Asics Superblast 2 vs Saucony Endorphin Speed 4: Which Super Trainer Deserves Your Money?

Introduction

The super trainer category is getting crowded, but two names keep coming up: the Asics Superblast 2 and the Saucony Endorphin Speed 4. Both sit at the premium end of the market, both can handle everything from easy miles to hard sessions, and both are genuinely excellent. The question is not which shoe is good, but which one suits your running.

Asics Superblast 2: High-Stack Versatility

The Superblast 2 costs £200 or $200 and weighs 259g (9.1oz) for men in a size 8, with an 8mm drop. It follows the hugely popular original Superblast with a few key updates: a new FF Blast Turbo Plus midsole layer designed to be lightweight, bouncy, and more durable, and a redesigned engineered woven upper aimed at improving comfort, breathability, and fit.

Underneath the top layer sits a thinner FF Blast Plus Eco foam that works alongside the Turbo Plus to improve cushioning and comfort. There is also a slightly modified layer of Asics grip rubber outsole that the brand says is lower density than before, providing a softer ride, while stack height sees a 0.5mm decrease across heel and toe. The tongue uses a stretch mesh wing construction to improve fit and reduce movement on the run.

On the run, the Superblast 2 is the more comfortable of the two at easy paces and over long distances. It has more bounce than the Endorphin Speed, and despite the huge heel it still turns over quickly for high-cadence runners. It feels like a much lighter shoe than the numbers suggest and is very easy to go through the gears in.

Saucony Endorphin Speed 4: Plated Propulsion

The Endorphin Speed 4 costs £180 or $170 and weighs 239g (8.4oz) for men in a size 8, with the same 8mm drop. It builds on its popular predecessors with a re-engineered wing nylon plate that adds reinforcement while maintaining flexibility, plus an updated mesh upper designed to give a more secure fit than the slightly roomy Endorphin Speed 3, and new outsole rubber to improve grip and durability.

The shoe still uses Saucony’s PWRRUN PB foam for a high level of propulsion when picking up the pace, combined with a smooth ride thanks to the Speedroll technology.

In testing, the Endorphin Speed 4 felt firmer and more grounded than the Superblast 2, with a more noticeable rocker feel, especially under the forefoot. It turns over quicker, feels narrower and nimbler, and simply feels like a faster, racier shoe. For hard sessions and fast 5k to 10k efforts, it has a real edge, and it is more efficient for runners with a quick, short cadence.

Ride Feel: Two Very Different Characters

Fit is close between the two. Testers in their normal sizes found both shoes fit true to size, with the Superblast 2 offering a slightly more dialed-in toe box and the Speed 4 a touch narrower than its predecessor. Narrow-footed runners still needed to cinch the laces on the Speed 4, but there were no heel-rub issues in either shoe.

The real difference is character. The Speed 4 is the shoe you reach for on a hard interval day or a fast progression run, but it does not have enough cushioning for genuinely easy miles if you prefer high-stack comfort. The Superblast 2 delivers the same faster runs but with far more cushioning and a smoother ride, and it shines on 90-minute easy long runs where you want to keep the heart rate low without giving up the ability to surge.

Value and Rotation Advice

At £180 or $170, the Endorphin Speed 4 is the cheaper option, and it tends to appear in sales far more often than the Superblast ever does. Crossing the £200 or $200 mark is a significant psychological leap, and the Speed feels more reasonably priced within the super trainer category.

That said, there is a case that the Superblast 2 is better value in a rotation because it does so much. Pair it with a dedicated carbon racing shoe and you cover nearly every run you could want. Alternatively, buy the Speed 4 and add a cheaper cushioned shoe for easy days. Both shoes are expensive, but neither will disappoint, which is not something that can be said for every premium trainer.

Conclusion

If your running style is quick and nimble and most of your training is at moderate-to-fast paces, the Saucony Endorphin Speed 4 is the pick, especially at its lower price. If you want maximum cushioning, a smoother ride, and a shoe that genuinely does everything well, the Asics Superblast 2 is worth the premium. Both rank among the best super trainers available, so you are choosing between two excellent answers to the same question.