New Balance FuelCell Rebel v4 - Women's Review

At only 6.00 ounces (women's size 6.5) with an energetic foam midsole, the New Balance Fuelcell Rebel v4 is an uptempo shoe designed with quick leg turnover in mind.

Side View Cut in Half

Cushioning

With a PEBA and EVA Fuelcell midfoot, the comfortable bounce of the New Balance Fuelcell Rebel v4 makes for a fun and rather soft ride. While not a shoe built for long-distance road runs, its slightly gentle nature makes it a comfortable choice for speedy runners looking to up their MPH in comfort. By no means a plush runner, the 31 mm stack (as measured by our in-house testing team) provides a comfortable landing pad without feeling mushy. The responsive build of this shoe lends itself well to a comfortable underfoot bounce that many runners will enjoy.

Upper Comfort

The New Balance Fuelcell Rebel v4 has a unique upper. The upper is comprised of a stiff and slightly scratchy-feeling single mesh overlay. The mesh in itself is not uncomfortable, but its shape and fit feel a bit off. The heel cup feels shallow, and the length of the shoe runs a bit small, but the mesh overlay of the toe box provides more space than necessary. It feels a bit like runners with taller feet might fill out the toe box space a bit better and have more luck running in this shoe. To its credit, the upper of the Rebel is incredibly lightweight, and its sock liner upper is comfortably stretchy. Unfortunately, the tongue is a bit short and slips down during runs, cutting down on the Rebel's overall security.

Stability

The Rebel v4 is not a stability shoe. This is evident from the moment you slip these lightweight kicks onto your feet. They have a slightly wide platform with an overall outsole width of 4.40 inches. This wide landing zone offers plenty of space for your toes to splay and your body to work with its own stability. The soft nature of the foam makes it easy to compress, which takes away from the overall stability of the outsole. The forefoot and upper are made of an engineered mesh that completely lacks structure. The lack of true composition can feel unstable as it allows your feet to move around more than many other running shoes do. The heel collar is tapered to fit well but lacks the rigidity that many runners may prefer — squeezing the lateral edges of the heel cup together takes very little effort and strength. Ultimately, this is not a shoe to buy if stability is on your radar. While this does not make it a bad shoe by any stretch of the imagination, it lacks the structure I prefer to recommend to long-distance runners.

Responsiveness

The New Balance Fuelcell Rebel v4 is a bouncy and responsive running shoe, which makes it a great tempo run trainer. It maintains a low weight because it does not have a propulsive plate, and the pep comes from the specified Fuelcell foams in the midsole and geometric architecture. Since the Rebel does not have a plate, it lacks the traditional snap of firmer shoes. However, its soft, compressible foams feel almost springy as you bound toward quicker leg turnover.

Weight

At only 6.00 ounces per shoe for a women's size 6.5, the New Balance Fuelcell Rebel v4 is a lightweight shoe. There are shoes out there that weigh an ounce less, but for the average runner, this shoe will feel light. The light rubber outsole feels incredibly light underfoot, which makes the entire shoe feel nearly weightless as you run. Though this is a speed-focused shoe, it does not have a carbon fiber plate, which helps keep the weight low.

Traction

The updated outsole of the Fuelcell Rebel provides adequate traction and reassurance on wet and loose terrain. The exposed foam is likely to wear if worn on non-paved surfaces, which is something to consider when surveying the type of running you'll want to do the most. The outsole grips pavement well but definitely falls into the “wear in kind weather” category.

Should You Buy the New Balance Fuelcell Rebel v4?

The technology is here for this shoe, but its slightly ill fit makes it difficult for us to recommend outright. The New Balance Fuelcell Rebel v4 offers many of the components that I desire in my running shoes, but it is not the highest-scoring speed shoe we've tested. If this shoe fits your foot and caters to the style of runs you enjoy executing, I think you will like it. If comfort and fit are your running shoe priorities, I have plenty of options, many of which are speed-focused, that might make better long-term training buddies.

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