The Adidas Supernova Prima sees Adidas continue to add more shoes to its revamped Supernova line with a max cushion-style daily trainer that comes in pricier than its Supernova Rise and Solution shoes.
It’s another shoe that comes packing in Adidas’ new Peba-based DreamStrike+ foam and this time there’s more of it, to hopefully make it one that’s a better fit for going long in.
Testers Mike, Kieran and Nick have all been logging the running time in the Supernova Prima to find out if the Prima is a cushioned daily trainer worth spending your money on.
CHAPTERS:
00:00 – Intro
00:10 – Price and key stats
01:29 – How does it fit?
04:42 – The Run Test
13:12 – Verdict
More ways to enjoy The Run Testers
Subscribe:
Follow Us:
Listen to The Run Testers Podcast:
Watch The Run Testers Shorts:
Some other videos you might find useful:
Adidas Supernova Rise Review:
Adidas Supernova Rise vs Boston 12:
Puma Magnify Nitro 2 Review:
Saucony Triumph 22 Review:
Asics Superblast 2 vs Asics Novablast 4:
Hey this is Mike for the Run testers and This is our multi tester review of the Adidas Supernova [Music] Prima so here's your quick rundown of The key Adidas Supernova prma details It's best classed as a Max cushion daily Trainer in the mold of shoes like the New B 10 atv3 P magnifying Nitro 2 and The socony Triumph at 22 it's priced at £160 in the UK or $160 in the US put in More expensive than the Supernova rise And the Supernova solution but cheaper Than a lot of other Max cushion style Daily trainers it's got an 8 mm drop With stack Heights measuring in at 37.5 Mm at the heel and 29.5 mm at the 4ot in UK men size 8 it weighed in at 280 G Making it a slightly heavier shoe than The supern noiz for comparison at the Upper it's an engineered mesh one with a Pretty skinny gusted tongue and ample Padding at the heel to provide comfort And added support Adidas employs its P Based dream strike plus foam at the Midsole with more in place at the heel And 4 foot compared to what we got in The Supernova rise that's combined with Wide support rods to counter that paper Bounce and keep things nice and stable Those support rods are surrounded by a Light traction out soole that's designed To suit mid and 4ot Strikers focusing Grip in those areas to keep things light
And to make sure it will also grip Strong Comes the fit of the Adidas Supernova Prima I've had the right amount of room In my normal running shoe size got a uk9 Here which is a US 9.5 for Adidas it's The same size I have across most of Adidas's shoes and it fits me really Well in terms of the amount of room I Have in the toe box have had a little Bit of concern with the uh heel counter And the general padding around the back Of the shoe which has irritated my kiles Tender on a couple of runs like it's not Doing it every run it's not the worst Offender for this and I sometimes am a Bit sensitive to this but it is a little Bit more I'd say rigid and padded than The heel counter on something like the Adidas Supernova rise and I prefer a Little bit more of a relaxed fit out the Back of the shoe but hasn't been a huge Problem and overall I would say you Should stick to your normal running shoe Size so in terms of fits I've got the Super overa Premier in the UK size8 that Is my typical running shoe size and that Is the same shoe size that I had the Supernova Rising which I didn't have any Real issues in terms of that fit I think It's a similar story here with the Prima I think going true to size has been fine For me I've got pretty skinny narrow Feet and I feel like they fit of this
Shoe really is about kind of hugging and Supportive in the right places um it Does really kind of wrap a lot of Material around you know the entirety if Your foot is quite heavily padded in the Hill um the space up front of the toes Has been good on the front and the side Of my toes maybe it's a touch more roomy Than the supern noise but I don't think There's a huge amount in it and you Getting pretty standard Fair lacing here You know there's a slightly skinnier Tongue compared to the Supernova rise Here as well but that hasn't kind of Moved about the lockdown has been Generally good for me so I think a very Non nonsense fit I would say with the Supernova Prima for me I was very happy Going through the size an issue I Wouldn't feel like I'd have to go kind Of half size down a half a size up so I Think for most people you know going Through size should be absolutely fine So a quick word on fit then I've got Just about a thumbs width at the end of The toe box here it's not the most roomy In terms of lengthwise here you do get Good wiggle room across the top of this Kind of flexible mesh up as there is you Know wiggle there that makes them sort Of feel sort of spous is although going Back down into where the big toe knuckle And the little toe Knuckles are here They are quite narrow across this
