Karhu x Saysky Fusion 3.5 Review: Nordic Forces Unite

Intro

RENALDO: God morgen! Today, we’ve got a one-two punch of a collaboration between the Finnish brand Karhu and the Danish brand Saysky. They’ve teamed up for a little taste of something made up north. It’s built on Karhu’s Fusion 3.5 silhouette, and it melds the style and flair of Saysky with the reliable performance of Karhu’s innovation. As a relative newcomer to the world of Karhu but a major fan of Saysky, I had to give the Karhu x Saysky Fusion 3.5 a try, and I’ll admit I’m pleasantly surprised.

SAM: Wanna know how old I am? I can date myself pretty quickly by the music that was my high school soundtrack. Sure, most of us can do this — point to songs, albums, or shows that highlighted our formative years — but it’s especially apparent when the word “collaboration” comes up. It came up a lot when I was getting my miles in for this review, and I could only think of one collab to fit the bill: Jay-Z and Linkin Park teaming up on Collision Course. That’s an album that dropped into my social circles like someone opened the bay doors on a B-17.

The album defined the genre mash-up, which was having a moment in the mid-aughts. Who knew tracks from the Black Album, already settled as a classic, could meld so seamlessly with the angsty grind of Hybrid Theory?

We’re here, however, not to talk about music from decades back that’s faded into the static of the airwaves but to instead talk about a collaboration between running brands. The Fusion 3.5 is, in its own way, a Collision Course, but one between two great nordic names: Karhu and Saysky. They took Karhu’s hundred-year history and mashed it with Saysky’s love of bold patterns to create an urban camo design that feels distinctly Scandinavian. It’s an attractive package, but how does it run?

The Good

RENALDO: Let’s kick it off with looks because what else matters? As a Saysky collab, you already know the Fusion 3.5 is gonna bring a little more punch than the standard colorways. The look is called Saysky Splinter Camo, and it blends a white upper smoothly into undyed whites (which are all the rage these days), off-whites, and grays. It’s adorned with the Karhu bear and Saysky star, each complete with a dull metallic sheen. You get a splash of navy on the heel to help the logos pop and a bit more navy on the tongue and liner. The whole Karhu x Saysky Fusion 3.5 package is capped off by a subtle gum sole for a look that will turn heads on the group run.

Almost as important as the looks — the shoe runs pretty well.

At 10.6 oz. for a US M9, this true neutral trainer felt reliable on the road. A bit firmer than most these days, but if you’re familiar with other European styles, like those from On, you’ll feel right at home. The real star is the Fulcrum technology, marketed as the quickest roll in Karhu’s collection. It takes up the entire midsole and caps off with a triangle at the midfoot. Essentially, the Fulcrum technology helps to keep all of your forward momentum, well, moving you forward.

SAM: Renaldo covered the looks on the Karhu x Saysky Fusion 3.5 well — it has a clean flash that we don’t see as often as we should in running shoes. Saysky’s reserved pattern and dual logos really settle together, and we love the look of a gum sole here at BITR. The cover on this collaboration is way better than what we were given on Collision Course — but I guess the looks were the point here and not with that album.

Karhu’s upper material — Ideal Knit — is thick but breathable and comfortable. This shoe seems to fit true to size, but there’s space to accommodate higher-volume feet. I particularly like how the toe guard overlay is a constellation of plastic bumps, not a firmer wrap. It keeps the toebox protected but still plenty flexible. The tongue is well cushioned and fits nicely underneath the M-Lock overlay. Karhu’s lockdown is unreal — I’m talking trail shoe levels of lockdown, specifically in the midfoot.

The midsole is firm, and I appreciate Renaldo comparing it to brands like On. It has plenty of stack for protection, and the 6 mm drop combined with the quarter-length Fulcrum device — a molded plastic plate — in the midsole does aid in propulsion. I’d often find myself going faster than I wanted in the beginning miles of a run and would have to make a conscious effort to slow down. The outsole is attractive and seems to be durable. There’s plenty of rubber down there that will hold up to long miles.