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Created page with "{{DISPLAYTITLE:Saucony Cortana 4 Review}} The Saucony Cortana 4 is a shoe for those looking for something that's just slightly less over engineered tha..."
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Saucony Cortana 4 Review}}
The Saucony Cortana 4 is a shoe for those looking for something that's just slightly less over engineered than conventional running shoes like the [[Asics GT 2000]]. This means it can be used as a stepping stone to better shoes that offer more cushioning for the same weight, or less weight for the same cushioning. Compared with a traditional shoe like the [[Asics GT 2000]] and an optimal shoe like the [[Asics Gel Hyper Speed]], the Cortana is much closer to the GT 2000 than the Hyper Speed, where a shoe like the [[Saucony Kinvara]] is closer to the Hyper Speed. If you can accept the Cortana in its role as a transitional shoe, then it works well and is nicely designed. It's only when you compare it with what a running shoe should be that it looks rather grim. {{H:WhatToLookForInShoes}}
{| class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
|[[File:Saucony-Cortana-4-top.jpg|none|thumb|250px|Saucony Cortana 4 top]]
|[[File:Saucony-Cortana-4-bottom.jpg|none|thumb|250px|Saucony Cortana 4 bottom]]
|- valign="top"
|[[File:Saucony-Cortana-4-inside.jpg|none|thumb|250px|Saucony Cortana 4 inside]]
|[[File:Saucony-Cortana-4-outside.jpg|none|thumb|250px|Saucony Cortana 4 outside]]
|}
=Characteristics=
* {{H:WhyBuy}}. If you want a better shoe than a traditional running shoe, but only want to make a small change, the Cortana is a solid choice. I'd recommend trying out the [[Saucony Kinvara]] first, and only go for the Cortana if the Kinvara is too much of a change from what you're used to.
* {{H:cushioning}}. As you'd expect from a transitional shoe, the Cortana has poor cushioning for its weight. In fact, it's cushioning is worse than shoes that are vastly lighter. This is because the Cortana uses harder foam in an attempt to reduce [[Pronation]]. The cushioning is so limited that I'm not sure you get all the running economy benefits of a cushioned shoe, making the Cortana slower than you might expect.
* {{H:drop}}. The Cortana has 5mm of drop when loaded, which is more than I'd like, but not unreasonable for a transitional shoe. This represents a nice midway point between the typical 10mm drop you might see in a traditional shoe and the low drop of a good shoe.
* {{H:structure}}. The Cortana uses two densities of foam in an effort to reduce [[Pronation]]. The firmer foam is on the inside forward edge of the heel, as well as cupping the heel slightly all around. This cupping is reinforced with a harder plastic layer, seen as an orange line in the middle of the outside view of the shoe.
* {{H:flexibility}}. The Cortana has mediocre flexibility in spite of the groves in the midsole and the gaps in the outsole. Unlike the [[Nike LunarSpider]], the lack of flexibility in the Cortana does not provide much spring, and just dampens the toe off.
* {{H:outsole}}. The Cortana has two densities of firmer rubber outsole over a good portion of the contact areas.
* {{H:shape}}. The Cortana is not designed around a human foot, with a toe box that presses on the toes. I [[Shoe Modifications| cut open the toe box]] to prevent blisters and allow my foot to move, which largely corrects the problem. .
* {{H:upper}}. The upper is inflexible and mostly seamless. It's quite breathable in the forefoot, with a little padding around the rear of the foot, and lots of soft padding around the ankle opening.
* {{H:tongue}}. The Cortana has a traditional tongue that is has a tab to attach it to the laces, with nice soft padding.
* {{H:lacing}}. The Cortana has flat laces that worked well and I never had them come undone. They are also slightly elastic which improves the perceived comfort a bit.
* {{H:heelcounter}}. The Cortana has surprisingly soft heel counter that is placed on the outside of the shoe. It's ineffectual, but harmless.
{{BuyShoes|RRS=T|AZ=T|ZP=T}}
{{ShoeGraphs}}
=Comparisons=
Here are some direct comparisons with its potential competition.
==Saucony Cortana and Saucony Kinvara==
Both the Cortana and the [[Saucony Kinvara]] are transitional shoes, falling part way between the traditional, over engineered shoes like the [[Asics GT 2000]], and simpler, more effective designs. On this scale the Cortana is closer to the traditional shoes than the Kinvara. The Cortana has multiple densities of foam in an attempt to interfere with foot movement which makes it both heavier and less well cushioned. Therefore the Kinvara is a better shoe, but the Cortana might be useful if you want to move to something slightly better than a traditional shoe without making too many changes.
