Saucony Freedom 4 Multiple Tester Review
The Saucony Freedom 4 is a unique lightweight trainer in that it features Saucony's premier PEBA foam PWRRUN PB. The PWRRUN PB midsole was seen in the Endorphin Pro and Endorphin Speed. The midsole now makes its way into a training shoe and provides a highly cushioned and responsive ride for such a low stack height daily training shoe.
Reebok Floatride Energy 3.0 Multiple Tester Review
Note: Our review of the Floatride Energy 4 is out now! Read it here.
The Reebok Floatride Energy has been a versatile lightweight trainer since the original version. Version 2 was the first one that our whole team got to test and it was a great mix of being a shoe that fit well, could handle miles and could go fast (REVIEW). It even won our 2020 Best Bang for your Buck award, being so affordably priced for such a great shoe (2020 Awards). While the transition between version one and two was moderate, version three returns with some large changes. We are excited to see the integration of the beveled heel and outsole guideline from the Symmetros (REVIEW), as well as a refinement of the upper. This is a serious shoe at a fantastic price point.
Hoka One One Carbon X2 Multiple Tester Review
By Chief Founder Matt Klein and Contributor David Salas
The original Hoka Carbon X (REVIEW) was among the initial recent release of carbon fiber plated footwear to the market. Developed for the Project Carbon X in 2019, this was a great ultramarathon racing shoe. The amount of cushion present allowed it to double for many as a lightweight trainer and a workout shoe. The design of the plate and outsole created a high level of natural stability (without a post) that allowed me to use from everything from easy runs, workouts, uptempo long runs and everything in between. Although too heavy for me personally to use as a race shoe, it worked very well for a large population of people wanting a bit more cushion with a plate for long distance races, but not something so aggressive or unstable as the Nike Vaporfly series. With the Project Carbon X 2 coming, the second version evolves with Hoka's current development of footwear. Featuring a longer midsole, lighter weight and new geometry, the Carbon X 2 continues as an excellent trainer/racer combo. Whether it will break more ultra distance records remains to be seen.
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| The Hoka Carbon X2 in hand. A red upper with Hoka written over the midfoot. A slight flair in the heel. White profly midsole throughout. |
ASICS Hyper Speed Review
The Asics Hyper Speed series has a long history. This incredible racing flat, a favorite of Ryan Hall and others, was a shoe that was fast enough to be used from the 5k to the marathon. At the same time it was cushioned enough to be a fantastic minimal trainer for those who were into that kind of thing back then. I ran through 6 pairs of the Hyper Speed 4 as a trainer/racer and it was my go to shoe for a long time (until the Saucony Kinvara came along). That version remained my favorite, although version six was a close second. After version seven, the Hyper Speed appeared to have been discontinued until now. ASICS has brought this shoe back and it retains many of the essences of what made it such a popular shoe. However, there are many modern influences on this shoe that make it different from prior models.
Mizuno Wave Inspire 17 Multiple Tester Review
By Chief Editor Matt Klein and Contributor David Salas
Mizuno has begun to debut their MIZUNO ENERZY compound into the mainstream trainers. The most recent to get this treatment is the Mizuno Wave Inspire 17. This has been a staple high drop, moderate stability, firm trainer. Our team has enjoyed several iterations of this shoe, although this series is historically known to be a little stiffer and firmer. The company has been evolving a great deal with their concepts of shoe design and the Mizuno Wave Inspire 17 is another great example of this. Better integrated stability, new foams and different geometry are some of the many changes that make for fantastic refinements of this trainer. Another bonus? Mizuno continues to refine and improve their uppers to be some of the most consistent and comfortable in the game (we received the mesh version of the Inspire 17 while some colorways do use their Waveknit upper).
