Salomon’s carbon-plated racer, the S/lab Illusion 2 (to not be confused with the Illusion 2, which has a fibreglass plate) is an replace to the S/lab Illusion CF, launched in 2022. It has rather a lot to advocate it–significantly for runners with lengthy, slender toes who’ve hassle discovering a plated racer they’ll lock down completely. And at a mere 210 grams, it’s additionally one of many lightest carbon-plated racing sneakers available on the market.
Shoe specs
Class: Impartial cushioning
Unisex: 210 g (7.4 oz.)
Offset/drop: 9 mm
Stack peak: 37 mm
$340
The higher
The S/lab Illusion 2’s higher is manufactured from a really mild and breathable, but sturdy, mesh. It has a standard lacing system, with a delicate and stretchy polyester tongue that wraps very comfortably across the high of the foot. There’s a respectable quantity of padding inside and slightly below the very skinny, mild and unobtrusive collar.
The match is lengthy and slender, and can attraction most strongly to runners who reply that description; that is enhanced by the overlays on the facet of the shoe, which narrow-footed runners will discover supportive (however which others could discover a bit restrictive).
The midsole
This can be a very responsive shoe that turns into extra snug with every use, and will require some breaking in; our tester discovered the midsole a little bit stiff at first, however might see the cushioning changing into softer and extra forgiving with repeated use.
It has a surprisingly excessive heel-to-toe offset/drop for a racing shoe; most are 4 mm or 6 mm. This makes the shoe a little bit extra democratic, and acceptable for extra informal runners who wish to see how briskly they’ll go in a 5K, 10K or half-marathon; nevertheless it might take a little bit of getting used to for midfoot and forefoot strikers who’re accustomed to sneakers with a decrease drop.
The outsole
The S/lab Illusion 2 has the Salomon Contragrip outsole below the entire entrance half of the shoe, with a skinny layer of clean rubber on the again to guard the midsole. This offers you extra management on toe-off, and it gained’t allow you to down on moist roads, or on the monitor. It’s very grippy–the most effective we’ve tried, when it comes to carbon sneakers (that are sometimes comparatively clean on the underside, since rubber provides weight).
The decision
That is doubtlessly a sensible choice for racing 5Ks and 10Ks, or for a runner searching for an all-purpose speedwork shoe; it’s going to attraction to runners with slender toes, heel strikers and people who don’t thoughts a efficiency shoe with a comparatively excessive drop. As soon as damaged in, it might even be a sensible choice for the half-marathon or marathon.