{| class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
|[[File:Saucony-Cortana-4-top.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Saucony Cortana 4 top]]
|[[File:Saucony-Cortana-4-bottom.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Saucony Cortana 4 bottom]]
|[[File:Saucony-Cortana-4-inside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Saucony Cortana 4 inside]]
|[[File:Saucony-Cortana-4-outside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Saucony Cortana 4 outside]]
|- valign="top"
|[[File:Saucony-Kinvara-5-top.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Top]]
|[[File:Saucony-Kinvara-5-bottom.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Bottom]]
|[[File:Saucony-Kinvara-5-inside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Inside]]
|[[File:Saucony-Kinvara-5-outside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Outside]]
|}
==Saucony Cortana and Asics Gel Hyper Speed==
The [[Asics Gel Hyper Speed]] is not only a lot lighter than the Cortana, it's a lot better cushioned. The Cortana has a little more padding, but there's little difference in comfort. You might select the Cortana as part of your transition to better shoes, while the Hyper Speed is where you should be aiming to end up.
{| class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
|[[File:Saucony-Cortana-4-top.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Saucony Cortana 4 top]]
|[[File:Saucony-Cortana-4-bottom.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Saucony Cortana 4 bottom]]
|[[File:Saucony-Cortana-4-inside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Saucony Cortana 4 inside]]
|[[File:Saucony-Cortana-4-outside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Saucony Cortana 4 outside]]
|- valign="top"
|[[File:Asics-Gel-Hyper-Speed-6-top.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Asics Gel Hyper Speed 6 top]]
|[[File:Asics-Gel-Hyper-Speed-6-bottom.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Asics Gel Hyper Speed 6 bottom]]
|[[File:Asics-Gel-Hyper-Speed-6-inside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Asics Gel Hyper Speed 6 inside]]
|[[File:Asics-Gel-Hyper-Speed-6-outside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Asics Gel Hyper Speed 6 outside]]
|}
==Saucony Cortana and New Balance RC5000==
The [[New Balance RC5000]] only weighs about a third as much as the Cortana, but provides more heel cushioning and nearly as much in the forefoot. The two shoes feel radically different, as the Cortana has thick, firm padding where the RC5000 has thin soft padding, so they produce similar results in different ways. If you're considering the Cortana, the RC5000 is probably not something you should think about, but it does highlight how much better it's possible to make a shoe.
{| class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
|[[File:Saucony-Cortana-4-top.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Saucony Cortana 4 top]]
|[[File:Saucony-Cortana-4-bottom.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Saucony Cortana 4 bottom]]
|[[File:Saucony-Cortana-4-inside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Saucony Cortana 4 inside]]
|[[File:Saucony-Cortana-4-outside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Saucony Cortana 4 outside]]
|- valign="top"
|[[File:New-Balance-MRC-5000-top.jpg|none|thumb|150px|New Balance MRC 5000 top]]
|[[File:New-Balance-MRC-5000-bottom.jpg|none|thumb|150px|New Balance MRC 5000 bottom]]
|[[File:New-Balance-MRC-5000-inside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|New Balance MRC 5000 inside]]
|[[File:New-Balance-MRC-5000-outside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|New Balance MRC 5000 outside]]
|}
==Saucony Cortana and Asics GT 2000==
The [[Asics GT 2000]] is benchmark "normal running shoe", and this makes is particularly relevant for the Cortana. The two shoes are relatively similar, with the Cortana being slightly more flexible, slightly lighter, but slightly less well cushioned. These small differences feel quite significant when you have one of each on each foot. The Cortana is a slightly better shoe than the GT 2000, though I'd suggest you also look at the [[Saucony Kinvara]] as a better transitional shoe.
