Over the past few years we have been trying out running shoes from Puma. If you aren’t well versed in their running line, we don’t necessarily blame you. They are relatively new to a refocus on footwear to toe the starting line with, but we have been stunned with how solid they have been and their seemingly consistent positive progression. We reviewed our first Puma running shoe early last year – a shoe that we liked, but had some other challenges for our tester – as well as the new Puma Deviate Nitro. I personally tried out the Magnify Nitro – a shoe I am still in awe over and has been a constant in my running rotation.
Coming out tomorrow (or March 15, 2022 depending on when you are reading this) is the Velocity Nitro 2 – a shoe that is both beautiful (dang Puma makes some good looking shoes) and so comfortable right out of the box. We have been trying out over the past month or so and continue to be impressed over the miles.
Normally I would kick things off with the visuals of a shoe – but you can see for yourself in the picture above and slideshow below what you are getting yourself into. I love the balance of flashy, yet somehow calming and subdued (can those really be shoe descriptors?!) at the same time. I love it. Word on the street is that some of the other color options are super impressive as well.
Puma Velocity NITRO 2
Heading downward in the shoe is the midsole – which is once again infused with Puma’s NITRO foam. I have liked this nitrogen-derived construction in the past, but it seems to have received a little bit of an upgrade. It just feels different – but in a good way. It is super comfortable and light, yet responsive and almost springy. It sits on top of an EVA foam and the pairing works super well in tandem and provides a stable ride.
The outsole of Puma shoes – their PUMAGRIP – has received positive feedback in all of their shoes we have tried. One of our bloggers described it this way:
I also welcomed the outsole of these as running in Oregon we come across all types of weather (mostly wet) and the outsole performed as desired. Rain, ice, and a tiny bit of snow didn’t slow these down. As you can see from the pics, these also got a little mud on them from slight off-road terrain and, while it wasn’t a treacherous mountain, they prevented me from sliding around in the mud.
A negative that some of our bloggers stated in shoe’s past was the heel. Even with multiple lacing and tightening, there was some slippage (and subsequent hot spots) as a result. I was on the lookout for this in the Velocity Nitro 2’s and have experienced no issues with this. It seems like Puma has fixed that! Some first look reviews on other sites have expressed that it runs a 1/2 size too long, but I didn’t personally notice this. They also may feel tight if your shoes run wider, and here’s to hoping they add a wider size pattern in the future. But for those of us who aren’t in need of that sizing, I think you will feel just fune.
I think that the main positive about these shoes is that they are only $120. That is an absolute steal in the performance running shoe world – where pushing the $180+ is not unheard of. We aren’t opposed to splurging on pairs that expensive, but seeing this ring it at just above $100 is quite impressive.
They are releasing March 15, 2022 so check them out!
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Products & Price:
- Puma Velocity Nitro 2 | Releasing on March 15, 2022 for $120
- 10.2oz for a M10.5
- 8.5oz. for a W8.5
- Stack Heights: 23.5mm forefoot / 33.5mm heel (including sock liner)
- HTD: 8mm (Midsole only)
- HTD: 10mm (including sock liner)
Thank you to Puma for providing us with test shoes. Please read our transparency page for info on how we do our reviews.
