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The Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 4 is one of the best carbon plate running shoes available, offering a high level of performance in a lightweight design with a more natural ride than many super-shoes, including the Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite 3.
While it doesn’t have as rockered or bouncy a design as some carbon shoes, the Deviate Nitro Elite 4 is still very fast, and it will suit a wide range of runners better than more aggressive racers, especially for longer events like the marathon.
Design & Key Stats
- Price: £210/$250/€250
- Weight: 177g/6.2oz (men’s UK 8.5 / US 9.5)
- Drop: 8mm
- Stack: 40mm heel, 32mm forefoot
- Upper: Lightweight mesh upper
- Midsole: Nitro Elite aliphatic TPU with full-length carbon plate
- Outsole: PumaGrip on forefoot and medial heel
Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 4 review
How’s The Fit
Nick, Tom and Kieran tested the Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 4 for our review and found that it fit well in their normal running shoe size. Nick is often between two sizes, and went for the smaller one in the Deviate Nitro Elite 4 and had a great fit, so if you’re also between sizes, we’d say go for the smaller one.
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The Run Test: Likes
The Deviate Nitro Elite 4 is an upgrade on the Deviate Nitro Elite 3, with a lighter design and a slightly softer, springier midsole setup. It’s now similar in weight to the Fast-R 3 and among the lighter carbon shoes on the market, and that helps to make it feel faster on the run.
It’s certainly a very fast shoe. Despite being positioned as the more approachable racer in the Puma line-up, the Deviate Nitro Elite 4 is still undoubtedly very quick, with a fast transition and a responsive midsole design.
While it’s not as rockered or as soft and springy as some racing shoes, the Deviate Nitro Elite 4’s more natural ride will appeal to many runners, especially as it doesn’t hold it back in terms of pure speed. It’s a bit more stable than most carbon shoes too, and can handle a lot of training runs as well as your races.
Despite not having the most extensive outsole the shoe has gripped well for us in wet conditions too, even when running at faster paces on slick pavements or a greasy track.
The Run Test: Dislikes
Puma aimed to trim as much weight as they could from the Deviate Nitro Elite 4 and while we applaud that intention, we’d have liked the brand to retain the small patch of rubber at the back of the shoe on the medial heel. This lack of rubber hasn’t caused durability issues as yet, but it’s not ideal, and Tom has ripped off the other patch of rubber on the heel of his shoe.
While the more natural and approachable feel of the Deviate Nitro Elite 4 is a strength, it also means it doesn’t feel as wildly aggressive and fast as some shoes, like the Fast-R 3, Asics Metaspeed Sky Tokyo or Hoka Cielo X1 3.0. Those shoes feel faster, even if they might not prove so for every runner over the course of a long event.
Verdict And Alternatives
The Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 4 is a great racing shoe and makes for a great one-two punch in the Puma line-up alongside the Fast-R 3. Both are light and very fast, with the Deviate Nitro Elite 4 having a more natural and stable ride compared with the Fast-R 3’s very rockered design.
For pure speed, we prefer the feel of some racers, like the Fast-R 3 and Asics Metaspeed Sky Tokyo, but the extra support you get from the Deviate Nitro Elite 4 might well help you finish stronger in a marathon, especially if you’re running times in more like the four to five hour range rather than two to three.
In the UK, the Deviate Nitro Elite 4 offers great value too, though if you are seeking value with your carbon racer, your best bet will generally be to look at older models in the sales.
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