The Puma Magnify Nitro 2 and New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080v13 are max-stacked cushioned shoes built for comfort on the run. Both are popular options with the Run Tester team, but which comes out on top in this vs? It’s a split decision for Tom and Nick.
Check out our reviews of both shoes:
Puma Magnify Nitro 2 Review:
New Balance Fresh Foam 1080v13 Multi-Tester Review:
JUMP STRAIGHT IN:
00:00 – Intro
00:14 – Design & Key Stats
02:02 – How’s The Fit?
02:57 – The Run Test
09:23 – Verdict
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Hello and welcome to run testers my Name's Nick in this video we're going to Be comparing the Puma magnify Nitro 2 And the New Balance 1080 V13 so the pum magnify Nitro 2 and the Balance 1080 v13 are both maxda cushion Shoes that have received fairly Substantial updates for the latest Versions uh the magnify Nitro 2 is the Cheaper shoe it's £ 130 in the uk4 $ in The US whereas the New Balance 108v 13 Is £60 in the UK $165 in the US magnify Nitro is 298 G or 10.5 o in my UK size 9 Whereas the 1080 v13 is a bit lighter Than that it's 273 G or 9.6 o the Magnify Nitro has a 10 mm drop whereas New Balance has a 6 mm drop on the Design with the Puma you've got an Engineered mesh upper with lots of Padding on the tongue and collar and Some power tape elements that add a Little bit of structure to the upper There are small side of foam and a Decent heel counter there to make sure It's a stable shoe because you've got This High stack of pummer nitro foam Which is nitrogen infused tpe and you Got entirely Nitro mid cell with the Magnify Nitro 2 compared to the Nitro 1 Which had a mix of Foams you have a Pumar grip rubber out sooil with pretty Good coverage there is a little bit of Exposed foam especially down the middle There with a Groove there that can help
Uh smooth out your transition from Heel To Toe but all the key impact areas are Covered with a good thick layer of Rubber that does grip exceptionally well In wet conditions the 1080 v13 youve got A new softer version of fresh foam X That's the same name as the foam used Across several generations of the shoe But it's certainly a lot softer and Squishier on the 108 v13 to compare two Past models and you've got a mesh upper With loads of padding especially at the Heel of the shoe there for a really Comfortable step- in feel for it and the Out solar pretty good rubber coverage Again quite a lot of exposed foam as With the magnify Nitro helps keep the Weight down but you still got good Rubber coverage at the key impact areas There all over the foref foot and at the Heel there even if it's not quite as Necessarily as thick and impressive as The rubber you get on the Pew Machine okay I have Tom here with me now First to talk about the fit of the two Shoes Tom 108 the magnify Nitro 2 any Concerns about the fit no concerns at All they're very similar in the about Space in them I'm a size eight uh I Think there's plenty of room in the 1080 V13 4 foot uh and there's a nice lock Down fit in it same with the magnifier I Say the magnifier is probably a little Bit uh it's got like a sock like design
Around the front so it's a little bit Stretchy and probably a little bit less Space but yeah completely fine for me And my UK size eight yeah so for me so I'm a uk9 and these are different size Shoes in the US they're both uk9 but It's a US 9.5 for the New Balance US 10 For the Puma but I think I've got a Pretty similar amount of room in both Shoes a good fit a good amount of room In the toe box New Balance sometimes Come up really short because of the way They convert from UK to us when I get my Uk9 but not a problem at all with the 1080 v13 so yeah I was very happy in my Normal running Sho Size onto the run test then a couple of Really big Max cushion shoes here with Fairly big Updates this year both to Both of the lines uh Tom how do you Think they feel on the Run they feel Similar different the same they feel Quite Different good elaborate so um I mean if You were to have a scale of cushion Shoes the 1080 T does I have it's on my Wall uh if you were to look at the the Cushion soft side of that scale the 108 V13 firmly fits quite far across that Side it's sits in the realm of things Like the cloud Surfer and stuff like That it's a very soft shoe uh the Puma Magnify Nitro 2 it's not way the other End it's not like a really firm cushion
