Saturday, December 17, 2022

Saucony Peregrine Ice+3 Review 5 Comparisons

Article by Jeff Valliere 

Peregrine Ice +3 ($150)


Introduction


Building off of the Peregrine 12, the Peregrine Ice+3 offers a RUNSHIELD upper to protect from snow and moisture, plus a new PWRTRAC Ice outsole for improved traction on ice.  Otherwise the midsole, drop and stack (not factoring the lower by 1.5mm difference lug height here) are the same.


Pros:

Jeff V:  A quick, fast agile winter shoe, grip, protection underfoot, weather resistant upper, overall performance


Cons:

Jeff V:  As I say about any winter shoe, a streamlined, a built in gaiter would be nice.  Off snow/dry traction is not great


Stats

Estimated Weight: men’s 10.25 oz / 291g US9

Sample Weight: men’s  US 10 - 10.75oz  /  305g

Stack Height: men’s mm 25 heel / 21 mm forefoot 

Available now. $150


First Impressions, Fit and Upper


Jeff V: The Peregrine Ice+ 3 is very reminiscent of the Peregrine 12 with near identical styling, design and structure, although with an obviously more substantial water resistant upper and a different outsole.  


While I either love or hate a black shoe, I think the Peregrine Ice+ 3 looks sleek and reasonably stylish as black is a good color for a winter shoe to absorb any sunshine possible and does not show dirt/discoloration.

The RUNSHIELD upper is wonderfully soft, supple and flexible and especially so for a water resistant one. It is more substantial feeling than the regular Peregrine 12’s, as you would expect and is welcome in  a winter shoe. I have found the RUNSHIELD upper to perform quite well in the cold, with my feet being warm and comfortable running in the snow in temps down to ~20 F, -6 C or so.  


I have not tested it in wet slush, as the temps have been cold, but in snowy conditions, my feet have never gotten wet (although it is key to add a gaiter in fresh snow).  

Foothold is easily as good as the 12’s and fit is the same, true to size with a secure heel, midfoot and forefoot.  There is not a lot of room in the forefoot, but it is enough for comfort and splay.


Midsole

Jeff V: As with the Peregrine 12, I find the PWRRUN midsole to have a perfect balance of firmness, cushion, protection, response and predictability making the Peregrine Ice+ 3 well suited for technical running and running on snowy frozen surfaces. They feel quick, responsive and agile no matter the terrain and I find this midsole to be adequately cushioned and protective for multiple hours of running.  


The combination of the PWRRUN midsole and rock plate provide excellent protection, while the flexibility allows for very good ground feel and contouring that I appreciate when running over varied, technical terrain. The Ice+ 3 also has a PWRRUN+ sockliner for added cushioning.


Outsole

Jeff V:  The new PWRTRAC ICE outsole is the defining feature of the Ice+ 3, with 3.5 mm lugs that are made of a special material (the black pads with blue above) that is designed to give improved grip on ice.  Does it really work?  I would say it depends.  

There is definitely something to it and I find the compound to be most effective on hard packed snow and more frozen granular snow with some texture to it on flat to moderate gradients up to maybe 10%.  The grip here is surprisingly good and I run more confidently than I would even if wearing a more aggressively lugged shoe with a normal compound. 

If steeper than that, I find myself wanting EXOspikes or Microspikes, as much for efficiency as for safety.  

On flat icy surfaces, such as a frozen pond, frozen lake or just hard trail ice, they do OK, certainly better traction than a normal shoe, but I would not feel confident running, turning or quick maneuvering.  It is just enough I think to walk with better control and not slip as much, or slip a bit slower and perhaps be better able to catch yourself.  


I have also tested (very very carefully) on steep mountain trail ice and they do not offer any advantage over a normal shoe.  On steep mountain trail ice, only metal underfoot is going to  really work and I would highly recommend adding Kahtoola EXOspikes which the ICE+ 3 accommodates exceptionally well.  

