Puma MagMax Nitro vs Puma MagMax Nitro 2:
Which to Choose
Verdict
These are close relatives, not rivals, so the decision hinges on where you're starting from. If you already run and love the original and it isn't worn out, there's no urgent reason to upgrade — the ride is largely the same. But if you're buying fresh, or your first pair is due for retirement, the Nitro 2 is the clear pick: it keeps everything that made the original a great high-mileage protector while shedding weight, adding a bit more foam resilience, and fixing the fit niggles — a mild but real improvement, provided you still want a plush easy-mile cruiser and not a speed tool.
Pace
3 of 6
Cushioning
6 of 6
Responsiveness
4 of 6
Stability
4 of 6
Drop
10 mm
Support
Neutral
Plate
None
Distances
HalfMarathon
Pace
2 of 6
Cushioning
6 of 6
Responsiveness
5 of 6
Stability
4 of 6
Drop
11 mm
Support
Neutral
Plate
None
Distances
HalfMarathon
At a Glance
Puma MagMax NitroPuma MagMax Nitro 2
Who Should Choose Each Shoe
Choose
Puma MagMax Nitro
Choose the original MagMax Nitro if you already own a pair, like the ride you have, and don't feel a pressing need to change — the core experience, that deep pillowy cushion for steady half and full marathon miles, is fundamentally the same shoe. It also suits a neutral runner who wants a max-cushion cruiser and happens to want the slightly firmer, marginally quicker-leaning tuning of the first foam, with a comfortable zone a touch faster than the successor's.
Choose
Puma MagMax Nitro 2
Choose the MagMax Nitro 2 if you're a new buyer or an existing owner ready to replace a worn pair — it's the same protective, plush, plateless cruiser but lighter on the foot, with a softer and slightly more resilient foam and a more secure, better-finished upper. It's especially well suited to beginners building volume safely and high-mileage runners who want maximum leg protection on easy days, recovery jogs, and long marathon-prep miles, particularly anyone who found the original's midfoot arch sensation or forefoot bulk distracting.
Head-to-Head
On paper these two are close siblings, and that's the honest headline: same 46mm-class heel stack, same maximum (6/6) cushioning, same neutral platform with no pronation control, same plateless construction, and the same PEBA-based Nitro foam philosophy where all the protection comes from foam volume alone. The heel-to-toe drop is effectively unchanged — 10mm on the original, about 11mm on the Nitro 2 — so both keep that heel-friendly, calf-easing roll. Where the Nitro 2 actually moves the needle is in three places. First, weight: Puma reformulated the midsole and trimmed real grams, bringing the Nitro 2 down to roughly 269g in a men's US 9, a genuine reduction over the heavier original that you notice when you lift the foot late in a long run. Second, ride character: the new NITROFOAM is tuned a touch softer and a touch more resilient, which shows up in the responsiveness rating nudging from 4/6 to 5/6 — still not snappy, still no plate driving you forward, but a little more life underfoot. Third, the upper and fit: the Nitro 2 refines a narrower, more secure midfoot, adds heel-collar padding for a snugger rearfoot, opens the toe box slightly, and cleans up the bulbous forefoot of the original while quieting the arch sensation some runners felt in version one. The one small trade-off is intended use: the Nitro 2's optimal pace zone actually sits a hair slower and more conversational (around 5:30–6:30 min/km) than the original's (5:00–6:00 min/km), leaning the successor even harder into easy-day and recovery duty. Both go vague if you push the pace, and both carry that mild tall-stack tippiness at very slow, unfocused strides that settles once you find a rhythm.
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