The three products of Saucony Endorphin series have been available for a long time. Actually, they have also been the source of heat discussion for some time. Besides the Endorphin Pro and Endorphin Speed, I’ve copped the third one, the Endorphin Shift, and here is the performance review of the shoes.
The Endorphin Shift, according to the official account, is more compatible with runners’ daily jogging. Like the Endorphin Speed, Endorphin Shift is equipped with an engineered mesh vamp, but unlike Speed, its vamp is much thicker so as to ensure necessary support and superior wrapping.
The vamp of Endorphin Speed is also thicker than that of Endorphin Pro. It can be seen that when designing the Endorphin series, Saucony actually take into account the specific requirements of running shoes.
When it comes to the midsole material, that of Endorphin Shift is also different from those of the other two, the former being the PWRRUN whereas the latter the PWRRUNPB.
The PWRRUN, based on EVA, greatly improves its performance of energy feedback and durability through adjusting and the manufacturing process.
As for the PWRRUNPB, it is based on the PEBA material and through new foaming and manufacturing process, it has quite a nice cushioning and better rebound. In other words, PWRRUN can be thought to be inferior to PWRRUNPB, which is why the Endorphin Shift is bulkier than the first two shoes.
The Endorphin Shift has no built-in plates, but it also uses the SPEEDROLL in the midsole to help improve speed, as is the same design that can be seen in Endorphin Pro and Endorphin Speed.
Seeing that both Endorphin Pro and Endorphin Speed are super durable in their outsoles, which is the feedback from consumers, the brand also applies this idea in Endorphin Shift. In the easy-to-wear areas of the outsole, XT-900 carbon rubber is adopted to extend the life of the shoes, despite that the area covered by XT-900 is less than that of the other two products.
The much thicker vamp, the FORMFIT technology along with the heel TPU have coordinated perfectly with each other, creating a super nice wrapping and receiving many rave reviews from buyers. In a word, you can feel the shoes fit comfortably with your feet as you are running or walking.
In spite of that, however, the thick vamp is a mixed blessing. There are also disadvantages of it. On the negative side, its thickness is a kind of trouble for many people in hot weathers. Take my own experience. I felt rather sweltering under my feet even in early spring, and as it gets warmer, the situation will only go from bad to worse. Therefore, regarding this respect, the shoes are not recommendable for those who have particular distaste for heat under their feet.
Although PWRRUN is inferior to PWRRUNPB, as has been mentioned earlier, Endorphin Shift provides the best cushioning experience among the three models. However, its chunky midsole in turn makes the rebound of the shoes unimpressive. The SPEEDROLL, though provides a smoother transition, still lacks the necessary midsole rebound, which can be easily exposed when some fast-paced training in underway.
The Endorphin Shift has also a large TPU embedded at its heel that extends to the midsole for support. Besides, the carbon rubber of the outsole also extends to the midsole so as to enhance the shoes’ overall support.
As a pair of training shoes, the support of Endorphin Shift is definitely enough, but it doesn’t equal perfectness. When the wearer is training at a fast pace, the midsole, being too soft and thick, may result in unstability when he is landing on his heels.
The US size 9 of Endorphin Shift weighs 294g officially, but the actual weight of the one I got here is 290g. It seems the shoes are not so satisfactory in this aspect, not least with its bulky appearance.
Overall:
Endorphin Shift resembles a lot to Endorphin Speed, as is observed by some reviewers, but there are in fact a lot of differences between the two shoes. Endorphin Shift is more than suitable for daily training, and if you are seeking one pair of shoes for jogging, Endorphin Shift is definitely a good jogging partner.