Puma Faas 600 review
Puma Faas 600
Puma Faas 600 – First Thoughts
The Puma Faas 600 is billed as a no-frills running shoe for those seeking good stability and moderate cushioning. Though its bold color schemes will appeal to some more than others, the shoe itself is a solid performer without a lot of flash, thoroughly covering the basics of what you’re looking for from a road training and racing shoe.
Puma Faas 600 – Performance
The Puma Faas 600 does a good job of providing a very stable ride without too much weight, and while still giving you a reasonable amount of cushioning. I’m used to running in a heavier shoe with more cushioning, so the feel of the Faas was striking the first time I took them out for a spin. Weighing in at about 8.6 ounces, they were noticeably lighter than my usual shoe. That couple of ounces, repeated with every stride, thousands of times through a road race, could make enough of a difference to be a real positive for the runner who wants a little extra edge on race day but doesn’t want to take the pounding you get in a pair of racing flats – call it a happy compromise.
The shoe felt extremely stable to me. Part of that is the difference from my usual shoes, and part is the particular design features of the Puma Faas 600.
One other plus for the shoe is the flexibility of the forefoot. The outsole features deep grooves across the entirety of the forefoot (see below). This allows the shoe to flex a good deal, giving you a better feel for the terrain and allowing your foot to react more naturally to the changing landscape.
Groovy forefoot
Puma Faas 600 – Feel
As I mentioned above, the Puma Faas 600 feels pretty light on your foot, and overall is a very comfortable shoe. The flexibility is good, and the upper of the shoe is mesh, so it’s very breathable. I found the fit to be excellent, snug without being constricting.
Of special interest to runners with bunions, the toe box is both roomy and completely without any kind of seams or constraining features that will rub and irritate your forefoot. Your feet are free to be themselves in these shoes.
Roomy toe box
It’s not just the toe box that offers this comfort. I often have a problem with blisters or chafing around the achilles tendon in the heel notch of new shoes, if they are stiff or are a little ‘taller’ in the heel. That was no problem with the Puma Faas 600. The overall design seems to have minimized extraneous features that may interfere with a comfortable ride.
One other note about the shoe: the Faas 600 has an 8 mm heel to toe differential. Some of your more heavily cushioned shoes will have 10 mm to 12 mm or even larger differentials. If you are used to such a shoe but are looking to drop down to a more natural running style with little to no heel drop, the Puma Faas 600 may be a good first step for you, lowering the heel to toe differential without eliminating it all at once, and allowing your running style to gradually adapt to the change.
Puma Faas 600 – Final Thoughts
Overall, this shoe is a good middle-of-the road, offering a blend of cushioning, stability, and light weight. It may be a particularly good choice for runners with bunions, and offers a flexible and comfortable option for any runners.
MSRP: $100. This is fairly reasonable and a mid range price for a running shoe these days.
For this and other great running shoes from PUMA, please visit: www.puma.com
