit was a bit of a problem on the turns – my forefoot slipped around a bit. Cinching the laces a bit tighter probably would have helped, but I didn’t want to stop the momentum of the workout. I have not had any slippage issues on the road in them.

As with previous versions, the insole of the U5 is non-removable, and arch support is minimal to non-existent.

Sole Construction

The sole of the U5 is also quite a bit slimmer than that of its predecessor:

IMG_2677[1]

Running Warehouse lists stack height of the U4 as 18mm heel, 14mm forefoot, whereas the U5 is 13mm heel, 11mm forefoot. The difference should be immediately noticeable to anyone with experience running in previous iterations of the shoe. The U4 felt like an ultralight racing flat to me, the U5 feels almost more like a barefoot-style shoe than a flat. There is very little sole underfoot, and it’s a fairly firm ride. It almost fits and feels like the Merrell Vapor Glove with a thin slab of foam added to the sole.

After my first few runs in the U5 I was surprised to notice that my calves were tight and sore. I’ve been running a in zero drop shoes a lot lately, so this surprised me a bit. I attribute the soreness to the combo of the firm, minimal sole and the fact that they made me want to push the pace. Mizuno uses it’s new U4ic midsole compound in the U5, and they claim it provides equal cushioning in a thinner package. The shoe feels more minimally cushioned to me.

IMG_2675[1] 

The outsole of the U5 carries over the nubby design from previous versions of the shoe, though in a slightly different pattern. I have about 20-25 miles on the pair in the photo above, plus I’ve been wearing them to work, and wear seem to be most noticeable on the exposed EVA in the midfoot and forefoot. I have not experienced any major durability issues, but as always my ability to comment on durability is limited by the number of miles I am able to get on shoes before writing reviews (it’s difficult to review lots of shoes and get a lot of miles on each).

Gone are the drain holes under the midfoot that were found in previous versions– this should make some people happy as I’ve heard complaints that they let water in when running through puddles (that’s my general experience with drain holes – they’re more of a risk for letting water into a shoe on wet day than really helping get it out). One other change is that the concavity under the heel is larger in the U5 – this isn’t an issue while running, but while walking on hardwood floors or tile it acts like a suction cup.

Performance

The Mizuno Universe 5 is a bit hard to peg. It’s designed to be a racing flat, and given its weight, you can’t help but want to run fast in the shoes. I’ve done a track workout, a few tempo runs, and a few easy runs in the shoes and they perform well. However, since sole is so thin, it’s very flexible and lacks the longitudinal stiffness of other racing flats. As such, it lacks the pop found in a shoe with a stiffer sole like the adidas Hagio. I guess it comes down to preference – a stiffer flat may provide more pop, but stiffness typically means a bit more sole material and thus greater weight.

Comparing the U5 to it’s closest competitors, the Asics Blazing Fast and New Balance RC5000, the U5 feels more flexible and has a much roomier fit (note – I have the Blazing Fast, but have not run in them yet). It’s also more flexible than the Universe 4. My feeling is that the Universe 5 runs a lot like some of the minimalist shoes that are out on the market. Shoes like the adidas Gazelle and New Balance MR00 come to mind.

Appearance

I’d be remiss if I didn’t comment on the appearance of this shoe. Mizuno has a history of making the Universe a flashy shoe – the original U4 was bright orange and had flames on the upper. When I first saw a photo of the U5 I was appalled. I thought they looked hideous. I have to say, the shoes have really grown on me. The design is certainly unique, and I’ve taken to wearing them out and about simply because they look unlike any shoe I have ever owned. You will get comments if you wear these!

IMG_2528[1]

Conclusion

The Mizuno Universe 5 is a shoe that will appeal to two niches in the running world. First, those who like to run fast and want as light a shoe as possible to allow them to do that. Second, those who just want a very minimal shoe with a roomy, comfortable fit. I kind of straddle those two groups, and thus this shoe is a fantastic match for me. If you like the gaudy appearance and can handle the somewhat hefty price tag, the Mizuno Universe is a lot of fun!

The Mizuno Wave Universe 5 is available for purchase in the US at Running Warehouse. Outside of the US, it can be purchase at Sportsshoes.com and Wiggle.

