Puma Magnify Nitro 3 Review
By David Salas and Matthew Klein
Puma Magnify Nitro 3Price: $159.95 at Running Warehouse
Weight: 9.3 oz, 264 g (men's size 9), 8.0 oz, 227 g (women's size 8)
Stack Height: 40 mm heel / 30 mm forefoot
Drop: 10 mm
Shoe Purpose: Premium Neutral Cushioned Daily Training Shoe
Pros: Solid balance of plush and responsiveness for the weight, plush option for the high drop trainers
Cons: The really soft nature of the shoe on this neutral platform will push some people out
RUNNING SHOE SUMMARY
The Puma Magnify Nitro 3 is a maximum cushioned daily training shoe for those with neutral mechanics. The shoe is built on a familiar feeling high drop platform, but with a very soft nitrogen-infused Nitro foam. The shoe does provide a very soft experience on foot while also providing a comfortable one. The shoe has moderate flexibility and a more traditional feeling transition (versus a highly rockered platform). This shoe is truly neutral and will cater to those with those mechanics.
SIMILAR SHOES: Mizuno Wave Rider 29, On Cloudsurfer 2
PAST MODEL: Puma Magnify Nitro 2
FIT
(To learn how a shoe should fit, check out our full podcast on fit by Matt Klein.)
Matt: The Puma Magnify Nitro 3 fits me true to size in my normal men's US size 10. The engineered knit mesh provides a snug but comfortable fit throughout the length of the shoe. The toebox is only a little tapered and transitions into a slightly snug forefoot. The mesh has normal volume in the center of the shoe but quickly tapers down on the medial and lateral sides of the shoe. The mesh does stretch a little but mostly hugs the foot closely. This continues into a snug midfoot with a thinner padded tongue. The tongue is gusseted, stays secure and has enough padding to tighten the laces if necessary. Fortunately, the snug fit does not necessitate tightening the laces that much for a secure fit. The heel also fits snug with a moderate amount of heel collar padding. There is a moderately stiff heel counter that has padding that cushions the heel. Those with Halgund deformities may be fine as it didn't bother me that much, but those with higher sensitivities should approach with caution. The knit upper is quite scratchy internally, so I would highly suggest using socks with this shoe.
Typical Size: Men's US Size 10
Shoes that have fit Matt well: On Cloudboom Strike, Asics Gel-Nimbus 27, Xero HFS, Topo Cyclone 3, Adidas Adizero Evo SL
Shoes that have fit snug: Hoka Arahi 7, Brooks Launch 11, Diadora Mythos Vigore 3
Shoes that have fit large: Salomon S/Lab Phantasm 2, Adidas Agravic Speed Ultra
David: The Puma Magnify 3 fits true to size in my Men's 9.5. The width through the heel and midfoot feel normal, with the forefoot feeling slightly wide. The volume feels like it is dialed in pretty well. It initially felt a touch snug, but broke in very quickly and I had no issues with anything feeling excessively tight. The engineered knit upper material is comfortable. It feels soft and plush throughout, but still holds its shaping well. I had no issues with excessive stretch or foot translation. The knit feels a little thick and I was nervous about it running hot with longer efforts, but it held up okay. There is a heel counter with mild padding, and I had no issues with it. The tongue is gusseted and feels similar to the rest of the upper. It's plush, and I was a little nervous about hot spots, but again, it did just fine. The lockdown throughout the shoe was also quite good and I had no issues with movement of the foot or my heel. The tongue does come pretty high up the foot, and I noticed that my first time wearing it. After that initial time, I got used to it and forgot about it. This is one of the better knit uppers that I have tried. If I was being really picky, I think I would still like to see it be a little more breathable, but it still performs good in the current state.
David's Typical Size: Men's US Size 9.5
Shoes that have fit David well: Nike Vomero 17, Saucony Ride 16, Puma Velocity Nitro 3
Shoes that have fit snug: HOKA Arahi 7
Shoes that have fit large: Salomon Aero Glide
Doctors of Running Checklist
Is This a Good Shoe for Walking: Yes
Is This a Good Shoe for Standing: Yes
Is the Forefoot Flexible: Moderately
How Flexible is the Shoe: Less Flexible Except for Forefoot
Is This a Good Heel Bevel: No (Posterior Flare With Medial Bevel)
Recommended for Haglunds: No
Is This Shoe Orthotic Friendly: Somewhat
Recommended for Sockless: No
Durability Expectation: Average
PERFORMANCE
Matt: The Puma Magnify Nitro 3 is a lighter, well-cushioned daily training shoe. The midsole is full length NITROFOAM, which is a nitrogen-infused PEBA foam. While it does not feel like a crazy super foam, the cushioning is balanced, mildly soft, with a moderate bounce. Combined with the 9.3 oz weight (men's size 9), this shoe feels closer to a lightweight trainer than what used to be the taller stack height shoe in the Puma line up (which has been taken by the Puma MagMax). There is a 10mm drop, which is noticeable but for me feels great while recovering from an Achilles issue. There is a bevel in the rearfoot, although it is facing medially and there is a decent amount of posterior flare (midsole sticking out the back). Fortunately, the softer midsole offsets this somewhat but still makes for a clunky rearfoot transition. This transitions into a narrow midfoot that moves quickly but is a bit wobbly at easier efforts. The forefoot has the best transition of the entire shoe, with moderate flexibility, plenty of cushioning and a smooth forefoot that makes getting off the toes easy. Those with toe mobility issues will not do well here but those wanting some motion will find a cushioned but moderately flexible ride up front.