I will note however that any advantage this outsole provides on frozen surfaces is limited to frozen surfaces and does not perform all that well outside of that.  I have found that the lower 3.5mm lug height, combined with the wide, broad lugs do not provide very good bite in loose terrain such as steep dirt, off trail, etc…  The PWRTRAC ICE compound also does not adhere well to steep dry rock, particularly rocky slab, or grab well in wet conditions.


Durability of the PWRTRAC ICE lugs I think is good if you limit your use to snow and ice, but I would not recommend extended use on rocky dry trails, as they seem pretty sensitive to wear.


Ride

Jeff V:  The ride of the Ice+ 3 is fast, responsive, agile and geared toward running faster speeds, as is the Peregrine 12.  I find the ride to be firm, which is great for predictable control in technical terrain, but would limit my use to not more than 3 or 4 hours, otherwise I start to feel my heels getting a bit sore.  I didn’t get this in the Peregrine 12 though, so this could in part be due to the colder temperatures.


Conclusions and Recommendations


Jeff V:  I find the Peregrine Ice+ 3 to be a great addition to my winter arsenal, as I do appreciate the PWRTRAC Ice outsole in certain conditions such as hard packed snow and frozen granular snow on moderate grades. Even if not fully utilizing the outsole, this is a reasonably light, fast, protective winter shoe that is performance oriented and accommodates EXOspikes/Microspikes very well.  I would limit use to frozen surfaces as intended, as running them on rocks I am seeing accelerated wear.

😊😊😊😊

Jeff V’s Score: 9.1/10

Ride: 9

Fit: 9.25

Value: 9

Style: 8

Traction: 9

Rock Protection: 9.5


Comparisons

Index to all RTR reviews: HERE


Peregrine 12 (RTR Review)

Jeff V:  Compared throughout here. The overall design, midsole and fit are the same, but  with the Ice+ 3 having a water resistant upper and PWRTRAC Ice+ 3 outsole.  Stating the obvious, the Ice+ 3 is better for winter use, the Peregrine 12 superior for non snowy trails and summer use.


Peregrine 11 GTX 

Jeff V:  The Peregrine 11 GTX is a much heavier shoe, with more aggressive tread and a similar water resistant upper.  I think the 11 GTX has better overall grip, aside from on ice.


Norda 001 G+ Spike (RTR Review)

Jeff V:  The Norda is just slightly lighter, but has more plush cushioning and more stack, plus 10 carbide spikes on each shoe for very good grip on ice and frozen surfaces (enhanced by a very grippy aggressive tread).  The Norda however costs $200 more and the Ice+ 3 is a very good value.


VJ Ice Hero (RTR Review)

Jeff V:  The VJ is lighter, more agile and performance oriented than the Ice+ 3, but its cushioning is a bit for firm even with less cushion overall.  The upper is more race fit than the Ice+ 3’s. VJ traction is superior overall, especially given the studs embedded in the outsole.


La Sportiva Cyklon Cross GTX (RTR Review)

Jeff V:  The Cykon weighs more, but has the advantages of a more rugged protective upper with built in gaiter, superior overall traction and easy to adjust Boa closure system, but does cost $85 more.  Ice+ 3 is quicker, lighter and more nimble, but is constrained by a more limited range of uses.


The Peregrine Ice+ 3 is available from Saucony HERE and from our other partners below


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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Jeff V. Great review. How does the Runshield of Peregrine Ice 3 compare to Runshield of Speed 3? Would you recommend both shoes for winter running on roads with light snow or wet/windy weather? Speed 3 Runshield would be lighter than Peregrine Ice 3 so leaning towards that? Thoughts? Thanks!

Jeff Valliere said...

Anon, unfortunately, I could not compare, as I have not run in the Endorphin Speed 3 Runshield (I do not really review any road shoes for the most part), but looking on Saucony's site, they seem to get good reviews (but could be a biased sampling?). Gut feeling says you could not go wrong with that upper, I am sure it is great. If at all snowy, I would be uncomfortable with that outsole though.