Asics Metaspeed Edge Paris vs On Cloudboom Strike:
Which to Choose

Start with the specs that are nearly identical: both sit at a 39.5 mm heel stack — right at the legal racing ceiling — and both run a low, forefoot-friendly drop (5 mm for the Edge Paris, 4 mm for the Strike), a one-millimeter gap you will not feel. Both are neutral shoes with deliberately low stability, both pair a full-length carbon plate with a resilient PEBA foam, and both go flat and lifeless if you jog them slowly. The clearest real difference is weight: the Metaspeed Edge Paris is one of the lightest super shoes made, at 185g for a men's size 9, while the Cloudboom Strike is noticeably more substantial at roughly 215g in the same size (On's measured 221g at a US 10.5). That ~30g gap is meaningful in a race shoe and shows up as a lighter, quicker, more nimble feel underfoot on the Asics. The ride characters diverge too. The Edge Paris uses FF Turbo Plus PEBA tuned firm and connected — it rewards a strong, even-paced "strength" runner holding a steady rhythm, and its sweet spot is squarely the marathon. The Cloudboom Strike's Helion HF foam is a touch plusher and bouncier underfoot with a pronounced forward rocker, and it's the more versatile of the two: it works from the 10K up through the marathon, with the half marathon as its true sweet spot. Both have tall, narrow race platforms that feel a little tippy at easy speeds and settle once you commit to pace, and both ride on thin, limited-durability racing outsoles you'll want to reserve for key sessions and race day.