Products - Saucony 3D Grid Hurricane 7 vs 6 Review
This article is a review of the Saucony 3D Grid Hurricane 7 as contrasted with my experience with the Hurricane 6.
I haven’t found much regarding the changes from 6 to 7, so this review is only my experience with these two shoes.
For reference, here is Saucony’s press release introducing its new lines for 2005:
“3D Grid Hurricane 7: Runner’s seeking the ultimate blend of cushioning and stability will love the 3D Grid Hurricane 7. This high end training shoe from Saucony is built to address each phase of the gait cycle. An Arch-Lock Midfoot Wrap™ keeps the foot centered and in control. Saucony’s Impact Interface™ allows for heel compression without bottoming out. S.R.C. (Super Rebound Compound™) offers 15% more rebound and 10% more durability than EVA. The 3D Grid Hurricane is the ultimate blend of what runners need.” (Read the full press release.)
The Hurricane 6 is a shoe I loved.
I began running in February ‘04, and put about 700 miles on 2 pair of the Hurricane 6’s.
The shoe was stable, supportive, and responsive. I loved it…
The other day, I went to my favorite running store ( RnJ Sports )to pick up 2 pair of the 6’s as they were on sale, and I knew the new model would be out soon.
They did not have any more of my size, but they did have the new 7 series.
“Saucony made them lighter, and a little softer,” I was told.
I was in love with the 6, so I tried on the 7.
Indeed they were lighter, noticeably by hand, and very cushiony.
“I am going to love these, too!” I told myself.
Over the next week I did 3 runs in them to warm them up.
Run 1: 2.5 mile warm up. They were like running on air. Mmmmm… Like eating chocolate for breakfast. I was hooked.
Run 2: 4 mile mid-week run. Again I was pleased. I didn’t feel that there was any appreciable loss in stability or responsiveness. Indeed, they felt they might even be more responsive than the 6, which I always felt were a little rigid, but thought that was the price to pay for stability.
Run 3: 5 miles at a decent pace (for me, that is about 8:40 for a mid-week run). Certainly this shoe is a noticeable improvement over the 6, but I began to notice that my foot was arching much more than before during the run.
The day after my 5 miler, the bottoms of my feet (I suspect the Plantar Fascia) began to hurt, and badly.
The sales person at RnJ told me that Saucony had removed some component from the sole of the shoe to help reduce the weight, and I suspect that has cause the shoe to become more flexible, resulting in greater extension of the foot while rolling off the step.
In any event, I will be wearing my old 6’s for this weekend’s long run.
If I can return these 7’s, I will, and try a pair of the Saucony Grid Omni and see if they are a little stiffer.
If not, I will stick with this pair of 7’s, but take much more time breaking them in. Actually, I guess I am breaking my foot in :( I’ll likely try to find another pair of the 6’s to hold me over until that time…