Saucony Paramount Max review

After testing the Saucony Paramount Max in our lab and on the roads, we believe it's an excellent choice for:

• Fans of the original Nike Invincible from 2021 who have been waiting for a similar ride. The wait is finally over.
• Tech-obsessed runners who want one of the most advanced, energy-packed foams available in a daily trainer.
• Runners who prioritise maximum shock absorption and want to protect their legs from repeated impacts.
• Anyone seeking exceptional energy return for daily training without sacrificing comfort.

With its explosive bounce, massive stack height, and ultra-soft foam, the Paramount Max is best suited for neutral runners. However, if you need extra support, Saucony has a perfect alternative in its lineup: the Hurricane 26.

We also believe that runners who dislike overly soft cushioning will struggle with the Paramount Max. Instead, we recommend the adidas Supernova Prima 3 or Nike Vomero Premium, both of which offer a more balanced level of midsole softness.

Saucony has gone all-in on cushioning with the Paramount Max, and the results from our lab test were simply outstanding.

We measured 165 SA in the heel and an equally (or maybe even more!) impressive 147 SA in the forefoot, both way above average. In our opinion, these numbers make the Paramount Max an excellent choice for runners seeking maximum impact protection, particularly for recovery sessions and long runs.

The Paramount Max features incrediRUN, Saucony's supercritical TPEE foam that also powers its pinnacle racer: the Endorphin Elite 3. However, this time the brand has used it in a non-plated daily trainer, which was a bit surprising to us.

As expected from incrediRUN, the bounce is crazy good. The Paramount Max delivers 80.3% energy return in the forefoot and 72.7% in the heel, confirming its incredibly responsive ride. In our view, runners seeking maximum bounce from a training-focused shoe will find one of the best experiences on the market here, if not the very best.

Here's the enormous midsole of the Paramount Max. Saucony advertises a towering 43 mm heel stack, and our measurements came remarkably close to that figure.

We recorded 42.1 mm in the heel, making this one of those shoes that truly earns its maximalist label. Conversely, runners who prefer a more grounded experience should definitely look elsewhere.

The heel impressed us, but it's the forefoot that truly blew us away. Compared to an average running shoe or a basic daily trainer, the level of cushioning and bounce feels almost unreal. It's simply on another level.

We measured an impressive 36.4 mm in the forefoot, just shy of the advertised 37 mm. That's an exceptionally high stack, providing a massive amount of cushioning beneath the toes. In fact, at the time of this review, the forefoot stack of the Paramount Max is even higher than the average heel stack height in our lab.

The Paramount Max features a moderate heel-to-toe offset that makes it particularly appealing to midfoot and forefoot strikers. Our measurements revealed a 5.7 mm drop, noticeably lower than average.

The Paramount Max features full-length incrediRUN foam, and for runners who love the cloud-like feel of the latest Endorphin Elite shoes, it's a dream come true.

We measured 28.3 AC on our Asker C durometer, confirming a noticeably softer-than-average midsole, exactly what we expected from incrediRUN. However, Saucony has slightly adjusted the foam to deliver a more stable and predictable ride, as the Endorphin Elite 3 was even softer at only 15.5 AC.

Another highlight came from our freezer test. After spending 20 minutes in the cold, the foam became just 5% firmer, an outstanding result that confirms how consistently this TPEE-based material maintains its softness when temperatures drop.

We identified a pronounced rocker geometry, combining its massive incrediRUN midsole with a strongly curved forefoot and a substantial heel bevel.

We appreciate this approach because such an extreme stack height can make transitions feel cumbersome without an aggressive rocker. Moreover, we believe the pronounced heel bevel is especially important for rearfoot strikers, given the moderate heel-to-toe drop we measured earlier.

Using our gel-based method, we measured 97.5 mm at the widest point, a slightly above-average result.

This is good news for runners with medium-to-wide feet, especially during longer runs when the feet naturally expand. However, as we'll see in the next test, the generous forefoot doesn't extend all the way to the toes so it won't suit all foot shapes.

We hinted at it just before, and now we have the numbers to prove it. We measured just 70.4 mm near the big toe, confirming a narrow toebox.

This pronounced taper limits natural toe splay, making the shoe less accommodating than its wide forefoot initially promises. In our opinion, runners with square-shaped feet or those needing extra room around their toes should pay particular attention to this result.

The Paramount Max doesn't offer an especially tall toebox either.

Our gel mould revealed a height of 26.3 mm, slightly below average. We don't consider this an extremely restrictive measurement, but runners with high-volume toes or those who prefer plenty of overhead clearance may find it less accommodating than other maximalist shoes.

Traction is a disappointment for such an expensive trainer.

We measured a friction coefficient of 0.50 in our standardised test, almost identical to average. It's a perfectly acceptable result for everyday road running on dry roads, but we expected something more impressive from a £180 shoe packed with high-end technology.

Saucony uses a large orange rubber section beneath the forefoot, featuring multiple cutouts and directional grooves that add some flexibility to compensate for the sky-high stack height. Meanwhile, the heel features two separate black rubber patches.

Considering the Paramount Max's enormous stack height, we expected a fairly rigid shoe. But the result was a pleasant surprise, as we needed just 13.4N to bend the shoe to 30 degrees.

