From all those high cushioning shoes, the Wave Sky 8 is one of the most versatile and fastest. For me it loses only to the Invincible 3 in max speed and equals to the MagMax Nitro from Puma. And totally destroy , in speed and versatility, skies like the Gel-Nimbus 26 , Triumph 22 or 1080 v14. These are all high cushioning shoes for low speed runs only. I do agree that the Sky 8 is not as soft as a More v5 or a Gel-Nimbus. I think the Wave Sky 8 works in a rotation for those, like myself, that loves high cushioning shoes for daily trainers. Can use a Nimbus for easy days , a MagMax for long runs and like the Sky 8 as a luxurious Pegasus Plus or a Velocity Nitro 3 for faster days. The Sky 8 can be a bit unstable at higher speed, but the bounce from the heel with the combination of a firner and also bounce forefoot makes this high cushioning shoes very different from most that are available on the market.