descente innovative thermal running shoes fashion or professional
Preface
In 1935, the predecessor of Descente was established in Japan. The brand name Descente originated from the elastic pants for skiing developed and produced by the company in 1957. This product achieved unprecedented success in retail at that time, so much so that Descente later became the symbol of the entire company, representing quality, innovation, and practicality. Over the past 83 years, Descente's high-performance sports equipment has achieved great success in various sports fields. In the field of ice and snow equipment, Descente has always led the technological innovation and fashion trends of the industry. In Olympic sports, Descente's glorious history is also worth commemorating.
In 2016, Anta Sports announced the establishment of a joint venture with Descente to exclusively operate and engage in the design, sales, and distribution of all categories of products with the 'Descente' trademark in China (excluding Hong Kong and Macau).
In the field of running shoes, Descente has also launched its own brand of running shoes. This article introduces the Descente innovative temperature-regulating running shoes BLAZE lite.
DESCENTE Descente Innovative Temperature-Regulating Running Shoes BLAZE LITE Product Information
Series: Running Series
Positioning: Sports Lifestyle Series Lightweight Running Shoes
Weight: Approximately 252 grams (size 43 as an example)
Midsole Drop: 10mm
Upper Material: Synthetic Leather • Fabric • 37.5®
Sole Structure: Rubber + EVAInsole: OrthoLite®
Price: 1290 RMB
Color Options: Black, White, Green (all unisex)
This article is a review of the white version provided by Codoon.
1.Unboxing
Descente, in French, means 'downhill skiing'. The three-arrow logo represents three basic skiing techniques: gliding, weaving, and sliding. This logo also reflects Descente's continuous pursuit of ultimate products and focus on the future.
The appearance of a Korean manual was surprising, but in fact, Descente's market in Korea is very large, so it is not surprising.
The tag card of the Descente innovative temperature-regulating running shoes shows the OrthoLite insole and 37.5-degree patented technology.The important reason for the temperature-regulating running shoes is the use of 37.5 technology patents.
2.Running Shoe Details
My first impression was that these shoes are very light, the cushioning midsole is not thick, and there are no various hard TPU protective materials. The shoes are very soft, much like a pair of racing running shoes. From the appearance design, the shoes are quite beautiful, with a few green accents that are just right.
The single shoe (size 43) weighs about 251g, which is typical for lightweight racing running shoes under 300g.
The entire shoe adopts a one-piece woven double-layer upper, with large eyelet hollow designs on the outer layer and fine mesh fabric on the inner layer. The double-layer design achieves a balance between warmth and breathability.
The inner layer of the shoe is made of fine mesh fabric, which feels smooth and cool like silk, possibly due to the 37.5 technology material.
The internal stitching is fairly well-crafted.
The tongue is made of a layer of leather material, which can bring comfort to the instep, but during actual running, there was a situation where the tongue rubbed against the ankle (for specific rubbing conditions, please see below).
The integrated tongue and shoe body greatly improve the fit and wrapping, making running safer and more stable.
The shoe last is relatively narrow, possibly because it is a unisex design, so the shoe last is not wide enough. Runners with large feet should try it more.
The anti-collision toe cap has support material inside, propping up the entire upper.
There is a hard plastic strip on the inside of the heel, and a reflective strip on the outside, enhancing the wrapping, stability, and safety of the ankle.
These shoes do not have any special midsole cushioning technology, just the common EVA cushioning midsole.
The outsole is directly embedded with some wear-resistant rubber on the EVA midsole, with a guiding line running from the forefoot to the heel.
The 'SHOCK ABSORBER' in the midfoot area means shock absorption, relying only on the EVA midsole, with no other features.
The dynamic performance of the cushioning midsole shows that EVA cushioning is not as good as high-tech cushioning, performing average.
The OrthoLite® insole is one of the most famous products, used in many running shoes.
The insole also says 'HEEL TO TOE DROP/10mm', which means a 10mm difference between the forefoot and heel.