{| class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
|[[File:Saucony-Cortana-4-top.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Saucony Cortana 4 top]]
|[[File:Saucony-Cortana-4-bottom.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Saucony Cortana 4 bottom]]
|[[File:Saucony-Cortana-4-inside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Saucony Cortana 4 inside]]
|[[File:Saucony-Cortana-4-outside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Saucony Cortana 4 outside]]
|- valign="top"
|[[File:Asics-GT2000-top.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Asics GT2000 top]]
|[[File:Asics-GT2000-bottom.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Asics GT2000 bottom]]
|[[File:Asics-GT2000-inside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Asics GT2000 inside]]
|[[File:Asics-GT2000-outside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Asics GT2000 outside]]
|}
=A Comparison with other Recommended Shoes=
{{:Shoes-include}}
The Saucony Cortana 4 is a shoe for those looking for something that's just slightly less over engineered than conventional running shoes like the [[Asics GT 2000]]. This means it can be used as a stepping stone to better shoes that offer more cushioning for the same weight, or less weight for the same cushioning. Compared with a traditional shoe like the [[Asics GT 2000]] and an optimal shoe like the [[Asics Gel Hyper Speed]], the Cortana is much closer to the GT 2000 than the Hyper Speed, where a shoe like the [[Saucony Kinvara]] is closer to the Hyper Speed. If you can accept the Cortana in its role as a transitional shoe, then it works well and is nicely designed. It's only when you compare it with what a running shoe should be that it looks rather grim. {{H:WhatToLookForInShoes}}
{| class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
|[[File:Saucony-Cortana-4-top.jpg|none|thumb|250px|Saucony Cortana 4 top]]
|[[File:Saucony-Cortana-4-bottom.jpg|none|thumb|250px|Saucony Cortana 4 bottom]]
|- valign="top"
|[[File:Saucony-Cortana-4-inside.jpg|none|thumb|250px|Saucony Cortana 4 inside]]
|[[File:Saucony-Cortana-4-outside.jpg|none|thumb|250px|Saucony Cortana 4 outside]]
|}
=Characteristics=
* {{H:WhyBuy}}. If you want a better shoe than a traditional running shoe, but only want to make a small change, the Cortana is a solid choice. I'd recommend trying out the [[Saucony Kinvara]] first, and only go for the Cortana if the Kinvara is too much of a change from what you're used to.
* {{H:cushioning}}. As you'd expect from a transitional shoe, the Cortana has poor cushioning for its weight. In fact, it's cushioning is worse than shoes that are vastly lighter. This is because the Cortana uses harder foam in an attempt to reduce [[Pronation]]. The cushioning is so limited that I'm not sure you get all the running economy benefits of a cushioned shoe, making the Cortana slower than you might expect.
* {{H:drop}}. The Cortana has 5mm of drop when loaded, which is more than I'd like, but not unreasonable for a transitional shoe. This represents a nice midway point between the typical 10mm drop you might see in a traditional shoe and the low drop of a good shoe.
* {{H:structure}}. The Cortana uses two densities of foam in an effort to reduce [[Pronation]]. The firmer foam is on the inside forward edge of the heel, as well as cupping the heel slightly all around. This cupping is reinforced with a harder plastic layer, seen as an orange line in the middle of the outside view of the shoe.
* {{H:flexibility}}. The Cortana has mediocre flexibility in spite of the groves in the midsole and the gaps in the outsole. Unlike the [[Nike LunarSpider]], the lack of flexibility in the Cortana does not provide much spring, and just dampens the toe off.
* {{H:outsole}}. The Cortana has two densities of firmer rubber outsole over a good portion of the contact areas.
* {{H:shape}}. The Cortana is not designed around a human foot, with a toe box that presses on the toes. I [[Shoe Modifications| cut open the toe box]] to prevent blisters and allow my foot to move, which largely corrects the problem. .
* {{H:upper}}. The upper is inflexible and mostly seamless. It's quite breathable in the forefoot, with a little padding around the rear of the foot, and lots of soft padding around the ankle opening.
* {{H:tongue}}. The Cortana has a traditional tongue that is has a tab to attach it to the laces, with nice soft padding.
* {{H:lacing}}. The Cortana has flat laces that worked well and I never had them come undone. They are also slightly elastic which improves the perceived comfort a bit.
* {{H:heelcounter}}. The Cortana has surprisingly soft heel counter that is placed on the outside of the shoe. It's ineffectual, but harmless.
{{BuyShoes|RRS=T|AZ=T|ZP=T}}
{{ShoeGraphs}}
=Comparisons=
Here are some direct comparisons with its potential competition.
==Saucony Cortana and Saucony Kinvara==
Both the Cortana and the [[Saucony Kinvara]] are transitional shoes, falling part way between the traditional, over engineered shoes like the [[Asics GT 2000]], and simpler, more effective designs. On this scale the Cortana is closer to the traditional shoes than the Kinvara. The Cortana has multiple densities of foam in an attempt to interfere with foot movement which makes it both heavier and less well cushioned. Therefore the Kinvara is a better shoe, but the Cortana might be useful if you want to move to something slightly better than a traditional shoe without making too many changes.
