Puma Magnify Nitro 3 Review | Perfect For All the Long Days on Your Feet

For runners who are looking for a solid all-around daily trainer, Puma’s Magnify Nitro 3 is a great update to a shoe we’ve loved before.

The Magnify Nitro 3 is made with cushion and comfort in mind, pulling off a lot of versatility for long distances, quick workouts, and everything in between.

 While it’s a little heavy for a speed workout, the shoe holds up great for daily miles and long runs with some updates that improve the cushioned feel of the shoe underfoot and its overall weight.

In the short time I’ve had the Magnify Nitro 3, I’ve reached for these shoes more than almost any I’ve tested lately!

I’ve tried these shoes out for short interval workouts, some easy 3-4 milers, a few long runs, and even wore them while coaching toddler soccer – if that’s not a testament to the comfort level in these shoes, I don’t know what is! 

If you’re in the market for a well-rounded daily trainer that will feel super comfortable underfoot for long walks, long runs or daily usage, the Puma Magnify Nitro 3 is a great option. 

Puma Magnify Nitro 3 Overview

The Puma Magnify Nitro 3 is the latest update to Puma’s line of running shoes, complementing a line of shoes that can often be for fast runners with a daily trainer that can balance out the bunch.

For over 75 years, Puma has created shoes designed for performance and speed, often being a staple at the Olympics and other major running events. And while I’ve known them for my career as a runner for their track spikes and speed shoes, I love that the Magnify Nitro 3 enters the race as an option for the every(wo)man.

Coming out of the box, the shoe looks similar to a lot of the high stack height trainers I’ve seen.

The shoe is meant to maximize cushioning and comfort with its high stacked heel and foam midsole, and it definitely achieves what Puma set out to accomplish in terms of comfort. It has nice, bouncy cushioning, a lightweight upper, and a plush midsole to create a great ride underfoot.

The woven mesh upper of the Magnify Nitro 3 is breathable, flexible, and lightweight. Puma upgraded their mesh upper material to help reduce the weight of their shoes and make the material both supportive and breathable.

I found that it felt secure in the midfoot without restricting movement, and the mesh made the upper feel really breathable even in the late summer heat.

The Magnify Nitro 3 features Puma’s NITRO foam midsole, a key feature in Puma’s lineup of road running shoes. The NITRO foam is infused with nitrogen gas to help improve bounce and responsiveness, and this shoe has an incredible amount of plush comfort and cushioning while also feeling stable underfoot.

But as noted that responsiveness does not mean speed, so I know that word gets thrown around a lot. This isn’t a energy returning shoe, but one that you feel like you’re just losing energy to the cushion.

I’ve tried a few cushioned shoes lately where my heel sinks in the second I slip them on – the Magnify Nitro 3 balances that plush cloud-like feeling with enough stability to feel firmly planted to the ground.

For me, one of the standout features of the Magnify Nitro 3 is the PumaGrip rubber outsole.

The outsole really delivers a significant amount of grip and traction for a road running shoe that worked amazingly well on a treadmill and out running on a variety of surfaces and weather.

I wore these out in the rain a couple of afternoons and found that I wasn’t sliding around at all. It’s a feature I wouldn’t have guessed I would’ve really been excited about, but with the late summer afternoon rain, it certainly came in handy!

While the shoe looks substantial and feels heavier than some lower stack height trainers on the market, Puma did update this shoe to be slightly lighter than its predecessor. The Puma Magnify Nitro 2 weighed in at 10.1 oz for a men’s size 9, where the Magnify Nitro 3 clocks in at 9.3 oz. That reduction in weight makes this shoe feel bouncier and lighter on foot, a huge upgrade for daily runners.

Puma Magnify Nitro 3 Fit

The Puma Magnify Nitro 3 fit true to size for me, although the length was slightly longer than other women’s 9.5’s I’ve tried. Despite a little extra length, they didn’t feel too big and didn’t take too much adjustment to get used to them.

The shoe’s midfoot felt secure throughout the shoe but never too tight. In fact, I did feel like I had a fair amount of wiggle room in the midfoot and toe box to handle hot runs where my feet expanded a bit.

The lacing system on the shoes is pretty standard, and the shoes come with nice, long laces, so you have a lot of flexibility to play around with the lacing pattern that works best for you.

To add additional comfort to this one, the heel collar is nicely padded and comfortable from first wear.

Puma Magnify Nitro 3 Feel

While this shoe is super plush and comfortable, I was surprised at first that it felt a bit firm and required a wear or two to fully break them in. On the whole, I was really glad I stuck with them because after one or two runs, these shoes felt like butter!

Perhaps my only design complaint of this shoe is the thin tongue paired with a very long fabric tab that stretches up to the ankle. The tab feels just a little too long for its placement, and I found this really annoying the first few times I slipped the shoes on.

That being said, the tab itself is really soft and thin so I’ve had no issues with rubbing or itching – it’s more of an aesthetics issue for me than anything. The tongue itself is really comfortable and thin. 

The shoe also features an elastic sock-like fit inside the shoe that helps support your foot as you stride, and I found this made the shoe feel comfortable and secure.

While I don’t think I’d reach for these shoes for a high intensity speed workout, I do find this one to be a solid all-arounder that functions well in a lot of different settings. I loved wearing it for long runs and easy miles, and I’m really impressed with its longevity throughout days on my feet.

What to read next?