Section of the foot and overall the Feeling around this section is quite Snug even though you do have a bit of That Flex coming back into the laces I Had to work quite hard to get these Laces to sit right across the top of my Midfoot and to get the tongues to feel Right I have to tug at them quite a lot To get this bit here to feel comfortable On the foot overall though once they're Locked in and laced down they do feel Comfortable and that is a nice hold Across that section some people if You've got particularly wide feet might Find this bit comes up a little snug a Little narrow moving into the heel Colors you got nice kind of FLH padded Heel colors here that hold really well Does come up a little bit high but Because that's nice and soft I didn't Have any digging in under the Achilles The tongues come up a little bit High Here as well they're fairly sort of Wrapping there is a big bulge here to Take off the lace pinch so overall Though no slipping in the heels I had Good lock down across the midfoot and Just about enough we grow the toe box And I would say therefore go true to Size unless you've got particularly long Or wide feet in which case you might Find them a little bit narrow you might Want a little bit extra length in the Toe
[Music] Box so my run experience I've done over 50k in Supernova prier and I've tried to Focus on the types of runs that Ultimately Adidas says this shoe is Designed for so it's kind of saying this Is a shoe for kind of Base runs long Runs but I've also tried to kind of up The tempo in this shoe as well to I felt Like you could kind of do that in the Supernova rise as well and the Similarities between the two shoes those Are definitely there I mean there's Definitely some characteristics where I Do think changes the experience a little Bit on the Supernova Premier compared to The rise but I think yeah ultimately It's it's a shoe that is designed for People that want Comfort protection a Very stable feel maybe their first shoe Maybe a shoe they're going to use for All their runs and the big thing for me Here the thing that kind of really Stands out for me is so you are getting That kind of dream strike plus u mids Which is similar to Supernova rise it's A PE based foam so you know it has Similar materials from kind of Adidas's Kind of racing shoes but ultimately that Foam is a little bit denser I think when You combine it with what you're getting In a relatively broad out soole the Support rods that you're getting here That kind of stabilizes and kind of
Rains thing in a little bit you know in Terms of you know there is some bounce There in the rides but it's pretty Controlled there's enough to make it an Enjoyable shooter running but I think it Definitely is rained in a little bit I Found the experience it kind of varied For me on runs I think some runs I felt That bounciness a little bit more other Runs it wasn't as present for me across Different Paces I think the biggest Difference for me is that having more Well better spread of that mids from the Kind of heal to for foot makes it a more Balanced shoe to running I think Particularly I felt more comfortable Running a little bit longer in this shoe And I felt well protected throughout the Shoe and I think that is a the most Notable change to me in my experience Having that better spread of that strike Plus midsole which I think I'm still a Little bit on the fence about whether I Think it's really stand out but I do Think there's some nice qualities about It and I think in the Supernova Prem I Think I've appreciated it a bit more uh Than I have or did in the Supernova Rides and I think for shorter kind of Easy runs it's been absolutely fine I Think for moderate Pace runs it has been Fine as well too when I tried to up the Tempo it's been okay in places but I Don't think it's really where you're
Going to kind of use a shoe really is About logging a lot of time In your feet and you know just being Comfortable and protective and giving You a little bit of an you know Enjoyment in that ride as well to in That bounce but it's very much as I said I think a little bit rained in um Outside Wise It's been generally fine I See you know this is issue that as kind Of said it's really kind of aimed at Kind of midfoot Strikers I'm a hill foot Striker so there's not a huge amount of That protection in the outsole at the Hill that is where I've seen a little Bit of wear in my running time not huge Amounts but I think you know from a hill Striking point of view I would be a Little bit concerned about that M from a Gripping and traction point of view it's Been fine I have wanded a little um Off-road on it but I would ultimately Stay kind of to roads and Pavements in The shoe I think that's where its best Um designed for so from that point of View it's been absolutely fine so yeah It's felt like a very solid shooter run In overall I think as I've you know Stuck to the types of runs I think AAS Has kind of aimed this out I think That's where it's worked best um is it The most thr Kind of you know cushioned kind of daily Trainer style shoe possibly not but I