The cushioning, lighter weight and flexibility, the Magnfiy Nitro 3 does best during easy and longer miles. The NITROFOAM does have some bounce and gives this shoe versatility into uptempo efforts. The foam isn't tuned for really fast efforts, so intervals can feel a bit difficult. However, for recreational runners that want a more flexible ride, this may be an excellent trainer for longer races, given the ability to comfortably hold paces without being aggressive.
The traction is decent on man-made surfaces but I would not take this on trail given the amount of exposed midsole at the bottom. The PUMAGRIP has done well even during recent rain but only on roads. The outsole durability has been average as I am already seeing wear on the exposed outsole at 30 miles and am starting to tear at the posterolateral piece of outsole rubber. The midsole durability has been great, as there was no break in needed and the midsole has retained its feel (although 30 miles isn't really that much).
David: The Puma Magnify Nitro 3 was an interesting experience. I know this is the maximum cushioned shoe, but I was not expecting the foam to be quite that soft. I noticed it immediately. The shoe felt familiar in a lot of ways, but with some modern advancements. When I say familiar or traditional, I am mainly referring to the time when most running shoes were build on 10mm or 12mm drop platforms with minimal or mild rocker platforms. This shoe feels similar to those shoes (with a little more rounding) and a whole lot more compliance to the foam.
The Magnify Nitro 3 felt smooth at easy paces for me, with a surprising amount of upside for some uptempo work if needed. The Nitro foam is very compliant, but does offer some rebound when it is loaded as well. As mentioned before, the shoe does not have a major rocker profile, but there is a gently beveled heel and rounded forefoot. I personally did not have any issues with how they transitioned and I felt they moved well. I will say that this shoe is truly neutral though. The foam is so soft, and there are not many things added for stability in this shoe. I found that I compressed the foam a lot when I was running and would often want just a touch more stability.
For reference, I am a bit out of shape at the moment, and tend to gravitate towards things that have a little more structure to them. When I am in good running shape, I tend to be a little more nimble on my feet and would actually like a platform like this. I like the shoe and the ride a lot, but for me I just find myself wanting a little more structure at this present moment. I don't find the shoe unstable, rather just very neutral. For those wanting a less rockered ride and a high drop offering, but with a very plush experience you have that here. I have not run in a shoe that blends those two categories this smoothly yet.
STABILITY
(Learn more about stability in our full guide)
Matt: The Puma Magnify Nitro 3 is a neutral daily training shoe. There are no traditional methods of stability in this shoe. There are small sidewalls in the rearfoot on both the medial and lateral sides. These do contribute to a centered ride at the rear, although this is offset by the greater lateral sole flare and medially biased heel bevel than medial sole flare. This causes a large medial push at heel stride. The midfoot (and sole in general) is narrower. Particularly with the lack of outsole coverage and sidewalls, this makes the midfoot neutral (and a bit wobbly for me). The forefoot has some mild sole flare medially and laterally but with the flexibility is more neutral. Overall, this is a neutral daily training shoe with some medial bias in the heel that will work for those with mild supination needs at the rearfoot.
David: The Puma Magnify Nitro 3 is very neutral. The shoe does have some gentle sidewalls in the rearfoot, but there is not much going on in terms of stability beyond that in terms of sole flare or guidance measures. They do a good job of providing a secure upper and good traction. I don't find the shoe to be unstable, rather very neutral.
Thoughts as a DPT: Uppers: Make or Break
By David Salas, PT, DPT, CSCS
The Puma Magnify Nitro 3 is a very interesting shoe. The shoe is so soft and compliant, while not having much measures for stability in the platform. There is not much sole flare, platform width, rocker, or major usage of sidewalls. This shoe should run really unstable, but it doesn't. It's the upper that saves it. In many cases, an upper can make or break a shoe. At its core, the job of the upper is to secure your foot to the platform that you are standing or running on. However, we have nerves. Uppers also have to be comfortable, or else you won't want to use the shoe anyways. Puma did a good job of creating a knit material that was soft and comfortable on foot, that did not excessively stretch in any direction. It holds its structure well, but with a little bit of help.
