Pros

Cons

• Heel landings feel flat.

• Midsole rebound is inconsistent and inefficient.

The forefoot does a much better job than the heel of rebounding, but it's still nowhere near as reactive as the Saucony Paramount Max or the Saucony Ride 19. You won't get a huge boost as you push off, but there's at least some life in the shoe.

The heel of the Saucony Procyon Max has poor energy return. Heel landings feel flat, as the midsole doesn't give back much of the force you put into it.

Pros

• Very firm foam resists wobbling.

• Wide outsole platform creates stable base.

Cons

The heel is exceptionally firm. This helps keep heel landings stable, but it can also start to feel harsh after repeated impacts.

The forefoot is incredibly firm as well, which creates a stable base for pushing off.

The Saucony Procyon Max uses a non-gusseted tongue and has no plate. Despite the tongue not being attached at the sides, lockdown remained secure during testing thanks to its other stability features.

Pros

• Forefoot cushioning feels good at lower force levels.

Cons

• Shock absorption declines over long distances.

• Forefoot bottoms out under pressure.

The heel does a passable job of cushioning heel strikes. It doesn't feel plush, but is similar to other budget trainers like the adidas Adizero Pacer and the Brooks Revel 9.

The forefoot of the Saucony Procyon Max actually does a good job of absorbing lower impacts, but it can't keep up with heavier forces. Lighter forefoot strikers should be fine at slower forces, but the more force you apply, the harsher the midsole will feel.

The cushioning isn't very resilient and loses a significant amount of shock absorption after the first 10K of a run. This shoe is best reserved for shorter runs or walks.

Pros

Cons

• Midsole rebound is inconsistent and inefficient.

• Foam doesn't compress or decompress very well.

The Saucony Procyon Max compresses very poorly. The heel doesn't sink very far under load, limiting both softness and rebound.

The forefoot doesn't compress much. There's some give under load, but not enough to create a particularly bouncy sensation as the foam decompresses.

Pros

Cons

• Midsole isn't rigid enough to give much leverage at toe-off.

• Firm forefoot provides stable base for pushing off.

• Midsole isn't stiff enough to generate much leverage.

• Forefoot doesn't spring back as it unbends.

The EVA-based midsole returns a poor amount of energy as the forefoot unbends and releases. It isn't designed to feel springy, so toe-off doesn't feel propulsive or efficient.

This shoe has a flexible forefoot that bends easily through toe-off. This makes the ride smooth, but not particularly snappy

The Saucony Procyon Max has decent forefoot rocker geometry. Its early rocker helps the shoe roll forward, but it isn't especially steep, so it's more of a gentle nudge forward than a push.

Pros

• Rocker holds its shape under pressure.

Cons

• Rocker angle is rather shallow, so rolling effect is limited.

The rocker of the Saucony Procyon Max stays reasonably stiff when force is applied, allowing it to continue rolling fairly smoothly.

Despite the 'Max' in its name, the Saucony Procyon Max is much shorter than most max-cushioned shoes. It sits 7 mm lower in the heel and 10 mm lower in the forefoot than the Saucony Paramount Max, which itself is not as tall as the Brooks Glycerin Max 2.

The Saucony Procyon Max has excellent heel rocker geometry. Its high heel spring creates a smooth landing, and the relatively steep angle provides assistance rolling heel strikers into midstance.

Pros

• Length is true to size.

• Good width through forefoot.

Cons

The Saucony Procyon Max is a fairly heavy shoe given its relatively modest stack height. It's slightly heavier than the Saucony Paramount Max despite being 7 mm shorter in the heel. This is largely due to the denser foam in the Procyon Max's midsole.

The Saucony Procyon Max uses Saucony's standard PWRRUN foam formula, which is an EVA compound. It's not as energetic or protective as the PWRRUN+ found in the Saucony Ride 19, but it's significantly livelier than the VERSARUN foam found in the Saucony Cohesion 19.

The laces of this shoe are flat, sitting comfortably across the top of the foot with minimal stretch. They kept lockdown very consistent during our testing.

The Saucony Paramount Max is a more premium max-cushioned shoe than the Saucony Procyon Max. The Procyon Max is lower stacked, but also has a more basic foam that doesn't feel as plush or as bouncy as the Paramount Max. The Procyon Max is much cheaper, though, so if you just want a stable shoe for walking around or jogging on the treadmill, it gets the job done without any fuss.

The HOKA Rincon 5 and Saucony Procyon Max sit in the same price category but take slightly different approaches. The Rincon 5 has better cushioning, especially in the heel, but it has almost no bounce or energy return. The Procyon Max compromises a bit on cushioning, but at least has some snappiness and energy return. If you like a softer feel underfoot and aren't planning on doing any speedy workouts, the Rincon is the better choice. If you want the more stable, slightly peppier shoe, the Procyon Max is better.

The Li-Ning Chaoying Pro and Saucony Procyon Max sit in a similar price range, but the Li-Ning is actually a max-cushioned trainer, while the Procyon Max is a more basic, value-oriented trainer. In terms of performance, the Li-Ning is the better shoe across the board, but it has a very narrow arch, which could make it impractical for runners with wider arches. It's also not available in stores in most Western countries, so you wouldn't be able to try it on in stores to see if the fit works for you before buying.