The price isn't always right

Bill Bowerman began creating running shoes from a waffle iron back in the 70's. His concept blossomed into a new company called Nike, which prospered in the wake of the new running craze.

The running shoe has evolved steadily and considerably since then. Most cheap running shoes now-a-days are vastly superior to the best running shoes from back then. Features likes support, stability, and cushioning have been well-refined and are found in every shoe.

I have noticed for the last ten years now, that within a line of shoes, there is often little (or no) difference between the cheap shoes and the expensive ones. There is also scientific evidence that bears this conclusion out.

In a recent study, runners were asked to try shoes of varying costs that had the outside features covered up. After trying them out on a tread mill they were asked to guess the price of the shoes. The runners did very poorly at predicting the price of the shoe based on comfort and performance. This would lead one to believe that within a line of shoes you don't get more features for the money. They just look cooler.