Saucony Stretch & Go Breeze Review Facts
Saucony designed their Stretch & Go Breeze running shoe for those who live a more active lifestyle. Its upper has a slip-on bootie construction for easier insertion and more accurate ankle support. It’s made with engineered mesh for adaptive and breathable comfort, while its overlays and elastic lacing system ensure all-day stability. Although its EVA midsole already provides a decent amount of cushioning and responsiveness on its own, it’s also enhanced by a FORM2U sockliner. Made from memory foam, it conforms to the wearer’s individual foot shape for more comfortable and customized support. With all these features working together, buyers have a shoe that could easily function for casual workouts and everyday life.
Outsole
Saucony relies on a simple rubber compound, which covers the entire underfoot area, to create the Stretch & Go Breeze’s outsole. This same material extends and curls up over the toes for added structure and slight protection against accidental impact. It also features a chevron-esque tread pattern with modest, multi-directional gripping lugs for a secure run on paved roads and other everyday surfaces. This particular design also encourages more flexibility and also aids in shock absorption for a more comfortable wear overall.
Midsole
Several listings indicate that standard
EVA foam is used to create the Stretch & Go Breeze’s midsole unit, offering the wearer a great deal of cushioning and decent responsiveness for both daily life and fitness routines. While this particular feature does help a lot while providing comfort and support, it’s actually the shoe’s FORM2U sockliner that gets the most praise. This
memory foam liner completely conforms to the foot’s individual shape in order to keep it properly supported throughout the day. The end result is less pain and fatigue, along with no in-shoe wobbling and greater overall stability.
Upper
A
bootie construction allows the Stretch & Go Breeze to give the wearer easier insertion and a better level of ankle support. It’s made with an
engineered mesh that’s outfitted with synthetic overlays under the ankle and within the lacing system for both breathable comfort and much-needed structure. A soft fabric lining adds to its breathability and also helps to prevent chafing and other skin irritations. Two pull tabs are attached to the instep and heel to enable the wearer to slip it on more quickly. Finally, its elastic lacing system further promotes easier insertion and allows the runner to better customize its fit to their liking.
Weight
The Stretch & Go Breeze falls within the average weight range for an everyday running shoe. According to this model’s Zappos listings, men’s sizes average out at 10 oz. while women’s come in at 8 oz. Regardless of its exact measurements, buyers still praise this model for the lightweight and easy wear that they can enjoy on a day-to-day basis. On the other hand, there are some who feel that this exact quality causes it to feel less supportive than they would have liked.
Breathability
Buyers can thank the Stretch & Go Breeze's engineered mesh upper for its breathable wear. Aside from being able to easily adapt to all of the wearer's movements, and even accommodate the natural swelling that happens during runs, it also provides unrestricted airflow to the shoe's inner chamber. It's exposed along the forefoot and parts of the sides and midfoot, where hotspots tend to occur the most. As a result, reviewers are able to feel cooler and dryer throughout the day. And this, along with the shoe's overall construction, greatly reduces the chance of blisters, chafing, or other types of
irritations from forming.
Comfort
Those in need of a super
comfortable everyday shoe should definitely consider the Stretch & Go Breeze. Although its EVA midsole is already supportive and responsive on its own, buyers are given extra cushioning thanks to the FORM2U memory foam sockliner. Not only is the underfoot given plenty of supportive comfort, but its custom cushioning also prevents accidental movements within the shoe. And its adaptive engineered mesh upper gives an easy and flexible wear complete with a soft lining and plenty of breathability. While there are some who are unhappy with its sizing and overall support, it's still worth at least a try-on.
Style
Reviewers love the Stretch & Go Breeze’s simple design, as this allows them to easily pair it with a number of different casual and sporty outfits. Its bootie construction is both eye-catching and functional, as it supports the ankle and lets the wearer slip it on more easily. Overall, however, buyers seem to be most happy with this shoe’s
color range. Although black, grey, and white versions seem to be the most popular, as they can pair well with more outfits, blue, green, and red versions are also available. Women can also choose from two different pink options within their size range.
Durability
Buyers don’t seem to talk much about how durable the Stretch & Go Breeze may or may not be. What is known, however, is that its simple rubber outsole allows the rest of the shoe to maintain its condition for even longer. Its EVA midsole is also able to hold up fairly well, although reviews of similar models have indicated that this material tends to break down and lose its cushioning over time. The adaptive nature of its engineered mush upper allows it to last even longer than standard mesh fabric, along with the help of its overlays. However, anything beyond the typical everyday environment could definitely damage this shoe in the long run.
Protection
Even though it utilizes such a simple rubber compound, the Stretch & Go Breeze's outsole is still able to protect the rest of the shoe from premature damage. While its EVA midsole gives a responsive wear that reduces pain and chronic fatigue, the FORM2U memory foam sockliner serves as an added layer of cushioning that molds to the foot's unique shape to prevent over-flexing. The same is true for the engineered mesh upper, which adapts to the foot's every movement and comes complete with safeguarding overlays. Even its bootie construction helps out by supporting the ankle and working with the shoe's lacing system to prevent accidental removal.
