Saucony Paramount Max Review

Saucony has found a really unique balance with this shoe and fills the premium max-cushion slot well. There’s no question about the huge mass of volume underfoot, which alone provided the comfort that we typically expect from a max-cushion shoe. However, the performance benefits were felt differently across our team of varying running types.

For Cameron, the incrediRUN foam underfoot provided a soft, bouncy, and fun running experience that didn’t require him to pick up his usual pace. The shoes adapted well through a variety of training paces, which ranged below the 10:00/mile mark. They also felt great on longer runs, with the capability of going 10 miles or more in comfortable confidence.

While Aliyah found the comfort to be what she expected, she did not find the shoes to be as bouncy as she had hoped. She primarily used these for casual, slow runs, and briefly wore them for cross-training before needing to switch shoes. While the cushioning level gave her the comfort that she looks for, the energy return was not there for her when it came to performance.

As a slower runner, Ava felt that the foam did not make sense as a recovery shoe. Apart from adjusting to the sheer amount of volume underfoot, the foam felt so squirrelly at her recovery pace that she had to work more to control the foam, and only felt stable when picking up the pace. In this sense, at the right tempo, the shoe performs really well, but the high energy return may be a little too much for runners who are on the slower end of the spectrum.

The outsole gave us a no-frills experience with no issues on the road. The amount of rubber coverage is fair, although there is some exposed midsole foam in the lower half of the outsole, especially in the center, that makes contact with the ground when compressed. All in all, that should not prevent the shoes from lasting for many miles to come, as long as you stay on pavement and steer away from gravel.

As a max cushion shoe, the Paramount Max is built for comfort. It’s a big and heavy shoe—seeing as the majority of this bulk has been put into the midsole, this makes sense for a recovery shoe. For most of us, we enjoyed how soft and plush the foam felt, and it is super comfortable underfoot.

As a frequent stability user, Aliyah’s priority in neutral shoes is to make sure it is comfortable enough to minimize the chances of reactivating previous injuries. For her, the beefy amount of cushioning accomplished this, which she liked, but the foam felt firmer to her than she prefers.

The fit worked well for us, and the tongue is very thick with nice cushioned padding. The upper could be a bit more breathable, but overall, it was comfortable enough to get us through our runs. As for the heel, it feels bare bones compared to the rest of the shoe. The heel counter is rigid, which felt stable for some but harsh for others. That said, none of us experienced rubbing or irritation, but we were generally hoping the heel would feel a bit more plush and premium.

For easy, cruising runs, it’s nice to have a more spacious fit for feet to splay out a bit more. Overall, the Paramount Max fits well and feels nice. We love how roomy the toe box is, allowing our toes to spread and accommodating a variety of foot types. Even for those of us with lower-volume feet, we didn’t have any problems achieving lockdown and feeling secure.

Again, we didn’t love the feel of the heel cup. While it didn’t create any hotspots, we could still notice the stiffness and lack of cushioning in the heel while we were running. It does create some concern that other runners might experience issues with it, especially on longer runs.

"The biggest difference to me is how soft the foam is on the Paramount Max compared to the Glycerin Max 2. I felt like I was sitting in the shoe more in the Paramount Max rather than on top of it all. Out of these two, my pick would be the Paramount Max due to how nice the foam is." -Ava

"The Glycerin Max 2 is a much firmer experience, so the feel between the shoes is very different. I do enjoy the heel construction of the Glycerin Max 2 a bit more than the Paramount Max. At the end of the day, the soft bounciness of the Paramount Max is much more suited to my preferences." -Cameron

"Some of the similarities between the two are the comfort and amount of cushioning. The Saucony has a slightly better lockdown in my opinion than the Nike, but the energy return is noticeable in the Nike compared to the Saucony. For me, due to previous injuries and having flat feet, I would not recommend the Saucony over the Nike." -Aliyah

"The Vomero Premium has one of the most unique underfoot experiences out there. In terms of stability, the Paramount Max’s wide platform takes the cake. The unique bounciness and softness of the Vomero Premium does feel a bit more exciting compared to the Paramount Max, but the little bits of wobbliness I get in the Vomero Premium makes me trust the Paramount Max a bit more. If you’re a wobbler, go Paramount Max. If you want incredibly unique bounciness and cushion, go Vomero Premium." -Cameron

"I’ve logged a lot of miles in the MagMax 2, from recovery runs to long runs with a bit of pace versatility. I know a lot of people enjoy the thin, stretchy tongue, but I’m a big fan of a plush, padded tongue in my max-cushion shoes. The MagMax 2 is firmer underfoot, but does have a nice bounce when it gets moving. For recovery and slow days, I’ll probably lean towards the Paramount Max, but the MagMax 2 works really well for my stride on easy, longer runs." -Cameron