After hundreds of Km’s I will give a runners view on the revamped Saucony trail running legend
Same name but a very different animal…
Who is this review for?
As a trail runner and aspiring ultra runner I will give a feet on the ground review of the Saucony Peregrine 10 the latest revamp in the line from last seasons ISO model. Often when manufacturers make tweaks to their lines they can be minor and barely noticeable… that was my assumption when I got my 4th Peregrine and upgrade from the now discontinued ISO but I have found it to share the same name but it is a very different shoe. Read on if you currently have the Peregrine ISO and thinking of getting the 10 or simply some opinions after putting in some distance.
Do I like the Peregrine ISO?
I love the Peregrine ISO! It has been my go to shoe for nearly every mid / long distance trail event for the last year, they have been with my on costal half marathons, knee deep mud ultras, lots of training runs, walking shoe for Japan’s snowy winters – you name it I have used it there. The level of cushioning, a subtle 4mm drop and great grip make this a confidence inspiring shoe. Yes for deep mud shoes like the Inov-8 Mudclaw will win but I have found them good for most tasks. To give an extra level of detail, I am so happy with the ISO that out of the box, no breaking in I took a pair for a first outing on a 30mile muddy Ultra and didn’t have a single issue (even managed to bag a top 10 spot as well).
My 3rd pair of Peregrine ISO’s developed a small problem with a lace hole and went in to be replaced, when I returned the ISO had been discontinued and the only ones available was the new model, 10 – same shoe I thought so fine but I quickly learnt all the small changes have made it very different to the shoe I know and love. Some good, some bad and some are just different.
What differences make a difference?
I couldn’t even begin to list all the differences, from the change of length of a certain foam, additional support panels etc etc – and to be honest it is a mute point as they have properly discontinued the ISO so unless you want to go on a “new old stock” rampage and stock up then really this is about the difference that I think matter the most – the ones I have really noticed.
Difference 1 – The tread material and the shape
As a former design engineer and someone who designed a new type of terrain tracking mountain bike tyre at university the art of grip is a subject dear to my heart, but I have found it is a subject most tire of quickly so I will keep this to the essentials.
The rubber on the new 10s are a lot softer and an average of 1mm lower than the ISO – might not sound a lot but that is a reduction of 16.5%. This soft rubber has a touch more grip on dry rocks but a huge decrease in mud grip especially for us in the United Kingdom where the mud can often have a lot of clay in it. I would go as far as to say the grip on the 10s is not good compared to the ISO.
It also wears quite quickly as well, this picture is after about 220Km of winter / spring training. You can see a few edges have start to break off, not a major issue at the moment but not been used aggressively yet.
The softness of the material isn’t my biggest issue it is the change to the tread patter at the side lugs, so I can only assume the boffins at Saucony spent a long time running these on different rocks, up and down running around but never gave them to someone who has ever seen mud or more specifically – OFF CAMBER MUD!
Off camber mud is a tricky thing to run across for any shoe but this does it very badly, and why you ask? Well let’s get detailed and I will show you…
From the images above you can see the ISOs tread has aggressive side tread that both stick out beyond the sides and are sharp, this makes them dig in to off camber mud an absolute treat. The new 10s do not have this and are rounded off, now this makes them more stable on dry rocks and I do not catch my ankles with the 10s which does happen on the ISO model quite a bit but for me is a major issue on the 10.
On a side note if anyone has fitted ice spikes to the new Peregrine 10s (that is what the little circles are for in the sole of the left hand picture) I would love to know because it seems like a lot of the wrong shoe for ice running but I am no expert so throw some knowledge at me.
Difference 2 – Back to the old lacing pattern (nearly)
I have narrow(ish) feet, high arch, long toes and run mostly mid foot strike with a touch of heel on longer distance so for me the ISO “finger” type lacing system has been great – I have the Saucony Ride ISO 2 as my day to day road shoe and have so far had 5 pairs of ISO style shoes.
ISO is not for everyone and maybe on trails it isn’t the best – If you have more normal width feet and want a really robust hold the ISO will not, or ever be your cup of tea. It seems to lend itself to narrower feet and those that are happy to have a more fluid feel to the fit rather than rigid.
This became apparent when I got my new Peregrine 10s home, went straight out on a 10km trail run and got a blister on my heel half way around – I have never had a blister before in a Peregrine. Soon found the the heel cup and the new lacing system makes for a stiffer shoe and took me over 100km to break them in properly and still occasionally get rubbing that I never had before.
Difference 3 – Slightly smaller
Out with the ISO size 44 and in with the 10 size 44.
The 10’s are, purely based on literally going from one day running one and then the other, smaller than the ISOs by about a half shoe size. This for me is true in the length and toe box area where I now hit the end of the shoe on long descents and has rubbing issues on the outside of my big toe – so go up half a size in my opinion.
Unfortunately for me I have worn a hole in the back of one shoe behind the heel from rubbing in less than 200Km which is annoying but it is not the first time it has happened. I have solved the issue by putting an Engo patch on them – if you don’t know what these are I will cover it in another post as they are a dream for people with blister issues caused by wonky feet!
Difference 4 – The Peregrine 10 does have better ground feel
After reading “Born to Run” like most people I have become obsessed with the feel of the ground and barefoot so I have really noticed a positive to the new 10s. The ISO with it’s harder, higher and bulkier tread (which I think is great in many ways as I mention above) definitely detaches you from the ground feel more than other shoes, this has meant that I have a couple of times rolled my ankles on the ISO and on the 10 I have not (actually not at all – touch wood).
The feel of the ground in the 10s is very good, combined with the 4mm drop makes for a very good natural running shoe but with a good bit of pop and cushioning. For those who are looking for that feel these are a good choice, for those that don’t know what I am talking about, put a pair of the 10s on then run over some sharp rocks – you will know they are there!
So is the same shoe and what shoe is it?
No this is not the same shoe as the ISO, at all.
Obviously it is hard to pull out my feelings of the 10 for a review in an impartial way because like all humans when someone takes away something you love you get p!ssed off. And p!ssed off I was, my beloved all rounder had been altered in to something unrecognisable yet still familiar.
It has some really nice upgrades, the loop for keeping your laces down, a strap on the back to make getting them on easier, improved ground feel and a small loop to take a gaiter are really nice touches. This and being a generally very good shoe will help it keep it’s top spot as a firm trail running favourite but go in with open eyes – if you love your ISO models these are different.
The Peregrine 10s are:
- Great on the dry – fast, efficient, great pop, good rival to something like an Inov-8 Roclite
- Good Spring – Autumn all rounder in most European countries.
- Well made with lots of nice features.
The Peregrine 10s are not:
- Great in the mud!
- Super flexible or comfortable out of the box.
I hope you have found this comparison review useful and feel free to ping me any questions or comments below and I will aim to give you as much insight as I can.
Have fun – now go f’ing run
