Saucony Endorphin Elite 2 Review: SuperBouncy&Soft but wide enough to be stable

The ride is plush, meaning cushy where you sink about a quarter inch(9mm) with every step, but it's resilient, not mushy and springs back fairly quickly with timing that works great for jogging. It's kinda lively for walking but has a smooth rocker and heel bevel, the drop is a little low for speed walking, but if you upgrade the insole(see section below) it won't overwork your calves.

If you midfoot or heel strike you will enjoy deep impact protection, but if you get up on the forefoot for driving force in sprints the non-newtonian fluidic properties makes it transform into a racing flat. The plate and toe-spring combine with the tapering foam there, but that makes the cushioning near the tiptoes good but not great.

The way the soft foam sits under the plate to provide stability reminds me of the feel of the Asics Metaspeed SkyTokyo, though that shoe has a percentage better energy return at higher speeds, its narrow heel makes it unusable for walking which disqualifies Sky as a practical purchase for me.

This EE2 is a really great shoe all around and maintains its performance past 16K unlike earlier generation foams. You can use it for anything, but if you have a huge rotation and want to know its niche, I think its strength is lower speeds because of how little force you need to reap the benefits.

In the rain I was able to be assured on wet cement as it didn't budge a millimeter. The durability is there with a traction rating of 9.6 which is usually only beaten by trail shoes.

I might worry about the low tread-depth and overall flatness(besides one groove) of the forefoot on hydroplane hazards like torrentially flooded asphalt, but the upper is so open that you would choose a different shoe that day anyway.

Some reviews have opined they felt insecure with the high stack wobbling on turns or uneven pavement, but unless there's mud you can trust to dig the sides of your feet at an angle and lean into the turn as the foam molds to the angle of the street and carry on. It's a special technique that wouldn't work without this shoe's compliance, but not intuitive as no other shoe compresses into a wedge(cross-section wise.)

If you've ever experienced Skechers Slip-ons, you'll appreciate not having to retie your shoes every time you put them on, annoyances that are common in popular shoes like the Adidas Adizero EvoSL and Nike Vomero Premium.

While it's not hands-free like a real Skechers, you just hold onto the heel tab as you press it down and slide your foot in the completely open heel, then walk your toes forward twice and pull the heel sliding up. The lockdown is secure with the elastic laces just for show, and you can't even feel it on your foot.

There's never been a more open weave, it's tough but not rough, and it's impossible to sweat.

I wouldn't lend it out to someone with fat ankles since the elastic might wear out.

Sizing runs a half US size small, so don't hesitate as plated shoes give you better toe-off propulsion when slightly long anyway as evidenced by the Puma Fast-R3.

1. Not really overpriced, just as good as $300+ racers but not quite that much
2.  Goathead/thorns will stick, and the plate on a rock made a painful noise, so stay off the dirt
3.  Standing is a workout, queuing up in these is an annoying balancing-act

No matter how good a shoe is, there might be room for improvement:

This shoe features Saucony's SRS "Super-Responsive Sockliner" footbed that is the best technology available for insoles, it uses 2013-tech second-generation foam: aromatic TPU(LightBoost beads) for a supportive bouncy feel I appreciated. This is as good as it gets from a factory, but could I make it better?

The shape of these SRS are flat with a consistent thickness and no upwrap sidewalls. This could cause pinching with thin-socks between the upper and the height/depth of the insole, it's a minor niggle, not enough to cause pain or irritation, but I fixed it.

Thanks to half-sizing up, I had enough room due to my low-volume-instep foot to use a full-size-down insole from a pair of Tracksmith Eliot Runner.

This 2017-tech fourth-generation foam(PEBA) gave me the desired sidewalls that eliminated any pinching, not counting those it still added 10mm to my stack height, now at 42/50mm(1.63/1.95") total.

This shoe already has the lowest durometer reading ever tested, half of the runner-up NewBalance More5, but that's below the plate so this upgrade really makes it extremely comfortable(with a step-in feel akin to the NB) without sacrificing bounce.

They can be ordered separately for $35 shipped and have an upscale cloth-stitch.

It's a relatively flexible shoe, just average with the articulating slotted-plate, so if you want extra snap you can add a Carbitex G2 plate beneath it for a dub$.