Our Thoughts on the ASICS Superblast 3 After 100 Miles

The ASICS Superblast 3 might be the most talked about shoe in running right now and after 100 miles we get the hype. The biggest update is the new FF Leap foam which replaces the firmer FF Turbo from the last version and completely changes the ride. We were not huge fans of the OG Superblast or Superblast 2, but we think the Superblast 3 is a huge improvement on this legendary franchise.

Why We Love the Superblast 3

The New Foam Compound

In this version, ASICS swapped out the firmer FF Turbo foam for ASICS' new FF Leap race race foam. FF Leap is a much softer, responsive compound that is also used in the Metaspeed Ray, Metaspeed Sky Tokyo, and Metaspeed Edge Tokyo. The new midsole foam, completely changed our experience in the shoe. Instead of the slappy, disjointed feel we experienced in the v1 and v2, you get a soft, bouncy, and protective feel with a much smoother ride. The firmer bottom layer acts as a stabilizing agent, which helps retain the reliability, stability and versatility that made the Superblast line so popular.

The Versatility

For long runs, daily miles, marathon training, and even workouts, this shoe can handle just about anything and for most runners this could easily be a true one shoe rotation. We believe that the Superblast 3 behaves like a plated shoe without a true plate. Yowana’s theory is that the firmer bottom layer of FF Blast Plus functions almost like a plate by adding stiffness and structure through the midsole, which makes it good at uptempo runs, faster interval training, long runs, and recovery runs. The insanely light weight of the Superblast 3 gives it the ability to handle everything from recovery miles to faster efforts without missing a beat. At around 240g in our size 10.5, it feels quick and efficient, making it one of the best do-it-all options.

The Comfort

We nicknamed the Superblast 2 the Superbrick 2 because of the harsh, punishingly firm underfoot feel and chunky heel, but that has completely changed in the Superblast 3. Now the step-in feel and overall comfort is elite. It's so comfortable that it feels great as a recovery cruiser and as a walking shoe. Unlike the previous versions, you don't have to put a lot of force down into the shoe to get the responsiveness and bounce from the foam. The FF Leap on the top provides a really soft, sinking in feel, but then the firmer FF Blast Plus on the bottom, which is very similar to the feel of the Gel-Nimbus 28, gives you a lot of support and structure.

The Light Weight

At 240 grams in our Men's Size 10.5 with 45mm of foam in the heel, the Superblast 3 has one of the lowest weight to stack ratios, which makes it so easy and pleasant to run in. On days when you are beat up after a hard workout or long run, the lightness of the shoe makes it so easy to turn your legs over. It has a floaty, airy, soft feel to it that makes it so much fun to run in.

For Yowana's full 100-mile review of the Superblast 3, check out the Supwell YouTube channel:

What We Don't Love about the Superblast 3

The Durability

The only real concern so far is outsole durability which doesn’t look quite as bulletproof as previous versions, but we still expect solid life out of it. We believe the rubber on the outsole is the same as in previous versions, but maybe something about the softer top layer of foam or a different formulation of the bottom layer of FF Blast Plus, is making the outsole wear more quickly. The previous versions were absolute tanks that runners were taking well over 300 miles with little wear, but this version is not likely to last as long. So far, at close to 150 miles, the underfoot foam feel is still responsive and bouncy and the wear on the outsole is just cosmetic.

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