Thus, when I come across shoes, especially concepts or brands that I haven't seen before that actually look legit... I typically will pull the trigger (especially if I can get them for a deal). This was the case for today's shoe review for the Puma Ignite Ultimate... Which I got online for a ludicrous $31 bucks and change... SHIPPED. Man I love bens bargains and slickdeals notifications for things like this.
So, I put these on, right out of the box I could tell the running sizing was about right, generally go a minimum a 1/2 size larger than your dress shoes. So, good there. I'm actually quite impressed at the build. A nicely molded heel cup, precise seams, padding under the laces, double stitching, contrast color glued full rubber sole, reflective logo... Altogether a nicely done shoe for a company not typically renown for its running acumen. There was an interesting mesh/forefoot structure/overlay that is supposed to increase breatheability.
I put on the shoe and immediately noticed a couple of things. One, the insole has a quite peculiar texture to it that I do not understand. I have a tendency to wear thinner running socks and therefore could feel it better than I would assume someone who prefers thicker socks. Secondly, the shoe offers almost zero molded arch support in the sole, or the insert. As someone who appreciates a little bit of material there, I was disappointed. There was nothing remarkable about the heel collar padding which is not necessarily a bad thing.
I broke one of my own rules and went on a longish run in a new pair of shoes. I do not advise that, but these shoes felt remarkably like my original Adidas boost shoes. It is interesting that the sole design aside from the material type is very similar in shape and ride characteristics.
The EVA material is insanely similar in texture and feel to some of the "energy return" materials touted by Adidas and Saucony in the boost and ISO2 lines. The EVA has that rubbery springy texture instead of the dense sponge-ish texture from standard EVA. The difference between this and the others, however is that the other two take small pieces and fuse them together where this is one solid block. It gives the whole shoe a solid, consistent feel, but seems to come at the slight expense of weight.
Run wise. It is a shoe for heeling and or a heavier runner. It feels remarkably similar to early boosts, so this may be your favorite shoe ever. I ran seven miles on hard packed crushed gravel and have almost nothing negative to say about its run characteristics other than its heel weight orientation. I suppose I could have deducted that from the build and offset (12mm). I will also note that since there is no significant arch structure or any rear to forefoot mechanics built into the shoe, so from a technical perspective there is no noticable transition from heel to forefoot. So, it will, or at least did in my one run, come across as somewhat stiff to me...but that is not necessarily a bad thing to everyone. This may improve with usage.
The shoes show zero signs of stress or fatigue in the EVA, and from my overall perspective, if you are looking for an adequate trainer that will last you a while, you are a heel striker and aren't looking for anything racy... This is a pretty decent trainer for the money, especially if you can get it on the cheap.
Pros: Nice build, good materials, cushioning will last longer than most
Cons: peculiar insole, not much arch support.
No comments:
Post a Comment