3.Wear Test
I wore these shoes to run the Linfen Marathon, taking 3 hours and 37 minutes, achieving a PB. During the run, I did not feel any discomfort from the shoes, possibly because I was focused on running.
Achieving a PB requires thanking these running shoes.
However, when I took off my socks to rest, I found two blisters on my ankles (one on each foot), which was the first time in many years of running that I had blisters in this position, very surprising.
After analysis, it was caused by the tongue. The leather material of the tongue did not cover the entire tongue, leaving a softer suede at the very front. The suede is easy to bend, while the leather is not, so the leather here may rub against the ankle (this is also a process of breaking in, and it may not happen after running a few more times).
The wear condition after a full marathon shows that the outsole's wear resistance is average.
4.Black Technology
37.5 is a patented technology, and we can find relevant information on its official website:
What is 37.5?
37.5 technology is a dynamic temperature regulation technology that can trigger humidity.
Why is it called 37.5® technology?
Interesting that you ask. It is not a fictional name like Google. It is called 37.5 technology because it helps keep your body at the ideal core temperature of 37.5 degrees Celsius and helps maintain the microclimate next to your skin at the ideal relative humidity of 37.5%.
How does it work?
37.5 technology triggers humidity. Humidity measures whether you are hot or cold. When you are hot, the active particles embedded in the material use your body's energy to remove moisture and cool you down. When you are cold, the active particles retain your body's energy to warm you up.
But does it really work?
The patented 37.5 technology uses active particles made from volcanic sand and activated carbon from coconut shells with billions of micropores, greatly increasing the surface area of the material. These particles also absorb infrared (IR) light from the spectrum emitted by the human body, and this light becomes the energy that drives the particles. If there is no moisture (sweat vapor) present, meaning you are cool, the particles retain this energy to warm you up. If moisture (sweat vapor) is present, meaning you are hot, the particles use this energy to expel moisture from the clothing system. Without these active particles, water has no reason to leave the microclimate until the relative humidity is far above comfort. Want more? 37.5 active particles also capture odor molecules and then release them during washing and drying. Speaking of washing, because the active particles are permanently embedded in the fibers, they will last the lifetime of the garment.
Is this a real technology or just a 'marketing story'?
37.5 technology was invented by Dr. Gregory Haggquist, a Ph.D. in photophysics. Dr. Haggquist loves testing materials. In fact, he loves it so much that he invented two important testing methods adopted by AATCC, which are now widely used worldwide to measure the drying speed of fabrics (AATCC 200 and 201).
Although he loves laboratory testing, Dr. Haggquist believes that human testing is the best way to study the interaction between fabrics and the human body. In human trials, 37.5 technology has been proven to improve athlete performance by reducing the rise in core temperature during activity, such as wearing a cooling vest circulating cold water. This data can be found in the peer-reviewed article 'Beneficial Effects of Cooling in Constant Power Non-Steady-State Cycling' published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine in January 2017.
It has also been proven to extend comfort at the onset of sweating by removing moisture in the vapor stage before liquid sweat forms. Human tests collected by the Munich Internal Climate Laboratory support this claim.
PS: Generated by Google Translate.
This is my test with a body temperature gun on shoes exposed to the sun. The temperature was high that day, with the ground temperature close to 50 degrees. The temperature of the black leather tongue had reached 50 degrees, while the temperature of the upper remained around 37 degrees.
For comparison, I tested another pair of white shoes. The temperature was not high that day, with the ground temperature at 40 degrees, but the temperatures of both pairs of shoes were the same.
So I feel that the application of 37.5 technology on shoes cannot show its actual effect, somewhat overkill, and the high price of these running shoes, which is over a thousand yuan, is likely due to this black technology, which feels somewhat unworthy.
5. Summary
From the perspective of appearance design, DESCENTE Descente Innovative Temperature-Regulating Running Shoes BLAZE LITE inherits the brand characteristics of Descente, being beautiful and fashionable, which can be said to be excellent. However, from a professional running perspective, in terms of cushioning, support, and protection, it does not perform well and is not suitable for most runners. From the perspective of its promotion as temperature-regulating running shoes, I think it is indeed a marketing story.