The Magic Speed 5 comes in with a serious discount compared to ASICS’ top-tier racers, so some compromises are expected. One of them is the absence of the MOTIONWRAP upper found in the Metaspeed line, replaced here by a new engineered mesh.
That said, the upper is excellent. It delivers outstanding breathability, earning a perfect 5/5 score in our lab, while staying extremely light to keep overall weight very low.
When we moved the upper over a light source, the airflow advantage became obvious, especially in the forefoot. The single-layer construction allows air to pass through with almost no resistance.
We also checked the material closely using our digital microscope.
The mesh quality proved to be very solid, with clean construction and no obvious weak points.
Despite being a more affordable take on the Metaspeed upper, it outperforms many rivals in this price range and clearly shows why ASICS is one of the strongest brands right now.
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