Nike Vomero Plus Review: The Invincible’s Spiritual Successor?
Price: $180
Why Buy?
The Nike Vomero Plus offers extreme comfort in a package that fits 2025 athleisure.
Why Avoid?
The Nike Vomero Plus isn’t quite as mind blowing as the older ZoomX offerings.
Specs
| Model | Vomero Plus |
| Height | Low |
| Materials | Polyester Knit / TPE / Rubber |
| Size | 13 |
| Weight | 359 g / 12.6 oz |
| Construction | Cemented |
| Country of Origin | Vietnam |
History
Wearing a pair of shoes out is surprisingly hard when you review a new pair almost every week. Since 2021, I’ve only truly worn through one — the Nike Invincible. I loved that shoe… until Nike killed it.
Not all is lost. Nike has streamlined its running line into a few categories: standard, plus, and premium. The Nike Vomero Plus is billed as the spiritual successor to the Invincible — big, chunky outsole, minimalistic upper. The ingredients are there.
There are two concerns I think we all share. First, while the first two iterations were near universally loved, the Invincible 3 was a major let down. Many ZoomX lovers described it as “the worst pair of shoes” they ever bought.
Second, unlike the Invincible, which was its own product, the Vomero Plus is slotted in between two other Vomero products. The Vomer 18, which is more affordable, and the upcoming Vomero Premium. Can this shoe stand on its own, or does the middle child get forgotten again?
Let’s dive in and find out if the Nike Vomero Plus lives up to its predecessor.
Looks
Upper
The upper of the Nike Vomero Plus comes in a double layer of very fine mesh. In this “Run” colorway, Nike went for an off-white with screen printed accents. Most colorways, have a raised swoosh overlay instead.
These two layers allow Nike to hide a swoosh underneath the first layer near the toe.
Nike did add three curved lines along the side of the sneaker, though when you’re walking around, they are not really visible. Similarly, there are reflective stripes near the toe. Around the heel, a substantial amount of padding adds a small amount of visual bulk.
Come on, though. Who are we kidding, nobody is going to notice the upper on these things.
Mid- and Outsole
Onto the fun part: the big, chunky midsole of the Nike Vomero Plus. While you’re not quite standing on all of it, more of that later, from the side of the sneaker the foam looks almost silly. The sidewall of the midsole on this size 13 pair is nearly 3 inches / 70 mm. Up front it’s slightly thinner, though still visually around 1.5 inches / 40mm tall.
The midsole, which features a similarly swoopy pattern, dominates the sneaker visually. Both on and off foot. By the way, just in case you were wondering what it’s made of, there is a gigantic “ZOOMX” logo on the side.
Summary
The Nike Vomero Plus really is a midsole first and foremost. It dominates the visual aspect of the sneaker. Subtlety is entirely out the window.
A few years ago, this style would have meant that these were relegated to the treadmill, but not anymore. In a world where Hoka Clifton 9s and Brooks Glycerin Maxs can be found at every Starbucks, these sort of max cushion shoes have entered the cultural zeitgeist. Even if the Vomero Plus takes it to the next level.
Still, that doesn’t mean you can wear these with anything. Pick an outfit more formal than athleisure these will stick out like a sore thumb. Especially since every colorway is either extremely bright or says “RUN” on the side.
Fit & Comfort
Fit
The Nike Vomero Plus fits very true to size, and is a very forgiving shape. The soft structure of the upper, combined with the heavy padding of the tongue and ankle, mean that it should be pretty easy to find a pair that fits you well.
However, it should be noted that these are on a Nike performance last, which do tend to run a bit narrow in the toe box. For most people it probably won’t be an issue, however if you have particularly wide toes you might struggle to wear these in the standard width.
The good news for those wide footers out there is that Nike does make these in both Standard and Wide. However, most of the type Nike only does their first run of a shoe in widths, before switching just to a single standard width. If you are interested in a pair and feel that wide would fit you better, I would encourage you to act sooner rather than later.
I took these in my standard Nike size of 13, and they fit well.
Comfort
OK, here’s the big one. Just how comfortable are the Nike Vomero Plus?
Well, obviously, they are amazing. 45mm of my favorite sneaker foam – ZoomX – means these were going to do well here. The question is how well?
If you’re expecting the Invincible again, you might not be super happy. Nike is offering a different blend of PEBA, and this version is much firmer. For those guys out there who are actually taking these for a run, that’s a good thing. For those guys out there who are wearing these to Target, it might not be.
This pair has given up a lot of squish in exchange for stability. Which is better is up to you.
Beyond the under-foot feel, the Nike Vomero Plus uses great padding on the tongue and upper.
Still, these might be the second most comfortable pair of shoes I’ve worn after the Invincible. I would not hesitate to wear these all day doing basically any activity.
Materials & Construction
Materials
- Upper: Polyester mesh with rubberized support panels
- Lining: Poly fabric
- Midsole: PEBA ZoomX foam (45mm heel / 35mm forefoot)
- Outsole: Rubber
The Nike Vomero Plus doesn’t actually have all that many materials in them for being such an advanced sneaker.
The upper is made entirely of a polyester weave fabric and rubberized plastic support panels. There are two layers on the Plus, but that is mostly for styling rather than anything else. You’ll also find a poly fabric liner inside the sneaker. In between that liner and the upper, the foam on these is nice – firm enough that it should be durable but soft enough to hold your feet.
Under foot, there is a huge slab of PEBA foam that Nike calls ZoomX. There is a whopping 45mm of it in the heel and 35mm in the forefoot. Not only are these so tall they’re illegal in actual events, the forefoot is higher than most sneakers.
It doesn’t stop there. Add in the pretty thick insole and a bit of rubber, you’re going to be standing a full 55mm off the ground in this size 13 version. [RunRepeat found their size 11 to have a bit less foam under foot]
Speaking of that outsole, a rubberized outsole finishes off the sneaker. This is pretty thick for a running sneaker, and should last long enough that the foam will crumble before the outsole wears out for most guys.
Construction
The Nike Vomero Plus is made using cemented construction. Or, in other words, first the upper is sewn together, then it is glued to the midsole using contact cement. This is the most common way to make a sneaker, and the preferred method for anything used for sports.
Cemented construction offers the most flexibility of any style, and is the best at preventing water entry. As for drawbacks, if anything fails – the glue holding the sneaker together, the outsole, the midsole – the sneaker is trash. No repairability here.
Pricing
The Nike Vomero Plus comes in at a price of $180, a $25 premium over the standard Nike Vomero. At time of writing, finding these for anything less than MSRP looks to be pretty much impossible. In fact, many sizes are entirely sold out on Nike’s website.
While $180 isn’t cheap, that’s actually a lot less than I would have guessed. The Nike Invincible came out at the exact same MSRP 4 years ago.
That being said, while these are currently the plushest shoe Nike offers, the Vomero Premium should be coming out in early October. Once these are no longer the top model, I’d imagine they will be much easier to find on a discount. For example, the Pegasus Plus is currently on sale from Nike for 40% off in several colorways.
Are the Nike Vomero Plus Worth It?
The Nike Vomero Plus aims to be a replacement for the Invincible. Is it?
For the most part, yeah.
OK, it does trade a bit of that mind-blowing squish for a bit more stability, but that isn’t inherently a bad thing. Especially since this probably comes with more durability as well. At the same time, it’s still incredibly comfortable and can be a statement-making part of an outfit.
For anyone looking for a high-cushion sneaker that balances comfort and stability – and doesn’t mind standing out – the Vomero Plus is a strong choice. If you loved the Invincible but want a slightly firmer feel, this is your shoe.