ALDREN: My 20s have been nothing but inconsistent so far. I mean, I’m only 21, but this past year and a half has had its ups and downs in regards to my running, COVID, my grades, etc. Looking back at where I was a year ago from today, I was sleeping bottom bunk and trying to teach myself how to play the kalimba. Nowadays, I’m gulping down a pint of Ben and Jerry’s as a post-run treat. It may not sound like a step up but I swear it is. One constant in my life has been the Saucony Omni, and this year’s comes with an exciting update.
JEREMY: Saucony’s stability comfort cruiser is back in its twentieth edition. The Omni 20 sees a fair amount of improvements that make it a more comfortable and overall better trainer. Saucony’s stability trio of the Guide, Hurricane, and Omni all deliver as viable options for overpronators everywhere.
JEREMY: Aldren and Jeremy covered enough, let’s get on with the review.
ALDREN: The Omni 20 is a slight touch-up on an already reliable motion control running shoe. Saucony has cleaned up their entire stability line from the Guide 14 to the Hurricane 23 and the Omni 20 joins this group. This trainer rocks a FORMFIT upper built from recycled material. The thick liner provided by Saucony and the gusseted tongue replicate a soft slip-on sensation. Along with the plastic internal heel counter, your foot is locked in well without any worries of heel slippage.
While I’m on the upper, we need to talk about this dope colorway. The checkered flag-inspired aesthetic works for your speedy Endorphin 2 lineup and I can’t wait to *hopefully* see it on the Kinvara 12. Saucony took a motion control shoe and made it look like I can drop a sub-50 minute 10 miler in it. To quote Clayton Young: “Placebo is a thing.” If I look fast, my recovery days will feel fast.
Saucony updated the PWRRUN midsole to replicate the SPEEDROLL technology found in the Endorphin Line. We have a 34 mm stack height in the heel and 26 mm stack in the forefoot for an 8 mm offset. With the added medial side posting to sit under the arch, the Omni has a smooth heel-to-toe transition. This runs a lot firmer like the Endorphin Shift and Axon rather than the bouncier type of sensation found in the Triumph 18. Under the midsole is an XT-900 rubber outsole. The entire full rubber coverage did nothing but provide grip on the Florida roads and it performed fairly well on soft trail.
JEREMY: Plenty of good things to talk about with the Omni 20, with the first being aesthetic. It catches the eye immediately with a sharp black and white checkerboard colorway, which looks significantly better than previous editions.
The updated midsole may be the most dramatic change for the good. With PWRRUN foam and Speedroll geometry, the Omni 20 takes a page out of the Endorphin playbook with a surprisingly smooth sensation through each stride. For such a heavy shoe (11.7 oz M9/10.3 oz W9) it isn’t very difficult to settle into a moderate or faster pace. A couple of my runs started as recovery days but quickly turned into striding around at a nice clip quicker than I intended.
The other major update was to the outsole where full coverage of iBR+ in the forefoot and XT-900 provide excellent traction as well as durability.
AUSTIN: I reviewed the Omni 20 in the context of the Hurricane 23 review I wrote with Nick back in January. The Omni is $30 less than the Hurricane, and I attribute that to the Hurricane’s PWRRUN+ midsole and plush ride. The Omni, in contrast, utilizes a regular PWRRUN compound. Still soft, but a touch more firm. Also, the Omni 20 employs a traditional medial post instead of a TPU guidance frame. Both provide stellar stability, but the post of the Omni is more aggressive.
Here’s a shocker: I enjoyed running in the Omni 20 more than the Ride 14. Why? Saucony included their Speedroll design in this shoe, meaning smoother transitions both uphill and downhill. Over the past few years, I’ve noticed that my downhill form drastically improves in shoes that have some type of rockered technology. My runs in this shoe just feel so smooth and so easy. I absolutely love the ride.
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ALDREN: The Omni 20 feels heavier than my 120 bench press PR (don’t get mad, get even). At 11.7 oz, my feet really lag during long runs of 10+ miles. I guess a heavier shoe will make your race day shoes feel lighter, I’m not sure it’s worth the tradeoff.
JEREMY: The upper is a slight letdown for me. Despite utilizing recycled materials and the Formfit design, the Omni 20 isn’t very breathable. To be fair, the majority of my test miles were run in soupy conditions, like 80-90 degrees with a dewpoint over 70. I wouldn’t expect this to be an issue on shorter runs or on days when it isn’t boiling.
The Omni 20 is a heavy shoe, weighing in at nearly 12 ounces for a men’s 9. Despite the smooth rolling action from the Speedroll design, my cadence dipped significantly due to the heft.
AUSTIN: Even for a stability shoe, 11.7 oz is hefty. I’m sure Saucony designers and engineers are always looking for weight reductions, so I propose adding PWRRUN PB into the Omni 21. That would drop some of the bulk. Also, like the Hurricane, I had some hiccups locking down the midfoot.
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ALDREN: The Saucony Omni 20 dances the line of high stability trainer and a motion control shoe. Anyone looking for a stable shoe to take out on their Wellness Walk Wednesdays with some running sprinkled in, this is a great shoe. If not, I’d take a look at the ASICS Kayano 28 or another shoe on our list of the 7 Best Stability Running Shoes.
JEREMY: In terms of stability shoes, the Saucony Omni 20 is a great option at $130. Despite some breathability issues and the weight, I’ve enjoyed taking the shoe out for recovery runs and easy days. It’s become one of my favorite options for logging miles when my body feels beat up.
AUSTIN: If the Endorphin Pro and Endorphin Speed are Formula One cars, then the Omni 20 is a stock car. It has a wider platform and a little more weight, but also a lower price point. To paraphrase Ricky Bobby, Saucony is pissing excellence right now, including in the stability department. This is a smooth roller that looks ready to break through the finisher’s tape.
You can pick up the Saucony Omni 20 at Running Warehouse (featuring free 2-day shipping and 90-day returns) by using the shop link below.
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