You might also like:

Mizuno FerusMizuno Wave Evo Ferus Trail Shoe Review Mizuno Wave Sayonara Running Shoe Review Under Armour Speedform Running Shoe Review Karhu Flow3 Trainer Running Shoe Review Mizuno Wave Universe 4: A Near Perfect Racing Flat
Filed Under: Mizuno, racing flat, running gear review, running shoe review, running shoes

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About Peter Larson

This post was authored by Peter Larson. Pete is a biology teacher, track/soccer coach, and dad (x3) with a passion for running, soccer, and science. If you'd like to learn a little bit more about who I am and what I do, click here, or visit petermlarson.com.

Comments

  1. sethhasty says:
    October 3, 2013 at 2:47 am

    Great review a per usual Pete! Keep logging those miles!

    Reply
  2. Ashwyn Gray says:
    October 3, 2013 at 2:51 am

    Nice to see this review, Pete! I actually really like the upper design. And, it’s interesting to read that the shoe is a bit wider and more flexible. ‘Course, I really should stop reading these reviews. There are just so many options in this category of shoes lately, my list of “wants” just keeps getting longer.

    Reply
    • Pete Larson says:
      October 3, 2013 at 2:53 am

      For a guy with your shoe preferences, I’d put these at the top of your list for a road shoe – sorry for feeding the temptation!

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      Reply
      • Ashwyn Gray says:
        October 3, 2013 at 4:27 am

        Ahhhhh!!!! ;)

        Reply
        • bob baks says:
          October 3, 2013 at 4:42 am

          I agree with Pete. This has got to be one of the best minimalist shoes out there. How could you be into minimalism and not buy this shoe? What are you waiting for!!!?? ;-)

          I agree that the red U4 is a classic. By the time I started running, I could only find the purple version. I spotted an unused red pair my size on ebay and bought them to keep in reserve just like you have done.

          Will be interested to know your impressions of the Blazing Fast.

          Reply
          • Gus says:
            April 10, 2015 at 12:51 am

            Agree… these are awesome shoes. I’m worried a little bit about long-term durability (i pronate a lot so put a lot of wear and tear on certain parts of the sole), but its an absolute dream to run in

  3. Marty Zaleski says:
    October 3, 2013 at 7:02 am

    One issue I have with the Universe 4’s is that the sole isn’t quite wide enough around my big toe. My big toe is only half-supported by the sole, and it half-hangs out unsupported. Kind of an odd feeling. Ever experience that? How might the 5 compare?

    Reply
  4. Rudy says:
    October 5, 2013 at 9:04 am

    Thanks for the review! As a big fan of the WU4 (I have an orange pair in reserve and a red pair in rotation) I was curious what the WU5 would bring. I’m surprised the toebox got even wider, I was expecting the opposite. I’m not sure if I like the fact that there is less cushioning in the shoe. I’m curious if this shoe is comparable to the inov-8 Road x-treme 138, another feather-lite and minimal shoe. For now I’m not yet tempted to buy, due to the price and it’s appearance.

    Reply
  5. BM75 says:
    October 21, 2013 at 5:06 am

    Thanks for the great review. I have been following your reviews more than a year and I love your honesty! How would you compare them against Newton MV3? I run in Merell Bare Access 2 mostly as my everyday goto running shoes for half to marathon distance. Since I am training for a half marathon and 5K followed by that I wanted to invest in a great light weight zero drop or extremely minimalist lower drop racing flats. Two of them I found are Newton MV3 and Mizuno MU5. My plan is to use them during the speed workouts (less than 6-7 miles) and use it for 5K race. I will still use my Merell Bare Access 2 for racing Half Marathon. Any advice and suggestions would help!

    Reply
  6. Dustin Smith says:
    October 25, 2013 at 4:07 am

    Hi Pete,
    How’s the sizing on these bad boys? Based on your review I’m guessing some sizing down would be in order.

    Reply
  7. Nathaniel says:
    February 25, 2014 at 3:16 am

    Hi Pete, How durable do you think this U5 compared to Saucony A5 or Brooks Pure Drift? The upper looks really thin.

    Reply
  8. merie joy flores says:
    May 9, 2014 at 12:30 am

    very nice shoes! I like the designs.this is really fit in running world.You can run fast because you have light shoe.

    Reply
  9. Cody says:
    September 10, 2014 at 1:39 am

    Hi Pete, I am looking for something similar to this shoe but maybe with a bit more cushioning because it will have to be used for long runs as well, any suggestions?

    Reply
  10. Peter says:
    January 15, 2016 at 8:42 am

    The footbed doesn’t look very breathable. I think the upper material looks more like fleece.

    Reply
  11. sascha says:
    May 12, 2016 at 9:12 pm

    Did they discontinue the Universe line?

    Reply

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