Dear Mr Shoe Company Exec

Same here - going on 5 or 6 years in them. I just keep looking dumber every time I go in and say "I need 2140s" and they are on to 2150s, or 2160s or what not.

Wait.  WHAT?

But why do they have to change the lasts? If I find a pair that fits me well, I tend to be pretty loyal to the brand (I have fairly short and wide feet, making a well fitting pair extra hard to find). But I have changed brands a few times when I could not find a decent fit in a current line up. Fortunately, I have sometimes lucked out at the local outlet and been able to get a couple of pairs of close out models to last another year.

While I have had minimal problems switching up shoes over a good number of years of running, it does get frustrating to have the constant shoe 'updates' that change what was a perfectly good thing. 

I made the switch to minimalist zero drop shoes specifically to counter this 'feature creep' in shoes. Worse comes to worse, I can put on a shoe with no midsole and take off in those. It's taking some adaptation that's not trivial, but I'm already looking forward to more consistency in my shoes with the minimization of the midsole contribution and consistent heel-toe lack of drop.

I wore the Mizuno Wave Riders for several years, ending with the Wave Rider 13. When I first started wearing them, the drop was 7mm; they are now up to 12mm. They also made  the14s more narrow. I stopped buying them after the 13s.

I have a pair of Mizuno Precisions; they remind me somewhat of what the Wave Riders used to feel like.

After trying several shoes, I switched to the Brooks Ghost for running. Love them; solid landing, nice roll and no frills pushoff. The Ghost 4 feel even better than the Ghost 3.

The Brooks Glycerin 9 - they feel less firm than the previous model. I think the previous iteration - the 8 - is the better product, but I don't run in them so it's inconsequential to me. The 9s probably have a more flexible forefoot transition than the 8s did, but for walking the 8s were very comfy.

The update to the Saucony Triumph - love it. The Triumph 9 now has an 8mm drop and are very comfy. I do not run in them. I walk in the Triumph 8s and thought they were a very comfy shoe. The 9s are even better, IMO. For running, however, I am sticking with the Ghost.

I will be adding the NB Minimus Trail to my collection. I love that shoe, and I normally cannot wear NB shoes.

I see what you mean. I too have very wide feet, and have had to change brands 4 times in the past 2 years because of shoe model changes. I guess I am in the acceptance phase that when I find a good shoe I just have to enjoy it for the time I have it and then move on to a different shoe since that shoe is most likely not available anymore. And really, yes that does suck when I really sit here and think about it.

My solution to this problem.

I do not wear the same shoes all the time. I have Asics DS trainers, cumulus, and nimbus and I rotate them. I have some challenges with my feet so it is not like I am blessed with good biomechanics.  My feet are accustomed to minor changes by rotating them, so if they change the design, my feet can make that transition as well.  Your mileage may vary.

Next time you go in, you'll find that it is now the iDiscountRack Pro III.