The Puma Fuse 2.0 has been my favourite finances CrossFit shoe for a while, delivering superior consolation and a springy but supportive midsole that’s appropriate for just about any WOD. So when its successor was launched with a $20 greater retail value, the strain was on for the model to ship.
The dramatic nature of Puma’s redesign was obvious to me as quickly as I pulled them on. The higher feels firmer, the forefoot appears narrower, the shoe is noticeably heavier and the heel is a special beast totally because of a number of new stability options.
General, I do imagine the improve has furthered Puma’s mission to make the greatest CrossFit shoe, however this could be a case of taking one step again to take two ahead.
Puma Fuse 3.0: Worth And Availability
The Puma Fuse 3.0 prices $120 within the US and £100 within the UK. That’s a $20/£10 value rise on the Puma Fuse 2.0 and brings the three.0 extra in step with well-established CrossFit shoe manufacturers, which usually cost north of $130.
The Puma Fuse 2.0 was usually discounted and I’d count on the three.0 to comply with swimsuit so it could be price purchasing round after six months.
How I Examined This Shoe
I wore this shoe for 2 weeks of no-holds-barred coaching within the lead-up to the CrossFit Open, utilizing it for 10 90-minute-plus coaching periods in that point.
Every one began with some power work or Olympic weightlifting, adopted by gymnastics follow, a assorted WOD and a few accent lifts.
It’s additionally been used for its justifiable share of shoe-destroying strikes corresponding to wall walks, rope climbs and handstand push-ups that come as commonplace in a CrossFit coaching program.
Design
The look of the Puma Fuse 3.0 isn’t to my style. The design is busy and blocky, with raised detailing across the Puma emblem and an angular heel.
A few of these components do serve a function, although. The pointed edges on both aspect of the angular heel imply it doesn’t roll when pushed sideways, delivering a strong platform for catching Oly lifts.
There are additionally sturdy heel and toe guards for defense throughout wall walks and handstand push-ups, together with further raised rubber sections across the midsole for rope climbs and lateral assist.
This catalog of recent stability options delivered simply that: superior stability. However they do add weight to the shoe, making it really feel much less nimble than its predecessor. The Puma Fuse 3.0 weighs 454g in my UK measurement 10. The Puma Fuse 2.0 is 405g and my one-time favourite TYR CXT-1 is 348g.
Is The Puma Fuse 3.0 Good For WODs?
I really like the Puma Fuse 2.0 for WODs. It’s light-weight and breathable, with a responsive midsole foam that was a dream when bounding onto bins.
The Puma Fuse 3.0? Not a lot. That is primarily as a result of it has a good quantity of weight to it and the heel particularly felt heavy each time I attempted to maneuver shortly in fast-paced exercises.
It beats its predecessor for stability because of the redesigned heel, and there’s no questioning the acquisition afforded by the PUMAGRIP outsole. In consequence I fairly favored the shoe for barbell-heavy exercises like Grace.
However as quickly as I needed to transfer quick, I seen the shoe’s heavy heel. This was notably obvious throughout longer exercises like a 40-minute EMOM I tackled whereas sporting them.
Is The Puma Fuse 3.0 Good For Resistance Coaching?
That is the place the Puma Fuse 3.0 is at its greatest. The angular edges of the outsole that flare out from the heel cease any undesirable rolling and the PUMAGRIP design affords nice grip.
The midsole feels agency below heavy weights too, with not one of the undesirable compression I skilled with previous fashions. In consequence, it supplies a agency basis for producing energy throughout squats, cleans, snatches and extra.
The one disadvantage is that the forefoot feels slender and squashed, though Puma claims it has “widened the final” of the shoe. This left me much less in a position to unfold my toes for stability than I might have favored.
Is The Puma Fuse 3.0 Good For Working?
The restrictive forefoot and weight meant that the Puma Fuse 3.0 didn’t impress throughout brief (as much as 400m) mid-WOD working intervals.
In contrast with different CrossFit footwear I’ve tried, it didn’t really feel as nimble, springy or energetic, though it wasn’t as clunky because the Nike Metcon 9.
No CrossFit shoe is made to deal with greater than a few kilometers—this simply wouldn’t be doable whereas sustaining a agency sufficient midsole for lifting. However most nonetheless supply a little bit of bounce from a skinny layer of midsole cushioning, and I felt that was lacking right here.
Is The Puma Fuse 3.0 Price It?
I’m going to avoid wasting you some cash right here. If you would like an excellent finances CrossFit shoe, purchase the Puma Fuse 2.0. If you would like Puma’s greatest CrossFit shoe, purchase the Puma Fuse 2.0. In reality, if you’d like an excellent CrossFit shoe full cease, you may nonetheless purchase the Puma Fuse 2.0.
The principle downside with the Puma Fuse 2.0 was its lack of stability within the heel, with a little bit compression within the heel when below heavier weights. The Puma Fuse 3.0 has solved this downside, delivering a wonderfully steady heel with an progressive angular design to cease undesirable lateral motion. That is one thing the model wanted to repair to compete for the title of “greatest CrossFit shoe”—however the enhancements have come at a value.
The shoe feels heavy throughout WODs, the weighting appears to be off in favor of the again of the shoe, the midsole lacks power and my foot feels uncomfortably cramped alongside the edges of the midfoot and forefoot.
I’m hoping Puma can marry the soundness of this shoe with the attributes of its predecessor with its subsequent useful fitness-focused launch. However for now, the unparalleled consolation of the Fuse 2.0 makes it my most popular Puma coaching shoe.