SALOMON SENSE MANTRA
The Salomon Sense Mantra is an AWESOME shoe and has proved itself time and time again. When I first received the shoe, I didn’t think it would be up my alley, but honestly, it blew my mind each time I would take it out for a day on the trails. The shoe kept me nimble, protected, and fast on the trails. It features superb traction and the outsole has held up amazingly well.
This shoe is the workhorse compared to the S-LAB Sense Ultra. If you had both shoes, you would train in this shoe and race in the Ultra, however, I would rather just remove the Ultra from the equation and stick with the Mantra. It’s lasted longer, feels more comfortable, and suits my needs a bit better. I’m no Kilian Jornet 🙂
I loved this shoe so much, it was my choice for my very first 50 mile run, the Leona Divide 50m. I thought I’d have to swap shoes half way through to a softer Pure Grit, but man, I didn’t want to take these off. They felt great. ME LIKE!
LIKED:
- EndoFit
- Grip
- Protective
- Heel Drop
- Comfortable
DISLIKED:
- Lacing
- Stiffness
- Breathability
- Narrow
- Sizing
QUALITY: 4/5
COMFORT: 4/5
PRICE: 4/5
LOOKS: 4/5
TOTAL: 16/20
SALOMON S-LAB SENSE ULTRA
The Salomon S-LAB Sense Ultra is a fantastic shoe and what I would consider the ‘big brother’ to the Sense Mantra. It’s essentially the race, long-distance more minimal version of the Mantra and really excels for those who like a low, fast, minimal ride. It’s grippy, flexibile, but suffers from some wear & tear issues.
There are so many things that Salomon has been doing well in their racing shoes in the last season, and the Ultra is their flagship shoe that showcases a lot of it. The Endofit technology, the outsole traction, the wonderful rock guard and the comfort of these shoes is fantastic. Well done, Salomon.
If I were to have to choose between the Ultra and the Mantra, I would choose the Mantra based on price and cushioning. The Ultra is at a price-point that’s outside of most people’s range, especially with a limited life span.
LIKED:
- Heel Drop (4mm)
- Grip
- EndoFit Upper
- Seamless
- Light & Nimble
- Rockguard
DISLIKED:
- Upper Quality
- Mileage
- Price
- Narrow
QUALITY: 4/5
COMFORT: 4/5
PRICE: 2/5
LOOKS: 4/5
TOTAL: 14/20
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