Saucony Endorphin Pro 2 vs 1 Comparison Shoe Review
Josh reviews the Saucony Endorphin Pro 2 men’s road racing shoes, the next generation of this carbon plate phenomenon to conquer everything from 5km races to marathon distances.
Engineered for lightning speed and delivering the super lightweight formula of the ride that came before it, the Endorphin Pro 2 is bound to fly off the shelves. With identical specs on paper and the same engineering regarding the outsole and midsole, Saucony stay loyal to what elite races raved about when lacing up in the previous model, the Saucony Endorphin Pro.
Strategically placed rubber on the outsole provides targeted durability and traction, keeping the responsive PWRUN PB foam protected and in top shape.
PWRUN PB is a firmer, snappier foam when weighed up against the midsole technologies of other carbon-plated shoes in the racing world. Especially when paired with the full-length carbon plate, it makes the Saucony Endorphin Pro 2 the secret weapon for runners that prefer a more propulsive feel without shaving away cushioning.
Saucony have refined the upper with slight modifications including pull tabs for fast and easy on-off. The gusseted tongue works with the new eyelet loop to create a precise, race-ready feel and lockdown.
With the fit being an exact match for the first model, Saucony Endorphin Pro runners can transition directly into this next evolution to stay primed for competition and generate record-breaking speed.
Check out the review with full transcript below.
Hi guys, Josh here from Sportitude Running and it is shoe review time. In my hand I hold the Saucony Endorphin Pro 2. This shoe has just landed mid 2021 and let me tell you at home, the hype is real.
Saucony had such a successful 12 months with the Saucony Endorphin Pro version 1 that they didn’t want to go back to the drawing board and do too much different in the Saucony Endorphin Pro 2. In today’s review we’re going to talk about the changes and talk all things outsole, midsole and upper.
We’ll profile the runner that could be considering this running shoe and give you all the information you need at home to potentially throw this into your race day kit. Without further ado let’s get stuck in.
Outsole
Let’s talk about the outsole. When we are comparing the Saucony Endorphin Pro 2 versus the Endorphin Pro 1, other than the colour nothing has changed. Most of the outsole is filled in through the forefoot. Essentially this is where most of the load and the high velocity of movement occurs within this race day shoe.
Protecting the asset being the midsole, you have a fully encapsulated forefoot. As you come back through the midstance area they’ve used an outsole around the border of the shoe and using a slightly harder rubber on that lateral heel. For that heel striker that comes down and contacts the ground, having a slightly harder wearing rubber strategically placed will improve the longevity of the midsole.
Midsole
Coming through to the midsole, this is essentially where all the goodness happens within this shoe. Let’s talk about the stack height first. It’s an 8mm heel-to-toe drop on a 35.5mm heel and 27.5mm forefoot and that’s the same in both the men’s and women’s model.
Within this midsole there is a full-length carbon plate. Again, nothing has changed from last year. It’s the same midsole and the carbon plate positioning is exactly the same.
Saucony are using their PWRRUN PB foam. It’s a really responsive foam underneath the foot. When you’re talking about your carbon plate running shoes out there, there’s probably even more of a generosity between the Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next%, the Nike Air Zoom Alphafly Next% and the New Balance FuelCell RC Elite being marginally softer with foam that tends to compress a little more.
The Saucony Endorphin franchise tend to be a firmer underneath the foot. They’re still relatively cushioned, I’m not going to take that away from them but they’re certainly a little snappier and more responsive.The carbon plate dips from your midstance to your forefoot and gets a little closer to the ground to engage the metatarsal heads, generating that snappy, propulsive feel on toe-off.
Upper
Coming to the upper, this is where Saucony have put in some time and effort and made some minor adjustments to this shoe. It’s still a very lightweight and breathable upper. They haven’t gone and made it thinner. All they’ve done is change the position of the ventilation holes within the shoe. It’s the exact same weight and virtually the same feel up top as well. They haven’t changed the sizing in the length, depth or width.
They still have the gusseted tongue which is attached on the lateral and the medial side. However, this eyelet loop is a great add on. Saucony have placed this eyelet which sits a little bit wider than the traditional lacing bracket. On the medial and lateral side, straps run outside that gusseted tongue and attach to the midsole. When you lace up, you not only get that snug fit from the gusseted tongue but a really dialled in fit across the top of your arch as well.
In terms of fit and feel I can’t fault it. It’s certainly better feel than the Saucony Endorphin Pro 1. Saying that, I like the feel of the first model, it’s just that the Saucony Endorphin Pro 2 is so much more dialled in.
The other small feature which I’m going to call out because it is a change is this tiny pull tab at the back. I probably shouldn’t call it out because it’s next to nothing.
On the tongue they have added a pull tab as well. Again, it’s a small thing but for those triathletes out there it may be a benefit that might work for race day for your T2 as you get off your bike out into the run leg. I wouldn’t exactly call it a pull tab, but it’s there.
Width & Weight
As we touched on, being a race day shoe they don’t make it in a variety of widths. We only have a D width in the men’s model and a B width in the women’s model, so nothing has changed there and that’s to be expected.
The weight is the exactly the same as last year. The Saucony Endorphin Pro 2 is coming in at a 213 grams in a men’s size 9 and it was 213 grams in a men’s size 9 last year as well.
The Wrap Up
There you have it, the Saucony Endorphin Pro 2. Again, not a lot has changed with this shoe and why would you? They had such a successful 12 months in The Saucony Endorphin Pro 1. It’s great to see brands stick to their guns and roll out a very similar shoe for you the running market out there.
As I touched on, all the changes are in the upper with a more dialled in fit across the arch. There’s a little addition with the pull tabs for those runners out there that find that a benefit.
It’s a very lightweight road racing shoe from 5K right up to marathon. If you haven’t tried the Saucony Endorphin Pro 2 or considered it for your races give it a crack. It’s certainly very popular and has had great feedback over the last 12 months.
If you have any questions on this shoe or you have used the Saucony Endorphin Pro 1, please contact our Sportitude shoe experts with your feedback. If you are one of the lucky ones to get the Saucony Endorphin Pro 2 in early days, please let us know your thoughts on this shoe. If you have any questions, queries or theories with regards to the carbon plates out there let us know.
Please subscribe to the Sportitude YouTube channel by hitting the red button and hit the bell notification button as well and we’ll keep pumping out shoe reviews for you the running community.
Until next time stay safe, happy running, be kind to one another and we’ll see you out on the road. Take care.
FEATURES
Saucony Endorphin Pro 2
- Support: Neutral, Lightweight
- Upper: Mesh
- Midsole: Saucony PWRRUN PB
- Heel Height: 35.5mm
- Forefoot Height: 27.5mm
- Offset / Drop: 8mm
Men
- Weight: 213g / 7.5oz
- Width: D (standard)
Women
- Weight: 179g / 6.3oz
- Width: B (standard)
Saucony Endorphin Pro