Over the past couple of years, On has taken several swings at making a super-shoe, and each has fallen short of the performance of the best carbon plate running shoes. The On Cloudboom Echo, released in 2021, was an improvement, but still lacked the bounce you get from shoes like the Nike Vaporfly.
With the On Cloudboom Echo 3, the Swiss brand finally has a carbon super-shoe that can go compete with the best. However, in a market that is now saturated with excellent racing options, the Cloudboom Echo 3’s high price makes it hard to recommend—especially since I think there are more impressive shoes available for less.
