ASICS Skyhand OG review

The 90's vibe of the ASICS Skyhand OG is made just for you if:

•  You want a versatile pair of trainers with great breathability to rock when it's hot, and with solid traction to keep rolling when it's raining.
• You're looking for a mix-and-match expert with a pretty durable structure that can deal with you wearing it day and night.
• You've been dreaming of a comfortable, retro icon that doesn't sacrifice flexibility and lightness to be cushy.

Please, forget about this ASICS pair if you have wide feet! Its tight fit and snug structure might just be too constricting and ruin the experience for you. If you want that retro, sporty vibe and you're all about the Japanese brand, you can check its GT 2160 out. Then, if you're okay with changing brands but not with changing a stylish leather upper, the adidas Campus 00S might be what you're looking for.

We've said it many times in our reviews: the issue with these low-profile, clean trainers is that their groundfeel is too good for them to be cushioned enough so you can wear them from sunrise to sunset. A pair of walking shoes might be the perfect alternative if you'd qualify as a restless wanderer!

We didn't expect much impact protection from a former handball player, as groundfeel is crucial for the quick and precise moves of said sport. Our machine proved us right, as this ASICS scored only 71 SA in our shock absorption test.

With a lower-than-average energy return of 45.2%, the Skyhand OG doesn't really care about bounce, as this result proves its focus on stability.

Showing off its handball heritage once again, this pair has a low profile of 21.8 mm, which clearly sets it apart from the trendy chunky trainers that we see everywhere nowadays. What a breath of fresh air from ASICS!

And the forefoot wasn't going to swim against the current! Our durometer returned only 14.6 mm, which translated into our ball of the foot being pretty close to the ground during our wear tests.

According to our calliper and following our maths, this shoe's drop is 7.2 mm. Even though it's not that close to the average, it's definitely not low enough for your feet to have to get used to it or for your muscles to have to adapt to a more aggressive ride.

On its official website, ASICS states that the Skyhand OG's EVA cushioning offers a soft underfoot feel. As we're not the ones who would blindly trust what brands say, our durometer jumped into action. When we pressed it against the foam, it returned 49.2 AC, which is definitely not hard, but... yeah, we wouldn't call it soft either. If that's what you're looking for, here you have some trainers with balanced midsole softness.

With a solid and firm secondary foam that scored a higher 56.9 AC in our durometer, this shoe made sure we felt surefooted and confident throughout our wear tests.

Dedicated handball shoes are designed to have a snug fit in order to maximise performance. During our wear tests, our feet did feel slightly cramped in this ASICS, but our gel test has the very last word.

Once it went from liquid to solid thanks to our freezer, we got a green replica of the Skyhand OG's inner space. And, unfortunately, our calliper had no other option but to agree with our feet. At 88.7 mm, this shoe's widest part is still narrower than average.

And things get even worse at the big toe: this pair tapers quite a lot! Our calliper returned only 63.3 mm, so don't expect any space to comfortably spread your toes.

Luckily, this shoe's toebox offers a standard height of 27.8 mm. It's not like our toes could stretch up and down freely, but after seeing and feeling how snug this ASICS fits... we're not complaining!

Nevertheless, if you need some extra space, please don't expect this shoe's materials to stretch quite a lot... save yourself from painful hotspots with our wide trainers!

With a handball soul that never goes away, the Skyhand OG scored a wonderful 0.64 in our traction test. This means it doesn't fear slippery zones, as it's ready to keep you safe with its efficient grip even if the streets are wet from the rain!

With a big pivot point at the heel and carved-out areas that focus on improving flexibility, this ASICS pair keeps it simple and old-school with its outsole too.

The minimalist vibe of this shoe doesn't only make it stylish, but also incredibly flexible. During our wear tests, we enjoyed how it naturally followed our feet moves, and when we took it to the lab, we finally put these feelings into numbers.

In fact, our machine marked it only needed 7.1N to bend its structure all the way up to 13.2N!

The Skyhand OG's pliable structure isn't the only detail that makes it feel easy and natural on foot. During our wear tests, we almost forgot this shoe was there! At only 10.6 oz/301g, its incredibly lightweight structure never burdened our feet.

Our 3-hour breathability test is no joke, and after walking for hours with this pair on during our wear tests, we wanted to add science-based proof to our experience. With a result of 80 BR, the Skyhand OG proved its expertise at pulling sweat away from the skin.

But there's more! As we analysed this shoe's drying potential (in other words, how much of the sweat located at the foot evaporates) at the same time, we found out the Skyhand OG's breathability wasn't its only summer-ready feature.

Showing off a wonderful result of 53%, this ASICS surpasses its category average by a mile. So, don't worry if you step into a puddle or if when temperatures go up... you go out, because this pair won't stay wet for long.

The retro-classic, low profile of these trainers makes them feel naturally stable. Nevertheless, if you need some real stability, you should definitely have a look at this guide.

As if being longitudinally flexible wasn't enough, this ASICS showed it was torsionally pliable too! In fact, our machine marked only 9.5 Nm, which further verifies what our feet felt during our wear tests: the Skyhand OG comfortably follows each and every move we make.

Adding up to extra points to its overall comfortable structure, this shoe scored only a 2/5 on our heel counter stiffness test. This tells us, once again, that it's not designed to be ultrasupportive, but to make your feet happy and cosy. Who said minimalist designs can't feel relaxing?

Let's get straight to the point: we didn't really feel like we were gonna lose our balance, but the Skyhand OG's midsole width at the forefoot is only 104.0 mm, which makes it way narrower than average. In our opinion, this result is not critical enough to make it a breaking point, but you shouldn't expect a welcoming landing base in every step.

And the heel isn't any different. Our calliper returned 77.2 mm when we measured its width, which also makes it narrower than the standard.

Burn, burn, burn! Our torch wasted no time in letting us know this shoe's leather is fake. The size of that flame leaves no room for doubt!

Even though the Skyhard OG's leather is not authentic, it performed like a real piece of armour in our durability test! Scoring a high 4/5 when our Dremel attacked its toebox, it's definitely ready to last.

Earning a 3/5 on our durability scale, the heel padding of these trainers is not the most hard-wearing out there, but its structure is tough enough to withstand constant use.

This shoe's gum outsole didn't disappoint in our durability test. It lost only 0.9 mm of material, which proves it's armed and ready to be by your side in every adventure!

When we measured the thickness of this ASICS's outsole, our calliper marked 5.3 mm, so it's pretty much average. After checking this material's solid durability, we normally would have said the brand could've reduced this piece's thickness. Nevertheless, as it's a pretty lightweight shoe, so we believe this might be a witty strategy from the brand to make value-for-money lovers give this resistant partner a shot.

A 5.0 mm insole adds some extra comfort underfoot. As it's an average and simple orthotic, we don't have anything else to say about it: neither good nor bad!

This pair will make you shine because it looks incredibly good with so many outfits, but forget about it literally glowing. The Skyhand OG doesn't have a single reflective element!

It's incredibly hard to believe the Skyhand OG is a lightweight shoe, as it doesn't shy away when it comes to padding. At 9.8 mm, its tongue felt incredibly comfortable!

A clean look means no heel tab, and this ASICS retro icon was more than ready to make the sacrifice!

After our seemingly never-ending testing, we can confidently say the Skyhand OG has a fair price. This comfortable pair of trainers is flexible and durable enough for you to enjoy it for days, weeks, months, and even years. Additionally, its retro, classic, sporty style is incredibly trendy right now! And it looks good with so many outfits. To be honest, with how long-lasting its materials have proved to be, the last thing we'd worry about is them not being authentic.