Shoe it sort of sits in the middle it's Quite a balanced shoe um it's not it's It's quite a nice feeling one I I'd say The foam is a bit denser um in the Magnify nro 2 so it's just a little bit Um I would say more responsive but it Feels like it's a little bit of a um Less softness and squish in it from the 1080 v13 yeah I I will use the word Responsiveness cuz that's what I do Think you get from the Nitro foam in the Pum definitely denser like you say and That balanced foam like you say you know It's not firm at all I think but it is Firmer for sure actually in the world of These cushion shoes you it doesn't feel Like you're really sinking in squishing Into it but you get that almost Resiliency Under Foot which I think Gives it a lot more back when you are Running and even at easy Paces like I'm Not talking about when you're trying to Use it as a versatile shoe although I Think it is a bit more versatile than 1080 but when I'm cruising along easy Runs you get that slightly more Consistent feel across it whereas with The 1080 yeah you're getting that big Luxurious sinking softness feel that I Think a lot of people really like these Days and you get it in spad it which you Didn't get on previous versions of the Shoe which I think probably felt more Akin to the magnify Nitro 2 you do sink
In a lot you get a bit of Squish don't Get a huge amount of bounce back but you Certainly get a lot of protection and Yeah when you're running in them Separately or I ran both of them on the Same the same time but earlier today to Really clarify these thoughts and yes Certainly a lot noticeable sink in Especially at the heel as a heel striker In the 1080 loads of foam to sink into There and then it does feel almost a bit More Airy that foam and not necessarily Springing straight back or as with the Magnify Nitro 2 I think it does give you That platform where it does bounce back A bit and almost gives you something More to work with is the way I feel of It with the shoe as a result so yeah I Think it's less soft but for me that Isn't really a negative I don't think no Not at all I I I I liked the bank fin 2 As soon as I started using it I'd never Used the previous one I know Mike tested That quite a bit and was bit of a fan of It um but yeah I definitely P Puma shoes All the ones that I've tested in the Past P Puma hasn't really got that many Big cushion shoes this is this is the One big cushion shoe that really stands Out from the rest of them um normally You associate pum shoes with being you Know a little bit leaner a little bit Possibly a little bit faster and um this Shoe really came in and I was a bit
Concerned when I started when I got a Hold of it cuz I was thinking can pummer Really pull off a a Max cushion shoe and They really have uh that foam in it is Fantastic um and it's just a really Solid sort of allround a daily shoe it Sits in that realm of like the Triumph Really for me something like that where Just feels like you do a lot of miles And it it's very comfortable I don't Think it has a lot of uh performance Type thing so I I don't really feel like There's a a lot of a rocker action in it I don't feel like it's there's a lot of Bounce in it um it's just solid Comfortable reliable and yeah does the Job um whereas 10 v133 mean you know I'm Obsessed with cushion shoes I like soft Shoes I love this shoe I'm actually Using it more the New Balance more Before now um but it's it it isn't very Versatile I'm just using it for them 10ks 15ks whatever that I'm doing that I'm just like you know chucking out Miles and not really trying to go fast Or anything um but for those it's Fantastic yeah I think it's the pum all Their shoes actually have quite Traditional geometry to them they are Kind of reasonably High drop they snap Through rather than really rocking Through I think you do get a bit more of A smooth transition with the magnify Than some of their other shoes because
It is such a high stack and you sink Into that foam a little bit more so it's Not as noticeable as snap through as Things like the DV8 Nitro 2 or even the Velocity um and I think that works in Lots of ways but it yeah it doesn't Embrace I'd say the necessarily the Trend of modern Max cushion shoes which You have much more with the 1080 which Is it's just really really soft slightly Lower drop slight rocker there but Really it's that feeling of softness You're getting there which do like but For me I kind of max out on that Enjoying that softness probably around Kind of 5 miles 10K after that I crave For a bit more solidity under a bit of a Firmer shoe like like a bit more to work I say with the pummer pumer is much more Of a work Oro I think that I would like For lots of long stuff again yeah I got A little bit of Versatility there I Think i' be happy using it as a daily Train I wouldn't use it for Speed Sessions at all really even Tempo runs Same with the 1080 like I said because It is so soft but I think it comes down To what you like I don't like things to Be too soft for too long I think on the Run is what I've learned over the last Couple of years when loads of these soft Shoes coming out I like a bit more Bounce back which I think you do get From the pumer and then I think couple
