Review: PUMA IGNITE Dual Trainer

Worn in training my spring god Usain Bolt and Arsenal Football Club, the IGNITE Dual is PUMA’s statement running shoe for the Olympics and the Autumn / Winter season of 2016. We’ve been trying it out over the past three weeks. This is our World Exclusive review of it!

Specifications

Here’s a detailed description of the features of the IGNITE Dual from PUMA:

Engineered to provide ultimate flexibility and cushioning for mid and long distance runners, the IGNITE Dual features the proprietary IGNITE FOAM midsole that’s visible on the heel and hidden in the forefoot to offer full length energy return. Articulated chevron grooves are designed to compress during landing and rebound. The molded EVA sockliner cradles the foot comfortably for an easy run. The outsole has been technically enhanced by PUMA to mimic the natural gait of the runner. A guidance groove that runs from the heel allows a smoother transfer of the runner’s weight from heel-strike to toe-off. Deep forefoot flex grooves add to the freedom of movement while carbon rubber is introduced on the heel for extra durability.

The duality story extends to the upper with a two-tone premium flexible mesh that delivers a comfortable fit, breathability and flexibility. Adding depth and dimension to the silhouette is the color shifting mesh and reflective panels for extra visibility in low light conditions. The look is finished with an exciting contemporary graphic that gives the IGNITE Dual a youthful appeal and hook back to the Olympics Games where the design DNA continues on the training and podium wear of PUMA-sponsored federations and athletes.

Aesthetics

The IGNITE Dual is arguably PUMA’s best looking shoe since the first version of the revolutionary IGNITE line was releases in early 2015. It’s a shoe that will have random strangers and acquaintances alike complimenting you about it.

The designers of the shoe did a brilliant job is creating a look that is not only eye-catching but is based its two part sole. Most of its colorways (such as the Electric Blue Lemonade-Safety Yellow) one that we wore feature two distinct colors that emphasize the two types of mesh used for the IGNITE Dual’s ventilated upper. The finer mesh at the back of the shoe provides a brilliant color change effect that had use having a look at the shoe to determine if it was textured in some way under the mesh (it is not). The mesh at the front is bold with an all business in the cooling department appearance. PUMA’s use of Safety Yellow of the front mesh adds to its appeal by making it stand out even more than it does because of its fabric design.

The main technical feature of the PUMA IGNITE series has always been its groundbreaking cushioned and energy returning sole. As with other shoes in the range, PUMA continues to work the sole into the aesthetics of the Dual by adding a chevron pattern into the back part of it while using a more traditional look at the front. The result is quite visually appealing whether you’re using these for running or leisurely activities.

Fit

The PUMA IGNITE Dual offers a true to size fit in terms of length and width. Given the synthetic nature of the fabrics used for the shoe we do not expect them to stretch much with use and have seen no change in size since we’ve been using them. The combination of synthetic leather, soft microfiber tongue and flattened laces combined to provide an excellent lacing system that allows the wearer to create a very customized fit for the Dual’s upper.

The toe box at the front of the PUMA IGNITE Dual does have about thumb width’s worth of space beyond the toe. This may be unwanted for runners who prefer a snugger fit to the shoe. If this is your penchant then we suggest considering going half a size down on the shoe.

Performance

Ride

The ride offered by the PUMA IGNITE Dual totally based on its IGNITE Foam sole. The high rebound, energy returning material provides an immense level of cushion for the entire heel area of the foot. As you go through the heel to toe motion of a runner’s gait you enjoy the cushioning as the foot heels the concrete, track or treadmill followed by an extremely smooth transition to the middle then the front of the foot. The cushioning at the front of the IGNITE DUAL is obviously less towards the front of the sole and provides a good natural feel as the ball of the foot lands. We attribute some of this to the grooves in the sole which give the foot the ability to have a nice ergonomic roll forward. There is also a bit of width towards the front of the shoe to allow for toe splay.

The PUMA IGNITE Dual is a shoe that requires very little breaking in (a day or two of walking around in it suffices) before going for a first run in them. Once on the move we enjoyed the ride provided thoroughly. It’s the type of shoe that you will keep you on the move during your training and that you won’t even want to take off at afterwards.

Ventilation

The ventilation of the PUMA IGNITE Dual is world class towards the front of the shoe (the safety yellow area in our pictures). The back area is less so because of the change in material that occurs. They do not get overly hot at the back but are more or less on par with you average modern running shoe when it comes to ventilation beyond the forefoot.

In The Gym

While the PUMA IGNITE Dual is primarily a running shoe we found to be a very good for cross-training both in an outside of the gym. The keeps you extremely stable during upper body exercises and works well for compound moves requiring good footing (e.g. deadlift). Its cushioning and energy return is definitely plus for agility training and any move that involves jumping (think box jumps or jumping rope). If you’re doing a working that mixes in running with weight or bodyweight exercises then we definitely recommend them.

Durability

We’ve logged over 30 miles of running and over twenty hours of gym training in the PUMA IGNITE Dual over the past three weeks. The holding up remarkably well and show just about no signs of wear. In fact one can mistake them for being freshly unboxed. Since the upper of the Dual is all synthetic and largely mesh, there shoe has very little creasing. Lastly, the sole has proven to be quite durable and doesn’t even look like we’ve run over 15 miles on concrete with it.

Value

The PUMA IGNITE Dual has an MSRP of $90. This is on the lower side for a high grade running shoe (which the Dual is) nowadays. Shoes with similar features often cost anywhere from $40 to $80 more. This makes the IGNITE Dual an absolutely steal. On a budget or not, the Dual is an absolutely deal!

PUMA PWRCOOL Range

The PUMA PWRCOOL training range is the perfect complement to the Ignite Dual during the late summer and early fall period of 2016. The collection focused on keeping athletes cool during exercise through the use of the latest in body temperature fabrics and strategically placed vents. Here is a look at the PWRCOOL Bonded Tech Top in light heather gray / black and the Vent Cat Top in asphalt quarry.

PUMA PWRCOOL Bonded Tech Top

The PWRCOOL Bonded Tech Top is a lightweight cotton blend shirt that fits true to size. If you’ve got an athletic physique then it will do a good job of showing it off. A couple of shoulder flashes and a relatively large PUMA Cat on the left breast have it look sharp.

The shirt stretches well to support all upper body athletic moves while an innovative ventilate stripe runs down the back to increase the cooling effect that the top’s PUMA dryCELL fabric provides. The stripe alone is eye-catching certainly turns heads while showing off that the wearer is a serious athletic.

PUMA Vent Cat Top

The PUMA Vent Cat Top takes cooling to the next level by using a dryCELL polyester material that is ventilated throughout. As such it does give a glimpse of your torso to show off your hard-earned fit physique. It is comfortable and lightweight on the skin and can feel like you’re not even wearing a top at times. Couples with its moisture wicking ability and the constant airflow that it provides, the Vent Cat Top makes working out in hot conditions much more tolerable.

PUMA’s designers extremely well in making the Vent Cat top visually stunning. Its key graphics are an oversized PUMA Cat on its middle breast, a series of light colored chevrons with a fade effect at the lower front, and a set of arrow heads on its upper middle back. These combine to make what can be a simple training top into a work of athletic apparel art!