It´s been about 15 months since I used Raidlight trail running shoes for the first time. I have to admit that I had no idea what I was getting into, but as always, I wanted to experience for myself.

Therefore, I think it is a good moment to generate this review, which aims to provide some personal impressions and technical details after a good number of kilometers, in addition to the general features that can be easily found in internet or at the retailer.

Introduction

In recent months I have used three different models:

• Raidlight Revolutiv
• Raidlight Responsiv Dynamic
• Raidlight Responsiv Ultra

When it comes to shoes, however, it is very important to give more information about the person wearing them. Therefore, for the analysis and the impressions in the following paragraphs take into account that in these months:

• My weight fluctuated between 68 and 70 Kg;
• My shoe size is EU43, UK9, US10;
• My motion control is neutral;
• Usually I wore Thyo socks;
• Usually I wore anklets;

Moreover, please consider that I have been practicing Trail-Running for about 10 years: My Trail Running Experience – Emigrantrailer | EmigranTrailer

Raidlight Revolutiv

I started using them in summer 2019, I did about 800 km with 25.000 meters of elevation gain and loss and I have already the second pair of shoes aside. This can be a good clue to understand that my judgement is positive.

I used them mainly for trail footpaths in Germany, without special technical difficulties along the routes. However, I also tested them in Alpine conditions in Italy. Moreover, in 2019, I used them for three Trail-Running competitions with relative short distances (between 20 & 35 km):

• In Belgium: Trail Running-Trail des Fantomes (BE) | EmigranTrailer
• In France: Emigrantrailer: Trail Running in France, Haut Koenigsburg, Alsace | EmigranTrailer
• In Italy: Emigrantrailer: Trail Running in Italy, Monte Casto, Piedmont | EmigranTrailer

In general, you can find all the features on internet or at the dealer: RaidLight | Vêtements et accessoires de Trail Running | Homme et Femme – Raidlight

Here I just leave you my personal impressions.

A lot are positives.

As promoted by Raidlight I can confirm that it is a very reactive shoe. I particularly like the traction when running uphill.

The drop is 6 mm, which is the same for the other models and which fits with my running style.

The weight is about 300 grams, which is fine for me because the shoes has proved very resistant in these months. So, I think a fair balance between weight and resistance.

The Speed Lace Closure System offers a strong lacing system for quick adjustment. I had zero issues so far and the system still proves to work well. In particular, I found very comfortable the elastic that allows to fix the laces, avoiding them from getting in the way.

The small integrated sock is useful to give stability to the foot and prevent pebbles or dust from entering the shoe. Plus, the shoe remains very breathable (I’ve never had a blister).

The heel is really very protected.

Despite the kilometers ran, the outsole is still in a decent state. However, after about 700 km, when I stepped on a few pebbles with my forefoot, I felt the impact. I think it is normal and acceptable.

So, only positive impressions?

Well, I was positively surprised with these shoes. The only negative aspect I found on technical and rocky trails. To be more specific, the shoe lacks the necessary protections to resist impact with sharp rocks.

The damage you can see on the front is not due to wear but to a weekend in which I stressed my shoes on rocky alpine trails between 2500 and 3000 meters.

General recommendation

In my opinion, these shoes are perfect for short and medium distance trails (up to 35 km), with just a few sections on rocky terrain or with sharp rocks.

Raidlight Responsiv Dynamic

I have only recently started using them in September 2020. Therefore, I did a limited number of kilometer (about 220 km) and elevation gain and loss (about 6500 meters). However, I think I can already share my impressions, given also the parallel experience with the Revolutiv (see previous paragraph) and Responsiv Ultra (see next paragraph).

So far, I used them for trail footpaths in Germany, without special technical difficulties along the routes. Due to Covid-19 situation, with lack of competitions and limited possibilities for travelling to “my” mountains in Italy, the SoNut in Germany was the only competition where I wore them: SoNUT 2020: 62 km | EmigranTrailer

In general, you can find all the features on internet or at the dealer: Responsiv Dynamic Shoe | Men’s Shoes | RaidLight – RaidLight

Here I just leave you my personal impressions.

Compared to the Revolutiv, my positive enthusiasm is somehow here limited.

So far, I have not yet found a good feeling as expected. Specifically, I cannot clearly state that they are responsive or reactive like the Revolutiv. It is not a definitive judgment and I will evaluate in the coming months.

Compared to the Revolutiv, there are similar features, like the drop, which is 6 mm and normally fits with my running style.

The weight is slightly lower (293 grams) and the shoe is comfortable to wear. No discussion about it.

The shoe laces system does not fully satisfy me. They are standard laces and there is no elastic to fix the laces, differently from the two other models. On the other hand, the shoes offer an anatomical shaped tongue at the top, with the possibility to place the laces below. Well, this feature is nice but sometimes, the laces positioned underneath create a protrusion that touches the front of the ankle. This is annoying.

There is not a small integrated sock, but the shoe has indeed a good stability. So far, I cannot state that the shoe remains very breathable because I already had blisters in two different occasions.

The heel is really very protected and the outsole seems to perform well: after more than 200 km there is no sign of wear.

I have not yet used them in very technical or rocky terrain. The impression is that they perform similarly to the Revolutiv.

General recommendation

In my opinion, these shoes are good for medium distance trails (up to 50 km), with just a few sections on rocky terrain or with sharp rocks.

Raidlight Responsiv Ultra

I have mainly used them in Summer 2020.  Specifically, I chose these shoes for my running project along the Rheinsteig in Germany: Rheinsteig with Peppa Pig in five stages | EmigranTrailer.

At the moment, I have collected about 400 km with an elevation gain and loss of about 13000 meters.

In general, you can find all the features on internet or at the dealer: Collections – Raidlight

Here I just leave you my personal impressions.

Overall, I am satisfied with these shoes: they do what it is expected to do.

In particular, they are really comfort to wear. I had no issue to use them for more than 8 hours in long trails and with very hot conditions in some days.  I can confirm that they are very breathable and that their shape provides a good rolling motion to reduce stress at the foot.

The drop is still 6 mm and there are 292 grams per shoe, which makes them the lightest among the tested models.  

The shoe lace system is a mix of the previous two. Namely, the shoes have standard laces but they also have the elastic in order to fix them while running. As said, I found this feature very useful.

There is not a small integrated sock, but the shoe provides good stability to the feet. However, the absence of the integrated sock prevents to protect against the entry of pebbles and dust. So, it happened that after many hours on the trail I had to stop to remove the residues from the inside of the shoe.

The heel is very protected as for the other models and this one seems to have more robustness on each side to face rocky or more technical terrain.

The outsole seems to perform well but I noticed a faster wear in the central part. However, in general, the status is still quite good after almost 400 km.  

General recommendation

In my opinion, these shoes are not the most reactive but they are indeed super-comfortable and thus very good for long distance trails (more than 50 km) and multi-day trails.

Summary table and additional information

The following table summarizes the main impressions about these three models of Trail Running shoes by Raidlight. Please use the link in case you want to have a better reading: Summary-Table-Raidlight-Shoes-by-Emigrantrailer.png (1862×864).

If you want more information or technical details related to this review, please do not hesitate to ask or comment below.

Last but not least, I hereby confirm that I have no personal or professional connections with Raidlight. Everything I wrote, it is based on a transparent feedback of my experience, without any prejudices for or against.

Other tips on trail-running material & equipment are available here: Material & Equipment | EmigranTrailer

Enjoy Trail-Running!

Andrea De Filippo