Reader review
4/5
Overall
Anonymous runner · Jun 15, 2024
10 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 2
- Comfort
- 4/5
- Cushioning
- 5/5
- Durability
- 3/5
- Appearance
- 5/5
- Value
- 4/5
Nike Vaporfly 3
Racing · Neutral · Road · 7.1 oz · 8mm drop · 38/30mm stack
Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The Nike Vaporfly 4 replaced it
How it ranks
The Nike Vaporfly 3 is one of the strongest racing shoes in our data. Looks and cushioning are its strongest sub-ratings. Durability scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating rests on 89 runner reviews and 4 other rated shoes in the Vaporfly product line.
Exceptional
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 will score low when we have few ratings or when runners disagree.
Confidence
100/100
What runners say
“The etching in the sole to create that aerodynamic 3D-printed topographical look makes for just that many more edges to get rubbed off in a race.”
“Carbon fiber plate and foam are great and give back a lot of force—feels like a trampoline.”
“The moment I did a stride in the VF 3's I knew they were categorically better than the VF 2s.”
“Have helped me hit new marathon PRs with much less leg fatigue later in the race.”
“Runs 1/2 size small.”
“After 35 miles of work the bottom of these shoes are more worn than I would have expected.”
“At this stage, it's a light shoe, but it's unstable and has low energy return.”
“The only issue with it is the lack of durability when comparing to the price.”
“The VF 3's have the stability and cushion to make for an ideal half to full marathon racing shoe.”
“The Vaporfly has a lot of energy return and is incredibly light.”
Prefer this shoe over another
61% 14/23
Where to buy
No offers available
Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.
Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.
Pros
- At 7.1 oz in the men's build and 5.8 oz in the women's, on a 38mm heel stack.
- Reviewers report race PRs, strong energy return and quicker recovery afterwards.
- Four reviewers who have run earlier Vaporflys call this one an improvement.
Cons
- Durability is its lowest-rated dimension at 3.5 out of 5 against a $250 list price, and reviewers report the foam and thin outsole wearing out fast, one of them by 200 miles.
- Reviewers keep it for races and key workouts rather than easy or long runs.
- Three reviewers report it feeling unstable, particularly at slower paces.
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.
50
60
70
80
90
100
25
50
75
100
Better Shoes Rating
Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the Nike Vaporfly
Each dot is one version of the Vaporfly, placed by its rating and release year. The gold dot is this shoe.
Release year
-
2025 · 3 reviews
98 Exceptional
91 Confidence
-
Vaporfly 3 This shoe
2023 · 89 reviews
99 Exceptional
100 Confidence
-
2021 · 49 reviews
99 Exceptional
99 Confidence
-
2019 · 27 reviews
100 Exceptional
100 Confidence
-
2017 · 73 reviews
99 Exceptional
100 Confidence
Specs & fit
Sizing and ride details at a glance.
- Weight
- 7.1 oz
- Release
- 2023 Q2
- MSRP
- $250
- Stack Height
- 38mm heel - 30mm toe
- Drop Height
- 8mm
Runner reviews
The shoe of my dreams
5/5
Overall
This is the shoe I would wear if only I was comfortable paying such a high price for it. Size 9.5 or 27.5 centimeters.
Philip Vitkus · Mar 29, 2024
35 mpw training for a marathon came from the ASICS GT-2000 10
- Comfort
- 4/5
- Cushioning
- 5/5
- Durability
- 1/5
- Appearance
- 5/5
- Value
- 3/5
Reader review
5/5
Overall
Save for key workouts and races.
djrush · Feb 24, 2024
training for middle distance came from the Nike Pegasus Turbo Next Nature
- Comfort
- 5/5
- Cushioning
- 4/5
- Durability
- 1/5
- Appearance
- 5/5
- Value
- 3/5
Reader review
4/5
Overall
The Nike Vaporfly Next %3 is a very comfortable shoe, the only issue with it is the lack of durability when comparing to the price.
Eliot Maine · Dec 27, 2023
training for a half marathon came from the adidas Takumi Sen 8
- Comfort
- 5/5
- Cushioning
- 5/5
- Durability
- 2/5
- Appearance
- 5/5
- Value
- 2/5
Fast and Stable, but Expensive and doesn't last long.
5/5
Overall
The Vaporfly has a lot of energy return and is incredibly light. For me, it had about 35 miles of great racing, and after that the energy return lowered untill about mile 80. After that, I the foam was good for 200 miles; at this stage, its a light shoe, but its unstable and has low energy return. Definity recommend this product if you are willing to pay a lot for quality, not quantity. Also if ur doing a race over 5k I recomend just getting the alphafly 3 or addidias prime x strung because they have even more energy return
Anonymous runner · Dec 20, 2023
9 mpw training for 5K and 10K
- Comfort
- 5/5
- Cushioning
- 5/5
- Durability
- 1/5
- Appearance
- 5/5
- Value
- 3/5
More from Nike
Compared to other shoes
See how this shoe compares to others like it.
Nike Vaporfly 3 In Context
More on the Nike Vaporfly
- Nike Vaporfly 4 next version
- Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 2 previous version
- Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next%
- Nike Zoom Vaporfly 4%
Reviewers Also Ran In
- Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 2 5 runners
- Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 40 2 runners
- Saucony Endorphin Pro 4 2 runners