ASICS Novablast 3 review

This shoe can do many things. And if you're eyeing a shoe that's any of the following, we think that the Novablast 3 might be the one for you: 

• a running shoe for jogs and long, slow runs 
• a daily trainer that's light and responsive for uptempo training 
• a solid option for marathon runs

Even though we find the ASICS Novablast 3 to be nearly perfect, it still has a few caveats here and there. One, it's a tad narrow. And two, it's more expensive now by $10.

If you need a little more wiggle room, have a look at Saucony Endorphin Speed 3. And if you want a shoe that won't break the bank, the Brooks Launch 10 is a budget option that will surprise you.

ASICS definitely set a new standard for daily trainers with the outstanding cushioning in the Novablast 3, which helps explain why it feels so good—especially on long runs. It reached an impressive 143 SA in our lab!

One area where ASICS could step things up is energy return. With 55.9% in the heel and 59.4% in the forefoot, it didn’t even hit the lab’s average benchmark.

The ASICS Novablast 3 is a massively cushioned running shoe. And it was easily confirmed by our caliper measurement.

Our tool showed an impressive 37.2 mm of heel stack height! That is almost 4 mm taller than the average road running shoe and is within 16% tallest shoes in our lab!

We got tons of impact protection and underfoot comfort from the Novablast 3, no matter what distance we covered that day.

The shoe's forefoot cushioning is just as generous, measuring 30.4 mm of stack height. That's a good 6 mm taller than average!

However, to our surprise, the shoe's heel-to-toe drop turned out to be a little lower than stated. We measured it at 6.8 mm, while it is stated to be 8 mm.

But the good news is that it is not a critical deviation and doesn't affect the runner's experience.

The shoe is comfy as hell! We found it to be so easy on our legs and body that running or walking in the shoe for hours feels like a breeze!

We attribute that to the shoe's very cushy and forgiving ride.

Checking the foam softness with a durometer, we can confirm that it is indeed one of the softest shoes not only from ASICS but on the market in general. At 13.5 HA, it is 77% softer than the average.

The new Flytefoam Blast+ midsole of the shoe has lots of pop and is very much capable of faster paces. 

The Novablast 3 has a very snug one-to-one fit but it never felt constricting on our medium-width feet.

Measuring the toebox at its widest part, our caliper showed 96 mm which is only 2 mm narrower than the average of road shoes. But this might still be narrow enough for wide-footed runners to consider more spacious alternatives.

Traction is one of the weakest aspects of the Novablast 3. We measured a 0.39 score, which feels fine on dry roads. However, once conditions get wet, some runners may notice a drop in confidence.

The ASICS Novablast 3 features partial rubber coverage, focused primarily along the perimeter of the outsole. Its segmented layout includes deep cutouts to reduce weight and allow flexibility. A raised bump in the forefoot adds to its trampoline-like ride feel.

The ASICS Novablast 3 is not from the flexible bunch but it's right at the average across all of our lab-tested shoes with 13.6N in our 30-degree bend test.

The lightness of this ASICS shoe made it feel at home for both fast and slow paces. 

Putting the shoe on our scale, we found that the ASICS Novablast 3 weighs only 8.5 oz (242g)! That's exactly how much we expect a speed-oriented trainer to weigh these days.

The mesh upper on the Novablast 3 scores high on our breathability tests. You can see how much more smoke passes through it compared to the ASICS Kayano 29 on the right.

But on a 1-5 scale, where 5 is the most breathable, we had to give it a 3 because it took a few seconds for the toebox material to release the smoke.

You can also see how porous the upper is not only in the toebox but all throughout its length.

Despite the extra stack, the ride felt quite stable and secure to us.

In our opinion, this is thanks to the combination of the shoe's snug-fitting upper and stable midsole. Prior to this version, the foam was too squishy, which compromised the shoe's surefootedness. 

But in the third iteration, our feet never felt as if they were about to topple over!

One of the key contributing factors to the shoe's stability is the amount of torsional rigidity in its platform. And the best way we can assess this is by twisting the shoe with our hands.

The Novablast 3 has a lot of stiffness to it! It convinced us to rate it as 4 out of 5 on a scale where 5 is the stiffest.

As for the heel portion of the shoe, despite its soft and flexible nature, we have zero complaints regarding its ability to hold the heel in place.

Subjectively assessing the heel stiffness, we gave it 2 out of 5, where 5 is the stiffest.

The Novablast 3 also gets a good deal of stability from a rather wide platform.

Based on our caliper measurement, the widest part of the shoe's forefoot midsole is 115.9 mm. This is almost 3 mm wider than average.

Back in the heel, we also found that the midsole gets wider than most road shoes.

Our caliper shows that the widest part here is 93.9 mm, almost 4 mm wider than average.

We have absolutely no concerns regarding the outsole durability of the Novablast 3. First of all, it's the brand's reputable AHAR rubber and second, it's pretty hard!

Our durometer shows a reading of 83.0 HC which is firmer than the average measurement of road shoes.

The Novablast 3 manages to be a lightweight tempo trainer without sacrificing outsole protection.

Measuring the thickness of rubber layering the shoe's bottom, we got 3.1 mm. This is as thick as the average!

This ASICS shoe features a moderately padded insole. With a thickness of 4.4 mm, it is just about the same as the average.

Even when exposed to cold temperatures (20 minutes in our freezer) and getting 52% firmer, the Flytefoam Blast+ still remains much softer than most running shoes at room temperature.

With a durometer measurement of 20.5 HA, the Novablast 3 is 47% softer than the average "frozen" foam.

To our great surprise, the tongue is only 1.3 mm thick and yet does the job!

The shoe's tongue comes in a unique shape that molds to the ankle. But it works! We experienced no shifting, sliding, or bunching throughout the run. Plus, it's protective against lace bites.

And it stays in place, thanks to its gussets.

They may not look radically different but the ASICS Novablast 3 and 2 have quite significant differences. These are the changes that make the third Novablast different: 

• lighter by an ounce!
• has more spring
• new mesh upper plus gusseted tongue creates a more supportive fit

Whether you're running fast or slow or running short or long distances, the ASICS Novablast 3 will keep you covered. It's an out-and-out versatile shoe. Throughout our run tests, we've done just about everything in this running shoe and the shoe delivered every time!