Can't decide on Merrell Cruise Control & Overdrive, as well as Vasque Blur and Mercury?

I've been wearing a couple of pairs of Asics trail shoes and a very old Skechers trail shoe for everyday use and for light trail running. I can't find the same models anymore and don't care for the styling of some of the newer ones. So, I've started trying out shoes from both Merrell and Vasque. I only wore the Merrell Cruise Control shoes out a couple of times (not running) and found the footbed to be a bit hard-not painful per se but not an Asics either. I've read reviews from others and haven't heard many complaints. Maybe I'm just too used to Asics? Anyway, I would love to get some input from others who have worn Merrell Cruise Control, Merrell Overdrive, Vasque Velocity, Vasque Blur and Vasque Mercury and could give me their input on some of the pros/cons of each shoe. Part of my problem is that a shoe will feel great on a store's carpet or wood floor, but feel quite differently when worn for an extened period of time.

Can't decide on Merrell Cruise Control %26amp; Overdrive, as well as Vasque Blur and Mercury?
To be completely honest, shoes are a pretty personal thing. You can get some idea of a shoes purpose from the web site/marketing, but until YOU try it on, all the opinions in the world don't really mean anything.





When you try them on, find a pair you think you might like, then walk around the store for 5 or 10 minutes, jump up and down, climb on stuff if they have obstacles there. Places like REI typically have little ramps and things to get a better feel. If the sales people get pushy, tell them to get lost or you'll take your business else where.





The Merrell Cruise Control and Vasque Velocity are both motion control shoes, if you have good foot mechanics, don't buy either of these. If you need the motion control, only look at them.





Merrell Overdrive is a great all round shoe, but not if you have flat feet.





The Vasque Blur has received very positive reviews, but if it doesn't feel good on you, it's of no use.





The Vasque Mercury is a lighter weight, softer shoe. Depending on the trails you run in and how far you run, this may or may not be good.





Some shoe sellers provide good apples to apples comparisons of shoe features. Check these out:


http://www.runningwarehouse.com/


http://www.runnersworld.com/cda/shoelabs...


https://www.runningshoes.com/browse.cfm?...





If you have a dedicated running store near you, visit them and have them help you find a shoe. Some shops have machines that you can run on, they analyze your running style, and can pick the perfect shoe for you.





Another piece of advice, don't limit yourself to Vasque or Merrell, there are lots of companies out there. You also can't limit yourself because of a shoe style, unless you really aren't interested in the running part. If it really is about the running, don't sacrifice comfort for color. Trust me, it's not worth it in the long run.





The only other thing I'll mention, when you find a pair you really like, go buy 2 or 3 pairs. You can rotate through them, or wear one out and go on to the next.



sweating