Good Shoe; Bad Traction
4/5
Overall
Not enough rubber underfoot, slipper in rain/on a track.
rununtilthen · Aug 15, 2023
35 mpw training for middle distance
- Comfort
- 5/5
- Cushioning
- 5/5
- Durability
- 4/5
- Appearance
- 5/5
- Value
- 4/5
ASICS Novablast 3
Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 8.9 oz · 41/33mm stack · 8mm drop
Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The ASICS Novablast 4 replaced it
How it ranks
The ASICS Novablast 3 is one of the strongest daily trainers in our data. Cushioning and value are its strongest sub-ratings. Durability scores well below its other sub-ratings. Most runners who compared it with another shoe preferred it. The rating is based on 88 runner reviews and 5 other rated shoes in the Novablast product line.
Exceptional
98
Overall
98
Value
96
Cushioning
95
Comfort
90
Appearance
89
Durability
80
Confidence
99
Confidence
How settled the rating is against every other rated shoe. A shoe can rate high on confidence with relatively few reviews of its own when its product line has a long record and external ratings from retailer sites agree. Confidence is low when we have few ratings or when runners disagree.
Confidence
99 Very high
External retailer ratings
We break apart ratings from mass-market retailers and specialty running shops since they serve different audiences.
The middle of the bar marks the typical shoe at each type of retailer. The dot shows where this shoe ranks in comparison.
Based on
The bars show roughly how much each source contributes to this shoe’s rating. Their influence depends on how many reviews we’ve collected, how many earlier versions are in the product line, and the external ratings available.
- Our ratings
- Product line track record
- External ratings
What runners say
“I have 800 miles on mine and they are still in good shape.”
“When you get this shoe out of the box, you can tell it's a very bouncy and energetic shoe.”
“At 304 miles, the exposed midsole in the forefoot is completely shredded.”
“The shoe lasts at least 500 miles with minimal loss of midsole integrity.”
“It does not have great grip. It's not noticeable in summer with dry weather, but in winter with damp conditions you can feel some sliding on wet surfaces.”
“After 75 miles, I lost this bouncy feeling. I felt the foam compress more and not rebound as much.”
“The comfort is impeccable. It feels like you're running without shoes.”
“Light and fast enough for threshold/MP type workouts, but durable and cushioned enough for long runs and daily training.”
“Over 500 miles, foam still protects well and upper still in good condition.”
“I got 1000k out of them, which is great.”
“The Novablast 3 combines cushion with responsiveness in a lightweight shoe that provides a great bounce straight out of the box.”
“The outsole is almost perfect. It's very durable and I haven't noticed any grip issues on trails and wet surfaces.”
“The upper is roomy and durable—at 100 miles, the shoes have shown no signs of wear.”
“By 300 miles, the cushion responsiveness is drastically reduced.”
“I feel like I have to put more effort into my stride and more force into the ground after the 75 mile mark.”
“The midsole is a bit underwhelming—still comfy with some pop, but lacks the responsiveness of the previous model.”
“A signature feature is its trampoline-like decoupled groove.”
“Got a little less than 400 miles on each pair before the upper developed holes.”
“Bouncy, but not very stable. Ankles get a real workout.”
“Cadence becomes slower and ground contact time increases. Not good for paces faster than easy.”
“I feel unsure every time I take a turn because I feel my foot move in the foot bed.”
“Upper a bit tight in the toebox to start but should loosen over a few hundred miles.”
“Not a ton of ground feel, so I'll probably mix these in with using less plush trainers.”
“Slightly more volume toe-box so had to size down .5.”
“I did go a half size down.”
Prefer this shoe over another
80% 36/45
Where to buy
No offers available
Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.
Prices updated daily. Last checked Oct 22.
Pros
- Reviewers find it bouncy and versatile, from easy runs to tempo work.
- A 41mm heel stack at 8.7 oz, light for the cushioning.
- Reviewers repeatedly call it the best value among daily trainers.
Cons
- Many reviewers report slipping on wet roads and on tracks.
- Reports on lifespan split widely, from one reviewer at about 300 miles to others past 500, and the exposed foam outsole is the first thing to wear.
- Three reviewers call it clunky and unsteady through corners.
Rating & Confidence vs. other shoes for sale
Each dot is one rated shoe for sale, placed by its rating and by how much evidence sits behind it. Shoes toward the top right are both well rated and well established.
