Article by Matt Kolat
Puma Magnify Nitro 3 ($160)
I
ntroductionMatt: Puma is a brand you cannot sleep on these days. Not too long ago it was a rather dormant brand in the world of running but for a good number of years now has been releasing interesting running daily trainers and in the past few years has become one of the absolute top brands in the racing market as well. Today we’re going to have a closer look at one of the flagship daily trainers - the Puma Magnify Nitro 3. It is not a super shoe (no plate, average stack) but is certainly super comfortable and can be a great workhorse for a broad variety of runners.
Pros:
Bouncy fun ride (Matt)
Stable for a bouncy shoe (Matt)
Super cool look (Matt)
Great lockdown (Matt)
Very grippy (Matt)
Cons:
Hot upper (Matt)
Overdone upper, less overlays would help (Matt)
Most comparable shoes
Puma MagMax
Asics GEL-Nimbus
Stats
Approx. Weight: men's 9.78 oz / 227g US9
Sample Weights:
men’s 9.28oz / 263g US8.5 (left 257g / right 268g) Prior Version: 9.74 oz / 275g weight US8.5
Stack Height: 40 mm heel / 30 mm forefoot
Platform Width: 85 mm heel / 70 mm midfoot / 110 mm forefoot
First Impressions, Fit and Upper
Matt: Okay I have to admit that I am a bit of a Puma fanboy. Not just because they might be the most interesting brand of running shoes at the moment given how innovative their racing shoes are but also because they push the limits of design of shoes intended for the ‘everyday’ runner (such as yours truly). The Magnify series truly personifies that ethos of an innovative, fun shoe for the masses.
With regards to the fir I would recommend the usual size that you normally go for; it runs just about average. My usual size 12 fits me perfectly.
The upper is quite striking, I got possibly the colours I fancied the most (Black-Speed Blue) and they really look awesome, another colour scheme that caught my eye was the Yellow Alert - Puma Black but you really need to enjoy garish colours to pull that off.
The material used in the upper is made of engineered mesh which feels very stretchy and luxurious, with elements of it, especially towards the front of the shoe, almost resembling a knit material. The heel counter is semi structured and has lots of padding. The achilles feel very protected.
The profile of the heel counter worried me a little bit as it is quite raised but I did not experience any rubbing.
The pull tab is placed on top of the, fully gusseted, tongue which in my opinion looks cool in pictures but does not help to put the shoes one as much as a pull tab on the heel. Perhaps this could change in v4.
The shoe laces are excellent, flat and stretchy and stay in place, making it very easy to dial down the desired fit. Initially the gusset in the tongue, especially on the medial side, feels very tight. I was worried that this was because the upper is very narrow, however on the run that had proven not to be the case and the gusset had stretched and became comfortable.
If you experience a feeling of tightness when you first put the Magnify 3 on - it will most likely go away. There is one problem with the upper however, it is very thick and thus very warm. The warmth did not cause any blistering but I did definitely ‘feel it’ and that is another little problem that Puma should address in v4.
Midsole & Platform
Matt: Bounce is the name of the game. Of course everything is relative, we are not speaking about levels of shoes like Adidas Adios Pro 4 but still the midsole on Magnify 3 is bouncy and fun. In terms of technical details the foam is 100% PEBA NitroFoam which has been recently updated to deliver an even more responsive ride. I have to say that I fully agree with this statement by Puma. I’ve not run in the Magnify 1s but the 2s, while being very comfortable, were just too soft for me and I did not come back to them very much after completing my review. The 3s while retaining all the comfort feel much more bouncy and stable due to the update to the foam.
On both medial and lateral sides the back portion of the midsole is quite elevated creating a nice cradle / railings and further enhancing the stability of the ride.
The platform of Magnify 3, as per stats, feels and is very wide. That said however the midfoot portion of the shoe does not have any outsole coverage and thus is the softest of the entire shoe and by implication the least stable part of the shoe.
Outsole
Matt: PumaGrip is one of the best if not the best outsole on the market. Whenever I review Puma shoes I typically repeat the same list of compliments - grip and lasting power is through the roof. Nothing but positives to report.
