One of our new additions to the shoe room comes with less fanfare than, say, the recent New Balance Rebel v5 or the Nike Vomero 18 from the spring. But quietly, we’ve been anticipating its arrival, which promises versatility and value - coming in at 110 quid, it is the cheapest option we have. Welcome to the Puma Velocity Nitro 4.

So we put Raif in a pair and set him about gathering his thoughts and feelings on the latest in Puma’s do-it-all daily trainer.

“I had previously tried the Puma Velocity Nitro 3s but was not a big fan of them; they felt too firm, and overall would describe them as a flat shoe. But, the updates on the 4s got me interested...” [editor’s note: here, it must be stated, that Raif inserted the ‘eyes looking to the side’ emoji, signifying his Gen-Z status].

“I’m coming to at least 60/70 miles (around 100km) now, including walking. Mainly, I’ve been using them as an all-rounder, but also as my work shoe when I’m in store. Either way, my feet feel comfortable after being in them all day”

For the fit, “I love the toe-box” says Raif  “The heel is comfortable and a good stand out to me”, referring to the plush padding around the heel counter. For sizing, “there is a lot of space for the forefoot, and the midfoot fits perfectly for me. I can see why it can come up big, but personally I fit well in the 8.5 [Raif’s normal running shoe size]”. By ‘come up big’ Raif is referring to some people suggesting to buy a half-size smaller than typical shoe-size. This is largely down to the wider toe box, which we have experienced when fitting customers at The Shoe Room in the Velocity Nitro 4.

The lacing system is pretty typical: “lacing is spot-on, holds well and can get good adjustment. I have had no issues of laces coming undone”. Puma have kept things really simple: symmetrical flat-lay lacing on a light-weight tongue. One thing noted by our tester was the lack of padding in the tongue: “When the foot naturally swells, the lacing can put a fair amount of pressure on the mid-foot area at times” but it hasn’t prevented lots of comfortable runs throughout the test.

One of the updates he has liked is its increased plushness under-foot when compared to the previous iteration. When asked to describe the underfoot feel of the shoe: “It’s so soft. It has a nice ‘give’ and molds to the foot well. It feels similar to a New Balance 1080v14, which has a little more underfoot.”

Having used them as a daily trainer since getting them a few weeks ago, it’s clear the Velocity 4s offer a little more versatility to Raif’s lineup. A shoe that we’d compare to the New Balance Rebel range, the adidas Evo SL or the Saucony Endorphin Speed line, it clocks in cheaper than all of the aforementioned options. “I would love to put a fresh pair through the [faster] gears; I reckon it will be sick [editor’s translation: extremely pleasing] at faster paces purely due to the responsiveness of the midsole and the snappy forefoot.

That snap Raif describes comes from a moderate toe rocker and Puma’s NitroFOAM midsole that promises a lightweight feel and strong responsiveness that was given an 8/10 on our patented in-house Raif Scale of Responsiveness, that was likened to “running on clouds”.

Although not a stability shoe, the ride moderately surefooted, offering a good level of general stability despite its price-point. However, those that need a true stability shoe should look elsewhere.

As ever, the full rubber outsole from Puma provides great grip - hence their popularity as a brand in the world of Hyrox. “Grip is good, probably a 7/10 for me” says Raif, adding that he has even taken them out for a hike or two, too.

And Raif, before we let you go, do you like how they look? “Aesthetics are really nice: good colour [Warm White-Gold Moon], nothing fancy just classic running shoe styling. And also quite fashionable to go out and about in, too.”

Great for:

Everything! Very versatile shoe, nice and snappy and unbeatable price makes it ideal as a first trainer. 

Verdict:

Raif’s final rating: “For value, 10/10, nothing compares at the price! Overall absolutely love the Velocity Nitro 4; 9/10"

£110

Available in: Warm White-Gold Moon

Weight: 247g*

Drop: 10mm

Support: Neutral

Available in-store and online at runlimited.co/

*Weight based on a UK size 8.