Revision as of 13:24, 27 December 2016

I was really excited to get the Saucony Freedom shoes as I had high hopes for the novel TPU midsole in a shoe with only a modest drop and a reasonable shape toe box. While I'm a little disappointed in the reality, I still rather like the Freedoms and I rated them "recommended." I think the main reason for buying them might be value for money. They're not a cheap shoe, but they seem to last rather longer than many others, so the cost per mile (or Km) is perhaps quite a bit lower. I was hoping the Freedoms would have the bounciness that I liked in the Adidas Energy Boost, but they didn't seem to have as much bounce as a good EVA foam shoe like the Topo Fli-Lyte. The Freedoms are also pretty heavy, coming in at 10.7oz in my men's size 10.5. If I'd have known they were that heavy are I might not have purchased them, but I'm glad I did. Hopefully TPU foam will become lighter over time, as we've seen with the evolution of EVA foam. (I use The Science of Running Shoes as the basis of how I test running shoes and what you should look for in a running shoe.)

Saucony Freedom top	Saucony Freedom outside
Saucony Freedom bottom	Saucony Freedom inside

1 Characteristics

• Cushioning . The Freedom‏‎‏‎‏‎ uses a different material to provide its cushioning. Instead of EVA foam the Freedom uses expanded TPU beads. This is the technology that's found in Adidas shoes like the Adidas Energy Boost, though Saucony brand it "EVERUN." The idea is that TPU provides more spring than EVA foam and it lasts longer. Previously, I've found that the Adidas Boost had a distinctly bouncier feel, but I haven't noticed this much in the Freedom. In fact, I'd say that the Freedom feels a little firm, and it's rather under cushioned for its weight. One of the caveats to TPU cushioning is that it's relatively heavy when compared with EVA foam. Saucony have done an admirable job in reducing the weight of the upper without compromising comfort, but this does give the shoe is slightly odd feel when you pick it up as the weight is concentrated so much in the sole. The other oddity with the Freedom is that it doesn't seem to quite compress under pressure in the same way that EVA foam does, so I get a sense of extra pressure just in front of my metatarsal heads (the ball of my foot and the similar joints for the other toes.) I'm not sure this is necessarily a problem, but it's not something I'm terribly keen on. I'm a little disappointed with the cushioning-to-weight ratio of the Freedom, as it provides about the same cushioning as the New Balance RC5000‏‎v2 but ways far more than twice as much. On a more positive note, I'd say that the cushioning seems to be lasting much better than EVA foam, though I've only put just over 100 miles on them so far.
• Drop. Saucony claims the Freedom has 4 mm drop, but I measured it at only 1 mm and 3 mm when it has your weight in the shoe. When running in the Freedom it feels close enough to zero drop for my tastes.
• Structure. Saucony seem to have styled the Freedom to look like it has a Medial Post, but this is just the superficial coloring they've printed on the TPU midsole. I found the Freedom to be very natural, with little to interfere with my biomechanics. There is a slight rise under the arch, but not enough to cause a problem.
• Flexibility. The Freedom‏‎‏‎‏‎ is nicely flexible, and the forefoot has a little bit of springing us to the bend. I'm not sure if this really provides any propulsion at toe off, but it's a nice thought. The Freedom is rather more flexible than you might expect given its unbroken outsole along the forefoot.
• Outsole. As you can see from the pictures above, the Freedom‏‎‏‎‏‎ has harder rubber outsole over virtually the entire sole, with just a small gap under the middle of the arch. The rubber is nicely sticky and tacky, providing good grip while the tread pattern seems to work quite effectively. The outsole also seems to be quite hard wearing, and there are no stone traps or other holes in the sole that could pick up gravel.
• Shape. I had high hopes that I might not have to cut open the toe box of the Freedom, but after just a few miles my imprisoned toes cried out for freedom. This is not a shoe that has a terrible toe box shape, but it's still a long way from the human foot and the designs of shoes from companies like Topo and Altra. (I recommend cutting open the toe box of virtually all running shoes, with the exception of a few shoes like some Altra shoes. When you have some worn out shoes, you should try cutting open the toe box. I've found that it's a big improvement, allowing my toes to move naturally and engage for toe off, as well as reducing the possibility of blisters.)
• Upper. To offset the additional weight of the TPU midsole, Saucony have put in some extra effort to reduce the weight of the upper. They've done this without significantly compromising comfort, and the rear of the shoe is nicely padded, soft, and flexible.
• Tongue. The Freedom‏‎‏‎‏‎ has a sock-liner style of tongue that actually part of the upper and is attached all the way along. There is almost no padding in the tongue, except for a narrow section that runs the length of the midline of the tongue. Having run in ultralight shoes that have a barely more than a bit of tissue acting as a tongue, I was a little surprised to find the tongue in the Freedom to be lacking. This could be lead you to the lacing pattern of the Freedom where the laces cross over in bands that concentrate the force on a narrow part of the foot. This wasn't a big issue for me, but I did occasionally find the top of my foot was less than happy.
• Lacing. The Freedom‏‎‏‎‏‎ has flat laces that work how laces should and don't come undone mid-run.
• Heel Counter. The Freedom‏‎‏‎‏‎ doesn't have a heel counter in the traditional way. If you look at the photos above, you'll see a black band that runs roughly where the top of the heel counter would go. This black band is relatively thick plastic that acts as a skeleton of a heel counter. To me, this seems like an unusually pointless bit of design and it's hard to imagine that anyone would think that this provides any functional benefit. I'm guessing that the designers felt that a running shoe must have a heel counter so late put something in regardless of the futility.

