Puma Deviate Pure

This is the Puma DV8 Pure, and it's my 2026 running shoe of the year. Yo, what's going on? My name is KoFuzi, and I'm an idling runner who reviews running shoes here on YouTube. And today, I want to talk to you guys about the all-new Puma DV8 Pure. But before I give you my thoughts on this shoe, I do want to go over some disclosures. This is a pair of shoes that was sent to me for the purpose of review, so I didn't have to pay for these shoes. However, nobody's paying me to make this video or to include their brand in this video, and no one's going to get a chance to preview any of my footage or my thoughts before you guys get a chance to see this video on YouTube. So, with that disclosure out of the way, let's talk about the Puma DV8 Pure, and let's start with the specs. This is a 38 millimeter stack height shoe with an 8 millimeter drop, giving us 30 millimeters of stack height in the forefoot. And in this shoe, we've got one and only one component, that's Puma's Nitro Foam. There is no plate in this shoe, which makes it the first in the DV8 series to not have a plate. The DV8 Nitro and the DV8 Elite have always had plates of at least some sort in them. And that brings us full circle to the trend that started, I think, maybe five or six years ago, where we were yelling at brands to put plates in everything to make things more excited. And now, we're yelling at brands to take plates out of stuff because it would make things more exciting. Now, Nitro Foam can mean a lot of different things from Puma. Previously, it's meant a wide variety of different materials that are formed in a supercritical process using nitrogen gas. And even now, in the current lineup, Nitro Foam can mean, I think, one of three things. And I'm not even talking about Nitro Elite, just Nitro Foam. It can be ATPU, like we see in the Velocity, or it could be PEBA, like we see in the Magnify. And then, in the DV8 Nitro, which has that plate in it, it has a top layer of PEBA and a bottom layer that is a PEBA EVA blend. So, that's the third thing that Nitro could be in the current lineup. And in the Puma DV8 Pure, the Nitro Foam is PEBA. Now, protecting all of that foam is an outsole pattern that is very familiar but subtly different from what we saw in the DV8 Nitro 4. We're still getting the same great Puma grip, but there are subtle differences where it's longer along some parts of the shoe. It dips up further in other parts. And then, on the back, the two heel skids of rubber, they are longer and have more symmetry to them, whereas there was an asymmetrical heel skid pattern of rubber in the back. But these are all very subtle changes in the Puma DV8 Pure. We are getting a really good amount of surface area coverage, and they've managed to keep that rubber thin, which is something that I always appreciate. For me, the less rubber, the better because then there's less material to interfere with the way that that foam is performing. So, I always like to see less rubber, but I know that for some of you, having a little bit more is important. And in this situation, I think it is something that I will be looking at as I move forward to my longer-term reviews because already, even at this point in my testing, I'm starting to see some wear and tear on this rubber outsole, which isn't an unheard of thing, but it's something that makes me think I need to keep an eye out for that. Moving to the upper, we have a material that is lightweight, thin, and airy. The design is very similar to what we saw in the DV8 Nitro, but I feel like the materials that they're using in the DV8 Pure are a little bit softer, so they're a little bit more comfortable, but they also seem thinner. So, it seems more performance-oriented and more casual at the same time, which is a nice combination of characteristics to have in a shoe like this. The tongue remains very thin and only lightly padded, and there remains only a very light amount of padding through the heel collar and the heel cup as we get up into this Achilles flare. There is a moderate amount of structure in this heel cup back here to give your heel that place to sit, and then we also do have a little peekaboo tab in the back of the shoe as a nice little surprise. As far as fit goes, I went with my regular running shoe size, and I'm going to recommend that for most people. If you have experience in the DV8 Nitro 4, I'd say it fits almost identically. If you have experience in the Velocity Nitro 4, though, I felt like that shoe had a pretty shallow toe box. It wasn't very tall, and I also felt like the shoe was just a touch short. And so, I felt like that was a borderline shoe. If you like your shoes snug, you'd be fine. If you'd like a little bit more space, you probably need to size up. I don't think that's the case for the DV8 Pure. I'd say stay with your regular running shoe size. And as far as weight goes, they managed to keep the shoe incredibly lightweight. My US men's size 9 weighed in on my scales at 7.4 ounces and 212 grams. Now that we've talked about what the shoe is like on paper, let's talk about what the shoe is like on the road. The Puma DV8 Pure is a Goldilocks experience. It's soft, but not mushy. It's responsive, but not firm. It's an energetic foam that feels exciting and comfortable. The timing of the compression and decompression of this foam works very well with my foot strike, and it just makes every step feel so natural. The upper has a fit that just disappears on foot. And that sensation is aided by the fact that the shoe is so relatively lightweight. And I feel like this shoe has an incredible amount of pace versatility. I enjoyed this shoe whenever I was taking it out for some easy run kinds of paces. And I also had a great time running my long run in this as I picked up the pace in that long run and ran some moderate effort miles. The shoe just absolutely sings when you are picking up the pace. I also took the shoe out for quite a bit of workouts too. I really wanted to put this shoe through the ringer. And I felt like at threshold pace, I felt like the shoe was still able to hang