ASICS Gel Resolution 8 review

We are convinced that it's hard to go wrong with the ASICS Gel Resolution 8 if you're after the following:

• an exceptionally durable shoe for aggressive movers
• a very cushy and responsive midsole
• a shoe with enhanced durability and a 6-month outsole guarantee

It's hard to go wrong with the ASICS Gel Resolution 8 given its numerous benefits. However, we found that this shoe has a blind spot when it comes to rearfoot stability. And its softer-than-average cushioning makes matters worse.

That's why we think that people with severe pronation issues would feel more stable in a shoe like the Resolution 9 or the Adidas Barricade 13.

Having such a reinforced upper, we didn't expect much ventilation from the Resolution 8. And yet...

We were amazed to feel the cool air touch our toes throughout the playtest. It was primarily through the mesh pores in the tongue and toebox that helped this ASICS shoe breathe so well.

Filling the shoe's upper with smoke back in our lab, we observed a pretty quick streak coming out of the Resolution 8. Compared to how other tennis shoes performed in the same test, this was enough to convince us to rate the shoe's breathability as 4 out of 5. Nearly the highest score!

You can see the most breathable areas of the shoe's upper in our transparency test above. It may look sturdy but it's got impressively porous parts where they are most needed.

A closer look at the toebox through our microscope helps to unveil the secret of this ASICS shoe. Beneath the wear-resistant PU layer, we can see the chainlinks that are loose enough to keep the air flowing

The upper of the Resolution 8 looks untouchable and proves to be exactly that way. Setting our Dremel to a 5K RPM speed, we hold its sandpaper tip against the shoe's toebox for 12 seconds. For consistency, we always apply the same pressure (3.2N) and touch the same spot on all tennis shoes.

The result was stunning as the Dremel didn't even eat through a single tread! Historically, the ASICS Gel Resolutions have lasted us longer than other tennis shoes, and the 8th edition appears to be no different!

On a 1-5 scale, where 5 is the highest possible level of abrasion resistance in tennis shoes, we confidently rated this shoe's toebox durability as 5.

In addition, our faith is just as strong in the shoe's toe drag guards. Both around the toes and on the highly abrasive inner side.

Even such a delicate part as the shoe's inner lining proves to be exceptionally hard-wearing in the ASICS Resolution 8. Drilling it for 4 seconds at a 5K RPM speed barely messed up the cosmetics of it while leaving serious tears in other tennis shoes we've tested.

Such ability to withstand our abusive Dremel earned the shoe's heel padding durability a solid 5 out of 5!

But wait, it gets even better in the outsole!

The moment we see AHAR on the rubber, we know that it's going to be an unbeatable shoe. To begin with, we measured the hardness of this compound with our durometer. With a reading of 86.0 HC, it happens to be just as firm as the average tennis shoe. And that is a good start for abrasion resistance.

Now it was time to go all out on the shoe's outsole with our Dremel. With the speed set to the relentless 10K RPM, we drilled one spot on the shoe's rubber outsole for 22 seconds.

Looking at the so-called "damage," it seemed like we only brushed the dust off the shoe! Our tread gauge showed that the dent was a mere 0.2 mm deep. Can you even imagine depth like that?

The wear resistance of the AHAR rubber is truly astonishing!

As if the test results above weren't convincing enough, we also used a caliper to measure the shoe's rubber thickness. With a reading of 4.6 mm, the Resolution 8 beat nearly all tennis shoes in our lab! That's a whole lot of rubber to wear through before it gives up!

What's more this ASICS shoe comes with a mind-easing outsole durability guarantee for 6 months!

Keeping in mind that the ASICS Gel Resolution 9 is a stability-oriented tennis shoe, it didn't feel like a drag on foot at all!

Putting the shoe on our scale in a men's US size 9, we got 13.8 oz (392g). That's about an ounce heavier than the average but is consistent with the other Resolutions (i.e. the Resolution 9).

What we've come to expect from an ASICS Resolution shoe is a generous amount of cushioning and impact protection.

With a heel stack of 29.2 mm, the Resolution 8 offers a sufficient amount of foam for a tennis shoe. No matter how hard we landed back from serve shots or how aggressively we moved around the court, the shoe's midsole was always there for us.

The shoe's cushioning proved to be just as adequate under the balls of our feet. With a stack height of 20.5 mm in the forefoot, the Resolution 8 made standing on our toes a breeze.

