I’ve been waiting for the Salomon Sense Pro 2 ever since I wore out the tread on my original Salomon Sense Pro. The Salomon Sense Pro was one of my favorite trail shoes ever, but I wasn’t able to replace it with a ‘like for like’ as Salomon moved it’s manufacturing from a China factory to a Vietnam factory. That may seem like a small issue, but the newer updated color versions of the Salomon Sense Pro 1 just didn’t feel the same. They were tighter and less comfortable overall. I returned my second pair of Salomon Sense Pro 1s, and decided to wait for v2. I’m glad I did because the new version feels much like the original v1, and due to an improved upper and modified midsole/outsole, it might be even better than my first pair. of v1s.
Support Trail to Peak by purchasing the Salomon Sense Pro 2 on Amazon:
Sense Pro 2 Men’s
Fit and Feel:
The Salomon Sense Pro 2 is a great fitting shoe that reminds me a lot of the Salomon Sense Pro 1. I purchased these in a size 12 like my v1, and although they fit well, I probably should have ordered a 12.5. For my foot, they fit .25 size smaller than the original Sense Pro. I remember feeling this way about the  Sense Pro 1 though, and as they broke in, the upper became more forgiving. The heel and midfoot feel great and can be worn barefoot thanks to the endo-fit sock liner that Salomon uses in all of their trail running shoes. My shoes come in right at 10 oz, which is perfect for my tastes.
Upper:
The upper for the Salomon Sense Pro 2 has been redesigned, but keeps a lot of the design elements from the first version. The open mesh found throughout the upper is very similar to v1, but feels slightly thicker with a different weave. My favorite part of this upper is the welded Sensi-fit overlay. This redesign is just as comfortable as the original, but with a slightly more precise fit. I love how it wraps from heel to toe, bringing the entire shoe together. As I mentioned before, Salomon uses the same Endo-fit sock liner found in their other shoes. You’ll also find the trusted and true Kevlar Quick-lace system to keep your foot laced in.
The toebox for the Salomon Sense Pro 2 uses a similar toe guard to the v1. The v2 feels like it has slightly less vertical volume, but a similar amount of horizontal toe space. In action, I haven’t noticed any real difference here, but I’ll see how my feet feel on the hot summer days when they swell more than in this cool spring weather. I haven’t had a chance to get these wet, but I’m hoping they dry as fast as the original Salomon Sense Pro. I’ll check back with updates in a few months. The heel counter is semi-ridgid covering great support on steep grades or while side-hilling.
Overall, I think this upper has been updated in all the right areas, and I’m really happy with the direction Salomon has taken it.
Midsole:
The midsole for the Salomon Sense Pro 2 remains unchanged for the most part. The only perceivable difference I can notice is a slightly softer compound used for the compressed EVA in the heel. The midsole is still a dual compound two-layer system. The compressed EVA is the harder grey section of the midsole in the photos. The injected EVA is the softer yellow layer that sits under the forefoot. The midsole was the real magic of the first Salomon Sense Pro, and I’m glad to see that this one has the same feel. This midsole is firm and stable when you need it to be, but also soft and forgiving when the going gets tough. Much like v1 of the Salomon Sense Pro, I can see myself wearing these for hiking, trail running, and all city-trail adventures. They’re a very dynamic shoe that can do it all.
The Salomon Sense Pro 2 has a 6mm drop in the midsole with 23mm in the heel and 17mm in the forefoot.
Outsole:
The outsole of the Salomon Sense Pro 2 has been completely redesigned and given the same trapezoidal lug treatment as the S-Lab Wings and Wings Pro 2. The overall outsole shape, cutouts, and feel is the same, but the new lug pattern gives this shoe a slightly different feel underfoot. The traction is still superb on most everything, including loose gravel and hard pack. The only thing this shoe doesn’t really handle well is mud, which is to be expected with the shallow lug depth. The new outsole does seem to grip better or granite slabs and other slick flat surfaces. I think this can be attributed to the increased surface area for contact on the Contra-Grip trapezoidal lug pattern. The old triangular lug pattern was grippy, but didn’t offer as much surface area.
