Article by Sam Winebaum
Puma MagMax Nitro 2 (€190)
Introduction
The MagMax is Puma’s most cushioned road trainer. Unplated, with a 46mm heel / 38mm forefoot, it is stacked high with Puma latest Nitro supercritical foam. Puma’s marketing says “Let’s Bounce” and indeed we have a soft, bouncy, highly cushioned ride here!
And a lighter one as the MagMax drops 23g over its first edition. It now weighs a mere 9.03 oz / 256g in my men’s US 8.5 sample and this for a shoe with a giant 46mm heel / 38mm forefoot stack height. Only the ASICS Megablast and Tyr Maverick-V1 in the super max category of trainers with a heel 44mm and above have superior weight to cushion ratios that I know of.
Pros:
One of the very lightest super max trainers at about 9.25 oz / 262g US9, and with a big 23 g drop in weight from v1
Broad higher volume upper that will suit wide feet better than direct competition, also a Con
The upper is surprisingly plush for the low weight
Soft friendly ride with yes Bounce and with even some flex
Cons:
Landings stability could be improved: soft foam, high stack, narrowish midfoot, platform and heel counter could be more rigid
High volume upper’s hold may challenge lower volume narrower feet
Stats
Approx. Weight: men's 9.25 oz / 262g US9 Prior version approx weight: 10.05 oz /285g US9
Sample Weights:
men’s 9.03 oz / 256g US 8.5
Stack Height: 46mm heel / 38mm forefoot
Platform Width: 100mm heel / 75mm midfoot / 115mm forefoot
Most comparable shoes (with your name next to each)
ASICS Megablast (RTR Review)
Nike Vomero Plus (RTR Review)
Tyr Maverick-V1 (RTR Review)
First Impressions, Fit and Upper
The first impressions: big and friendly! The giant yellow midsole really stands out and calls out that there is lots of cushion here with the longitudinal midsole side wall pattern hinting that there may be some speed in the mix, relatively speaking that is! The grayish purple tinged upper conveys a relaxed mellow vibe.
The upper is a soft and pliable, moderately thin engineered mesh. There are a few thin overlays at midfoot, no real toe bumper beyond the mesh being denser at the toe and a decently rigid but not totally rigid heel counter.
The tongue is thinly padded down its center but otherwise is a thin airy stretchy mesh. A gusset is included which is an extension of the lower tongue to the midsole.
The foot doesn’t sit too far down into the midsole at the rear along the collars but more so at the far rear and the heel counter is not totally rigid.
While the upper focuses for sure on reducing weight, and succeeds, as we are a mere 9.25 oz / 262g US9, I would like to see stouter rear stability as while decent the upper doesn’t quite keep up with the rear platform with some slight side rotation on landings instead of the upper keeping me well aligned. This tended to accentuate the softness of the foam at faster paces with a slight rear wobbly sensation to go with the bounce.
The fit is true to size in all respects especially if you have a broader higher volume feet and less so if you have a very low volume foot as you may be less secure and locked to the very high platform.
Along with the heel stability issue on the run I was OK, barely, in terms of hold for my narrower to medium volume feet and had to lace them tight. I noticed some lace bite from the combination of thin laces and soft very lightly padded stretch tongue. I think a flat leatherette tongue and wider laces may be in order here to improve lockdown and comfort for lower volume feet.
Midsole & Platform
The midsole is Puma’s nitrogen infused Nitro foam. The compound is not specified but feels like either an EVA or TPU foam with supercritical processing. It is soft, bouncy and moderately reactive but I would not call it particularly quick to return energy.
The platform and outsole play a role in the midsole feel and its stability. On the plus side the giant forefoot stack of 38mm has already developed a bit of flex which eases turnover at slower paces, also helped by the 8mm drop.
On the more minus side, while the heel is broad at 100mm the midfoot is relatively narrow at 75mm with no outsole coverage there.
Along with the heel counter being less than full rigid this may contribute to the less than ideal rear stability. It’s not “bad” but I am not sure I would recommend the MagMax for runners with either a pronounced lateral heel strike or pronation control needs,
Outsole
The outsole is Puma’s always high performing and durable PumaGrip in an almost race shoe like rear arrangement of 2 patches and up front 4 channeled strips. As mentioned in midsole, the rear rubber coverage being so skeletal likely contributes to the slight sensation of rear instability and faster pace wobbliness and the overall softness I felt. Yes, it would add some weight but I think more rear to midfoot rubber coverage would help stabilize and add more response.
A good example of such an arrangement is the full length coverage in the Nike Vomero Plus. Yes, it is heavier by 0.5 oz than the MagMax at almost the same stack height but still only 9.6 oz in my US8.5 While stiffer that shoe was noticeably more stable and with a bit more pop than the Puma, I think mainly due to its outsole (see comparisons below).