Think in terms of being a very solid Dependable shoe I think it offers a lot On that front and I think more so I Think I've enjoyed my time in this more A little bit more than the super noiz And I felt like I could use this for a Bigger variety of runs or particularly From a distance point of view so yeah Pretty solid overall experience running In the Adidas Supernova Prima so I've Done just over 50k of running in the Adidas Supernova Prima primer Prima Prima I'm say prima and I think for the Most part it's been a pretty good shoe I Think it's not exactly a wow shoe it's Not when you pull on and you think oh That's really springy or exciting or Incredibly soft anything like that the Dream strike cushioning I think is very Balanced same as it was with the Supernova rise it's got a probably a Firmer feel than most of the very Cushion shoes on the market as a result But it is comfortable it's not a shoe I Found that was at all harsh on long runs Or anything like that and it is a shoe I Think you probably grow to like a bit More over time that's that's certainly How I felt about it it's not that I Think it needs time to break in I think The foam feels similar now to it did When it was fresh out of the box it's Just a shoe you grow to like by running In it a lot because it is very much a
Workhorse of a daily trainer it's a shoe You're going to pull on for a lot of Runs lots of easy miles just churning Them out and you know it's going to give You a nice balanced stable ride Under Foot that stability is something I Definitely noticed about the shoe I'd Say like it's not built to be a Stability shoe but you've got quite a Naturally stable design without having Some of the features that are becoming Quite common in maxion shoes like a very Wide base or side WS or foam or anything Like that it's just a fairly firm foam Got a naturally stable shoe that isn't Very wobbly underfoot despite the high Stack of foam you have here I found it Was a pretty smooth shoe as well pretty A little bit smoother than the Supernova Rise with this elongated uh heel design In particular which as a heel Striker Does help me kind of flow through my Foot strike a little bit better so that I found that at a range of Paces like It's certainly better for me at easier Paces have picked up the pace a little Bit in the shoe and just feels a bit Heavy and blocky for that the phone Doesn't give you a huge amount back it Is quite a neutral balanced platform you Can push against so I think it is a Little bit more versatile than some of The really soft cushion shoes out there Feels a little bit more akin to
Something like the Triumph 21 or the P Magnify Nitro 2 on that front but it's Not something that gives you a load back It wouldn't be a shoe that I'd Personally use as a do all shoe myself But if you like a cushion shoe to do all Your runs in think this is probably up There as one of the better options I was A little concerned about the fact that The heel rubber doesn't extend all the Way to the back of the shoe just kind of Got this foam here and as a heel Striker I was worried that I'd see a bit more Wear and tear or maybe the grip wouldn't Be as good but those concerns haven't Been borne out by my run experience so Far like the durability seems fine back There the grip's been very good I took It for a nice wet run today and it was All fine so I don't think you're really Losing out out by not having this rubber Extend all the way back I also worried This rubber might be a little bit Slappy Because of the slightly kind of Crystal Feel here and I think it probably does Mute the foam a little bit but hasn't Been too loud or anything like that or Created any kind of harshness as I snap Through from Heel To Toe so yeah all Around I think it's a well put together Shoe that I've enjoyed running in think It will last long time whether that's Enough to really stand out in what is a Very crowded Market I'm not really sure
