ASICS Novablast 6 vs ASICS Superblast 3 – Battle of the Big Stacks

Stack Height, Drop, Weight and Price

The ASICS Novablast 6 is a max-cushioned neutral trainer with a large geometric midsole packing 41.5mm in the forefoot and 33.5mm in the heel for an 8mm drop.

The highest shoe in the Blast line-up, the Superblast 3 takes max-stack to the next level. It has the same 8mm drop but puts even more midsole underfoot with a whopping 46.5mm in the heel and 38.5mm in the forefoot. 

When it comes to weight, in our US 9.5 test shoe, the now lighter ASICS Novablast 6 tips the scales at 9.1oz / 258g. Despite the extra strack, the ASICS Superblast 3 is surprisingly lighter, weighing in at 8.3oz / 236g. 

On price, the RRP for the ASICS Novablast 6 is $155 while the more premium ASICS Superblast 3 will set you back a princely $210.

Design

These two max stack shoes both feature dual foam midsoles. The ASICS Novablast 6 combines a forefoot wedge of FF Turbo Squared (the same foam you get in the Megablast) alongside FF Blast Max foam. The aim - to deliver more response but retain some of the reliability.  There’s also a large rocker to smooth the transitions.

The ASICS Superblast 3 has a trampoline pod of Flytefoam Leap, a highly compressive foam also used in the ASICS Metaspeed Ray Tokyo, alongside FF Blast+. Despite its extra bulk, the Superblast 3 remains impressively light for a shoe packing this level of cushioning.

Up top, the Superblast 3 has an engineered woven mesh upper that cuts some weight while improving breathability and moisture management and crucially helps keeping the cruising comfort front and center. 

The Novablast 6 has marginally more flexible woven uppers that sit a little higher off the top of the toes to create the roomier toe box feel out of these two shoes. The heel package and tongues are almost identical with well padded heel collars and excellent, flatter, gusseted wrapping tongues.

Flip them over, and both deploy strategic pads and strips of rubber in the main impact zones with quite a lot of exposed midsole, presumably to save weight. Both shoes now also use a combination of AHAR LO in the heel and ASICSGRIP in the forefoot. That’s an upgrade on the grip for the Novablast 6 versus the Novablast 5

Fit

On fit, I ran in my regular ASICS shoe size – a US 9.5 – in both shoes. These are two roomy, accommodating shoes with ample length and room in the toe box. Good lock-down across the midfoot, reliable hold in the heels and plenty of wiggle room that’s ideal for long-mile comfort. 

The Novablast 6 are marginally more spacious with a bit more length and flex in the uppers that makes the toe box feel marginally roomier. But comfort is pretty much on par and I was happy running in my regular size in both shoes. 

Performance

In testing, I’ve run north of 35 miles in the ASICS Novablast 6. I’ve run a touch more in the ASICS Superblast 3, including a solo marathon around London, not in race conditions. I’ve covered a range of paces from slow recovery up to intervals at 5km pace. And everything in between. 

I also ran a test mile wearing one of each shoe and the moment you put them on, you not only feel the higher stack in the ASICS  Superblast 3, you also notice how these two shoes have almost traded places when it comes to softness underfoot. 

The Superblast 3 now feels much softer, more compressive and more highly cushioned than the Novablast 6. It’s broader in the platform, with that high-compression FF Leap that’s also bouncier when you start to move fast and engage it. But that also means there’s little road feel underfoot. 

It’s obviously still not a ground-feel shoe but the Novablast 6 feels a bit more grounded. Though there’s still generous cushioning under the forefoot for good long-haul protection.

Despite being lighter, the Superblast 3 feels more bulky and you notice the general extra heft of the bigger midsole platform compared to the Novablast 6 which feels more precise, more nimble and more compact. 

The Superblast 3’s new setup makes for a bouncier and more energetic ride versus the Superblast 2. There’s a happy rolling consistency and comfort for long and steady marathon pace efforts. I think a lot of runners will enjoy that boosted softness, extra cushion and bouncy feel for longer training miles for efforts up to and around marathon pace where you want energy and cruise control comfort.

However, I personally find the Superblast 3 a bit mushy. Particularly at slower paces where I found it was more work than the Novablast 6 to get out of that sinking foam to benefit from that higher energy return. For me it’s lost some of the upper pace edge for the fastest training miles and sessions. 

The Novablast 6, while not as bouncy, somehow feels sprightlier and better suited to faster paces without coming up wanting for cushion and protection. Though I tend to reach for firmer, snappier shoes. I’d certainly pick the Adidas EVO SL over both of these shoes for faster miles.