In reply to laurenmcginley:
Just a note that what’s important in the shoe is quite tricky to answer. I don’t think my short answer was good enough.
I do have 18 shoes in rotation. Very few are similar - some of them highly cushioned road shoes, workout/racing road shoes, some fell running shoes, some ultra/trail running shoes... it’s hard not to write an essay!
Good foam might be important for a road shoe and durability is not typically a concern as midsole gives up before uppers. For fell shoes, that might be grip, ground feel or durability. For trail, that might be responsiveness, cushioning, protection, weight, grip, water retention...
Hope that helps. I’m no pro and not a shoe reviewer, but I like hoarding running shoes as I run a fair bit.