So in testing I've run around 30 mi in The Adidas Supernova Prima most of those Miles have come post comrades marathon Where I've been running easy efforts With very very battered leg spending up To an hour on feet each time that's been Mainly on the road apart from one set of Faster track intervals where I just went To test that upper Pace versatility of The shoe now first up let's talk General Comfort I found I had to fiddle a bit to Get them feeling right on my feet I've Got really quite high in steps and I Have to wrestle the tongues a little bit Here to get that section here across the Midfoot the back of the toes to sit Happily so they're not as instantly Disappearing on stepping or something Like the Brooks ghost Max or like an Oncloud eclipse or a sakon endorphin Speed 4 but once they're on and wiggled Into the right place the overall Comfort On the move is pretty good that's Boosted by the plush padded tongues and The heel colors here that hold well you Got flexible mesh uppers here that are Breathable enough and overall Comfort is Good when it comes to the Ry the Supernova Prima is noticeably more Cushion than the Supernova rise but it Manages to boost the protection I think Without feeling too high or too wobbly Or cumbersome I describe the ride as Nicely balanced and that bigger stra of
Dream strip plus delivers good road Taming softness that avoids being soggy Dull or lifeless now I like a shoe that Offers cushioning but with a bit of Immediacy in the return and I found that Here it also cushions without losing Connection to the road overall I'm a Massive fan of the saky ride 17 for this Kind of ride and I get a very similar Vibe from the Supernova Prima there's Some return but rather than shooting for Overly energetic Punchy or springy the Prima feels smooth with easy Transitions And cushioning that's reliable and Controlled this is another soft Edge Daily trainer I'm sticking to my pile of Happy Cruisers my MILF cradled and Protected with a wide platform to run Off reliable stability at least for a Neutral Runner like myself for the Uptempo track intervals they felt a bit Heavier than I tend to go for this isn't Really what the shoe was designed for so It's perhaps not surprising however I'd Use these for runs up to half marathon Pace but beyond that I want something Lighter livelier and more agile now the Supernova Prima will obviously draw Comparisons with the recent Supernova Rise as well that's 20 cheaper that shoe And I think overall I preferred the ride Of the premum can definitely feel the Benefit of having more dream strike plus Underfoot but I don't think you're
Sacrificing too much of the other Benefits for it if you looked at the Supernova rise wanted a bit more cushion The Prima definitely ticks that [Music] But I've enjoyed running in the Adidas Supernova Prima I don't necessarily Think it's one of the very best cushion Shoes out there for me but I do think It's a shoe that a lot of Runners will Get on very well I think you buy the Shoe you're unlikely to be disappointed I think it's going to deliver a solid Ride for a variety of runs going to last A long time time it's pretty good value As well on in this area of the market Which has become quite inflated of late There are shoes I think that are similar That I slightly prefer the ride of like The Brooks Glycerin 21 or the pum Magnify Nitro 2 I think there's a lot of Similarities between those shoes and This shoe in terms of how they feel Under F the kind of natural stability The slight element of Versatility for a Cushion shoe and I just slightly prefer The rides of those shoes but there's not A lot in it I think this is a pretty Enjoyable shoe all around I think it's The best cushion shoe ads has made in Quite a while as well I think it's Certainly better than the ultra boosts Last few Generations and including the Ultra boost light you've just got a
Better foam Under Foot just a shoe that Feels better set up for running and Ticks over a bit more nicely and I think It's got a slightly better ride than the Supernova rise as well which is a little Bit lighter and feels a bit nimbler on The foot and has a better upper for me In terms of being a bit looser and less Structured but I think they're quite Similar and this almost feels like the Brooks Glycerin to the Supernova Rises Brooks ghost in that they're now quite Similar shoes you pay a little bit more For the shoe you get a slightly better Ride so it's really kind of judging Whether it's worth that extra bit of Money to pay for it I probably wouldn't Go ahead and upgrade to the Supernova Premium myself just because the rise has That more comfortable upper for me but I Do think it has a better feeling under Foot and you know is one that you'll get A little upgrade on if you do spend the Extra money on it within ad's lineup so I think if you are in the market for a Cushion shoe and you really value Softness in particular I think this Isn't probably the shoe for you Something like the New Balance 1080 v13 Has a softer feeling or even the ax Gel Nimbus 26 but if you're looking for more Of a cushion daily trainer I think Supernova Premier is a pretty good Option out there there are some I
