Article by Peter Stuart and Sam Winebaum
Puma Deviate Pure NITRO ($150)
Introduction
Peter: We are in a new golden age of daily trainers. All of the super shoe technology is trickling down and giving us a fantastic crop of superfoam daily trainers at reasonable prices with fantastic rides.
Its as light as many super shoes, flexible, fun and not terribly expensive. We’ve had the immensely popular Adidas EVO SL, Saucony Endoprhin Azura, the ASICS Megablast and the Skechers Aero Razor and now the Puma Deviate Pure Nitro is coming for the crown. It’s a lightweight daily trainer with an incredibly comfortable upper and an excellent ride.
Sam: The lightest in its category of unplated or lightly plated super foam trainers with just sub 40mm heels at about 7.5 oz / 213g US9, a sleek look and plenty of Puma Grip rubber, the Pure for sure makes a statement that the Cat came to play!
Pros:
Lightweight with excellent cushioning and energy return –Peter/Sam
Versatile: hard to imagine another shoe as light and well cushioned for everything from daily training to racing: Sam
As light and as stacked as many supershoes making it a great plateless racer option: Sam
Comfortable and breathable true-to-size upper–Peter/Sam
Excellent outsole coverage with good multi surfaces grip–Peter/Sam
Outsole acts as “plate at the ground” adding to response given the soft foam above- Sam
Simple and elegant styling–Peter
Cons:
May be too soft for some–Peter
Stats
Approx.Weight: men's 7.5 oz / 213g US9
Sample Weights: men’s men's 206g / 7.27 oz US 8.5, 8.27 oz / 234.6 g US11
Stack Height: 38 mm heel / 30 mm forefoot, 8mm drop
Platform Width: 90mm heel / 80 mm midfoot / 110mm forefoot
Available to order June 3, 2026
Most comparable shoes
Asics MegaBlast
Skechers Aero Razor
Adidas EVO SL
Saucony Endorphin Azura
First Impressions, Fit and Upper
Peter: An elegantly simple white shoe with black and bright red highlights. The Puma Deviate Nitro Pro floated out of the box at a super light 8.27 oz in my men’s US 11/ EU 44.5.
The fit is true-to-size and holds the foot nicely without any fiddling about. The tongue is gusseted
and has some ventilation built in.
The mesh on the top of the foot is very breathable and the rest of the shoe feels light and airy as well.
The Deviate Pure Nitro is flexible and the foam is quite soft. I find it to be just the right amount of cushion while maintaining decent road feel and feeling quite energetic.
My first run was all at moderate pace and on my second run I took it down to below half marathon pace and it felt terrific. First impression is that this is a terrific all-around daily trainer with some excellent pep in its step.
Sam: The upper is a soft and thin engineered non stretch mono mesh type material. Despite appearances , there are zero overlays or underlays here.
The support areas are entirely made of denser weave of the fibers in key areas. And it absolutely works with both a solid hold but also a very comfortable and breathable one back to front.
In characteristic fashion and reminiscent of the Velocity Nitro , the heel counter is rigid, highly supportive with the collars well padded. Hold is very solid.
The midfoot is well held with the top of the tongue a leatherette with thin molded and perforated pads with further forward a thin mesh. The tongue has a gusset.
The forefoot is decently broad with the vertical toe bumper on the soft side.
The overall fit is more spacious than the Velocity Nitro as the mesh is more pliable, thinner and softer with almost equal hold. The Pure is a perfect true to size for me with the overall feel leaning just a touch towards the comfort side of performance.
I am frankly amazed Puma was able to deliver such a superb upper in a $150 shoe with super foam and extensive outsole at such light weight. Usually, the short cut in the bill of materials in such a shoe is the upper but not so here.
Midsole & Platform
Peter: The Deviate Pure Nitro midsole is NITROFOAM™ "an advanced nitrogen-injected foam for lightweight responsiveness and cushioning". Puma confirms the foam is 100% PEBA.
The drop is a comfortable 8mm and the heel sits at 38mm with the forefoot at 30mm.
The shoe feels stable and on the soft side. Not mushy by any means, but the Pure Nitro provides a nice soft landing and a decently energetic rebound. The ride is neutral and should be good for most runners.
