Review on 🏃 Mizuno Women's Wave Rider 22 Running Shoe: Find Your Perfect Fit and Glide Through Every Run! by Carrie Thal

I've been wearing Mizuno shoes for about 10 years and have several pairs including 3 pairs of Wave Rider 19's. I wear a size 8.5 all the time. I ordered the Wave Rider 22 in 8.5 Medium Black and received it today. Unfortunately he returns on Monday. The shoe is much narrower in the toe box than any Mizuno I've ever owned. The leather around the forefoot is much stiffer and thicker than my other Wave Riders and the fit is more snug than my WR19. This leather at the top never gets soft to the point where it starts to bend. While the difference in lateral fit may be due to the shoe being broken in (WR19), the difference in construction definitely makes the shoe less "forgiving" up front. Also, the heel is a lot looser than my other WRs and no matter how I lace the shoe, it slips off too much. The style has changed, so there is now a large padded heel collar. I'm wondering if this somehow affects how my heel sits in shoes? Not the one you can trust the manufacturer. I weighed the shoes myself. The Wave Rider 19 weighs 8.5 ounces and offers a lightweight feel on foot. The Wave Rider 22 weighs 9.3 ounces and feels the same. The lining (inner sole) is very comfortable and cushioning on both. Conclusion: Too much has changed between the Wave Rider 19 and Wave Rider 22 for me to be worth returning shoes until I find the right fit. Not having a store nearby that sells Mizunos, I regret I will probably stop buying them. It's a shame because they were great shoes. One final note (another reason I don't like these shoes): These Wave Rider 22s came with cheap, slippery laces that are about 6 inches shorter than the laces in the WR 19. I can barely loop with those short laces tie. . Not to mention the double knot! The WR-19 laces were made of a highly textured weave, the WR-22 laces were smooth, almost slippery, so the knot still wouldn't hold. Seriously, please see my Wave Rider 19 (great shoe) photos on the right. Wave Rider 22 (disappointing shoe) on the left. Model 22 looks bigger in the photo, but it's not in reality. Look at the difference in those laces, hooray! !