Our verdict

For its modest price point, the buy puma essential track jacket offers quite a few benefits. We didn't expect much from this budget-friendly shoe and yet it surprised us on many fronts. With its notable court feel and responsiveness, we believe that this shoe will suit agile guards the best.

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  • Pronounced court feel
  • PUMA 1 2 Terry 6-Pack Crew Socks Toddler-Little Kid
  • Secure lockdown
  • Comfy in-shoe feel
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  • True to size and fit
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Puma-select Zeta Suede EU 40 Glacier Grey Peacoat Cons

  • Puma First Rounds
  • Lacks breathability
  • PUMA Epic Flip Flop V2 Infradito bianche

Audience verdict

86
Good!

Who should buy

We believe that this basketball shoe from PUMA is a great choice if you are looking for the following:

  • a guard shoe that offers a lot of court feel
  • a basketball shoe that also doubles as a lifestyle sneaker
  • La zapatilla de running Velocity Nitro 2 de PUMA con una silueta elegante y moderna

buy puma essential track jacket review

Who should NOT buy

The buy puma essential track jacket is made of materials that do their job well; they just do not feel premium. Those who like comfortable fancy stuff are better off with the PUMA RS Dreamer or the Clyde All-Pro. These basketball shoes are signature offers, so we can expect them to be made of materials that not only feel nice but also look so good.

In our opinion, bigger athletes in need of more impact protection are not going to enjoy the buy puma essential track jacket. Shoes like the PUMA Rise Nitro and the PUMA MB.02 provide a much more generous helping of cushioning.

buy puma essential track jacket lab test

Cushioning

Heel stack

On paper, the heel stack height of the buy puma essential track jacket is 30.2 mm, which is the same as most basketball shoes tested in our lab.

However, because of the four hollows embedded under the heel, the shoe feels much more grounded. As the hollows compress, the shoe gets closer to the ground, offering plenty of court feel.

buy puma essential track jacket heel cushioning

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Impact protection is not this shoe's forte.

buy puma essential track jacket Heel stack
Test results
Court Rider 30.2 mm
Average 29.1 mm
Compared to 73 basketball shoes
Number of shoes
23.2 mm
Heel stack
38.4 mm

Forefoot stack

In the forefoot, we measured the cushioning thickness at 21 mm. It is an average stack height for basketball shoes and doesn't interfere with the shoe's court feel.

buy puma essential track jacket Forefoot stack
Test results
Court Rider 21.0 mm
Average 21.6 mm
Compared to 73 basketball shoes
Number of shoes
15.5 mm
Forefoot stack
26.8 mm

Drop

Because of the shoe's dynamic cushioning, its heel-to-toe drop is prone to changing as well.

buy puma essential track jacket heel drop

Being 9.2 mm in its "resting state," we assume that it gets a few millimetres smaller under the body weight.

Test results
Court Rider 9.2 mm
Average 7.5 mm
Compared to 73 basketball shoes
Number of shoes
3.9 mm
Drop
13.7 mm

Midsole softness

Note: a low durometer measurement equals a soft material, whereas a high measurement means it's firm.

The buy puma essential track jacket felt pretty bouncy and responsive throughout our playtest. This is partially due to the firm nature of its foam.

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This is also a contributing factor to the shoe's excellent ground contact.

buy puma essential track jacket Midsole softness
Test results
Court Rider 30.4 HA
Average 25.1 HA
We use an average of four tests. The photo shows one of those tests.
Compared to 73 basketball shoes
Number of shoes
11.0 HA
Midsole softness (soft to firm)
38.6 HA

Insole thickness

A thick insole is added to buffer the foot from the firmness of the sole. At 5 mm, it is a little thicker than average.

buy puma essential track jacket Insole thickness
Test results
Court Rider 5.0 mm
Average 4.8 mm
Compared to 73 basketball shoes
Number of shoes
0.0 mm
Insole thickness
8.6 mm

Size and fit

Size

buy puma essential track jacket is slightly small (14 votes).

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1 size small ½ size small True to size ½ size large 1 size large
Compared to 73 basketball shoes
Number of shoes
½ size small
Slightly small
True to size
Slightly large
½ size large

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The buy puma essential track jacket runs true to size and fits as expected for our medium-width feet. We don't see any need for size adjustment.

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Test results
Court Rider 100.0 mm
Average 101.6 mm
Compared to 65 basketball shoes
Number of shoes
92.6 mm
PUMA RS-X PLASTIC FLUO PINK
109.2 mm

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The same goes for the tip of the toebox. The shoe doesn't get narrower than most basketball shoes we've tested.

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Test results
Court Rider 77.4 mm
Average 76.9 mm
Compared to 59 basketball shoes
Number of shoes
71.2 mm
Baskets Puma Taille 36 Ruban
85.1 mm

Stability

Lateral stability test

We were amazed at how stable and supportive the buy puma essential track jacket feels. Those extra layers of material paired with a stiff heel counter and a firm base worked wonders for lateral movements.

Pretty cool that the PUMA logo works as a supportive overlay.

Our feet remained locked in place and we experienced no risks of ankle rolling either.

Torsional rigidity

The Court Rider has a very solid build which doesn't let the shoe twist. As a result, this PUMA shoe feels like one with the foot GOLD intensive footwork.

In our manual test of torsional rigidity, we rated the shoe as 4 out of 5. This is almost as stiff as it can get in basketball shoes.