Sam: At a near max stack height of 38 mm heel / 30 mm forefoot, 8mm drop and super shoe class weight of 7.5 oz / 213g US9, we have a lot of shoe for the weight and very reasonable $150 pricing.
Puma tells us the foam is a supercritical nitrogen infused 100% PEBA but it feels more like an A-TPU or TPEE as it is relatively soft and very energetic. The midsole is well stabilized by the outsole which also provides some at the road pop and response, a mild "plate at the ground."
The feel is very energetic with plenty of cushion (if not super max bottomless) for any type or run or distance, especially if you want a plateless ride with some flexibility in the mix allowing rapid changes in pace as well as easier paces. I find it a far more versatile ride than the SL EVO which has a small midfoot plate that favors fast paces only for me. The lighter Puma has a true daily trainer platform and versatile ride.
Outsole
Peter: The PumaGrip rubber outsole covers most of the forefoot of the shoe and a large part of both the medial and lateral sides of the heel. The rubber is thick enough that it looks like it will be durable, but it still has a nice flex. The grip has been good on slick roads.
Sam: As with the upper and midsole zero shortcuts or compromises with the outsole. The coverage is extensive and well arranged with plenty of snappy flex already.
While the outsole may add some weight, it is grippy and should prove durable. think it also fulfills two other key functions: it stabilizes the relatively soft foam and provides what I call a plate at the ground effect as it delivers response and a snappy quicker rebound than a thinner less extensive rubber would given the softish foam The outsole helps eliminate any sensation of mushiness or late return off the pavement. I will not hesitate to take it out on gravel and very light trails as well.
Ride, Conclusions and Recommendations
Peter: The Puma Deviate Pure Nitro is my kind of shoe. It’s light, comfortable and can handle any pace and distance. It joins a growing category of plateless super trainers which includes the ASICS Megablast, the Adidas EVO SL and the Skechers Aero Razor. This is a great swiss army knife of a shoe and will for sure be my choice to bring on any summer vacation this year. The ride is agile and fun, the weight is low and it comes in at $150 which, in today’s market, is pretty reasonable. I strongly recommend getting a pair of Pure Nitros and cranking out some summer miles in them.
Overall score 9.5. An excellent shoe all around. Some folks might like it a little firmer, but it works great for me.
Fun score: 😊😊😊😊😊
Sam: I agree with Peter! State of the art materials, energetic versatile ride, highly competitive price point the Pure is a top notch daily trainer that given its very light weight I would not also hesitate to race any distance in, demonstrating its range.
I particularly like that by eliminating any plate Puma was able to bring the weight (and price) way down with few compromises on fast pace performance, with plenty of Puma plated shoes for racing and training also available. Few shoes for me at any price tick as many boxes as well to be called a “one shoe rotation” as the Pure does for me. Highly recommended.
Sam’s Score: 9.6 /10
😊😊😊😊
5 Comparisons
Puma Deviate Pure Nitro
206g / 7.27 oz US 8.5
38 mm heel / 30 mm forefoot, 8mm drop
Puma Velocity Nitro 4 (RTR Review)
Sam: Considerably heavier (+33g) but a reasonable 8.43 oz / 239g US 8.5 , slightly lower stack height and 10mm drop the Velocity has an A-TPU foam midsole. Its upper is lower volume and somewhat more supportive. The lower stack, higher drop and upper make it a more traditional geometry trainer and a slightly better choice for faster shorter workouts while the Pure is a superior all around daily trainer with noticeably lighter weight and a similar energetic ride.
ASICS Megablast (RTR Review)
Peter: What a showdown! Ran these back to back to back to back. The Megablast feels noticeably more built up under the forefoot–and is a little more work to run in. I love the Megablast–and have found it to be comfortable and versatile. That said, I may love the Nitro just a little bit more. They’re both great swiss army knives. Great shoes, the fit and feel of the Nitro wins the day for me.
Sam: Lighter yet and higher stack the Megablast has a firmer foam and stiffer ride that favors faster paces. The Pure is more agile and has a wider pace range for me.
