My grey Solelace NXT arrived today.
Promptly put them on for a brief 15 min dog walk. First things first, these have a quality look to them, from the sole to the mesh upper to the PWRFRAME, they appear to be well built shoes. IMO they look better in person than pics show. Also, kudos to Puma for introducing a new lace system to go along with the disk and the traditional style. Big fan of innovation and it's what led me to get these instead of the other styles.
Putting on the shoe, much like the previous version, the soleshield was a little snug. It required a little bit of effort getting them on. The mesh upper is extremely breathable and feels very light. I haven't tried the Nike Roshe shoes which I guess would compare to these, but hard to imagine anything being more breathable. That's a big plus for me, given the high humidity in my area. Fit felt true to size to me, maybe just a little more space in the toe box than usual but it may not be worth going down a half size. I typically wear a 9 and think these will be fine.
The big question will probably be about the Solelace. I purposely tightened my left foot more than the right. Before walking outside I thought the right would be too loose. Well, I can confidently state it's possible to over-tighten the Solelace and yes, if you're not very bright about it the inside of the heel will still feel the effect a while after taking the shoe off. Both feet felt snug, actually really well supported in that midfoot area. You don't have to over-tighten these, at least in my early experience. I don't know that that area of the foot has ever been a real issue for me, but I'm probably not overly sensitive to it. I felt more connected to the shoe for sure though.
I was walking on the sidewalk, and in that scenario the insole was slightly more firm than I would prefer. Took a few steps on grass and immediately felt A LOT more comfortable. This isn't a "squishy" shoe by any means. Adding to that, the compound used on the sole felt very resistant. Initial impression is that it won't wear out as quickly as other spikeless designs.
No swings yet, but have a round planned for Wednesday and will wear these to try out. I believe it was c.a.eleric who asked about toe support. I'll be curious to see how these do, because they're on the minimalist end in that regard. I've gone to the range in soft trainers and have had slight discomfort on the right toes. I may have the same issue with these; can possibly get away with it for rounds but not heavy range sessions. That's one of the bigger items I want to circle back to. I'm cautiously excited; needed a lightweight, comfortable, breathable pair of golf shoes and these hit those boxes nicely.
Let me know if there's anything in particular you're curious about and I'll try my best to get back to you.
Great initial review. It will be interesting to see how the "waterproofing" is.
