Puma Faas 300 V3

My very first pair of Puma running shoes was the Mobium. I didn't really like it initially but it kinda grew on me and I am still wearing it for daily runs and it has clocked more than 600 km and still look none the worst for wear. So when Puma wanted to pass me a pair to try on, I was hoping to get the Mobium Elite V2 but instead I was given the Faas 300 V3. I had a shock when I realised that the shoe comes with an 8 mm heel to toe drop. The past few shoes I had was either 0 or at most 4mm drop so this was going to be something new to try on. 

Anyway, since I don't know anything about the shoe, I had to quickly find out more about it from the Puma website. So here are the usual mumbo jumbo.

The first impression I had when I got it was wow. It looks rather nice. And it was in red to add to my collection of red shoes.

Design: I like the speckles of grey that is scattered all over the shoes. Apparently, they are luminous and reflect light making it a good shoe to wear for night running.

I also like that the length of the tongue was not too long and not too short. Some shoes come with super long  tongue which brushes against the ankle or too short that the top shoe laces lies on top of the foot instead of the tongue. This one is just about right. And it has some nice codes on it. I am sure those words there mean something but what I am not exactly sure:)

The heel counter was also just right and this is one of the few rare pair of shoes when I did not get any hot spot at the heel even though I wear mainly low ankle socks. The heel  counter grip well and give fairly adequate support.

Weight: Coming in at about 230 gm for my size 12, I must say this is super light considering that it has a very thick looking sole.

Cushioning: Cushioning is more than adequate with Puma FaasFoam+ midsole and EverRide+ forefoot blown rubber. However, not being used to too much cushioning nowadays, I feel that it hinders more than enhance my run. 

Traction: So far I did about 35 km in this shoe covering a fairly wide range of surfaces except for trails. I even worn it for the Puma Night Run 2014 where the route surfaces included tarmac, pavement and some uneven slate ground. I also ran in it during a heavy downpour over extremely wet ground with a lot of puddles and the grip was terrific. Probably because Puma uses what it calls EverTrack high abrasion resistant rubber. On top of that, I believe the design of the sole helps as well.

Flexibility: The shoe is pretty flexible. Again the design of the sole helps a lot allowing for smooth toe off and transition. I didn't get any arch pain or discomfort unlike what I first felt when I worn the Puma Mobium Elite.

Water Proofing: The upper is made up of a air mesh which means that water can get in easily. As it was, I was caught in a heavy downpour during one of the run and water got in almost immediately. But it also drained out pretty fast. 

Overall, I quite like the shoe despite the 8mm drop. It didn't really affects the running as much as I feared maybe because I am still wearing the Mobium which also has an 8mm drop. The only thing I didn't like was the rather narrow toe box which could potential give problem over longer distance. So far the longest distance I ran in them was 15 km but it has yet to give me problem so I could be wrong about it. Nevertheless, I feel that this will be a good everyday shoe for training, short fast run rather than long runs or marathons. And at S$130.00 I think it is a good buy compared to the much more expensive more well established shoes available.