Adidas Supernova Prima Review: The Super Supernova

What You Need To Know

Introduction to the Adidas Supernova Prima

RYAN: In true supernova fashion, Adidas’ daily trainer lineup has exploded for 2024. Instead of one day of presents, we get eight crazy — wait, sorry, four crazy Supernova models to choose from, with the Supernova Prima sitting at the top of the food chain. Oh, and this is yet another shoe that I’ve inherited from Robbe, thanks to some ever-wonky sizing.

Essentially, the Prima is Adidas’ highest-stacked, most padded Supernova, offering a steep but still legal 38 mm in the heel and 30 mm in the forefoot for an 8 mm drop. A good chunk of that stack is the new (or at least updated) Dreamstrike+, which has the same support rods that Adidas has spread across its other Supernovas laid in the middle. Unlike its fellow ‘Novas, though, the Prima has a Lighttraxion outsole with just about full coverage across the platform.

And then there’s the mesh upper—which is almost identical to the other Supernovas. It’s well-padded and colorful, with a slightly different weave pattern to set it apart from its more affordable siblings.

Now that I’ve given you the rundown on Adidas’ most explosive Supernova (or something like that) let’s get into what it does well.

THOMAS: I’ll be honest, for a while, my pair of Supernova Prima sat in my house, forgotten and buried under boxes. When I first received the shoe, I thought it was the Supernova Rise in a different color. I hadn’t vibed with the Supernova Rise, so I let this one collect dust.

Then, I started a new idea for my Instagram stories, where I posted the running gear I wear for my daily runs. I picked out an Adidas shirt and socks, then remembered I had a fresh pair of white Adidas to pair with the gear. On the run, I thought the shoe felt much different than I remembered. It felt smooth and perfectly cushioned, yet I remembered the Rise feeling thin under the toebox. Maybe I had fresh legs, the temps were better, or I got the Rise wrong. When I got home, I checked the box and read Supernova Prima. Dang. What had I been wearing?

What we like about the Adidas Supernova Prima

RYAN: The Supernova Prima is a rock-solid daily trainer. I don’t think I’d call it super exciting, nor do I think I’d lace it up for much speed work, but it’s been a solid pick for run clubs on Mondays and Thursdays over the last few weeks. In my eyes, it’s a shoe that you can lace up, run your miles, and then continue to wear while you grab a bite to eat or stop at the store afterward — which is always a plus. And sure, you could do that with just about any shoe, but the durability of the Supernova Prima makes it feel like you’re not wasting your miles when you do so.

I guess, in other words, this isn’t a shoe that feels like it has a short shelf life. I’ve put around 40 miles on my pair, and it still looks as fresh as it did when I pulled it from the box — just with a little bit more dirt worked into the Lighttraxion outsole. I also had my reservations about how the support rods would feel in my second Supernova of the year (I naturally supinate, so stability is the last thing I need), but they feel more like a passive element of the Prima than an active one. In fact, they’re not really rods at all — they’re more of a firmer layer of foam that doesn’t stretch all the way across the midsole.

Anyway, where was I? Oh, yeah, everything about the Supernova Prima is tuned for comfort. Whether it’s the padded upper or the fat stack of foam, it’s hard to complain about cushioning. If you like to feel the road (not me), this isn’t one for you. Also, most of the colorways for the Supernova Prima look pretty good — I’d easily wear the pair that Thomas got casually.

And yet, for everything that the Supernova Prima does well, it leaves me in a very confusing spot…

THOMAS: Ryan has it right. The Supernova Prima is rock-solid. The upper fits true to size, and the underfoot cushioning is perfectly dialed in for any distance you’d want to run — it’s a textbook example of a daily trainer.

Ryan mentioned the foam rods that are sandwiched in the midsole. I can’t say I felt them, but the shoe transitions smoothly through the gait. I’d love to try a pair with and without the rod layer to see what it contributes to the ride. The Dreamstrike+ foam is soft and bouncy, too, so you won’t have a problem going long in the Prima.

And, although I do love a Continental Rubber outsole, I can’t say I had any complaints about the Lighttraxion formula used here. It held a decent grip as I lapped the promenade in the late summer sun.

What we don’t like about the Adidas Supernova Prima

RYAN: My issue with the Supernova Prima isn’t so much with the shoe itself as with Adidas’ wider strategy. Part of the Supernova lineup exploding this year is that Adidas now has four daily trainers with very similar names, designs, and technologies, and it leaves me confused as hell.

Seriously, there’s the Supernova Stride ($110), the Supernova Rise ($140), the Supernova Solution ($140), and this, the Supernova Prima ($160). What do you get for that extra $50? Well, without a well-organized spreadsheet, it can be tough to tell. All four use support rods in the midsole, three of them have AdiWear outsoles, and they all have weird heel angles that actually make the shoes look kind of crooked. Oh, and there’s a Gore-Tex version for runs in the rain, too.

I’m sure the multitude of Supernovas makes sense to someone somewhere, but for me, as a guy who gives recommendations for what running shoe to buy almost every day, it makes life confusing. I can’t say, “Oh, go buy the Supernova” anymore because I have to clarify which one is for stability and which one has the most Dreamstrike+ foam underfoot.

Confusion aside, I don’t think I love the colorway that Adidas sent me (via Robbe). Thomas got a nice white/gray pair that he can wear just about every day — he’s wearing it in the office right now — but I’m sitting here with a Supernova Prima that looks like a watermelon exploded on my feet. It’s just so, so bright to the point where I don’t really want to wear it outside of a run club meetup — it’s like the Asics Metaspeed Paris launch colorway but without the race day flair that makes it work.

THOMAS: I agree with Ryan 100% concerning the confusion. The shoes look too similar. The Prima’s weight is also similar to that of the Ultraboost 5, which is a stunner and only costs an extra $20. Then there is the Adizero Adios SL2, which is lighter than both, feels great and sells for $130, but you can find on sale for $80. That’s a steal.

The Supernova line needs a personality. As much as I like the Prima, it is as forgettable as a peanut butter sandwich. I enjoy a good PB&J — they do what they’re supposed to do simply, but they aren’t that exciting.

Final thoughts on the Adidas Supernova Prima

RYAN: All told, I like the Adidas Supernova Prima; I’m just not sure that I love it — or at least I’m not sure why I’d grab it over another Supernova model. It’s got the most stack of the bunch, and it has a Lighttraxion outsole, but the mesh upper, support rods, and overall padding feel incredibly similar to the Supernova Rise, which happens to be $20 cheaper.

And hey, at a price point of $160, there’s a lot of other good stuff out there. Mizuno’s Neo Vista isn’t much more expensive at $180, the Puma Deviate Nitro 3 costs $160, and there’s the ever-impressive Saucony Endorphin Speed 4 at $170, too. Unfortunately for Adidas, I think any one of those other trainers would probably be more memorable than the Supernova Prima over time.

THOMAS: This shoe hits all the right notes on paper. If it were a romantic interest, you’d think, “I don’t get it. They’re everything I would ask for, but I don’t feel the heat.” I guess what I mean is that there isn’t a spark. You’d continue to date, but you’d always keep your options open. And yet, if you moved on and eventually saw someone with them, you’d understand why they loved them.

Anyway, I’d probably reach for a few other Adidas shoes before I grab the Supernova Prima. Both the Ultraboost 5/5X and Adizero SL2 have that sweet ride I’m looking for and the spark that’s otherwise missing.

You can pick up the Adidas Supernova Prima for $160 from Adidas by using the buttons below.