Magnify Nitro 3 vs Triumph 23

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.

The Saucony Triumph 23 is the brand's premium max-cushion daily training shoe, built to soak up big weekly mileage in comfort rather than chase a fast time. It sits at the plush end of the neutral daily trainer market, with a tall 42.3mm heel stack and a soft, protective ride that rewards easy runs and long steady efforts. This is not a shoe you buy for speed. At 272g it is on the heavier side, and the 10mm drop plus generous cushioning steer it firmly towards comfort miles. What you get in return is a running shoe that stays kind to your legs at the end of a marathon block, when tired joints want padding more than pop. In our view it is one of the more dependable premium cushioned trainers you can buy, and a natural home for runners who log most of their week at conversational pace. If you already run the Triumph 22, the 23 is a familiar, refined step on.