Adidas Adizero Evo SL vs Puma Deviate Pure Nitro:
Which to Choose

On paper these shoes look like cousins — both neutral, both rated the same for responsiveness and stability, both driven by bouncy PEBA-based foam (Lightstrike Pro in the Adidas, NITROFOAM in the Puma) rather than a stiff plate. Weight is close too: the Evo SL comes in around 224g and the Deviate Pure Nitro around 215g in a men's sample, so both feel genuinely light underfoot with the Puma just a hair lighter. The real separation is in geometry and character. The Evo SL runs a lower 6mm drop on a taller, softer platform (roughly 39mm heel / 33mm forefoot) and carries more cushioning, giving it a plush, springy ride that rewards a quick footstrike but can feel slightly tippy and unsettled when you're just jogging. The Deviate Pure Nitro sits at a higher ~9mm drop on a slightly lower, firmer stack (about 37mm heel / 28mm forefoot) with a small composite midfoot shank for structure, so it feels more connected and grounded — firm and eager at a shuffle, smooth and rolling once the pace lifts. That translates into different sweet spots: the Evo SL is happiest at faster paces (roughly 3:45–4:30 min/km) with the 10K as its bullseye, while the Deviate is optimized for a more moderate range (about 4:30–5:30 min/km) with the half marathon as its home and enough cushioning to genuinely handle marathon distance. In short, the Adidas is the sharper, softer, speed-biased tool; the Puma is the firmer, more even-tempered shoe that covers a wider range of paces and distances.