Responsiveness
Although there are plenty of midsole technologies out there that are much more
responsive, the Stretch & Go Breeze’s EVA midsole is still able to provide enough shock absorption and energy transfer for everyday life. Whether the buyer is working out on heavy equipment, going for a casual jog, off on a day of site-seeing, or just going about running errands, this full-length unit is still able to keep them free of pain and fatigue by the end of the day. It also means that they’ll be decently powered up to continue moving forward through every basic activity.
Support
As was said before, the Stretch & Go Breeze’s EVA midsole already does a fair job at keeping the foot supported. Yet the inclusion of a FORM2U memory foam sockliner customizes this shoe’s overall support by completely molding to the runner’s individual foot shape. The upper’s engineered mesh upper adds to this by wrapping around the foot and adapting to its every move. And its overlays, elastic lacing system, and padded tongue and collar add to this by working together to prevent wobbling and accidental removal. Its bootie construction also allows for more accurate and comfortable ankle support.
Terrain
Since it’s meant to be an everyday active shoe, the Stretch & Go Breeze can easily be worn in almost every casual environment and at indoor fitness centers. This includes
paved roads and sidewalks, hardwood floors, grass, and even indoor fitness centers. While there is no indication of how well it can perform on wet surfaces, its lugged outsole does indicate that it can function decently on dirt and rain-soaked roads.
Price
Aside from its easy, comfortable wear and casual design, reviewers also love the Stretch & Go Breeze for its reasonable price tag. It can be found for just $70 on Saucony’s own website and at other online retailers such as Zappos, Bob’s Stores, and Road Runner Sports. Even lower prices can also be found at DSW and on sites such as Amazon or eBay. And considering how comfortable this shoe’s wear is, and how easily it fits into almost all everyday environments, many consider it to be an incredible bargain. Due to its smaller-than-average sizing, however, it may be best to try this model on first before making a purchase.
Traction
Even though buyers aren’t looking to get the Stretch & Go Breeze because of its traction, it still seems to provide a decent amount for workouts, casual runs, and daily life. Its outsole’s unusual multi-directional gripping lugs form a chevron pattern throughout most of the underfoot area, with the heel featuring the brand’s logo. This results in not only easier movement but also a stronger grip on surfaces such as paved roads. As stated before, there is no indication of how well it can perform on wet grounds.
Flexibility
Most reviewers feel that the Stretch & Go Breeze give them a very flexible wear. It all starts with the chevron-esque tread pattern on its outsole, which works with the equally pliable EVA foam midsole to encourage a completely natural yet controlled gait cycle. Even with its overlays and midfoot support, the engineered mesh upper is still able to adapt to the foot’s constant bending and flexing. And, of course, the FORM2U sockliner has to be completely flexible in order to truly give the runner continuous support.
Stability
Aside from ensuring a pliable wear, the Stretch & Go Breeze’s lugged, chevron-esque tread pattern also keeps the wearer moving along steadily on most everyday surfaces. Its EVA midsole cushions the foot and provides plenty of shock absorption and energy transfer to ensure that its movements stay perfectly smooth. And the comfortable FORM2U memory foam sockliner molds to the runner’s individual foot shape to prevent over-flexing and in-shoe wobbling. While its engineered mesh upper already provides a supportive yet adaptive wear on its own, it’s also aided by overlays and an elastic lacing system for much-needed structure. And its bootie construction helps even further by supporting the ankles and keeping the foot’s movements controlled.
Drop
Those who prefer a low-drop platform would definitely want to consider the Stretch & Go Breeze as their everyday shoe. Its 4mm heel-to-toe drop height is much lower than the average measurement of 10mm, which is found on most running shoes. Some buyers prefer this kind of feature, as it promotes a more natural gait cycle and better posture while still offering some much-needed heel support. Even better, its substantial midsole still gives plenty of underfoot cushioning for more comfortable all-day wear. However, those who would like to go lower with a zero drop platform should definitely look elsewhere.
Key Features
-Rubber compound outsole
-Lightweight EVA foam midsole
-FORM2U Memory Foam sockliner
-Bootie construction
-Engineered much upper
-Elastic lacing system
-4mm heel-to-toe drop
-Affordable $70 price tag
Bottom Line
Those who are looking for a versatile running shoe that can be used for workouts, casual games, and everyday life should absolutely consider buying the Saucony Stretch & Go Breeze. Its slip-on bootie construction and engineered mesh material are outfitted with overlays and an elastic lacing system for a comfortable yet secure wear. Its EVA midsole is helped out by the FORM2U memory foam sockliner, providing responsiveness and customized support. When all of these features are set atop a full-length rubber outsole with a lugged, chevron-like pattern, reviewers are offered a shoe that's equal parts flexible, comfortable, and stabilizing. With that said, there is definitely still some room for improvement. Several reviewers have said that it doesn't exactly fit true to size, and others wish that it came with more support features. Despite this, it's pretty obvious to see why this shoe has been so well received by so many.