in there and provide a really fun running experience. But at that point, I'm starting to miss some of the aggressiveness of a plated carbon shoe. And so I'd say to the extent that this shoe has some weaknesses, I'd say it's at the very far ends of the pace curve. When it comes to very, very easy recovery running, I felt like the shoe was a little bit on the firm side. If I was going to go on the most comfortable recovery run possible, I'd probably reach for a purpose-built max cushion recovery shoe. And if I were doing either a lot of threshold work or doing any work that's a lot faster than threshold pace, getting into VO2 max or into 3K or mile race pace, I feel like I would definitely want something that is carbon plated. And again, I would want something purpose-built. But for everything that's kind of in between, there's a really strong band of paces where the DV8 Pure is going to be a really fun shoe and a very capable shoe for you to be able to take on your run. And for me, that band where I think that the DV8 Pure is the strongest, that constitutes aren't a lot of times where the DV8 Pure isn't an excellent and exciting choice. Now, let's wrap up this video by going over the buying guide and we'll also discuss some alternatives. The Puma DV8 Pure is an excellent daily trainer that is lightweight, versatile, and fun. It's a neutral shoe that I think that I'll be able to recommend to a wide array of runners, especially at its retail price of $150. And for me, when I see a shoe that can put together great performance, great recommendability, and also a great price, that's when I see a shoe of the year. Now, there isn't a prior version of the DV8 Pure that you can look back on if you're trying to save a couple of bucks, but there are other shoes from Puma that I think we need to take a look at if you're looking and are interested in the DV8 Pure. And of course, there are other shoes from the competition that are worth considering. I think the first thing that might be confusing to some people is the new DV8 family. So previously, we had the DV8 Nitro 4 and we had the DV8 Elite 4, and now we have the DV8 Pure. And the way that I see those is the DV8 is the daily trainer, the DV8 Nitro 4 is the tempo shoe. In speed workouts where I'm trying to go very fast and I felt like the lack of the plate in the DV8 Pure started to become a bit of a hindrance, that's exactly where the DV8 Nitro 4 comes into play. It's got a Peeba layer and then a Peeba blend layer, and in between those layers is a carbon fiber plate. While some people are using this as a daily trainer, I feel like the way that I would look at these two shoes is where the speed capabilities of the DV8 Pure start to end is where the DV8 Nitro starts to get really exciting. So from moderate paces all the way up to threshold work, to VO2 max work, and faster, I feel like the DV8 Nitro Elite is a really fun workout shoe to be able to have. Now that shoe has a similar stack height and a similar drop. It's just two millimeters taller and I'm guessing that's due to the carbon fiber plate in there. It is a little bit heavier though, so you are paying a little bit of a weight penalty, but you are getting that speed in return. And then the DV8 Nitro Elite is a race shoe that is at the pinnacle of the DV8 family. So it goes from daily trainer, to workout shoe, to race day shoe. And this is using ATPU as part of the Nitro Elite foam that's in here. So it's an upgraded version of Nitro foam and it also has a carbon fiber plate. This is an incredibly lightweight shoe with a very stripped down upper, which is perfectly suited for racing. And the way that this shoe is set up, even though it looks very similar to the way that the DV8 Nitro looks and the DV8 Pro looks, this shoe I think works best if you are a heel striker. I don't really feel as strong of a, this is for heel strikers or this isn't for heel strikers, kind of distinction when I'm talking about the DV8 Pure. I feel that a little bit with the DV8 Nitro. And that is a racing shoe, so it's priced like a racing shoe. It comes in at $250 and that is the DV8 family. Now, we've been talking about the velocity as well, and that is the other daily trainer and used to be the only daily trainer from Puma. Now, this shoe has kind of a setup that we've seen in a lot of different shoes. It's got a 10 millimeter drop, a lot of padding throughout the heel cup, and it is a firmer experience. And again, I think this is a shoe that is best suited for heel strikers, although because of the ATPU material that's in here, it's so nice that I've been able to enjoy this one as well. When I think about these two shoes, I would say that if you are a heel striker, you're probably going to prefer the Velocity and continue to prefer it, even though the DV8 Pure now exists. I think for midfoot and forefoot strikers, and I also think for some heel strikers as well, if you want a more modern and a softer experience, the DV8 Pure is going to be a lot of fun to be able to run in. And the way that I kind of experienced both of these shoes as a midfoot slash forefoot striker is that the Velocity is kind of like the Coupe and the DV8 Pure is more like the four-door sedan or the GT version of the same daily trainer. There's a similarity between those two shoes. They remind me of each other, but the DV8 Pure is lighter, airier, and it feels like it can take a lot more mileage. So that's definitely the one that I'm preferring. But if you are looking to save a couple of bucks, you save a little bit. The DV8 Pure is already at a pretty competitive price and the Velocity comes in at $140. So you'd only be saving $10. Now let's take a look outside of Puma to see what the competition is bringing to the table. And the first shoe that I want to talk about, I think sits in between the DV8 Pure and the DV8 Nitro. It's kind of a daily trainer. It's kind of a workout shoe. It comes from Saucony. This is the Endorphin Speed version 5. Now the Endorphin Speed has always been a shoe that I've classified as that workout or tempo shoe, but it's a shoe that I know a lot of