Puma Deviate Nitro Elite, Rad Malo, and Mizuno Neo Vista 3: Three Trainers, Three Jobs

Introduction

Three new trainers, three very different purposes. The Puma Deviate Nitro Elite (officially the Pure Nitro) is the lightweight speed daily. The Rad Malo is the comfort cruiser. The Mizuno Neo Vista 3 is the long run super trainer. None of them is a transcendent banger, but each is solid at what it is built to do, and knowing which job you need done is the whole game here.

Puma Deviate Nitro Elite: The Lightweight Speed Daily

The Pure Nitro is a daily trainer built on a 100% PEBA Nitro base foam with Puma grip rubber on the outsole and a decently wide base. It runs 38 mm in stack with an 8 mm drop and is very lightweight, around 220 to 230 g in typical testing sizes. There is a nice lightweight tongue, and flipping up the heel tab reveals a small “Same time tomorrow” Easter egg.

On easy and aerobic runs it feels very solid, with a comfortable upper and a fine foam feel. The catch is pace: in a ladder workout it had no pop at fast efforts, a slight gumminess on each stride, and essentially no rocker. It is not a workout shoe for runners who train hard in plated or race-foam shoes.

If you want a low-stack, race-foam daily that feels quick, options like the Adidas Evo SL or lighter import trainers are the more exciting picks. The Pure Nitro reads more like an entry-level, simple trainer, closer in character to a Rebel or a Ghost than a hype shoe. For runners coming out of something like a Pegasus, though, it is a clear step up.

Rad Malo: The Comfort Cruiser

The Malo is a $150 max cushion shoe with a Swell foam midsole, an EVA and OBC blend, and some genuinely strong monochromatic colorways, including lemon, purple, sport blue with a gum sole, all-pink, and all-white. At that price, max cushion shoes are rare anymore, which is part of the appeal.

On the run it is smooth, comfortable, and pleasant, with a grounded feel and a nice gentle rocker. It does not have much pop and the foam does not feel quick, so it is not a shoe you reach for when you want energy return. Compared with wider, crunchier max-cushion shoes like the Triumph or Hurricane, it articulates more easily and feels less cumbersome.

The real strength is versatility off the run. It doubles as a very comfortable casual shoe, functions much like a Bondi, and reminds us of the original Brooks Ghost Max with its supercritical EVA. If you want impact protection, stability, and good looks for relaxed miles and everyday wear, the Malo makes sense. If you want bounce, look elsewhere.

Mizuno Neo Vista 3: The Long Run Super Trainer

The Neo Vista 3 quietly continues one of the last great plastic-plated trainer lines. It uses a dual-foam midsole with a top layer of energy, a supercritical TPU, over a bottom layer of supercritical EVA, plus a new bouncier wave plate and a redesigned bottom cutout. The revised upper is the big change, and it is the main caveat: it is very tight over the top of the foot, especially for high-volume feet, and some testers have had to modify it.

The ride, though, is excellent. It feels cushioned, protective, and smooth, with a midfoot-oriented rocker that rolls you through the stride. At slower paces there can be a hint of instability compared with a heel-guided shoe like the Skyward X, but from high zone two down through zone three it feels dialed. It is not light, and it is not a workout shoe, but as a long run and daily miles cruiser it is very good.

At $200 it is a strong Superblast 2 replacement for many runners: a bit softer, with better geometry. The only real problem is visibility. Mizuno simply does not get the hype, so almost nobody is talking about a shoe this solid.

Which One Should You Buy?

If you want one lightweight shoe for easy and aerobic miles and you are coming from a mainstream neutral trainer, the Pure Nitro is the simplest choice. If comfort, protection, and style matter most, and your pace expectations are modest, the Malo is the better buy at $150. If your priority is long runs and high-mileage cushioning with a plate, and the upper fits your foot, the Neo Vista 3 is arguably the best of the three despite the least buzz.

A note on rotations: none of these needs a dedicated partner shoe. For most runners, one good trainer that matches your main type of running matters more than building a five-shoe rotation.

Conclusion

The Pure Nitro is solid but not spectacular, the Malo is a comfortable cruiser with standout design, and the Neo Vista 3 is the quiet overachiever of the bunch. Match the shoe to the job you actually do most often, and all three can earn their place.