The 361 Degrees Fantom is a replacement for (an improvement upon?) the Spinject, which seems like the only 361 shoe I haven’t tested. While I can’t compare the two for those of you who may be Spinject fans, I can tell you what the Fantom is and is not. It is a neutral shoe, weighing in at 8.7 oz./247 grams for a US women’s 8 (and feeling every bit of it, TBH) and with an 8mm drop.
Well, I guess I’ll lead this review with the most positive thing I have to say about the 361 Degrees Fantom: it’s my favorite of all the 361 Degrees shoes I’ve tested (including the 361 Degrees Meraki), none of which has made it into my regular shoe rotation. The Fantom likely won’t either, but I think 361 is moving in the right direction with this shoe.
The upper is a fairly breathable knit and feels much better than any other 361 Degrees shoe I’ve tried – I find most of them to have a restrictive upper. The knit stretches enough that the mid and forefoot fit is decent. One of my major gripes with 361 in general is that the shoes just don’t work for me fit-wise; that said, I had no fit issues with the Fantom.
I’ll get to the midsole details in a minute, but I will say that, while I didn’t love the ride of the Fantom for the first few runs– it felt flat and slappy, with that characteristic 361 feel I’ve come to know– it did break in a bit with some miles on it. Still not very responsive, but a little more forgiving.
Like (I think) every 361 Degrees shoe, the Fantom has a Qu!kfoam midsole (yeah, that again), and I think I’m just not feeling Qu!kfoam in general. It certainly isn’t Qu!k, in any case. Again, while I did settle into these with some more miles on them, they still aren’t responsive at all. It’s just weird. If anyone at 361 is listening: Qu!kfoam is annoying to type, and it’s annoying to run on.
If you’ve been curious about 361 Degrees and want to try a pair, I’d recommend the Fantom over any of their other models. While this is by no means a fast shoe, I think it’s a decent everyday neutral trainer for those who prefer a (very) firm ride.
You can pick up the 361 Degrees Fantom at Running Warehouse for $119.95 by using the shop link below.
Shop 361 Fantom
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