Review Saucony ProGrid Omni 10

At £85 these Saucony's were the most expensive running shoes I've had so far

These are my current running shoes, Saucony ProGrid Omni 10, and here's what I think of them:

Firstly, what kind of running shoe are they?
They're "stability" running shoes which are designed to correct a certain amount of pronation - correcting where the foot rolls forward on the outer edge.  All kinds of information about that out there, so I'll skip it here.

Technical stuff

UPPER
• Midfoot Arch Strap
• Hydrator Lining
• HRC Strobel Board
• Memory Foam
• Lightweight Breathable Mesh
• Comfortride Sockliner

MIDSOLE
• Dual Density SSL EVA
• SRC Forefoot Cushioning
• Heel ProGrid
• SRC Impact Zone

OUTSOLE
• XT-900
• Blown Rubber

Why did I buy these?

I am still not confident about buying running shoes and knowing what I want.  So each time I need some more, I take the old ones and say "I'd like some to replace these, please".  As models change and get up-dated all the time, it always seems to be a different version I buy. 

With these I think there might have been a little bit of up-selling going on as they're not the basic stability shoe and in fact the shop had to order them in for me.  As they cost £85, which was just a little higher than what I was used to I queried it.  I was given a run-down on why these were an improvement on my previous Sauconys.  

I had a quick run on the treadmill in them, for about a minute or so and they seemed fine and so the deal was done.

What are they like to run in?

First impressions were they were big and soft.  Now I've done a few hundred miles I have adapted to them and these characteristics seem the norm.  The softer run is felt in the forward part of the shoe around the ball of my foot and toes.  It seems to make a difference going up hill but not necessarily from the comfort point of view but more the sure footedness on soft muddy ground.

The increased softness I think helps with longer distances, i.e. 10 miles and over.  I have found before I am prone to blisters over long distances and these are due to being tired, taking smaller steps and my feet land differently.  Whilst these do not solve that problem, it does lessen that little niggle (and I feel a separate blog post coming on here).

As normal I partly re-thread the laces to pull them more snugly at the top and this means they're never quite long enough but Asics are the worst for this.

Now I have got used to them and this did take a while, I like them for their comfort.  Sometimes it's nice to wear things that feel invisible - so you're just not aware you've got  shoes / socks / shorts / jersey / gloves etc.  Do they meet that test?  No, not at all, but that isn't really part of the criteria.

Would I buy them again?

Maybe.  They're not bad at all.  It's just a question of whether they're worth the extra over the basic shoe and on that, I'm not sure.  So far I've done maybe 400 miles so I'm probably over half way through their life and I've not had any injuries at all in them.

A word on ethics

A while ago I consulted the Ethical Consumer magazine about running shoes.  From memory, not one of the mainstream manufacturers were brilliant but Saucony's were probably the best of the bunch.  To be honest in this day and age, getting running shoes that are totally "ethical" is almost impossible.  Having read through the Saucony's website material on this subject they're saying the right things about workforce and labour conditions, so that's good

Does this help or not?
Please feel free to leave a comment, one way or the other....

DECEMBER 2011 UPDATE - PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR MY LONGER TERM REVIEW.  THESE SHOES HAVE GROWN ON ME EVEN MORE!