I have a pair of Nike shoes with air cushion and the total front is mesh. I love these things!
I’m coming from a pair of New Balance’s that just totally tore up my feet. Hell, I almost lost four toe nails. My two largest center toes on both feet were always hurting then one day, I took a closer look and the nails were both about 3/4 the way off. Besides that, I always had little blisters, rashes, itchy dry skin, etc. on my feet. I highly recommend the mesh front. All those problems are GONE.
Some will ditch Nike and their shoes, but all it really comes down to is your kind of feet and running style. Myself, I’ve always had very minor shin-splints. After a quarter mile, they go away or numb up…who knows. I’ve tried most brands out their and the only ones that ever gave me trouble were made by Adidas. The only complaint about Nike is that I think their arch should be higher. I like to really feel it like with NB.
Mine are Air Turbulence 8.5’s. Their lightweight, cushioning is excellent, nice tread, but I wouldn’t buy them for stability or trail running. I still wear my NB's for steep grass hills or dirt.