Puma Magnify Nitro 3 vs Asics Gel-Cumulus 28:
Which to Choose

On the numbers these shoes are closer than almost any cross-brand pair you'll compare. Both forefoots sit at 30mm of stack, both are neutral with a wide, planted base and no medial post, and both are foam-only designs tuned for comfort over snap. The differences are small but real and they add up. The Cumulus is the taller, higher-drop shoe: 43mm of heel stack and a measured 13mm offset, versus the Magnify's 40mm heel and 10mm drop. That extra heel height and steeper drop, combined with Asics' PureGEL insert, make the Cumulus especially kind to heel strikers — landings are notably soft and the shoe rolls forward through the gait with minimal demand on the calf and Achilles. The Magnify's lower 10mm drop sits a touch flatter and asks slightly more of the midfoot, which some runners prefer for a more grounded, natural feel. Weight favors the Puma modestly — about 264g versus roughly 275g in men's sizing — so the Magnify feels a hair nimbler underfoot, though neither is a lightweight. The clearest separator is the foam. The Magnify's dual-layer nitrogen-infused Nitro foam is genuinely livelier, with meaningfully higher energy return, so even without a plate it gives a hint of bounce and doesn't go dead until you really push the pace. The Cumulus's FF Blast Max is deep and comfortable but tuned more for impact absorption than rebound; it feels softer and more muted, and it turns vague sooner when you try to run fast. Both top out around 5:00 min/km before the plateless foam flattens out, so neither is a tempo tool — but in their shared easy-and-steady zone the Puma reads as the slightly springier ride and the Asics as the plusher, more forgiving one.