I did not feel like it was specifically affecting my ride apart from the fact that you almost literally feel that you are gripping the tarmac. The shoe is about average in terms of weight in its class and one of the ways that Puma achieves this optimal weight is through limited coverage of the outsole. There are big sections of the midsole which don’t have outsole coverage - I would estimate about ⅓ and that potentially will impact the lifespan of the shoe, albeit most likely not significantly. One more noteworthy item is the decoupling groove which runs throughout the outsole - it really helps the toe feel really snappy and pleasant.
Ride, Conclusions and Recommendations
Matt: The 10mm drop of the midsole makes the running very smooth, I suspect more for true heel strikers like myself than those of us who naturally forefoot strike. The shoe in general feels like a fun training shoe for the everyday runner.
I would say it is mostly suited for 10k and beyond but nothing should stop you from getting the Magnify 3 if you prefer a more beefy shoe no matter the distance.
My favourite characteristic of the shoe is how fun it is to run in, the energy return is really big but without the overwhelming softness and mush that I felt in Magnify 2. That said however the Magnify 3 remains a rather beefy cruiser than anything else, picking up the pace in them is not very difficult but the transitions are quite slow and require more effort than in a more nimble and streamlined model.
What should also be mentioned is that the Magnify 3 is very stable. I had no problems adjusting to it as someone who prefers stable - neutral shoes, unlike in mushy and bouncy trainers like for example the Asics Cumulus, in which I feel all my ankle tendons working at full throttle due to how mushy the shoes are.
When it comes to version 4 I would recommend a revamp of the upper. It is slightly overdone in terms of all the overlays but most of all too thick and too warm.
Other than that, the Magnify 3 are a great shoe for every day, long distance, moderate to slow pace training. Another great shoe from Puma whose offerings tend not to disappoint. One shoe I am still waiting on is a true stability shoe, a Nitro ST. Perhaps even two shoes a Magnify ST and a Nitro ST Racer where the former is a training stability shoe and the latter a stability racer. I am aware that Puma has got a stability shoe in their offering - the ForeverRun Nitro 2 but that to me is not an overtly stable shoe, possibly on par with Magnify 2 when it comes to stability itself.
Matt's Score: 8.68 /10Ride (50%): 9/10 Fit (30%): 8/10 Value (15%): 8.5/10 Style (5%): 10/10
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Comparisons
Puma MagMax (RTR Review)
In terms of differences I would see MagMax as almost an upgrade on the Magnify. There is more cushion stack in the Max but it’s slightly firmer. The shoe is still quite bouncy but not as much as Magnify. If you worry that Magnify might not be stable or cushioned enough for you to guide you through marathon training - MagMax could be a safer option.
Asics GEL-Nimbus 26 (RTR Review)
If for some mad reason you don’t like to run in Pumas (honestly I want to know why - please comment below) then the Nimbus series might be a good alternative to the Magnify. The main differences between the two is that Nimbus will feel far less constrictive in the upper, there is far less structure to it. Because of that it will also feel less stable, I would recommend Nimbus for neutral only runners. I remember training in them was fun, not exactly unstable but my ankles had to work hard and ultimately I did not go back to the Nimbuses because of that. The reason for the above is also that they feel very mushy and not as springy as Magnify. That said however - this might be exactly what you're looking for - an unobtrusive upper and marshmallowy midsole - give the Nimbus a try.
Index to all RTR reviews: HERE
Tester Profile
Maciej 'Matt' Kolat- 39 years old, hailing from Poland but pounding Scottish pavements and trails since 2007. Mainly runs shorter distances on pavement 5-10 km and reserves longer runs for beautiful Scottish Glens. Matt’s opinion sometimes may differ from other RTR testers as he is the slowest of the bunch (5k at 25:38). Matt also uses running as a way to stay healthy having shed 106 lbs so far (and counting).
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Hi, any major difference vs v2? They feel basically the same apart from aesthetics
ReplyDeletei love this shoe. honestly its 9.5 for me this seems like a criminally low score
ReplyDelete