We sell ASICS, so take this with whatever pinch of salt you think appropriate. But we also deal with the returns, and we hear what people say when something has not worked out. That gives a reasonably clear view of who gets value from the ASICS tracksuit range and who does not.
The short version: yes, if you want sportswear you wear casually and you will wear it often. No, if you want a warm jacket, if you only wear tracksuits occasionally, or if you are buying it because it is the brand of the moment.
Here is the longer answer, including the parts that do not help us sell anything.
What you are paying for
The Black Core Tracksuit is £149.99 for a windrunner jacket and a woven pant. Both 100% polyester. The jacket is water-repellent with reflective branding, the pant has an elasticated waist with a drawcord.
That is not an unusual spec. You can buy a polyester tracksuit for £50. What the £149.99 buys is the cut, the consistency and the brand, in roughly that order of honesty.
The cut is the real value
This is the part that justifies the money. The windrunner is cut as a running shell rather than a boxy casual jacket, and the woven pant is a straight taper rather than a tight jogger. Together they read as sportswear rather than activewear. Cheap tracksuits almost always get this wrong, usually by making the leg too tight and the jacket too short.
It is a hard thing to photograph and an easy thing to feel. It is also why the range sells to people who are not runners.
The consistency is worth something
The Core range is true to size and it stays true to size across pieces and across seasons. Order a medium jacket and a medium pant and they will look like they were made to go together, because they were. Our return rate on sizing reflects that.
The brand is part of it and we will not pretend otherwise
Some of the £149.99 is the logo. ASICS went from a running brand to a fashion brand off the back of the Gel trainers, and the clothing prices reflect that shift. If the branding means nothing to you, you are paying for something you do not want.
Where it is not worth it
If you want warmth
The windrunner is a shell. It blocks wind and sheds light rain. It does not insulate at all. People buy it as a winter jacket and are disappointed, which is entirely understandable and entirely avoidable.
If you want it for winter you need a hoodie underneath, which means sizing up one on the jacket. That works, but it means the jacket alone is not the whole answer. Budget for the layer.
If you wear a tracksuit twice a year
£149.99 divided by twelve wears is £12.50 a wear. Divided by two hundred wears it is 75p. The product does not change; the value does entirely.
If you are not confident you will reach for it weekly, start with a Black Core T-Shirt Set at £74.99. Half the money, and you will know within a month.
If you want the set to save you money
It mostly does not. The Core Windrunner is £89.99 and the Core Woven Pant is £54.99, which is £144.98 for the same two pieces that the £149.99 tracksuit contains. The set is £5.01 more.
The one exception is the tri-set, and it is a genuine one.
| Route | Price | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Windrunner + pant + tee as separates | £179.97 | Baseline |
| Core Tracksuit Tri-Set | £174.99 | About £5 cheaper |
| Windrunner + pant as separates | £144.98 | Baseline |
| Core Tracksuit | £149.99 | About £5 dearer |
So buy the format you want to wear, not the one you think is cheaper. The difference either way is five pounds. The format comparison has the full picture.
If you want a colour
The full tracksuit is black. If you wanted maroon or green or cream, that lives in the t-shirt sets at £74.99, not the tracksuits. Buying a black tracksuit when you wanted a colour is not a good outcome.
The complaints we actually hear
Honest list, in rough order of frequency.
"It is not warm." Correct, and covered above. This is the single most common one.
"It feels like polyester." Also correct. It is quick-dry and water-repellent, and that comes with a technical hand feel rather than a soft one. If you want cotton softness this is the wrong fabric.
"Black shows everything." True of all black polyester. Lint, dust, hair.
"I should have got the tri-set." Fairly common from people who bought the two-piece and then bought the Core T-Shirt separately at £34.99.
What we do not hear much: sizing complaints, durability complaints, or complaints about the fit after washing. Those are the ones that would worry us.
How it compares at the price
Against a £50 high street tracksuit, the ASICS is better cut, better sized and will last longer. Whether it is three times better is a judgement call. Against a £250 premium tracksuit, you are giving up fabric quality and gaining £100.
Against Nike and Under Armour at similar money, it is closer than people assume. We have put all three side by side in ASICS vs Nike vs Under Armour sets, and the honest conclusion there is that it comes down to which silhouette you prefer rather than which is objectively better made.
Who should buy one
Buy it if you wear sportswear casually and often, you want something that reads as an outfit rather than kit, and black is the colour you wanted. In that case £149.99 or £174.99 is fair money for what arrives.
Do not buy it if you want warmth, if you wear tracksuits rarely, if you want a colour, or if you have not tried the range and are not sure the fit suits you. Start at £74.99 in that last case.
If the money is the issue rather than the product, there is an outlet, and Klarna and Clearpay are both at checkout. Free UK delivery applies over £100, so every tracksuit in the range ships free, and orders before 2PM dispatch the same day. If you get it wrong, our returns policy covers unworn items, and you can always get in touch before ordering.
Prices correct at time of writing.
Quick answers
Are ASICS tracksuits good quality?
Yes. Well cut, consistently sized, and they hold their shape through washing. The fabric is technical polyester rather than anything luxurious.
Is £149.99 too much for a tracksuit?
It is fair if you wear it weekly. It is too much if you wear it twice a year.
Are ASICS tracksuits warm?
No. The windrunner is an uninsulated shell. Layer a hoodie underneath and size up one on the jacket if you want it for winter.
Is a set cheaper than separates?
Only the tri-set, by around £5. The two-piece tracksuit is about £5 more than the same pieces bought separately.
Should I buy ASICS or Nike?
Comparable at the price. Pick on the silhouette you prefer rather than expecting one to be clearly better.