Saucony Freedom 3

Mine on order...hoping they fill the gap until the endorphins come along. Ben using old ass vaporflys in the meantime as I can’t find any good fitting trainers

Nice. Sounds like the updates are good.

Better heel, Pwrrun+, lighter with sufficient padding while keeping the flexibility.

I tried the Triumph Pwrrun+ and loved the bounciness. I wear Freedom 2s.

Sounds like just what I want.

They're not shipped yet for me.

Does it still have the slick bottom, or have they replaced it with something grippier?

Can somebody explain to me how this sort of shoe can be sold for $150?

Previous models were even more expensive at $160.

It's not that cool-looking. It's not that light. It's not that innovative. It doesn't have any great marketing hype like many Nike models.

Seems like it should be at least $20 cheaper.

Not that cool looking: Correct.

Not that light: 8.4oz for this much protection and bounce is pretty light. More of a light daily trainer than a speed shoe or racer. Could definitely pick it up to tempo.

Marketing hype: Yeah, not much, but who cares. I get that that would raise the price though.

Technology: While it is just a TPU, Saucony seems to have created by far the best TPU yet. And it is a newer and far better version than their last or Boost or Floatride Energy.

The Epic React is $50 and this shoe feels more impressive underfoot.

Asics and Brooks release uglier old tech and clunky shoes for $150 or more as well. At least these feel more modern and advanced.

I agree on the price. The Triumph is the exact same concept but more of it, for $150. Freedom should be $130 since it's basically less of the same shoe.

But really digging Saucony lately. They seem to have really upped their game lately.

Floatride Energy has much more drop (8mm? 9?) than the Freedom 3's 4mm, so if you like one, you might not necessarily like the other.

sauce any wrote:

I agree on the price. The Triumph is the exact same concept but more of it, for $150. Freedom should be $130 since it's basically less of the same shoe.

But really digging Saucony lately. They seem to have really upped their game lately.

At least the durability of these will get you tons of miles, but yeah it could cheaper. It is good enough to warrant the price though I think.

JamesD2 wrote:

Floatride Energy has much more drop (8mm? 9?) than the Freedom 3's 4mm, so if you like one, you might not necessarily like the other.

Correct. I was a big fan of that shoe and this one works for me as well. The heel feels honestly just as cushioned. It doesn't feel too low or harsh. The shoe feels softer and more cushioned overall while being lighter. People that want a firmer bouncy shoe and can't stand the drop will probably stick with Forever Energy or Boston, but I think this is a 4mm drop shoe that will work a lot better than most for people that typically go higher drop.

reed wrote:

Can somebody explain to me how this sort of shoe can be sold for $150?

Previous models were even more expensive at $160.

It's not that cool-looking. It's not that light. It's not that innovative. It doesn't have any great marketing hype like many Nike models.

Seems like it should be at least $20 cheaper.

You can put a ton of miles on these. I put well over 500 on my 2s in a couple months and there’s still plenty of life in them.

They also feel very fast for the weight. They have one of the better energy returns on a shoe around 9oz. Take a half-full oz of and I can’t imagine things get worse...I’ll be picking up a pair for my daily at a some point this spring.

Kinvara>Freedom:

-significantly cheaper

-better fit

-lighter

-more stable

-wider range of paces

Wildhorse wrote:

Kinvara>Freedom:

-significantly cheaper

-better fit

-lighter

-more stable

-wider range of paces

They are for different things. You can also wait half a year and the freedom is half the price.

.InjuryProne. wrote:

Wildhorse wrote:

Kinvara>Freedom:

-significantly cheaper

-better fit

-lighter

-more stable

-wider range of paces

They are for different things. You can also wait half a year and the freedom is half the price.

The Kinvara is for everything, in my experience: tempos, speed, long runs, daily, recovery... I'm not saying the Freedom isn't a good shoe, because it is. But, as others said, too expensive for what it offers in the current landscape, and not as versatile. The main thing the Freedom has going for it is durability.

The first Freedom ISO was more special and unique at the time.

The fit and lockdown of the 3 is much improved. The Freedom 3 is also now nearly as light as the Kinvara 11. Like 8.4oz vs 8oz or 7.8 or so.

The Kinvara will still be more stable and cheaper. The Freedom 3 is much better at easy paces and the Kinvara js more speed focused.

If I wanted a speedy shoes I would go Razor 3 over the Kinvara and for daily running Freedom over Kinvara.

Wildhorse wrote:

Kinvara>Freedom:

-significantly cheaper

-better fit

-lighter

-more stable

-wider range of paces

I would try the 3 before saying all this though because it is a very significant improvement.

Wildhorse wrote:

Kinvara>Freedom:

-significantly cheaper

-better fit

-lighter

-more stable

-wider range of paces

The Kinvara is significantly less durable with the exposed EVA outsole vs the crystal rubber of the Freedom.

.InjuryProne. wrote:

Wildhorse wrote:

Kinvara>Freedom:

-significantly cheaper

-better fit

-lighter

-more stable

-wider range of paces

They are for different things. You can also wait half a year and the freedom is half the price.

Or you buy the Freedom ISO 2 now for $70 like I'm doing. Still a fantastic daily trainer. I also agree the Kinvara is for speedwork and tempos, the freedom should be easy/moderate runs, especially on trails. For asphalt or true recovery something even heavier like the Pegasus or Solarglide would be good.

LateRunnerPhil wrote:

.InjuryProne. wrote:

They are for different things. You can also wait half a year and the freedom is half the price.

Or you buy the Freedom ISO 2 now for $70 like I'm doing. Still a fantastic daily trainer. I also agree the Kinvara is for speedwork and tempos, the freedom should be easy/moderate runs, especially on trails. For asphalt or true recovery something even heavier like the Pegasus or Solarglide would be good.

Where is it $70?

Freedom:

-significantly cheaper

-better fit

-lighter

-more stable

-wider range of paces

They are for different things. You can also wait half a year and the freedom is half the price.[/quote]

Or you buy the Freedom ISO 2 now for $70 like I'm doing. Still a fantastic daily trainer. I also agree the Kinvara is for speedwork and tempos, the freedom should be easy/moderate runs, especially on trails. For asphalt or true recovery something even heavier like the Pegasus or Solarglide would be good.[/quote]

Where is it $70?[/quote]

I'm in Europe right now, we have price comparison websites like this for example:

I bought a few pairs for 70 EUR, some are even for 65 EUR.

In the US the cheapest I found was amazon with $99. Why Saucony shoes are cheaper in Europe, idk usually runningwarehouse is pretty competitive but they have the freedom ISO 2 for sale for $120 which is significantly higher than EU prices.