The other major change Salomon made to the outsole is with the coverage of the Pro-feel film. Pro-feel is a think TPU film that protects against rocks and push through in a flexible layer that doesn’t interfere with your stride. In the original Salomon Sense Pro, this film ran from the toe of the shoe all the way behind the arch. In the new Salomon Sense Pro 2, it looks like it’s only layered in the toe area. I haven’t noticed a major change in protections here, but having said that, I haven’t taken these out for any 6-8 hour days on the trails. What amazed me about the first Salomon Sense Pro, is how well they protected my feet with such a lightwieght package. I hope that the Salomon Sense Pro 2 can do the same.
Support Trail to Peak by purchasing the Salomon Sense Pro 2 on Amazon:
Sense Pro 2 Men’s
Final Thoughts:
The Salomon Sense Pro 2 is a great update to the original Salomon Sense Pro. At $130, they’re right at the high end of a shoe in this category. The refinements in the upper made a comfortable shoe even more comfortable. The versatile midsole of the original Sense Pro was left virtually untouched, which is a good thing in my opinion. The outsole received a new lug design and a change to the Pro-feel film coverage.  I’m loving the lug design, but time will tell if I notice the limited coverage of the new design. In all, I’m a huge fan of the Salomon Sense Pro 2 after my first miles and look forward to really getting them dirty on the trails this summer.
Love it!
Any heel lifting or heel blisters? I was getting some from the original model of the Sense Pro’s.
No heel lifting or blisters for me. Then again, I had no problem with the original model either.
How would you compare this with the slab wings? I’m really torn between this two models and have no chance of trying them before ordering. Anything you can say would be appreciated, use on the road, foot hold in downhill, feel of the drop difference for a forefoot runner. Thank you.
The overall feel of the upper is similar, but that’s about it. The Wings feels a bit more firm underfoot for me, so I would say the Sense Pro 2 has a slight edge on the road. The downhill hold on both is really great. I’m a midfoot runner, so I do notice the drop. It’s not a huge difference between the two, but if you’re highly sensitive to these things go with the Sense Pro 2. The big divide for me is cost, as the Sense Pro is much cheaper than the Wings. There is a new Wings 8 coming out and I should have a pair in this week. I’m not sure how they differ from the SLAB Wings, as they look the same, but for some reason Salomon has them as a different model with different colorways.
I have two pairs of Salomon Sense Pro’s that I used to train for and run in a half marathon last summer. (Loved them!) I now have a pair of the new Salomon Sense Pro 2’s. What do you think of the positioning of the lacing system on the Sense Pro 2’s compared to the original shoe? I feel like the lacing system has been shifted down (toward the toes) on the Sense Pro 2’s. As a result, I do not feel that my feet fit as snug as they should in the new Sense Pro 2’s. Thoughts?
Like you, I’ve noticed a change to the upper in both the forefoot and lacing. My feet still feel very secure though, and I haven’t had any issues with a precise fit. It might just be my footshape though.
DO you know if same contagrip between s-labs Wings and sense pro 2. Wings say premium wet and sense pro 2 say wet so assume different. and is sense pro 2 grip better on wet than sense pro? lastlt I havea sixe 11 in sense pro. feel bit big… would you suggest staying with 11 since you mention the sense pro 2 seems a bit smaller?
Thanks and appreciate the reviews! Can not try or buy either shoe locally.