Please support this site This review was made possible by readers like you buying products via my links. I buy all the products I review through normal retail channels, which allows me to create unbiased reviews free from the influence of reciprocity, or the need to keep vendors happy. It also ensures I don't get "reviewer specials" that are better than the retail versions. Buy Saucony Freedom‏‎ at Zappos Buy Saucony Freedom‏‎ at Road Runner Sports Buy Saucony Freedom‏‎ at Kelly's Running Warehouse Buy Saucony Freedom‏‎ at Charlotte Ultra Running Company

2 A Comparison with other Recommended Shoes

If you're looking for "the best of the best" running shoe, here are my top picks. Of course, the answer will depend a little on what you're looking for, so I have recommendations for various categories. Best All Round Shoe. The Altra Escalante is my current all-round favorite. It has plenty of cushioning for its weight, it has a very springy midsole, it lasts well, and it has a shape that's closer to the shape of a human foot than most shoes. It's a great shoe for any runner, including those Starting to run. It's also a fairly easy shoe to find due to its popularity. Best Maximalist Shoe: If you want something massively cushioned, then I'd recommend the Saucony Kinvara 8. It's remarkably light and remarkably cushioned, beating Hoka at their own game. Best Optimal Shoe: For those looking to trade cushioning for speed, the Nike Zoom Streak LT 3 was my top pick, but the latest version (LT 4) falls short of it's predecessor. There are lots of great optimal running shoes, which provide just enough cushioning with light weight and minimal frills, but all have their weak spots. Probably the best option at the moment is the Altra Vanish-R, which offers great cushioning for just over 5oz/150g. Fastest Shoe: If you really want speed, then check out the Nike Vaporfly 4%. It's light, massively cushioned, and has a carbon fiber plate. Nothing comes close, not even the now defunct New Balance RC5000‏‎ or New Balance RC5000v2‏‎. There are a number of caveats; it's really expensive, it's really hard to find, and there's a significant injury risk. Best Minimalist Shoe: Merrell Trail Glove. I recommend the trail glove for road running in spite of the 'trail' moniker. It's not a fast shoe by any means, but it's comfortable and will last well. All Terrain Shoe. For trail running, I've become a fan of Altra, and I think their best shoe is the the Altra Timp, though the Altra Lone Peak is really close. Honorable Mention: It's not really a running shoe, but the Vivobarefoot Ra is comfortable, minimalist and can more or less pass as a dress shoe. I've worn mine to weddings with a suit and they've not looked out of place. You can run in the Ra, but the leather means it doesn't breathe well.

For a more detailed on running shoes see the Recommendations for Best Running Shoes. This table lists the key attributes of What to Look for in Running Shoes. For more detailed information, on the shoes see detailed shoe comparison.

It's not a running shoe, but I love the Hoka Tor Ultra hiking boot and I've tested the Altra Lone Peak Boot, the Hoka Tor Speed 2, and the Inov-8 Roclite 325 hiking boots
Older shoe reviews: Saucony Hattori Review, Mizuno Cursoris Review, Skechers GO Bionic 2 Review, Hoka Clifton Review, Saucony Virrata 2 Review, Brooks PureCadence 3 Review, Brooks PureConnect 3 Review, Brooks PureFlow 3 Review, Skechers GO Bionic 2 Review, New Balance 980 Review, Brooks Transcend 2 Review, Hoka Huaka Review, Patagonia EVERlong Review, Asics 33-DFA Review, Hoka Conquest Review, Saucony Cortana Review, Puma Faas 100 R Review, Saucony Fastwitch Review, Nike Free Review, Asics Gel Lyte 33 Review, Skechers GOmeb Speed Review, Skechers GOrun Ultra Road Review, Nike LunaRacer Review, Altra Paradigm Review.