Of other benefits you get from the Pummer you don't get the tast as much is I think it's a more stable shoe just Because it is that slightly firmer Platform and I think it's got a better Outso um again if you're looking at work Or shoes I think a tomal Pavements I've Not had a problem with grip on the 1080 But Pig grip out soole is just a bit Better and it's going to be a bit more Harder and a bit better gripping if You're constantly running over wet Leaf Covered Pavements like I am right now Yeah and not even just the outside I Think I think that um Nitro ml foam it Just it's just built a lot sturdier so For me I I I've done quite a few miles In this now and I don't really see any Difference in the the mid cell phone but The 1080 v13 I can start to see it Compressing a little bit um because it Is that sof of foam I'm not going to say That it's not very durable at the moment Because I've probably done about 90k in This shoe now but um I think there Probably in terms of similar Foams that I've used um I don't think there's Anything to lose in the Puma magnifi Nitro 2 but I think if the 108 v13 did Lose a little bit of the squish in it Because it was getting compact I think You'd notice it on that sh quite a lot Yeah it's probably similar feel we had With the cloud surf which we still kind
Of racking miles up yeah just like I say Yeah the Nitro foam is that bit bit more Resilient and like I say the older 1080 Certainly would have had that durability So it be interesting to see if the 13 Has It okay then Tom verdict on these two Shoes uh which are you buying why Well I'm buying the 10 v13 just because I love soft cushion shoes but I will Point out that I'm using this for a very Specific purpose and that is those 10K Runs daily runs that I'm going out and You know five minutes 20 uh per Kilometer Pace I'm not racing in this I'm not going to do intervals I'm not Doing major long runs in this it's just Those nice daily runs that I want to Take off that's what I'm doing most of The time at the moment which is why I'm Using this shoe a lot so I I'm going for V13 however I do think the the pummer Magnify nro 2 is generally the better Shoe all around and I think if you Wanted one shoe that was going to last You a while and it could do more things I think the pumo is the one to go for But for my style of running and what I'm Doing at the moment I'm going 108 v13 Cool I'm going magnify Nitro to I think I do like T I think it's not the type of Runs so much the length of runs I don't Just don't like it when I'm crossing That uh like I say past that 10K
Threshold and when I'm in Marathon Trailing every run will be kind of Minimum 12 13k so that's where I think The pummer comes own I think I enjoy the Feeling of it more in the last 20 Minutes half hour an hour of long runs And so I think that's better for me the Foam the the firmer foam there the Bounce back you get from it just makes It feel better deep into runs so if I Was just doing lots of uh certain times A year I will just like you say run five Mile 10K chilled runs 1080 is GRE it is So soft it's a shoe I'd probably Recommend to lots of people because I do Think people love that soft feeling and Will love it and it's yeah it's got that In Spades but I do prefer the feeling of The mag Nitro for those long runs easy Paces and then it has got a bit more About if I'm doing progression runs that Kind of thing I think gets you a bit More back it's cheaper as well which is Never a Bad Thing Puma do crazy sales as Well so it's always one to look out for There um and the outsold is important Now as we're coming into winter thinking About outsoles a lot more I do think That but it's not really to say the 1080 Is a taller badue I think it's a really Good shoe just doesn't suit my Preference or the type of runs I'm doing So much and I like I said I probably Recommend it to more people over the
Humor just because it is it's an Outstandingly soft feeling that is Probably rarer on the market than maybe The magnifies general or roundness so That is great and obviously like Tommy Lik soft shoes you're going to love it But yeah I prefer the pum Myself