Bryan, the contragrip compound definitely feels different between the Sense Pro 2 and Wings. The Sense Pro 2 is more like the Wings Pro 2. The Slab Wings and Slab Wings 8 have the same wet contragrip compound. It has a much grippier feel on all surfaces as it’s a softer compound. The Sense Pro 2 is better on all surfaces than the Sense Pro. I think the added surface area on the lugs helps a lot. The small lugs on the original Sense Pro didn’t seem to grab surfaces as well. As for size, I had a 12 in the Sense Pro and am liking the 12 in the Sense Pro 2. It felt a little snug at first, but has broken in very nicely. I actually returned the yellow pair I reviewed and am wearing the black and blue pair of the Sense Pro 2. I’m not sure why, but it fits me a little better. I’m glad you enjoy the reviews! Let me know if you have any other questions.
Would you recommend them to run a 100 mile race in a flat trail course? Are they comfortable?
It really depends on the conditions and your preferences. I’d like a little more cushion if I were racing that distance. This shoe runs fast, is responsive, and feels very secure on downhills. The outsole treads aren’t very deep, but they offer great traction on a wide variety of surfaces. I’ve seen people that wore the Sense Pro 1 for 100 mile ultras without issue, and I’m sure the Sense Pro 2 would handle that distance equally well. It just wouldn’t be my shoe of choice as it lacks the cushion I need on runs over 20 miles. If it has enough cushion for you, the Sense Pro 2 would be a great choice, as I love just about everything about it’s performance.
Hi! runningwarehouse.com suggests to buy 1/2 smaller… but your feet are telling you 0.25 larger. I can only buy online, so little conflicted about what to do. Much love for the SensePro v1… I’m almost done with my 3rd pair!
I would order the same size that you have in the Sense Pro v1. I have the same size for v1 and v2 and the fit is pretty comparable. It’s alway hard with shoe sizing though as we all have different foot shapes and fit preferences 🙂
Hello. I do not know if this is the right place to ask, … I hope so. I am about to do my first ultra run (Germany, April 2017, 60km, 1800m height, 3500 stair steps). Hard (also asphalt) and softer surface, hills, wood paths, stairs, etc. I am running eg. Asics, but like to have another shoe which is capable of withstanding different terrains and giving me grip where needed. I am note sure which running shoe to go for. S-Lab Sense 5 ultra, sense pro 2, speedcross 4 (but not being good with asphalt and stairs parts?), s-lab speed or speedcross. Weather can be cold and wet or sunny and dry (April does what it wants we say). Can you give me some advise on the characteristics of the different shows and which one would be the best choice incl being durable enough? Price does not really matter. Thank you. Rogier
Hello Rogier,
Thanks for the message. If you can wait until the end of January, Salomon has some great new products coming to market. I’m most excited about the SLAB Sense Ultra, and think it will fit your needs perfectly. The Sense 5 ultra is a nice shoe, but does not have very much cushion. The Sense Pro 2 is a nice option. The Speedcross 4 is great for soft and muddy trails, but would be quite harsh on asphalt and stairs.
… or would the new 2017 sense ultra be something to look for? (as the sense 5 ultra seems to be to hard to run long distances with)?
Hello Rogier,
Yes, I think the 2017 Sense Ultra will be the perfect shoe for your needs. I can’t wait until I can get my hands on a pair!
Hey. Sorry for the spelling mistake. Comes with changing keyboard spelling language wrongly. Thank you for your advise. Ob been reading about their different shoes a lot today. Not easy to understand which shoe suits which purpose best. I hope the ’17 sense ultra will be a good choice. I tried the speed cross 4 this week, size 10 so 44 eu (I have normal shoe size 42 eu). Do you believe that the ’17 sense ultra will fit equally so that I can order size 10? I do not have much selling points near my place. Thx a lot for your kind advise. Read today several posts on this site; very interesting! Kind regards, Rogier and … hv a great xmas time with friends and family !
Hey, Rogier. I think the 2017 Sense Ultra will be a very good choice. I’ve seen some initial reports beginning to surface online, and they have been positive. I wear a size 12.5 in all Salomon shoes, so the sizing has been very consistent for me. I think you’ll be okay with a size 10. Happy new year!