Nike Legend Essential 3 review

In our opinion, the Nike Legend Essential 3 would be a great match for the following:

• gymgoers on a tight budget (at only $65, the shoe is way cheaper than cross-trainers on average, which is $100)
• beginner athletes who need a shoe for easy-to-moderate workouts

Because of its budget setup, we do not approve the Nike Legend Essential 3 for advanced use.

If you intend to lift heavy (250+ pounds) or perform a strenuous workout regimen like Crossfit, we highly recommend the Nike Metcon 8 instead. As the brand's flagship, it is the most stable and durable trainer.

Alternatively, the Nike Free Metcon 5 and the Reebok Nano X3 are also among our top picks for tougher workouts.

The platform of the Legend Essential 3 is neither particularly low nor tall. At 24.2 mm in the heel, it sits right at the sweet spot of training shoes.

In our experience, a trainer that's too tall would be unstable for lifting while the one that's too low is going to lack impact protection.

In the case of this Nike trainer, we felt like there was enough foam to cushion our jumps without making us feel disconnected from the ground.

There is 19.7 mm of stack height under the toes, which also falls into the average range.

We found this amount of cushioning sufficient for exercises like rope jumps.

Based on our stack measurements, the Nike Legend Essential 3 has a 4.5 mm drop.

Four millimeters is considered a classic offset for a cross-training shoe because it creates a stable, nearly flat platform for the feet.

Having next-to-no elevation in the heel, we definitely felt grounded and in control in the Legend Essential 3.

Pressing our durometer against the midsole, we discovered that it is neither too soft nor too firm. At 26.3 HA, the foam is just average.

Because this Nike trainer uses a single layer of foam, there is no difference in softness between the heel and the forefoot.

The Legend Essential 3 gave us a very consistent platform to feel stable when lifting and moving sideways but also cushioned when doing some cardio work.

We found the shoe's insole to be well-padded.

Our caliper measurement shows that it is 4.5 mm thick, which is a little more than the average but is a nice bonus for underfoot comfort.

We must admit, the toebox width surprised us in a very positive way. Measuring the widest part of the forefoot with a caliper, we got 104.1 mm, which is a little wider than the average.

But we were even more surprised by the shoe's width at the big toe! At 83.5 mm, it is notably wider than most of our training shoes! In other words, its toebox is not as pointy as the rest.

Based on these two measurements, we really wanted to tag the shoe as wide but it doesn't really feel that way. The shoe's upper is rather shallow and you don't get a ton of space on top of the foot.

But we still consider it a solid medium.

Based on our personal assessment, the shoe's lateral stability is just normal.

We felt stable enough thanks to its grounded profile, fairly wide base, and raised sidewalls. But we can see how athletes with overpronation would want more arch support on the medial side.

In this test, we can clearly see why this trainer fails to provide arch support. It took minimal effort from us to twist it!

This Nike shoe gets the lowest score on torsional rigidity - 1 out of 5. Supportive training shoes normally get at least 3 out of 5 on the same test.

For example, another budget trainer from Nike, the Alpha Trainer 5, got 4 out of 5.

Having squeezed and bent the shoe's heel counter, we rated it as 2 out of 5 (more flexible than average).

It means that the shoe has a decent ankle hold but it's not the most supportive. For comparison, we rated the Nike Metcon 8 as 3 out of 5 while the Reebok Nano X3 got 4.

Luckily, the Nike Legend Essential 3 has a wide platform to rely on for stability.

Our caliper measurement shows 112.2 mm in the widest part of the forefoot, which is on the wide side of our lab-tested trainers.

A wider surface is perfect for lifting but it can make a shoe a little less agile for multi-directional movements. However, for an average gym-goer, we consider this width to be just right.

In the heel, this Nike shoe beats the average by a few millimeters as well. At 90.7 mm, it is even wider than the Reebok Nano X3 (82.6 mm)!

Doing lunges, burpees, or holding the plank never felt restricting to us in the Nike Legend Essential 3.

The shoe has plenty of flex in the forefoot which was confirmed in our gauge test. It took only 16.5N of force to bend this trainer. It is almost as flexible as the Metcon 8 (required 11.6N).

A huge benefit of the Nike Legend Essential 3 is its feathery lightness.

We weighed the shoe at 8.8 oz (249g), which is a lot lighter than training shoes on average (11.1 oz/314g). Jumping and moving fast in this trainer feels effortless to us!

Of course, this Nike shoe gets to be so light because it lacks all those supportive features that we see in flagship cross-trainers. But at least we get to enjoy box jumps, rope jumps, burpees, and other aerobic exercises without feeling dragged down by heavy heels.

Hot and sweaty feet are out of question in the Nike Legend Essential 3.

Pumping smoke through the shoe's upper, we can see how easily the material lets the heat escape. On a 1-5 scale, where 5 is the most breathable ever, we gladly rated this Nike shoe as 4 out of 5.

Nike Legend Essential 3 vs. Reebok Nano X2 TR Adventure

We were also surprised that the layer of inner foam padding in the toebox didn't affect breathability that much.

Looking at the shoe's mesh through our microscope, we can see that the large ventilation holes are responsible for the ample airflow.

Durability usually suffers the most in budget-friendly trainers.

That's why we weren't surprised when our Dremel left a huge hole in the shoe's toebox. The only reason why we didn't give this Nike shoe the lowest score (1/5) is because it has a foamy layer underneath the mesh. It prevented a see-through hole which helped the Legend Essential 3 bump up to 2/5.

A shoe like this would be fine for occasional and easy gym use. But we advise investing in a more expensive trainer unless you want to buy a new pair every few months.

In the photo above, we put the Legend Essential 3 next to the Reebok Nano X3 to show the difference in damage caused by the very same Dremel test. The same force (3.2N) and speed (10K RPM) were applied to both shoes.

Another sensitive area on the shoe's upper is the heel padding. And this Nike trainer has readily proved its weakness.

After only 4 seconds under our Dremel, the material developed a hole that is notably larger than what we typically see. We rated this part's durability as low as 1 out of 5.

Make sure to use a shoehorn with this shoe if you want to extend its shelf life.

A thick rubber outsole is important for durability but so is its hardness. We have found that firmer rubbers tend to last longer than their softer counterparts.

We used a durometer to measure how hard the Legend Essential 3's rubber is. Turns out, it is a little softer than average. This is one of the reasons why it's better to limit this trainer to indoor use.

Whenever we see exposed foam, it's a surefire sign that this training shoe is meant for indoors only.

At least the Nike Legend Essential 3 has enough rubber in the high-abrasion areas like the heel and the forefoot.

Using a caliper, we measured the rubber thickness at 4 mm, which is exactly the average of our lab-tested gym shoes.

But for outdoor use, we would suggest a trainer that has a full-length rubber outsole. For example, Reebok features the Nano X2 TR Adventure specifically for outdoor workouts.

From our experience, the Legend Essential 3 has a fairly nice grip on standard gym floors like wood and rubber.

The tongue is pretty well padded. We measured it at 6.2 mm which is just average for training shoes. No lace bites there.

The tongue is not gusseted in the Legend Essential 3, which is normal for a shoe at this price point.

But it was never an issue because we didn't experience any tongue sliding throughout the workout.

There is no pull tab in this Nike trainer. So, a shoehorn or a finger it is.

The insole is easily removable in the Nike Legend Essential 3. It can be replaced with a custom insole as long as it's not a thick one. Because of the somewhat shallow upper, there may not be enough space.