Confidence
Better Shoes Rating
Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the ASICS Novablast
Each dot is one version of the Novablast, placed by its rating and release year. The gold dot is this shoe.
Rating
40
60
80
100
80
2020
75
2021
98
2022
98
2023
98
2025
89
2026
Release year
-
2026 · 5 reviews
89 Good
73 Confidence
-
2025 · 19 reviews
98 Exceptional
89 Confidence
-
2023 · 47 reviews
98 Exceptional
96 Confidence
-
Novablast 3 This shoe
2022 · 88 reviews
98 Exceptional
99 Confidence
-
2021 · 7 reviews
75 Decent
85 Confidence
-
2020 · 5 reviews
80 Good
78 Confidence
Specs & fit
Sizing and ride details at a glance.
- Weight
- 8.9 oz
- Men's / women's
- Men's 9.8 oz · Women's 8.0 oz
- Release
- 2022 Q3
- MSRP
- $140
- Stack
- 41/33mm
- Drop
- 8mm
Runner reviews
Love the feel of the shoe and the look (with a catch)
4/5
Overall
These shoes are great. They're light and bouncy. They have a great rocker. The colorways are fantastic. They are great to run in. My only gripe is that they are like running in very light but large foam bricks. That sounds good, but when I look down when running you see form sticking out everywhere (because it is) and that drives me insane. They're also a bit long. They fit true to size but there's extra foam sticking out as a tail on the back. I wish it was a little more tapered. Other than that I love the shoe.
Anonymous runner · Aug 15, 2023
40 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the ASICS GEL-Nimbus 23
- Comfort
- 5/5
- Cushioning
- 5/5
- Durability
- 4/5
- Appearance
- 5/5
- Value
- 5/5
Hoka
4/5
Overall
Ueueu
Anonymous runner · Aug 14, 2023
- Comfort
- 4/5
- Cushioning
- 4/5
- Durability
- 3/5
- Appearance
- 3/5
- Value
- 4/5
Great daily shoe, needs one easy fix in the next version
4/5
Overall
The asics novablast 3 is a huge upgrade in the daily trainer space. Its comfortable, fits well and the miles just flow with this shoe.
One issue is the outsole, it does not have great grip. Its not a noticeable issue in summer with dry weather but in the winter with damp conditions then a person can feel some sliding on damp or wet surfaces.
Let that not take away from what is a great shoe, there is little else at fault here. I have ran over 600miles on these so far and they still feel good and I think I can manage another 100 to 150. They have nice colours, stylist, fit true to size.
Its an ideal trainer for a new runner. If someone is thinking about a new daily trainer then I doubt you can go wrong with trying this one.
Ovaltime · Aug 14, 2023
50 mpw training for a marathon came from the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 23
- Comfort
- 5/5
- Cushioning
- 5/5
- Durability
- 3/5
- Appearance
- 4/5
- Value
- 4/5
5/5
Overall
garrett_mell · Aug 10, 2023
- Comfort
- 5/5
- Cushioning
- 5/5
- Durability
- 4/5
- Appearance
- 4/5
- Value
- 4/5
Alternatives
Other shoes worth considering.
More from ASICS
Compared to other shoes
See how this shoe compares to others like it.
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Shoe properties
Type
Daily trainer
Daily trainer
Daily trainer
Pronation
Neutral
Neutral
Neutral
Weight
8.9 oz
8.3 oz
Lightest
9.9 oz
Stack
41/33mm
41/33mm
40/35mm
Drop
8mm
8mm
4mm
Release
2022 Q3
2026
Newest
2022 Q3
MSRP
$140
$155
$165
Best price
—
$150
$95
Lowest price
Ratings
Overall
98 Exceptional
89 Good
99 Exceptional
Best overall
Comfort
90 Very good
79 Decent
99 Exceptional
Best comfort
Cushioning
95 Excellent
88 Good
99 Exceptional
Best cushioning
Durability
80 Good
65 Below average
97 Exceptional
Best durability
Appearance
89 Good
Best appearance
66 Below average
75 Decent
Value
96 Excellent
Best value rating
76 Decent
77 Decent
ASICS Novablast 3 In Context
More on the ASICS Novablast
- ASICS Novablast 6
- ASICS Novablast 5
- ASICS Novablast 4 next version
- ASICS Novablast 2 previous version
- ASICS Novablast 1
Reviewers Also Ran In
- ASICS Novablast 2 3 runners
- HOKA Clifton 8 3 runners
- Nike ZoomX Invincible Run 3 3 runners