New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Trainer v3 vs Adidas Adizero Prime X 3 Strung:
Which to Choose

It depends on how you'll use the shoe. If you want one plated super trainer that can also line up on race day and feels lighter and more balanced underfoot, the New Balance SuperComp Trainer v3 is the pick. If you specifically want maximum cushioning and an aggressive, high-drop rocker for training and fast long runs — and you don't need it to be race-legal — the Adidas Prime X 3 Strung is the more extreme, more heel-forward tool.
Drop
Support
Plate
Distances
Drop
Support
Plate
Distances
At a Glance
Who Should Choose Each Shoe
Choose the New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Trainer v3 if you want one plated shoe that does everything — uptempo sessions, long runs, and actual races — without breaking any rules, since its lower stack stays inside the racing-legal limit. Its 6 mm drop, lighter build, and more level platform suit intermediate-to-experienced neutral runners who like a bouncy, protective ride but want it to feel controllable rather than towering, especially forefoot and midfoot strikers who don't need a steep heel. It's the smarter pick if versatility and a single do-it-all trainer matter more than absolute maximum cushioning.
Choose the Adidas Adizero Prime X 3 Strung if you're an experienced runner who wants the most cushioning and the most aggressive rocker on offer, and you're happy for it to be a training and fast-long-run shoe rather than a race-day PB tool. The 13 mm drop and 48 mm heel make it a natural fit for heel strikers and for runners who want the tall platform to actively throw them into faster paces on big mileage days. Its heavier, more maximalist build rewards those chasing deep protection on tired legs over nimbleness or race-legality.
Head-to-Head
Both shoes deliver a soft, lively PEBA foam ride — FuelCell in the New Balance, Lightstrike Pro in the Adidas — with a full-length carbon plate that rolls you forward and snaps back once you commit to the pace, and both are honest about turning a little tippy at slow jogging speeds thanks to their tall stacks. The decisive difference is height and geometry. The Prime X 3 stacks a towering 48 mm at the heel and 35 mm at the forefoot for a steep 13 mm drop, pairing its plate with Energy Rods 2.0 for an aggressive, heel-biased rocker that wants to tip you into faster paces. The SuperComp Trainer v3 sits lower at roughly 40 mm heel and 34 mm forefoot for a moderate 6 mm drop — the forefoot cushioning is nearly identical, but the far shallower heel gives a more balanced, level platform that feels less like a chute and more like a controllable trainer. That extra foam costs the Adidas weight: it comes in around 291 g, versus roughly 261 g for the New Balance, so the SuperComp Trainer feels the more nimble of the two underfoot. Crucially, the Prime X 3's stack sits above World Athletics' legal racing limit, so it's a training-and-fast-long-run tool only; the SuperComp Trainer's lower build keeps it race-legal, meaning it can double as a workhorse trainer and a day-you-race shoe. Use cases otherwise overlap almost completely — tempo work, progressions, and long efforts in the half-to-marathon range — with the Adidas leaning slightly more toward big cushioned mileage and the New Balance toward versatility.
Similar Comparisons
Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4 vs Adidas Adizero Prime X 3 Strung
© 2026 longrunshoes.ai | All rights reserved.
Use of materials from this site is permitted only with proper attribution and a link to longrunshoes.ai.

