gjngfkj wrote:
They're rated for up to the 5000, but I'd take the Dragonfly for anything over the 3000 and the Victory Elite 2/Brooks ELMN8/ Mamba V for anything under. The airbags are gimmicks (it's a spike, c'mon), and they have a stiffer spike plate (carbon fiber) which might not be ideal for distances over the 1600 depending on the athlete, if you like aggressive spikes then they'll probably do well. They're certainly not bad spikes e.g. not any worse than the previously mentioned options, and I'd be happy to have a pair, but I wouldn't spend the 180 dollars for the same performance you can get for less in the other options I mentioned. I'd say that the Dragonfly would be better for the 3200 specifically, but the Air Vic would be the better 1600/3200 combo spike if you're only getting one pair of spikes.
As an owner of a pair of AZVs,k Dragonflys and ELMN8 I would agree with most of this.
The AZVs are a bit gimmicky, and the foot plate can "dig in" to your arch slightly, although for just 800m - who cares. You really notice the airbags the first time you run in these, they feel fast in a straight line but they can feel unstable when you hit the bends, which you don't get with an ELMN8, Vic2/3 etc. Maybe the pros can handle this better with their superior strength/speed/technique. Watch out for the sizing on the AZVs too.....they fit long (I went a whole size down from my Dragonflys and usual Nike spike size).
The Dragonfly is the pick of the bunch here for versatility - you could use this from 800 > 10000, it just feels great. Some of the Pros prefer this over the AZVs for 800 and 1500, and I would choose it over the AZV for 1500. It's also very fairly priced (if you can find a pair, which wasn't too difficult here in the UK).
And finally - if the AZV hadn't been launched, I would have stuck with the ELMN8. Unfortunately with Nike's marketing (and the 2020 Diamond League coverage), we can easily get convinced that we "need" something we don't. In all honesty, the latest ELMN8 V5 is an absolute cracker of a spike for 800m, much better than the V4. It's light, aggressive and comfortable. Could also be used for 1500.
If you can afford 2x pairs, grab the Dragonfly when you can - and snap-up some ELMN8 V5s when they are on offer and all bases will be covered.