361 Mega Pro 3 Review: The Best Chinese Running Shoe I've Run This Year
There's a growing wave of Chinese running shoe brands making their way into the mainstream running conversation, and for good reason — the technology inside these shoes is now on par with the big Western names, just at a fraction of the price. The 361 Mega Pro 3 is a perfect example of that shift, and after putting serious miles into it, it's easily one of the most fun shoes I've run in all year.
The Specs
The Mega Pro 3 is a non-plated super trainer, built with a stack height of around 40mm up front and roughly 34mm at the heel, giving it a 6mm drop. The midsole runs on 361's CQT Extreme 3 foam, a super-critical TPEE compound, and while there's no full carbon plate, a nylon shank sits up front to help shape the ride. The upper is a single-layer mesh that's very breathable, sitting on top of a CPU rubber outsole. All told, it weighs in at 207 grams in a US size 10.5, and it's available from around £80.
Why I Bought Them, and How They Fit
I bought these myself after spotting the blue colourway online and digging into the spec sheet — the TPEE compound and the front shank were enough to convince me to give them a go. When they arrived, I was genuinely blown away. Fit-wise, going true to US size worked out perfectly: a nicely shaped toe box with no awkward seams, plenty of room on top, and a well-padded heel with a comfortable sock liner.
The Ride
This is where the Mega Pro 3 really shines. The Extreme 3 TPEE foam is very soft, and paired with that nylon shank up front, it delivers a surprisingly lively, bouncy toe-off despite the plushness underfoot. It's not as rigid as a full carbon plate shoe, but it still gives you that rocker effect that keeps the ride moving forward.
At easy pace it can feel a touch unstable, so this isn't a shoe built for recovery jogs. Where it excels is as a genuine super trainer — tempo sessions, sessions where you're moving through the gears, and longer runs with pace work built in. I took it out on an 18-mile long run over lumpy, technical terrain, and it handled everything thrown at it without any breakdown in the midsole or visible wear on the outsole.
Heel strikers should be aware the heel isn't the widest, and combined with the soft foam, it can feel a little unstable if you land hard on your heel.
