How do you make a beloved super trainer even better? Take the foam up a notch, ensure it’s extremely durable and release it in fun new colorways. Here’s our review of the Asics Superblast 3.
Asics has completely revitalized their running line up in the last few years with this whole Blast set of shoes. I remember a lot of runners gushing about the Superblast and feeling more than a little like “ehh seriously?”. You test a lot of shoes and you start to think no one is really doing anything that different.
But Asics was bringing something new.
And they took a highly touted Superblast 2 and weren’t afraid to make serious changes. It’s another homerun.
Who is it Good For?
- Wide Feet: Very average fit, I would opt for a wide version if you have flatter feet or want more space.
- Heavier Runners: Improved stability and new cushion will provide good support.
- Long Runs: Designed with the cushion you want to go miles and miles.
- Front of the Pack: Not a plated race day shoe, but a super trainer that makes it comfortable to pick up the pace.
The Superblast 3 is a super trainer that falls easily into the daily trainer category. It can be worn daily to enjoy a shoe that is both highly cushioned and lightweight, no plate needed to help you feel like going faster.
Asics Supberblast 3 Overview
Finding a max cushioned shoe that is lightweight and feels fast is anomaly. We’re here for it.
My first easy run in these shoes, I noticed mile after mile that my pace was 10-20 seconds faster without any intention on my part to do so. Now that’s a fun run.
There’s no plate and no magic, but there is my absolute favorite super shoe foam, the FF Leap which is used the Asics Metaspeed and Metaspeed Ray racing shoes. That’s right, their absolutely top tier foam makes up the majority of this every day run shoe and as a result means 15.4% increase in energy return from the previous Turbo Plus foam.
That’s right, give me all the energy return. Don’t let it just get sucked up in a too soft shoe, send it right back to me so I can indeed end up running faster at the same effort.
It’s not as visible in the blue interstellar colorway, but you’ll see there’s a very thin line above the outsole which is the bottom 10mm of FFBLast. That firmer cushion is important for structure, improved arch support and to ensure that you don’t just sink in to the cushion. BUT what that also means is the majority of the shoe is the FF Leap, as in the best foam they make.
ASICS listened to feedback and made some other substantial changes to this iteration.
Not only have we upgraded the foam, but they’ve made some changes to the areas they refer to as bounce pods on the outsole. Essentially areas where we land and increasing the foam to provide more of the bouncy feeling. 
The Metaspeed feels fast. The foam it in it is nothing but bounce, which can feel very unstable and makes it really for those fast runs and not for doing a ton of corners.
Superblast 3 is giving you that enjoyable feeling, but in a much more stable package to go for many many miles. I still believe this is a middle of the pack race day shoe. It’s lightweight and because of the foam you sort of naturally find yourself picking up the pace.
Is a 46.5mm stack racing legal? No, but that only applies to the front of the pack aiming to win races. For the rest of us, get down with your rule breaking self and enjoy some serious max cushion with a side of speed.
Asics Superblast 3 Specs
- Weight: 8.4 oz (Unisex sizing)
- Stack Height: 46.5mm
- Heel Drop: 8 mm
- Not available in wide
- Available in 2 colors
- Available on asics.com for $210
The colorways are fun and continue on with the idea of the design time to think Interstellar. In fact, the heel design is supposed to represent the pathway of each round of the shoe getting better and better for blast off. Would I have ever guessed that? Nope. But a fun little detail.
Certainly not my casual shoe look, but that’s ok because this isn’t a shoe to waste on walking around.
Quick Take
Pros
- Best possible cushion in a daily trainer
- Lightweight
- Ability to refine the fit
Cons
- Price
- Really big stack height
Asics Superblast 3 Fit
Overall length of the shoe is standard to my normal size, which is not always the case with a Unisex shoe. It’s a very average width fit, easy to lockdown if you have a more narrow foot and decent toebox. It’s certainly not a wide toebox, but I haven’t had any issues with my big toe or pinky feeling crowded.
I didn’t have any issues with the fit of the Superblast 2, but they heard a few things and took them into account in the lacing system.
You’ll see the cords along the outside which allow for a more custom fit, especially through the forefoot. I also appreciated that the laces when through the tongue in 2 spots keeping it locked in place.
You’ll notice the cutouts on the tongue which is one of the places they pulled from to shave 10grams off the weight of the shoe. Is that a noticeable amount? Not particularly, but we’ll take every little bit in a super shoe and the holes add to the overall breathability of the shoe as well.
The tongue remains thin and had no issues with it moving around.
Laces are also long enough for heel lock, which is a bonus. I haven’t found I needed in this model, which might be due to the additional lateral heel support.
Asics Superblast 3 vs Megablast
All right this is where we answer the big question of should you buy the 2 while on sale or go for the new version. This might be the hardest time we’ve had answering this question because we thought very highly of the Superblast 2. We think both are great shoes, but the 3 is definitely an upgrade…so make your own call on what’s worth it.
NOW let’s answer the next question which is how does the Asics Superblast compare to the Megablast.
Having run in both shoes and asked ASICS some hard questions, here’s the breakdown:
- Superblast 3 feels softer (and it’s softer than the 2 was)
- Megablast might be better for heavier runners who will get more energy return from the foam
- Megablast is lighter and slightly lower stack height
- Superblast is using the foam from their top tier racers
- Megablast is actually designed as a fast shoe, so it’s the shoe that you would reach for to go fast
- Superblast is a great long run shoe, more comfortable shoe
Personally, I’m leaning to the Superblast for more runs and then the Metaspeed for racing. The Megablast didn’t feel to me like a daily shoe I wanted to use, but it can be nice for hard workouts.
Similar Shoes to the Asics Superblast 3
We’ve tested a few super trainer shoes that feel similar, but different based on the brand fit:
- Puma Deviate Nitro 4 – One of our favorite super trainers with a plate, a lower stack height 38mm, but still plenty of cushion
- Hoka Mach X3 – Also plated, but a great super trainer that picks up the pace and easily transitions to race day
- Mizuno Neo Zen 2 – Lightweight, bounce with stability that works for a long run super trainer shoe
The Asics Superblast 3 is a pretty darn great shoe. Are there some areas we’d like to see improved? Always and forever.
Could it be lighter? Could it be a little quieter on landing? Could we get more widths available?
Our Verdict
The only shoe we’ve ever rated at almost a 100 because it will work across the board for a lot of runners. The price tag is high, but durability should make this a shoe that carries many middle of the pack runners through training and race day.
What to read next?
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