Slightly prefer but as as I said I don't Think this is one that's going to Disappoint lotss of Runners it's a Really well put together shoe and a step In the right direction for Adidas in This area who I think has lacked a Really strong cushion shoe to compete With other brands in the mold of the Supernova Prima so my vote on the Adidas Supernova Prima is that it is a pretty Solid kind of Max cushion style daily Trainer shoe I think it is a shoe kind Of best suited for easy to mayy kind of Moderate Paces um based on my experience I think it's a good shoe if you are Looking for kind of your first shoe you Want a shoe that's really going to be Comfortable um is going to give you a Little bit of fun in that ride as well Too and is going to kind of be Protective as well and I think all those Kind of qualities there is ultimately What Adidas has kind of aimed to do with The shoe I think it kind of really Delivers on that front I think if you Stick to the types of runs that it kind Of suggests for this shoe I think you're Going to get the best experience from it My only real question mark probably is Around the outsole durability just from A kind of heill striking point of view But I think if you're a midfoot striker I think you're probably going to get on Fine with it and it is going to be issue
That you can put in a lot of time is it The standout kind of Max cushion daily Trainer shoe that I have used possibly Not but I think it's kind of there and Thereabouts um if it was you know if I Had a choice between the other shoes That kind of sit in this category would It be the first shoe I'd grab possibly Not but I think I'd know I'd get a good Experience from it and I think that's The key thing here obviously it's more Expensive than the Supernova rise and I I think it's worth spending a little bit More money it's a bit of a shame Actually there's two shoes here I think Probably only need the one shoe and I Think the Supernova premium would be the One I would go for probably needs to Exist but I think in terms of the Changes in terms of differences between The two shoes I think the Supernova Premier just offers a little bit more of A polished experience and kind of Housing that kind of new dream strike Plus um phone so yeah very good Experience as I said I think if you are Looking for your first shoe that as I Said is comfortable um has a little bit In that ride as well too a little bit of Bounce and you know very controlled and Can be a shoe you can run easy and go Longer in as well then this is a shoe That can absolutely do it and I think You're going to get a good experience
Going for this shoe ver then and Adidas Has been missing a capable cushion daily Trainer in its lineup for a while now The Supernova Primo definitely plugs That Gap and outside of Adidas's racio Shoes I think it might be my favorite Shoe they've made for a while it's Comfortable well balanced with a Protective cushion ride that's Controlled and stable there's plenty of Plush comfort from the upper package Here and generally speaking I found the Fit solid if a little bit snug in some Places but for easy steady miles and for Longer slower Clips it's got everything I'd look for in a running shoe and I Enjoyed all of my test miles in the Prima it does have some limitations it's Not as Punchy as some faster tune daily Trainers like the Nova blast 4 the S Endorphin speed for and that lack of top Pace potential inhibits the versatility Compared to those shoes so even though It's cheaper it maybe doesn't deliver as Much all run conquering value as those Shoes but up against the likes of the Asex Jo numers 26 the new balance 1080 V13 and the S ride 17 I think the shoe Really holds its own and if you're Wondering whether to choose this over The Supernova rise I'd say that Definitely boils down to whether or not You prefer a softer ride offers more Long Haul protection in which case it's
Probably worth paying the extra 20 for The Supernova Prima if you like things Firmer more connected the rise offer More of that kind of ride but overall I Think the Prima is the better shoe okay So there you have it that is our Multitest to take on the Adidas Supernova primier now if you got any Questions about the shoe that we haven't Covered in this video do let us know in The comments if there are other shoes You want to see this compared to then do Let us know about that as well too as Always like And subscribe hit that Little bell to find out about our latest Videos and yeah we'll see you next run Test's video [Music]