361 probably the running shoe brand that has won the most podiums in China's domestic marathon events at the moment. After four updates of the flame series they finally released the first shoe that was launched at the same time as the original model which lowered the barrier to use. What can they offer?
Today let's talk about the all new 361 degrees flame 4 mix. How are you doing? I'm HUI.
I created this channel to review running products from Chinese brands and improve my English speaking, before I get my thoughts with 361 degrees flame 4 mix I do want to go over some disclosures, this is a pair of shoe I bought with my own money and no one's gonna pay me to make this video. Making money is not easy, I will say what I have to say. Let's get into it from the specs.
It's a etpu based midsole, this is a common super critical forming process midsole. Classic example is adidas Boost and saucony Pwrrun PB. You may wonder why you don't see the characteristic of beaded foam?
That's because 361 has done a thick spray on the side of the midsole foam. If I turn the shoe over you will see the similar characteristic to the previous two that I mentioned. 361 degrees didn't show any specs of the stack height or drop, I feel 7 or 8 mm drop when I am running.
I wear size 45 for this pair of shoe, for your reference I usually wear size 46 for Hoka Asics and New Balance, the weight of my size is 251 G, it's not heavy. After the basic let's take a look at the details. The material used for the upper is single layer jacquard.
It has some high grade feel, but no stretch. In terms of fit, I'm not a wide foot, it fits me really well. The tongue is made from soft mesh, only at the highest part in the center is padded with a little bit foam to reduce the pressure from the laces, so the tongue is pretty breathable.
However the padding around the heel collar is more than the tongue, this design may be a little bit awkward when hot days, the instep is cool and the heel soak a lot of sweat in it. With that out of the way let's talk about the pros and cons of actual running in it. Thanks to the wide platform the stability is really great.
According to 361° official website this pair of shoe is suitable for mass runners, I believe the reason of running for this group of people is because habit and fitness, so the shoes that will run a large number of kilometers are stable enough to avoid injuries, which is important for mass runners. Flame 4 mix is doing a great job of that. The midsole foam also lasts well, after a single half marathon session, I didn't feel stiffness in the end.
But I've got some mixed feeling about the midsole when I am running. It depends on which way you landing. As you can see from the official, they have cuted out the end of the plate, leaving a hollow circle, this makes if you are a heel strike runner you will feel the softness from the foam directly, and if you are a forefoot or midfoot strike runner, like me, as you can see in the footage, I can't get much compression and decompression from the foam, even though we have a thick midsole, but I didn't get the fun ride feeling from it, please don't get me wrong, if you are a big guy I believe your feelings will be different from mine.
By far the biggest downside I have to say is the laces. Almost every run it comes undone, is it difficult to get a right material? I don't get it, I don't get it, it's a pain in the butt.
The second issue is the flexibility, which I would like to talk later in the comparison with the sausony endorphin speed. Four or five years ago saucony launched the first endorphin speed and the pro running shoes. That's the first time we've seen one similar design with the adjusting of midsole and plate to match runners of different speed.
How did 361 degrees do it before? They named with ET, replace the carbon plate with a nylon or plastic plate, a few months later after the original launched. That means you cann't experience their latest technology and design at the first time.
So this is a shoe of 361 degrees that I've been waiting for a very long time. I couldn't help to take out the endorphin speed 1 and compare it with the flame 4 mix. First of all the midsole foam, as you can see has similar characteristics.
In actual running the flame 4 mix absorbs ground impact better, but the wide base makes it less flexible than saucony. This pair of saucony has been put on a shelf for a long time. After this comparison, I'm impressed with the saucony's product capability.
Salute! Let's wrap up the video. The flame 4 mix, in terms of 361° product positioning, there is no problem as a daily trainer, but if you are like me, assuming it will work as a super trainer like saucony endorphin speed, it will be a little bit underwhelming.
Okay that my thoughts with 361° flame 4 mixed after 70 kilometers, let me know in the comments if you have any questions about this shoe or if you have any good tips to improve English speaking. Thank you for watching this video all the way through, I'll bring you more about Chinese running products please follow me and hope you have a good one!
