The Kwicky Blade-Light is a lightweight trainer/racing shoe built upon K-Swiss’ Blade-Light sole, which creates a flexible grid that can compress and recoil under the runner’s foot to provide cushioning and perhaps energy return. The medial side of the shoe has a post—a denser section of material under the arch to prevent pronation—because K-Swiss says every runner, no matter how efficient, eventually fatigues during an Ironman marathon and the feet collapse as a result. The post minimizes that collapse, but doesn’t affect runners with a neutral stride when they are fresh, because such a runner rolls past the mid-foot and supports their weight with their forefoot, according to K-Swiss.

The upper is seamless to prevent chafing when running barefoot and is coated with a hydrophobic treatment K-Swiss calls Ion Mask. This treatment waterproofs the individual fibers used in the upper and prevents the shoe from absorbing even a drop of water. We tested this by pouring a bottle of water over it and the coating proved extremely effective. The shoe’s inner liner around the heel, however, still absorbs water. The differences between this upper and a Gore-Tex shoe are breathability and weight. Since Ion Mask treats the fibers instead of creating a barrier water cannot pass through, the shoe is still breathable. K-Swiss found that building a shoe with a Gore-Tex upper adds about an ounce more weight than a shoe with an Ion Masked upper.

Users Who Read This Also Read:

Blade-Light RunChest Tattoos That Drives You CrazyChristian Dior Orange High Heels

Incoming search terms:

• k-swiss kwicky blade light neutral