We appreciate this approach because it allows the Paramount Max to flex more naturally than othe max-cushioned super trainers. Moreover, it reinforces the original Nike Invincible vibes we experienced with this shoe.

The Paramount Max looks enormous, and with so much incrediRUN foam, a substantial upper, and decent outsole coverage, we expected it to be quite heavy.

However, our scale revealed a surprisingly reasonable 9.6 oz (272g). That's an impressive achievement for such a heavily-cushioned shoe, proving once again that incrediRUN is one of the best foams ever made.

If there's one word that defines the Paramount Max, it's comfort. This shoe is built around that goal, but its focus on maximum plushness comes with a major trade-off in breathability, and we had no choice but to give this shoe a 1/5 in this test.

Despite the upper's appearance, we found that Saucony's thick mesh blocks most of the airflow, making those ventilation holes feel more like a gimmick than a functional feature. As a result, long summer runs could leave your feet feeling hot enough to boil spaghetti inside the shoe.

The Paramount Max combines an extremely tall, soft midsole with Saucony's CenterPath geometry, a design that uses an exaggerated platform and raised sidewalls to improve support. We find this approach particularly interesting because the shoe needs to balance its massive cushioning with predictable foot placement. 

And it's important to remember that a very wide shoe delivers does not mean strong stability in every situation. Therefore, we recommend the Paramount Max exclusively for neutral runners.

Despite its massive dimensions, the Paramount Max proved surprisingly easy to twist. We find this highly-flexible construction refreshing in such a maximalist shoe, although it also comes at the expense of support. But seriously, kudos to Saucony for going against the crowd here.

We measured only 9.5 Nm in our torsional rigidity test, significantly below average.

Another design choice from Saucony that compromises support is the heel counter. Clearly inspired by the Endorphin Elite 2, the heel scored just 2/5 in our test, suggesting that Saucony prioritised comfort over firm heel support.

Saucony certainly hasn't held back when designing the Paramount Max's platform. In fact, the forefoot is one of the widest we've measured in a road running shoe with 129.7 mm of width.

During our runs, we could clearly feel the exceptionally broad landing platform, which we believe is the main reason the Paramount Max doesn't wobble as its soft foam and huge stack may suggest.

The forefoot impressed us, but the heel is an absolute monster at 108.9 mm.

This puts the Paramount Max among the widest running shoes we've ever measured, making it a complete dealbreaker for runners who prefer an agile, nimble feel underfoot. If you're a petrolhead, think of the Paramount Max as the Cadillac Escalade of running shoes.

We found before that the thick, comfort-focused mesh of the Paramount Max severely limits ventilation, but at least all that extra material should offer better protection against abrasion. And with a respectable 3/5 in our durability test, we were satisfied with the result.

The Paramount Max features plenty of padding around its unusual heel collar, which makes comfort a major part of its upper design. But generous padding doesn't automatically mean excellent resistance to abrasion. 

After putting the heel lining through our Dremel test, we awarded it 3/5, which is less than we hoped but, after all, still a good result.

After testing the rubber with our Dremel, we measured an indentation of just 0.8 mm, noticeably better than average. We believe this is an important strength for a shoe intended to handle regular training mileage.

Saucony has clearly prioritised outsole durability in the Paramount Max, and we confirmed this when measuring the rubber with our callipers.

We found a thickness of 3.6 mm, comfortably above average. Combined with its impressive abrasion resistance, this gives the shoe a promising foundation for long-term outsole durability.

The insole is one of the most impressive features of the Paramount Max. We've often pointed out that insoles are a missed opportunity for many brands, as even premium running shoes frequently rely on cheap EVA foam instead of something more advanced.

Saucony took a much better approach. It used the same energy-packed incrediRUN foam found in the midsole to create an ultra-thick, 8.6 mm insole that perfectly matches the shoe's character.

You can replace the original incrediRUN footbed with an aftermarket insole or your preferred orthotic.

But it doesn't make sense. Doing so means sacrificing a substantial amount of cushioning and energy return, which are two of the Paramount Max's biggest strengths. If you really want to replace it, you might be better off buying a different shoe altogether...

We inspected the shoe and found no reflective details, which isn't ideal for runners who frequently train before sunrise or after sunset.

Saucony has gone all-in on comfort with the Paramount Max. Instead of traditional punched eyelets from top to bottom, we found six lace loops designed to distribute pressure more evenly across the instep.

We also measured an impressive 10.5 mm of tongue padding, significantly thicker than average. That's a generous layer of cushioning between the laces and the instep, and runners who dislike thin tongues and pressure from tightly-pulled laces will certainly appreciate this setup.

The Paramount Max features a flawlessly executed semi-gusseted tongue, with lightweight fabric connecting it to the midsole.

As we already noted, the Paramount Max inherits the extended heel collar from the Endorphin Elite 2, making it easy to grab when putting the shoe on. However, its tall, aggressively curved design won't suit everyone, especially runners who are sensitive to pressure around the Achilles tendon.

The Paramount Max goes straight into the premium-shoe category. But we also have to acknowledge that Saucony has packed some genuinely exciting technology into this shoe.

It's certainly not cheap, and for value-focused runners, we believe it's a tough sell. However, incrediRUN delivered state-of-the-art shock absorption and energy return in our tests, creating a truly one-of-a-kind ride with very few direct competitors. And when a shoe offers something this unique, a high price tag is hardly surprising.