Test results
Court Rider 4
Average 4.4
Compared to 73 basketball shoes
Number of shoes
1
Torsional rigidity
5

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The shoe's heel counter also scores high on the stiffness test. Actually, it earned the highest score of 5/5!

Rigid but well-padded, it is the perfect rsx for keeping the heel securely in place.

Test results
Court Rider 5
Average 3.7
Compared to 73 basketball shoes
Number of shoes
1
Puma Runtrain Girls Tee
5

Midsole width - forefoot

The ensemble wouldn't be complete without a nice and wide base. We measured the widest part of the forefoot at 113.7 mm, which is about the same as the average.

buy puma essential track jacket Midsole width in the forefoot
Test results
Court Rider 113.7 mm
Average 114.9 mm
Compared to 73 basketball shoes
Number of shoes
106.2 mm
Midsole width - forefoot
124.5 mm

Midsole width - heel

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Our calliper shows a reading of 98 mm in the widest part of the heel. This is almost a whole centimetre wider than average! This is among the widest landing areas we've seen in our lab so far.

buy puma essential track jacket Midsole width in the heel
Test results
Court Rider 98.0 mm
Average 90.1 mm
Compared to 73 basketball shoes
Number of shoes
80.0 mm
Midsole width - heel
105.1 mm

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Despite its overall stiff construction, the buy puma essential track jacket finds some room for flexibility.

Based on our force gauge measurement, it takes 34.9N to bend the shoe to a 90-degree angle. That is 68% less than it takes on average!

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Test results
Court Rider 34.9N
Average 38.8N
Puma ST Runner V2 SD V Inf.
Compared to 73 basketball shoes
Number of shoes
17.6N
Flexibility <> Stiffness
62.2N

Weight

At first, we thought that our scales were broken...but no, they weren't. That's how heavy the buy puma essential track jacket really is!

At 15.8 oz (449g), it is a whole 2 ounces heavier than average! We really don't get how this PUMA shoe managed to outweigh even the Nike LeBrons.

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We can't really blame it on the price of the shoe either. There are a lot of budget-friendly options out there that weigh much less. Take the Jordan Luka 1 (12.8 oz) or the Puma Clyde Rubber Toe Leather (12.0 oz), for example.

Test results
Court Rider 15.84 oz (449g)
Average 13.79 oz (391g)
Compared to 73 basketball shoes
Number of shoes
11.29 oz (320g)
Weight
17.46 oz (495g)

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What may seem like breathable mesh, turns out to be misleading. We found the buy puma essential track jacket to be a toasty shoe, both on the court and in our lab tests.

Pumping smoke through the shoe's upper, it barely came out on the other side. The only streak of vapour appeared around the tongue. For that reason, we rated the shoe's breathability as only 2 out of 5.

In the transparency test below, we put the shoe's upper against a bright light to show you that there are no ventilation pores in the fabric.

We also turned to our microscope to take a closer look at the mesh.

buy puma essential track jacket microscope

The fabric is made of multiple layers which, when combined, form a pretty tightly woven material.

buy puma essential track jacket microscope upper

Test results
Court Rider 2
Average 2.6
Compared to 73 basketball shoes
Number of shoes
1
Breathability
5

Durability

Outsole hardness

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Pressing our durometer against the outsole, we found that the rubber is only 72 HC (12% softer than average). For that reason, we do not recommend exposing the shoe to outdoor courts too often. Soft rubbers tend to wear out much faster.

There are budget-friendly shoes at the same price point that Women harder rubbers. Take the puma flyer beta marathon running shoessneakers for example.

buy puma essential track jacket Outsole hardness
Test results
Court Rider 72.0 HC
Average 81.5 HC
We use an average of four tests. The photo shows one of those tests.
Compared to 73 basketball shoes
Number of shoes
61.3 HC
Outsole hardness
91.0 HC

Outsole thickness

The amount of rubber used in the Court Rider's outsole is quite average. Our calliper shows 4.1 mm of thickness.

buy puma essential track jacket Outsole thickness
Test results
Court Rider 4.1 mm
Average 4.0 mm
Compared to 73 basketball shoes
Number of shoes
2.9 mm
Outsole thickness
6.9 mm

Misc

Grip / Traction

We would say that the grip on this shoe is pretty basic. Nothing to write home about but also nothing to be concerned with.

buy puma essential track jacket outsole

It does require wiping when the court gets dusty though.

Tongue padding

The tongue padding is super generous in the Court Rider. Measuring it with a calliper returned a whopping 12.9 mm! That's 3.5 mm thicker than average. No wonder the shoe feels so cosy against the instep.

buy puma essential track jacket Tongue padding
Test results
Court Rider 12.9 mm
Average 9.2 mm
Compared to 73 basketball shoes
Number of shoes
1.3 mm
Tongue padding
15.9 mm

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The tongue is fully gusseted in the Court Rider. It helps to keep the foot in place for intense side-to-side movements big time!

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Test results
Court Rider Both sides (full)

Heel tab

The shoe doesn't make use of any pull tabs or finger loops. That's unfortunate because the gusseted tongue makes the shoe opening smaller which also makes it trickier to put the shoe on.

buy puma essential track jacket Heel tab
Test results
Court Rider None

Removable insole

For those who rely on custom orthotics, the shoe's insole is easily removable.

buy puma essential track jacket Removable insole
Test results
Court Rider Yes