Kailas Fuga Pro 4

If I tell you that I am going to introduce you to a shoe that is manufactured in China by an Asian brand called Kailas gear, most of you would wrinkle your nose because you have no idea what brand we are talking about. If I tell you that it's a Kailas shoe called Fuga Pro 4 Power Grip... ummmm... maybe some of you will know the name Fuga and you will know what model I'm talking about; but to be honest, for most of you it's still a brand and a model quite unknown, and that's normal. But I assure you that it is not a brand just out of the oven and in Asia is possibly the most powerful business group in terms of outdoor equipment, having among its main partners Vibram, Gore-tex, Primaloft, Cordura, Thinsulate or Dyneema among others. Why these companies if you have them registered as top in its segment?

Well, as that one said ....To continue reading, "open your mind".

Today I am going to present you the Kailas Fuga Pro 4 Power Grip.

First impressions Kailas Fuga Pro 4 Power Grip

My first surprise is as soon as I take the box where the Kailas Power Grip Fuga Pro 4 Kailas: the cardboard with which the box has been made is very thick and resistant and that means that the brand does not want to spare resources and from the first moment wants to make a good impression. I know that a hard cardboard box does not mean that what's inside is good, but it is appreciated and more with the current price of the shoes.

Two other surprises when opening the box is that it comes with a bag to carry the shoes as a gift and that the element that normally bring the shoes in the toe and is usually made of paper or cardboard in this case is plastic!!!! I had never seen this before

As I said, these details do not improve the performance of the shoe, but it is appreciated and denotes an interest of the brand to please from minute zero.

When I had the Fuga Pro 4 in my hands for the first time, I have to admit that they were not a very positive sensation. They felt light and I saw many interesting details, but with a somewhat rough feel, especially when touching the midsole foam (you know I have an obsession for this part of the shoes). I found it to be a somewhat stiff material with little adaptability over somewhat uneven terrain. It also gave me the sensation of being a somewhat hard material. But all these sensations change when you put your feet in. In my case, once on, they fit like a glove and did not seem hard at all, and I promise you that I am quite delicate and like the princesses in children's stories, I notice and everything bothers me.

I think the reasons why they feel so comfortable once on are the last design (heel and midfoot support with sufficient width in the forefoot area) with a bi-density EVA foam (40 Shore A foam that is in contact with the support of the foot and another foam of about 55 Shore A around and below that provides great stability) developed by Kailas and called ECCEVAI. It has been manufactured with recycled materials for maximum lightness. If we add to this the Vibram Megagrip outsole in its lightest version, the Litebase, we get a fairly light shoe with a weight in size 42 of 265 gr. and 214 gr. in size 38. And that is a shoe with a fairly generous profiles to be a lightweight racing shoe: 32 mm-24mm.

The strengths of the Kailas Power Grip Fuga Pro 4: Why choose this model?

If I had to sum up in one word what I got from this shoe, it would be: versatility. I would rate it very highly in all the parameters we can measure: weight, durability, comfort and even (although less so) in protection. There are not many quality racing/training shoes on the market that are as "rounded" as the Kailas Power Grip Fuga Pro 4.

Thanks to the size of the sole (11 7 cm-8.5 cm), it is a shoe with a large support base offering a lot of stability underfoot.

The Vibram Megagrip outsole in its Litebase version not only offers added safety on wet or slippery terrain, but also reduces the final weight of the shoe and extends its durability. If we add to this compound an asymmetric lug distribution and a well thought-out design (with a depth of 4mm, which is not bad at all), it makes it one of the soles I like the most.

Another of its strong points for me is the amount of "little details" that comes with it, such as the incorporation of anchors to be able to add gaiters. Something that we have seen in other shoes, but I do not remember a model as versatile as these Fuga Pro 4.