{| class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
|[[File:Saucony-Cortana-4-top.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Saucony Cortana 4 top]]
|[[File:Saucony-Cortana-4-bottom.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Saucony Cortana 4 bottom]]
|[[File:Saucony-Cortana-4-inside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Saucony Cortana 4 inside]]
|[[File:Saucony-Cortana-4-outside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Saucony Cortana 4 outside]]
|- valign="top"
|[[File:Saucony-Kinvara-5-top.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Top]]
|[[File:Saucony-Kinvara-5-bottom.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Bottom]]
|[[File:Saucony-Kinvara-5-inside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Inside]]
|[[File:Saucony-Kinvara-5-outside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Outside]]
|}
==Saucony Cortana and Asics Gel Hyper Speed==
The [[Asics Gel Hyper Speed]] is not only a lot lighter than the Cortana, it's a lot better cushioned. The Cortana has a little more padding, but there's little difference in comfort. You might select the Cortana as part of your transition to better shoes, while the Hyper Speed is where you should be aiming to end up.
{| class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
|[[File:Saucony-Cortana-4-top.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Saucony Cortana 4 top]]
|[[File:Saucony-Cortana-4-bottom.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Saucony Cortana 4 bottom]]
|[[File:Saucony-Cortana-4-inside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Saucony Cortana 4 inside]]
|[[File:Saucony-Cortana-4-outside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Saucony Cortana 4 outside]]
|- valign="top"
|[[File:Asics-Gel-Hyper-Speed-6-top.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Asics Gel Hyper Speed 6 top]]
|[[File:Asics-Gel-Hyper-Speed-6-bottom.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Asics Gel Hyper Speed 6 bottom]]
|[[File:Asics-Gel-Hyper-Speed-6-inside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Asics Gel Hyper Speed 6 inside]]
|[[File:Asics-Gel-Hyper-Speed-6-outside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Asics Gel Hyper Speed 6 outside]]
|}
==Saucony Cortana and New Balance RC5000==
The [[New Balance RC5000]] only weighs about a third as much as the Cortana, but provides more heel cushioning and nearly as much in the forefoot. The two shoes feel radically different, as the Cortana has thick, firm padding where the RC5000 has thin soft padding, so they produce similar results in different ways. If you're considering the Cortana, the RC5000 is probably not something you should think about, but it does highlight how much better it's possible to make a shoe.
{| class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
|[[File:Saucony-Cortana-4-top.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Saucony Cortana 4 top]]
|[[File:Saucony-Cortana-4-bottom.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Saucony Cortana 4 bottom]]
|[[File:Saucony-Cortana-4-inside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Saucony Cortana 4 inside]]
|[[File:Saucony-Cortana-4-outside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Saucony Cortana 4 outside]]
|- valign="top"
|[[File:New-Balance-MRC-5000-top.jpg|none|thumb|150px|New Balance MRC 5000 top]]
|[[File:New-Balance-MRC-5000-bottom.jpg|none|thumb|150px|New Balance MRC 5000 bottom]]
|[[File:New-Balance-MRC-5000-inside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|New Balance MRC 5000 inside]]
|[[File:New-Balance-MRC-5000-outside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|New Balance MRC 5000 outside]]
|}
==Saucony Cortana and Asics GT 2000==
The [[Asics GT 2000]] is benchmark "normal running shoe", and this makes is particularly relevant for the Cortana. The two shoes are relatively similar, with the Cortana being slightly more flexible, slightly lighter, but slightly less well cushioned. These small differences feel quite significant when you have one of each on each foot. The Cortana is a slightly better shoe than the GT 2000, though I'd suggest you also look at the [[Saucony Kinvara]] as a better transitional shoe.
{| class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
|[[File:Saucony-Cortana-4-top.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Saucony Cortana 4 top]]
|[[File:Saucony-Cortana-4-bottom.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Saucony Cortana 4 bottom]]
|[[File:Saucony-Cortana-4-inside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Saucony Cortana 4 inside]]
|[[File:Saucony-Cortana-4-outside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Saucony Cortana 4 outside]]
|- valign="top"
|[[File:Asics-GT2000-top.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Asics GT2000 top]]
|[[File:Asics-GT2000-bottom.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Asics GT2000 bottom]]
|[[File:Asics-GT2000-inside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Asics GT2000 inside]]
|[[File:Asics-GT2000-outside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Asics GT2000 outside]]
|}
=A Comparison with other Recommended Shoes=
{{:Shoes-include}}