Puma uses what they call PWRTAPE, as a subtle way of creating a little more rigidity to the upper. This helps it resist some of the stretch that may naturally come from those materials when loaded in different direction. The PWRTAPE is an embedded overlay, but one that you may not even notice if you are not looking closely at the shoe. I actually do think they integrated it well, because I really can't even feel it on the shoe. Many times, I can feel the gentle rigidity of overlays as the shoe creases, but it is done pretty seamlessly here. Not every shoe will need extra reinforcement, but in a shoe like this, it is almost mandatory. If the upper had excessive give to it, that would ultimately make the shoe unstable in its current state. This subtle usage of overlays is what makes The Puma Magnify 3 a true neutral shoe, but not unstable.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Matt: It has been four years since I reviewed the first Magnify Nitro and these two shoes have quite a few differences. The original was wider, borderline stable neutral, heavier but still fun. Version 3 is far lighter, snug, neutral and versatile. It appears to have now taken the place of a premium neutral daily trainer (like the Glycerin, Nimbus, Vomero) and is no longer the "max cushion trainer", which is a title held by the MagMax. Now understanding the new placement (especially since I didn't run in v2), my biggest suggestions are around the heel and outsole rubber. The extra lateral flare may work fine for those that need some supination resistance at the rearfoot but I would balancing out the lateral and medial flare. This shoe does not need the posterior flare AND medial biased bevel, which almost defeats the purpose of having a beveled heel. I understand this is meant to compress at landing, but it creates extra medial bias. My other suggestion is to make the outsole rubber run the length of the shoe. I realize this might stiffen the midfoot slightly, but that is not a bad thing given the taller and narrower platform. Outside of that, this shoe one of the lightest premium neutral daily training shoes and its updates certainly make it unique.
David: I really enjoyed my time in the Puma Magnify Nitro 3. The shoe gives a unique sensation to a familiar platform. The whole shoe seems aimed at comfort, and I do think it accomplishes that. The upper knit material is very comfortable, but it can run a little warm. It is just breathable enough to not have any issues, but I do think I would like to see it be at touch more breathable. I am happy with the platform of the shoe, despite some of my own personal instabilities with the softer foam and neutral platform.
WHO IS THIS SHOE FOR?
Matt: The Puma Magnify Nitro 3 is for those who want a cushioned daily training shoe with a higher drop that is light and runs snug. The fit will work best for those who have narrow feet. The midsole will work best for those who want a higher drop, moderately bouncy and softer ride for longer to maybe uptempo miles. The stability will work best for those with neutral mechanics or who need resistance to lateral motion at the rearfoot. The PEBA-based midsole foam is good in this shoe and it is one of the rare > 10 mm drop training shoes, providing an option for those who want this compared to the more standard 6-8mm drop range. The price is consistent with the design being a premium neutral daily training shoe, but those who are hard on outsoles (like me) may not get as much out of them. Even if the purpose has changed a little bit since version one and these may not be the best for me, they are still a solid option that signals a clear evolution of the series.
David: The Puma Magnify Nitro 3 is a neutral daily training shoe for those that want a higher drop shoe with a really plush experience underfoot. The shoe is also pretty lightweight for the cushioning and provides a surprising amount of responsiveness. The foam is very compliant and this shoe will cater to those with neutral mechanics. The shoe is also not heavily rockered. This will also work well for those that are sensitive to rockers, but still want a really soft underfoot feel.
GRADES
Matt
Fit: A- (Snug but secure fitting shoe with knit upper that stretches a little)
Performance: A- (Light, cushioned shoe for easy and long miles with uptempo versatility)
Stability: C [Neutral] (Narrow platform with posterior and lateral heel flare with medial biased bevel makes for medial bias at rear. Neutral outside of that)
Value: B+ (Premium midsole and solid upper offset by early outsole wear. $160 isn't bad for those light on their feet)
Personal: B- (I appreciate the ride but it isn't stable enough for me to use beyond shorter runs)
Overall Design: Grade
David
Fit: A- (The dimensions are well done with a comfortable and secure lockdown, I would just like to see it a touch more breathable)
Performance: A (I think the Magnify Nitro 3 does its job of being plush, comfortable, and versatile very well.)
Stability: C (Not a stability shoe. Its not unstable, but this as neutral as things come. It is very soft with minimal guidance features.)
Value: A (I think $160 is very fair for this. It is one of the more plush shoes I have tried this year and gives a plush offering to the high drop ratio lovers out there.)
Personal: B+ (I want to love it. I just a need a touch more stability currently, but when I get more consistent running in I think I'll appreciate it even more)
Overall Design: A-
SHOP | SUPPORT DORPuma Magnify Nitro 3Price: $159.95 at Running Warehouse
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FURTHER READING
Altra's cushioned training series.
A lightweight performance shoe/racer for some.
Find all Shoe Reviews at Doctors of Running here.
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