But not only this detail, also brings a system of adjustment in the eyelet of two sections, called Kailas AWS 3.0 (Adjust Whole Sole), ideal if you have what I call a triangular foot: a narrow heel with a very wide forefoot. These feet are the most difficult to fit because if you find a wide and comfortable shoes in the toe area, usually the heel usually has little support and on the contrary if the heel we find a shoe that offers support and security, we usually find it uncomfortable in the toe area.

I had tried this system in some models, but I had not seen it for a long time, it comes to mind a shoe of the brand Lafuma, Trail Speed that I always show them in my talks because it seems to me an ingenious system and that brings a lot to a group of runners who need to differentiate much the adjustments of heel and forefoot or who like a plus of support in the area of the toes in the descents. Another plus point for Kailas.

Associated with this support design, we also have a detail that I love, which is the lace pocket....For many a minor detail, but only until one day the laces get tangled in a root and you hit the ground....From that day, I look where to hide the laces!!!!

Opportunities for improvement in the Kailas Fuga Pro 3

Before giving my opinion on what are the points that Kailas should focus on to improve these Fuga Pro 4, I wastalking to two colleagues who already had on their feet this same model and the truth is that we agree on almost everything.

I think the weakest point of this shoe is the flex zones in the front part of the upper. The upper is basically assembled by the combination of two materials: a polyamide mesh, located in the dorsal area of the toes and on the sides of the eyelet, with TPU thermosealed reinforcements in the toe, low sides and as lateral reinforcements also from the eyelet to the midsole. Well, the mesh area located in the toe flex area gives the feeling that it will be an area of clear material fatigue.

I would have liked a design with more toe rocker, although it is a shoe that performs very well at fast paces in technical terrain; in flat areas, with more rocker it would allow to get one more gear if the runner has it, although I have to recognize that Kailas has made the most with the 32-24 profile that the Fuga Pro 4 has, since in the toe the midsole stays at zero. A design with a higher profile would be necessary and that would mean increasing the final weight of the shoe, etc..... and that would be another trail shoe.

On the other hand, a colleague told me that the TPU material around the toes to protect us from rocks, roots... seems insufficient. Personally I think that, although it is narrow, it fulfills its function perfectly and adding more material in that area would increase the weight and stiffness.

Lastly in this section, I have my doubts with the adjustment system by quick release with two blockers and if over time they will stop doing its function correctly, but I have to say that in the kilometers that I have done with these shoes I did not have that feeling. It worked very well.

You should buy these Kailas Fuga Pro 4 if....

If you're looking for a versatile trail running shoe, your workouts run over varied terrain, you don't like to feel the weight of the shoe, you like to push yourself at medium to high paces on your outings and you're not afraid to try new things .... The Kailas Power Grip Fuga Pro 4 are a serious candidate for you.

You should NOT buy these Kailas Fuga Pro 4 if you...

As I always say, we should be very honest with ourselves and be as realistic as possible so that we don't make a mistake when choosing a shoe.

If what we like to do is going out in the mountains to enjoy nature at easy paces, we feel more comfortable wearing shoes with a lot of protection and cushioning or our usual running terrain is very unstable with roots and loose rocks, I think I would not choose this model of Kailas shoe.

Comparison of Kailas Fuga pro 4 versus other models on the market.

What are the final notes on these Kailas Power Grip Fuga Pro 4?

The Kailas Power GripFuga Pro 4 seem to me to be ideal shoes if you are looking for a very versatile, lightweight, surprisingly comfortable shoe that you want to use for both competition and quality training.

On the other hand, they would be ideal if you are a light runner (-75 kg), with good technique, your preferred distances are short or medium and without fear of the type of terrain you are going to conquer, as Fuga Pro 4 are designed for almost all surfaces that you can find in the mountains.

As usual, this can be stretched depending on your physical conditions: the more technical and lighter you are, the longer distances you will be able to run, because as I say, the bi-density midsole foam is extremely comfortable for a lightweight shoe. In my case, I'm about 85 kilos and my technique would be intermediate, they have allowed me to run distances under 20 kilometers in very greasy and unstable terrain without any problem.