Adidas Adizero Prime X Strung 3 Review: A 50mm High-Stack Shoe With Real Trade-Offs

Introduction

The Adidas Adizero Prime X Strung 3 is the latest chapter in one of the most unusual shoes on the market. With a towering 50mm heel stack and 43mm in the forefoot, it sits well beyond conventional road shoe limits, and it has a short but eventful history behind it. The original won people over with a trampoline-like, bouncy ride that felt unlike the soft, squishy max-cushion shoes of its era. Version two stumbled: it felt bottom-heavy, and the taco-shaped plate setup lost the bounce that made the first shoe special, even though heavier runners still loved the extra cushioning.

Version three aims to put the line back on track. It is lighter, more stable, and fitted with what is arguably the best Strung upper Adidas has produced to date. But it also comes with compromises, chief among them a $300 price tag and a ride that no longer delivers the springy, trampoline feel of the original. Here is how it all shakes out.

Who This Shoe Is For

This is a shoe for runners who want maximum stack and are willing to accept some clunkiness in exchange. Heavier runners in particular will get more out of it, because they compress the generous foam layers underfoot more effectively and unlock cushioning that lighter runners simply do not feel.

It works best as a daily trainer and long-run shoe rather than a race-day weapon. Testers logged double-digit runs in it and finished with legs feeling great, and the durability means it can gobble up miles for months.

Main Strengths

The Strung upper is the standout. Adidas builds these uppers using slow-motion camera analysis of how the foot moves through the stride, mapping exactly where the shoe needs to stretch and where it needs to stay firm. The production process is also surprisingly eco-friendly, since the uppers are printed out rather than cut from traditional materials. The result fits true to size for most, feels light, and looks striking, especially in the bright, fun colorway that suits a 50mm stack shoe perfectly.

Underfoot, the stack combines Adizero Pro 4 foam in the two top layers with a firmer bottom foam, a small plate that extends only up to beneath the forefoot, and rods along the bottom instead of the taco-shaped plate from version two. The rods articulate independently, which makes this version noticeably more stable than its predecessor. The shoe also dropped about a quarter ounce: 8.9 oz (253 g) in a women’s US 7.5 and 11.1 oz (314 g) in a men’s US 10.5.

The outsole is another quiet win. Continental rubber with light traction delivers the sticky, tacky grip the Adizero line is known for, and it holds up beautifully. After around 50 miles of testing, the foam still felt brand new and responsive, and the upper shows no wear. This is a shoe built to last well past 600 miles, roughly double the life of a typical trainer, which goes a long way toward softening the price.

Things to Consider Before Buying

The bounce is the biggest letdown. The huge midsole puck looks like it should spring with every step, but on the roads it lacks the trampoline effect that defined the original. Walking around, you might feel a hint of that bounce, but at pace the foam does not compress enough for lighter runners to unlock it. The ride also still feels a bit clunky and bottom-heavy, and while the pace is pick-up-able, turnover never feels natural.

The fit has quirks too. Some testers found the length a touch long, and the lack of a clear-cut throat means you cannot cinch the shoe as snugly as you might like. Around the ankle and collar, there is little room to dial in extra lockdown, and a bit of lift can occur given the sheer stack underneath. More padding at the collar and heel would help. There is also a practical annoyance: you cannot take the shoe off without fully untying it, so every wear means undoing and redoing all the laces. Runners with weak ankles should still approach with some care, even though stability has improved.

Buying Advice

Function is where this shoe struggles to justify itself. It is not fast or poppy enough for race day, and it is not quite the soft, easy max-cushion recovery shoe you might expect either. It sits in a gray area: good for recovery runs, capable of picking up the pace, but a master of neither. At $300, that versatility gap stings, especially when excellent alternatives exist at $150, including the Adidas Evo SL, which many runners would happily choose over this, and you could nearly buy two for the price of one Prime X.

The $300 tag becomes easier to defend if you value durability and plan to pile on miles. If you want the most fun, light, bouncy shoe in the rotation, this is not it. But if you love the look, want a durable high-stack daily trainer, and have your heart set on the Prime X 3, it is genuinely a good shoe. For a general daily training and tempo recommendation, other options like the Boston 13 make more sense.

Conclusion

The Adidas Adizero Prime X Strung 3 is a fun, durable, and better-engineered version of a shoe that has always divided opinion. The Strung upper is excellent, stability is improved, and the build quality should outlast most trainers on the market. The trade-offs are real, though: the weight is noticeable, the bounce is muted compared to the original, and the $300 price is hard to swallow for a shoe that does not excel at any one job. Buy it if the concept excites you and you want a long-lasting high-stack trainer. Look elsewhere if you want the best value or a race-day weapon.