Ride, Conclusions and Recommendations
Noticeably light for its giant stack height, and lighter than its previous version Puma went for a soft, pleasant, bouncy ride and an accommodating broad fitting and plush upper.
To keep the weight so low at a mere 9.25 oz / 262g for such a big shoe, and the comfort up, they went with more minimal rubber coverage than I think the shoe calls for in terms of stability and response, and a comfort focused upper that could use a bit more hold substance given its high volume and the height of the shoe.
While the soft and bouncy ride is super pleasant, as my paces picked up to easy tempo pace for me at below 9 minute miles, I wished for a bit more decisive forward guidance from both the upper and platform/outsole as I felt I was being somewhat “bounced around” a bit too much. The marketing, that said, is spot on with the shoe’s theme “Let’s Bounce.” I say let’s make all the bounce more decisive off the road and forward moving.
That said, if you seek soft and bouncy and lots of it in a very light for its stack height shoe, have well aligned form (no excessive supination or pronation), and have a foot on the broader side the MegaMax is a solid choice for a moderate paces daily trainer and recovery run shoe.
Sam’s Score: 8.9 /10
Deductions for comfortable upper/platform which needs more rear structure and lockdown for my low volume foot, a platform/ midsole/ outsole which while light and lively is bit too soft and bouncy, lacking in quick pop and inline linear drive.
😊😊😊1/2
4 Comparisons
Puma Magnify Nitro 3 (RTR Review)
Basically the same shoe but less of it at 40/30 stack height with a more substantial upper, more outsole coverage and somewhat higher weight. Not quite as bouncy fun or light on the foot, I find the Magnify is more practical and stable with greater pace range than the MagMax and at $160 is a better value
Nike Vomero Plus (RTR Review)
The Plus is somewhat (16g) heavier on about the same stack height with 1mm less at the heel but as a 10mm drop shoe it hs a 3mm lower forefoot. An all ZoomX supercritical foam midsole max trainer, the Plus is a touch firmer in terms of foam and more quickly reacting vs bouncy as the Puma is. It has essentially a full coverage outsole which gives it not only more stability but more noticeable response making it a more versatile trainer from long moderately fast runs to the bulk of non quicker tempo daily training. Its upper is more performance oriented in fit and volume compared to the more easy going and broader fitting Puma’s. If you need a broad higher volume fitting trainer for easy pace runs and have good well aligned form the MagMax, otherwise the Nike.
ASICS Megablast (RTR Review)
The Megablast is a considerable 38g lighter than the MagMax in my size at 7.69 oz / 218g at about the same stack height. It has a race shoe grade FF Turbo foam midsole. Its upper follows with race type materials and clearly is even more performance oriented than the Vomero Plus and for sure contributes to the shoe’s super light weight. In terms of fit, also true to size and quite roomy in a more baggy way than the plush softer fitting Puma’s upper.
Clearly the ASICS is a higher performance unplated trainer due to its weight, materials and construction. It is a rigid rocker type shoe to the Puma’s emerging flex and is not quite as soft and bouncy and leans faster paces. It is also far more expensive at $230.
TYR Maverick-V! (RTR Review)
A new shoe and big surprise, the Maverick pretty much matches the Megablast in stats including weight and stack height but not in price as it is about $80 less. Compared to the MagMax, it is lighter, has a quicker reaction less bouncy midsole made of a supercritical PE-EVA and OBC-EVA blend and is more flexible and is $30 or so less. Its upper.. It is a pretty basic non-stretch mesh and has not have much of the plushness of the MagMax but similar volume through the midfoot but due to its non stretch and toe bumper it is clearly lower over the toes.
I am only a fews runs into the Maverick but liking its firmer less bouncy ride, flexibility and versatility although I wish for less “rigid” more foot wrapping upper. That said, it is clearly more of an all around daily trainer to the MagaMax more fun cruiser focus.
Index to all RTR reviews: HERE
The MagMax 2 wil release Dec 1st, 2025
Tester Profiles
Sam is the Editor and Founder of Road Trail Run. He is in his 60’s with 2025 Sam’s 54th year of running roads and trails. He has a decades old 2:28 marathon PR. These days he runs halves in the just sub 1:43 range. if he gets very, very lucky. Sam trains 30-40 miles per week mostly at moderate paces on the roads and trails of New Hampshire and Park City, Utah be it on the run, hiking or on nordic skis. He is 5’9” tall and weighs about 160 lbs, if he is not enjoying too many fine New England IPA’s.
Europe only: use RTR code RTR5ALL for 5% off all products, even sale products
No comments:
Post a Comment