you guys are using as daily trainer. And I think in the last two versions, it's been getting softer and softer, I think to accommodate that new use case. That being said, I think as far as a daily trainer goes when we're putting these two shoes head-to-head, I think that the Endorphin Speed is a bit more dense. It is using a beaded Peeba, so a Peeba material just like in the DV8 Pure, but put together in a different kind of way. And there is a nylon plate in this in order to give it a little bit more stability. And I think that there's two very big differences between these two shoes. Saucony, at least as of the Endorphin Speed 5, was still putting a hint of stability in a lot of their shoes. And I still feel that density right on this part of the heel that makes itself noticeable whenever I'm running very easy in the shoe. So for some of you, that sounds great. For me, that's something that kind of gets in the way. But I think the other way that I think there's a big difference is in how I would use this. I still am seeing the Endorphin Speed 5 as that tempo shoe that can also do daily training. So again, where some of the speed limitations start to make themselves known in the Endorphin Pure, that's where a more traditional tempo shoe or workout shoe starts to become a little bit more valuable. I think this shoe, as much as I think it's a little too soft for a lot of tough workouts, I think it's better at tough workouts than the Endorphin Pure is. Now, the Endorphin Speed is normally $170. But because that model has been out for a little while, you can now find it for a discount down to $130. So you'd be saving 20 bucks by going with the Endorphin Speed 5. But money savings aside, I think the way that I personally would pick between these two shoes is whether you want that hint of stability that Saucony has put in the Endorphin Speed 5. If that's something that is a feature that you look for, I'd say stay with the Endorphin Speed 5. Otherwise, go with the DV8 Pure. And then the other shoe that I want to take a look at, it comes from Adidas, and it's my shoe of the year from 2025. We're going to put these two shoes head-to-head. This is the Evo SL, and I'm looking at the Evo SL XO, which is a sub-variant of the Evo SL. And these two shoes are definitely trying to do the exact same things. They were trying to provide elevated experiences with a race-type foams in daily trainers. The Evo SL XO is using LightStrike Pro or an older version of LightStrike Pro, but a race-grade film nonetheless. And the DV8 Pure is using Peeba. The Evo SL does have a little bit of a plastic shank in it to keep it from getting too squirrely. And the upper is very stripped down and what I think is very comfortable in an upper and also pairs well when you are going to try to pick up the pace in this shoe. And I think that these two shoes have a very similar band of versatility. They're both able to do a lot of different things and can cover what a lot of different shoes might be needed to do in a running shoe rotation. There are some differences between these two shoes though. I'd say the first one is cosmetic. I think from an appearance standpoint, I prefer the aesthetics of the Evo SL to the extent that aesthetics matter over the aesthetics of the Puma DV8 Pure. But I also think that there's a difference in the foot strike between these two shoes. The Evo SL is modeled after the Adios Pro and so the rocker is very prominent and it's something that I notice at very easy paces. But as I get to my regular everyday paces or even a little bit faster than that, I don't really notice the rocker on the Evo SL that much anymore. And I don't know if it's because I'm landing a little bit more forward in my foot strike or if I'm pushing a little bit harder into the ground at those paces. And so I'm noticing the rocker less as the foam compresses underfoot. But in either event, the rocker position could be one of the ways that you decide between these two shoes. And the third thing is that I think that the LightStrike Pro is a bit more dense of a foam at all speeds than the Peeba in the DV8 Pure is. But if you like something that has a little bit more resistance to it, and especially for my bigger, taller friends, I think you guys are going to still prefer the Evo SL. And the Evo SL comes in at $150 and it was the first shoe to put in this much race grade foam into a daily trainer and charge that aggressive 150 price point. And the Puma DV8 Pure is a following suit here. But because the Evo SL has been out for a while, you can find some colorways down to $105. And so that's a substantial, a huge amount of savings over the 150 for the DV8 Pure, which is still a really good price. So that could be a very big reason why you choose one over the other. Get a discounted pair of Evo SLs now for this summer. And then later on, you can get to the DV8 Pure so you can have both of the shoes. Now, price aside, when it comes to which one of these two shoes is the better option, I'd say they're both really excellent shoes. You're not going to really go wrong with either of these if you're looking for a fun, energetic, and modern daily trainer. And I think that it's definitely a situation where the best one is the one that's best for you and your set of preferences. For me personally, this might be part of my novelty bias showing, but I am currently preferring the lighter, airier experience that I'm getting in the DV8 Pure. So those are my thoughts on the DV8 Pure. It's a shoe that I instantly fell in love with and I really hope that you guys get to try it too. If you have any questions about this shoe or any of the shoes that I talked about today, please feel free to put them in the comments down below. But yeah, that's about the live stream that I do Mondays and Thursdays over on the Kufoozy Run Club channel. I'd love to see you guys over there in the chat. That's all for today, everybody. Thanks so much for making it all the way to the end of this video. Hopefully, you guys are staying safe out there on your runs, and I will see you in the next one. Yo, what's going on?