There is one shoe I have used my entire “career” as my go-to model and that is the Asics Gel Resolution. So here is my Asics Gel Resolution 8 Shoe Review.
The fit of this shoe has always appealed to me and my foot and almost all models have been really good. The only issue I have had was with the 4 or 5 versions where the somewhat low heel-cap made me feel insecure and afraid of stepping out of the shoe.
The Gel Resolution 7 had no such issues and it is the best tennis shoe I have ever used. Good support, cushioning both in the heel and forefoot, good durability and a perfect fit even if I use double socks and Aircast A60 ankle support
. When I heard about the launch of the Gel Resolution 8 I was super excited to get the chance to try them out in advance, thanks to Asics Sweden.
Design
The box arrived to the postal-office and I was like a child at Christmas. Could not wait to open the box and already in my car I held the shoes in my hand. The test-shoe has a cool navy color with large red parts and the Asics logo in white. The first thing you notice is a new form of lacing system with a combination of traditional holes and laces connected to the shoe with textile-straps to make a snugger fit. It works really well, and the foot feels secure.
The upper part of the shoe is in a molded plastic/rubbery material that at first might feel a little bit stiff, but it starts to move and feel comfortable already after half an hour of play. Apart from this, the Gel Resolution 8 requires no break-in whatsoever. It is ready to go out of the box.
Perfect on Hardcourt
The outsole is a new pattern that feels perfect on hardcourt. This all-court pattern will not work well on clay as it has pretty large sections that will not grip the clay enough (but the clay-court version will, of course, do that..) The new pattern feels secure enough but it also has some minor give so you can slide a bit in the corners when you stop after an aggressive sprint. I am absolutely not a hardcourt slider, but I presume those of you who master this technique will absolutely love this shoe (Think Monfils “Sliderman” style) The cushioning works well! It feels much softer than Resolution 7 from what I remember when the 7 was new.
I have just three practice-sessions with this shoe so far and these are just the very first impressions. I have no durability-inputs at all after this short period. No sign of wear. The overall build quality of the shoe is the benchmark and the design is cool. This will again be a best-seller shoe from Asics if the durability is as expected, and with the 6-month outsole warranty, there is no reason to doubt it will perform in this category as well. I don’t have anything I personally would change on this shoe. Well done Asics!
This post is written by Tennisnerd and Swedish Tennis Magazine writer, Henrik Wallensten. Follow his musings on Instagram @henrik.wallensten
8 comments
Does it run the same size a GR7 too?
Yeah! Pretty much so. No major difference
the design doesn’t blow me away
but it looks like a solid, comfortable shoe I was looking forward to in th e2020 season
I will have to check these out when my Gel Challenger 12s need replacement.
I tried the GR7, but the toebox felt too narrow for me in my limited, indoors-only fitment testing. (I returned them.) Maybe I’m not used to the new semi-molded poly uppers that have become the norm in recent years and the shoe would have loosened up. But for $100USD I can’t risk “maybe they’ll get right later”; for me, a bad toebox is at the top of the deal-breaker list of knocks when it comes to shoes. The GC12 felt plenty spacious right off. And I don’t get to play enough lately to need the sole warranty, so I didn’t mind giving that up.
I wonder if the new GR8 lacing (which looks like it enhances lateral rigidity in the upper) allows the lace gap to be closed quite closely?—I have one “skinny” foot and usually have to close the laces a full cm more compared to the other side.
fwiw, I *love* that blue/red colorway. If you are a Tecnifibre player this would be a spiffy shoe to match “team colors.” I just picked up two new TF sticks, so I’m in that group now :-D
Thanks for the early review, Jonas!
Thanks for the review! Been using the GR7 for a while now. My current pair is still in decent condition, but will probably look to change them in the early Spring next year.
Quite like both colour schemes, not sure which one I’d go for, but I like the design of these better than the GR7, looks a bit more sleek and modern in my opinion (which makes sense, they’re more recent after all).
I can imagine durability will be great, as with all the GR models.
Thanks for your first impressions! I can’t wait for your final review/video. The Gel Resolution 7 was one of my favorite shoe but I found it quite stiff, bulky/heavy and had some heel slippage and lacing issues. Hope this new one would fix it. Ventilation wasn’t very good also but I particularly loved the support, stability, comfort and secured feel of the Gel Res 7 and hope finding this again in the new one :-)
I normally have size 40,5 (US 9, UK 7 from New Balance). Which size would you recommend?
I think the best idea is to check the Tennis Warehouse tables where they can convert shoe sizes. I find Asics shoes to be half a size smaller.