Monday, February 22, 2021

Salomon S/Lab Pulsar Initial Video Reviews: The Ultimate Trail Racing Machine?

Videos by Adam Glueck, Jeremy Marie, and Sam Winebaum

Salomon S/Lab Pulsar ($180/180€)

We take a detailed look and share an initial review of the Salomon S/Lab Pulsar an amazingly light (6.2 oz / 175g), stable, secure and capable trail racer- and we all agree it also a top notch road race shoe as well.
Lots and lots to talk about here as the Pulsar is truly a marvel with many carefully considered and detailed features which lead to a very, very light weight high performing shoe on every surface we have tested on so far with more dirt to come!

Also her
is a second video by Adam Glueck where he gives his first impressions and compares on the run (one on each foot) Pulsar to the S/Lab Sense 8.

 Watch the Detailed Initial Pulsar Video Review   (19:32)

Watch Adam's Initial Review with Comparison to S/Lab Sense 8

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Tested samples were personal purchases. No other compensation was received by RTR or the authors for this review from Salomon. The opinions herein are entirely the authors'.

Comments and Questions Welcome Below!
Please let us know mileage, paces, race distances, and current preferred shoes

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9 comments:

JustARunner32 said...

Great first impressions! Looks like I'll be adding this to my cart in the morning. It's been a while since I've tried a salomon shoes but looks like it's going to replace my skechers speed trail hyper as the fun,fast,lightweight racer/daily pair of shoes.

How would compare the two, I would say they are pretty similar in category due to being lightweight trail racers.

Thanks again for the great reviews as always!

Anonymous said...

I have a pair with only 2 runs in so far but I love them already. Its the shoe I've always wanted from Salomon and more. I've always had trouble with the 4mm drop and firm midsole of the SLAB Sense, harsh landings and as much I loved running them left my legs feeling beat up. The 6mm drop on these plus the softer midsole is perfect, throw in the reduced weight and the this upper that seems it will easily outlast the midsole and its an amazing shoe. My only real concern is with such a light weight midsole foam how well it will hold up. It seems kind of delicate and I am worried about not being able to get some good mileage out of these (for the money).

Xavier said...

Good insight from the initial runs. I got a good 700km from the outsole on the Sense 7, how do you feel about this one? Supposedly its the TA compound but that's the generic label, hopefully this version is durable especially with such a low profile. I'm in Phoenix so the terrain is typically dry with dirt and rocks, very abrasive.

Advice between the Pulsar and the Sense 4 pro? I'm really anxious to try a decent and modernized midsole in a trail shoe, both offer it but in very different flavors.

Chad said...

Could you compare the Pulsar to the Brooks Catamount with regard to forefoot width, ground protection, cushion, and durability? Obviously the Pulsar is lighter, but the Catamount has been my favorite shoe to run in ever. It has the best combination of fit, protection, rebounding cushion, and durability of any shoe I've tried. Wondering if the Pulsar could match at a lower weight. Thanks for all the reviews you guys do! Love your website!

Sam Winebaum said...

Hi Justarunner32,

the closest shoe I can think of in terms of fun, rebound and capabilities at low weight is the Speed TRL, our 2019 trail shoe of the year and mine too! The Pulsar has more forefoot cushion, not quite the plate impulse, a better upper, lighter weight, and is more stable. More to come with our full multi tester review soon.

HI Xavier,
It is a race shoe as was the Sense 7. I expect durability of outsole to be similar. No question while pricier the Pulsar is a superior in all respects to Sense Pro 4 which is a mighty fine shoe. Weight, cushion, rebound, ability to run hard surfaces far more smoothly (rocker and less forward Profile) and upper. Don't know yet if it will be as durable though.

Hi Chad,
Thanks for kind words about RTR. We will have to ponder as a group the Catamount comparison but first thoughts. Pulsar has more dynamic rebounding cushion (but less of it ), a faster smoother rocker geometry, is far lighter, and has a superior upper. It may have less rock protection but that remains to be tested off the snow and the road.
Sam, Editor

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Phil said...

Thanks for the very interesting review. Lots of great info on the shoe. As someone whose limiter is Achilles pain I was straight away drawn to the design of the heel tab (or lack of it). I dream of shoes that hold either side of the heel and have less structure immediately behind the heel (where some of us have pain). The way this shoe dips behind the heel and the top part of that looking stretchy has me hoping. Sorry if I missed it but is the top part behind the heel pretty flexible? It's the stitching there that concerns me a little.

Sam Winebaum said...

Hi Phil,
A great question. The center back of the achilles collar is flexible all knit down 34mm/1.34” after which to the midsole it is firm plastic. Hope this helps.
Sam, Editor.

Phil said...

Thanks Sam, very much appreciated.

Jonny Greenberg said...

If you could pick one versatile shoe that can go short/fast (6 min/mi) or long/slow (9 min/mi), trail or road, what would you pick? Most of my running is on dirt hills in VT with roads and trails mixed in. I’ve used the Speedgoat 4 for past year, but now looking for something a bit different.. Have my eyes on Pulsar, G270, or perhaps a road shoe that can do trails?? I’ll look forward to your multi tester review of the Pulsar!