This tennis shoe from ASICS manages to combine ample cushioning with a sense of grounded control. In our opinion, this balance is partically achieved by a moderate heel-to-toe drop of 8.7 mm.

It never felt like our heels were too high off the ground and yet the cushioning was there when we needed it.

Experiencing the brand's FlyteFoam in a tennis shoe is a real blessing! Familiar with its energy-returning properties from running shoes, we couldn't get enough of the softness and bounciness that came with it.

Every step felt like like walking on a cushion, while still allowing us the close-to-floor feel.

Using a durometer, we measured the shoe's foam softness at 21.5 HA. That's a whopping 40% softer than the average tennis shoe midsole!

On top of the FlyteFoam goodness, ASICS also added a 5.5 mm insole. Combined, they create an amazingly cozy underfoot experience.

Stability has always been the Resolution's highest priority but we found it slightly lacking in the 8th edition. It is quite supportive in the midfoot but the plush cushioning and lack of structure in the heel counter left us wishing for more.

The shoe's primary stability feature is, of course, the Dynawall. It is a stiff TPU shank that wraps around the midfoot and creates tall walls on the sides. It is the biggest contributor to this ASICS shoe's stiffness.

In our manual test, we assessed the Resolution 8's torsional rigidity with nearly the highest score - 4 out of 5! If you have mild-to-moderate overpronation, this ASICS shoe will help to minimize or even eliminate your ankle rolls. But in more severe cases, we recommend looking into the Resolution 9 or the Adidas Barricade 13.

Checking out the shoe's heel counter stiffness, we found it to be more forgiving than the average tennis shoe. And particularly more pliable than a stability tennis shoe.

On a scale from 1 to 5, where 5 is the stiffest, we rated the heel counter with a moderate score of 3.

Looking at the bottom of the ASICS Gel Resolution 8, we can see no pronounced outriggers as in some other tennis shoes (hello, K-Swiss Hypercourt Supreme!). In the widest part, our caliper measured 109.3 mm.

But the shoe compensates by widening the midfoot part of its platform. And that actually works! The base felt stable for our explosive launches.

Measuring the widest part of the heel, our caliper showed 85.5 mm. Even though that's slightly narrower than average, we didn't find it problematic as the Resolution 8 kept us on our toes brilliantly.

Despite the presence of a substantial Dynawall shank, we felt like it was relatively easy to bend our feet in the Resolution 8.

Using a force gauge, we measured that it takes 26.2N to bend this ASICS shoe to a 90-degree angle. That's 15% less than it takes a tennis shoe on average. We believe that ASICS hit a perfect balance between foot freedom and a bit of propulsive stiffness in the Resolution 8.

The ASICS Gel Resolution 8 walks a fine line between grip and give. Not too tacky, the rubber allowed us to slide, pivot, and make quick direction changes effortlessly.

At the same time, the shoe's tread pattern took really good care of forceful lateral stops and never allowed us to slip when taking off for a shot.

Combined with the rubber's phenomenal wear resistance, we believe that it is ideal for aggressive movers.

The best way to describe the fit of this ASICS tennis shoe is a true medium width.

Measuring the widest part of the shoe's toebox with a caliper, we got 98.3 mm. That's right on par with most tennis shoes we've measured.

There is also no aggressive tapering around the toes and we have zero complaints about toe pinching or squishing. Our caliper showed 76.6 mm of toebox width at the big toe mark.

Overall, we found the shoe's fit to be familiar with the previous Resolutions. But do expect a bit of a break-in period due to the shoe's PU upper. As you can see from the video below, there is ZERO stretch in the toebox.

The Resolution 8 offers some of the most secure foot containments we've experienced in tennis shoes. This is thanks to the shoe's semi-attached tongue which works as part of the Dynawrap setup.

Two elastic straps wrap around the instep closer to the forefoot. Experiencing this feature made us realize how much support is often overlooked in this part of tennis shoes. Working together with the laces, the Dynawrap allowed us to cinch up the shoe securely around the foot.

It's pretty amazing how ASICS managed to make the interiors of the Resolution 8 so cozy without flooding it with padding. Based on our caliper, the shoe's tongue padding is only 5.0 mm thick.

There are no heel tabs to hold on to when putting the shoe on. And none on the tongue either. So, putting the shoe on takes a bit of effort.

The shoe's standard insole is easily removable. It can be swapped for an aftermarket one of your choice.