Hoka Mach 7 (RTR Review)
Peter: I love the Mach 7, but it’s a firmer and more tempo oriented shoe. I’ve worn it on tons of 10 milers and have always had fun in it. The Nitro is softer, returns a good amount of energy and is equally fun to run in. Depends on how firm you like it, but the Nitro is a little more my speed right now.
Sam: Agree 100% with Peter
Skechers Aero Razor (RTR Review)
Peter: The Aero Razor is more of a tempo/race shoe that can be used for slower or longer miles in a pinch. The Pure Nitro is more of a daily trainer that could be used for a tempo/race shoe in a pinch. For workouts I’d reach for the Razor. For most other days I’d reach for the Nitro.
Saucony Endorphin Azura (RTR Review)
Sam: The Azura has similar stats and uses as an unplated light daily trainer with supercritical foam, in its case an expanded PEBA. Its outsole is similar in function as a "plate at the ground" but a touch firmer and less fluid on the run. The Saucony's upper and platform is slightly more stable and supportive. The Puma just feels more polished and smoother to me.
Adizero SL EVO (RTR Review)
Peter: I ran the SL EVO and the Pure Nitro side by side. They actually feel a little more different from each other than I thought they might. The SL EVO feels thinner under the forefoot and has a slightly more aggressive feel. It feels like it wants to go a bit faster naturally, but the Nitro has an overall more plush and forgiving ride. For longer miles I’d go Nitro for sure. For shorter, faster stuff I’d go with the SL EVO. They’re both great, but for a total overall shoe–if I had to get one it would be the Pure Nitro.
Tester Profiles
Peter lives in California and has been a sub 3 hour marathoner as well as a 1:21 half marathoner in recent years.
Sam is the Editor and Founder of Road Trail Run. Hex 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 1:45 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. Sam is 5’9” /175cm and 160 lbs/ 73kg 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
13 comments:
Did puma rectify the mistake with velocity nitro 4 here and used a full vegan upper? Or the upper on this shoe still uses cow leather?
@anonymous an interesting and important question. Not indicated either way on spec sheet or online catalog. Will inquire.
Congrats for being the first with an actual review of the Deviate Pure! Every thing else out at this point is just a restating of the specs without info on the run feel.👏👏
Uhhh…how about a comparison to the Velocity Nitro that everyone here raved about as Pumas non plated daily. Seems logical but not on comparison list.
My finger is floating above the "buy now" button when these become available. Alttle worried that they will be very similar in use case as the Velocity, whilst using foam similar to the Magnify?
Thanks!
Yes indeed a good comparison and have added with text also here: Considerably heavier (+33g) but a reasonable 8.43 oz / 239g US 8.5 , slightly lower stack height and 10mm drop the Velocity has an A-TPU foam midsole. Its upper is lower volume and somewhat more supportive. The lower stack, higher drop and upper make it a more traditional geometry trainer and a slightly better choice for faster shorter workouts while the Pure is a superior all around daily trainer with noticeably lighter weight and a similar energetic ride.
I just added a comparison to Velocity which is here: Considerably heavier (+33g) but a reasonable 8.43 oz / 239g US 8.5 , slightly lower stack height and 10mm drop the Velocity has an A-TPU foam midsole. Its upper is lower volume and somewhat more supportive. The lower stack, higher drop and upper make it a more traditional geometry trainer and a slightly better choice for faster shorter workouts while the Pure is a superior all around daily trainer with noticeably lighter weight and a similar energetic ride.
I wanted to like the Velocity Nitro but it just didn't work for me because of the narrow toe box. How does the fit compare to the Nitro Pure?
Great review, talked about everything I was curious about.
Thank you so much for the review. It's very detailed. I've been using Deviate Nitro 3 for a while now. Because they're a narrow fit, I wear size 45 (29.5 cm). My foot length is 28 cm. Could you give me a little more information about sizing? Should I order the same size as the DN3? I wear 29 cm in Vomero Plus, NB 5, and many other shoes.
I might go 29cm
Puma usually have long and narrow shoes with a taper that cuts off little toe room. Have they changed this for the Pure?
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