Glycerin 22 vs Magnify Nitro 3

The Glycerin 22 is Brooks at its most comfortable: a plush, neutral daily training shoe built for soft, no-drama miles rather than speed. The DNA Loft v3 midsole is the star, giving you a deep, forgiving cushion that soaks up impact and stays kind to your legs on longer efforts. With a 37mm heel stack and a traditional 10mm drop, it lands squarely in the max-cushion daily trainer bracket, aimed at runners who value a smooth, protected ride over a snappy one. This is not a shoe that wants to go fast, and Brooks has not pretended otherwise. What you get instead is dependable, everyday comfort at £150, with an upper and fit that suit long runs and easy days. In our view it is one of the safest premium daily trainers you can buy right now. If you want cushioning you can trust for months of steady running, the Glycerin 22 delivers it without fuss.

The Magnify Nitro 3 is Puma's big, soft, everyday max-cushion running shoe, and at £140 it undercuts most of the plush daily trainers it lines up against. This is the shoe you reach for on easy days, long runs and recovery miles when your legs want protection more than speed. The NITRO foam midsole is tall and forgiving without turning to mush, and Puma's PUMAGRIP outsole is genuinely excellent in the wet. At 287g it is not a light shoe, and you feel that on faster efforts, so treat it as a cruiser rather than a tempo tool. It runs neutral, with a 10mm drop that suits heel and midfoot strikers. In our view the real story is value: you get proper max cushioning and grippy, hard-wearing rubber for less than a Gel Nimbus 28 or Glycerin 22. If you want soft daily miles without paying £170, it belongs on your shortlist.