New Balance FuelCell Propel v4 Review
Our Verdict
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This Product
New Balance FuelCell Propel v4 | |||||
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Awards | |||||
Price | $84.95 at Amazon Compare at 2 sellers | $139.95 at Amazon Compare at 2 sellers | $52.39 at Backcountry Compare at 2 sellers | $135 List $134.95 at Amazon | $120 List Check Price at Amazon |
Overall Score | |||||
Star Rating | |||||
Bottom Line | The Propel combines good cushioning with a plate for speed, making it a solid budget choice | A daily trainer that can handle most runs, the Novablast 4 is fun and extremely comfortable | Cushioning and comfort in a lightweight design that can do everything | A daily trainer that blends comfort and versatility at a reasonable price | A daily trainer that feels fast but comes up short of the competition in other key areas |
Rating Categories | New Balance FuelCel... | Asics Novablast 4 | Hoka Mach 5 | Puma Velocity Nitro 3 | Saucony Kinvara 14 |
Cushioning and Landing Comfort (25%) | |||||
Responsiveness (25%) | |||||
Stability (20%) | |||||
Upper Comfort (15%) | |||||
Weight (15%) | |||||
Specs | New Balance FuelCel... | Asics Novablast 4 | Hoka Mach 5 | Puma Velocity Nitro 3 | Saucony Kinvara 14 |
Weight (per shoe, size 10.5) | 10.86 oz | 9.76 oz | 8.84 oz | 10.07 oz | 7.27 oz |
Style | Daily | Daily/cushioning | Daily | Daily | Low drop |
Sizes Available | 7 - 15 US | 6 - 15 US | 7 - 14 US | 7 - 14 US | 7 - 15 US |
Measured Heel-to-Toe Drop | 8 mm | 7 mm | 9 mm | 10 mm | 4 mm |
Measured Heel Stack Height | 42 mm | 43 mm | 37 mm | 39 mm | 30 mm |
Measured Forefoot Stack Height | 34 mm | 36 mm | 28 mm | 29 mm | 26 mm |
Claimed Heel-to-Toe Drop | 6 mm | 8 mm | 5 mm | 8 mm | 4 mm |
Claimed Heel Stack Height | Not stated | 41.5 mm | Not stated | Not stated | 31.0 mm |
Claimed Forefoot Stack Height | Not stated | 33.5 mm | Not stated | Not stated | 27.0 mm |
Measured Outsole Length | 12.4 in | 12.6 in | 12.6 in | 12.3 in | 11.9 in |
Measured Outsole Width | 4.3 in | 4.8 in | 4.5 in | 4.4 in | 4.4 in |
Upper | Engineered mesh | Engineered woven/knit | Engineered mesh | Engineered knit | Engineered mesh |
Midsole | FuelCell | FF Blast + Eco | PROFLY+ | Profoam | PWRRUN |
Outsole | Rubber | AHAR Lo | Rubberized EVA | PumaGrip | Exposed foam |
Measured Outsole Hardness | Heel: 55 Arch: 58 Forefoot: 64 |
64 | 52 | Heel: 55 Arch: 55 Forefoot: 55 |
Outer heel: 66 Inner forefoot: 66 Rest of shoe: 30 |
Heel Tab Type | None | Finger loop | None | None | Finger loop |
Width Options | Regular, wide | Regular | Regular | Regular | Regular, wide |
Heel Compression Stiffness | 45.5 lbs | 44 lbs | 35 lbs | 41 lbs | 41 lbs |
Toe Compression Stiffness | 51.5 lbs | 44 lbs | 38 lbs | 48 lbs | 45 lbs |
Toe Box Volume | 9.9 in cu | 7.6 in cu | 8.9 in cu | 8.4 in cu | 9.3 in cu |
Rocker Angle | 15.0 degrees | 22.5 degrees | 15.5 degrees | 18.0 degrees | 20.5 degrees |
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Propel brings a ton of value to a $110 shoe. The TPU plate provides enough pop to make this shoe reasonable for uptempo runs. The FuelCell foam is more than comfortable enough for long runs. Depending on the runner, this could be the perfect budget buy.
Performance Comparison
Cushioning and Landing Comfort
The FuelCell foam in the Propel is soft. That makes landings comfortable on all surfaces. New Balance does a good job of making sure the soft foam doesn't feel dead or pillowy. There's still feedback from the road, and while you're well-insulated, the shoe feels firm enough to allow you to pick up the pace when you want to.
If you're after a comfortable long-run shoe, the cushioning is hard to beat at this price point. The stack height of 42mm in the heel and 34mm in the forefoot is a substantial amount of great foam underfoot.
Responsiveness
If lots of bouncy foam paired with a TPU plate sounds like a familiar recipe from more expensive, faster shoes, that's because it is. The two work well together, and we think the TPU plate gives enough pop to this shoe to handle moderate paces. Because of the amount of foam and the overall weight, we don't love this shoe for anything much faster than a threshold pace.
As a daily trainer, we think the Propel is fine; in fact, it's more responsive than many other shoes in our lineup. It just isn't the shoe we'd grab for workouts.
Upper Comfort
The upper on the Propel v4 is exactly what we expect at this price point. It's fine, but it's nothing exciting or impressive.
The knit upper struggles to breathe, and we find it rougher than other, similar uppers. We also think it leaves something to be desired regarding fit and lockdown.
While we didn't experience any hotspots, our feet tend to move around in these shoes more than we like. The heel cup is rigid but doesn't have enough padding at the top to retain the heel. We find that unless our lacing is perfect, our feet move just enough to slide the insole backward, causing our toes to hang past the end while running.
The tongue is padded enough to prevent hotspots, although we wish it were gusseted.
Overall, the upper is fine and gets the job done. It just doesn't rank among our favorites.
Lateral Stability and Support
Thanks to the TPU plate, the thick stack of FuelCell makes this shoe more stable than expected. It isn't a stability shoe by any means, but for a plated trainer, it's pretty good.
This shoe could be a great introduction to the world of plated trainers/racers for runners with mild stability concerns.
The shoe feels reasonably planted, but the stack height does limit its agility on uneven surfaces.
Weight
The Propel is one of the heaviest shoes in our test at 10.86 oz.
We typically don't care for heavy shoes; if a shoe is heavy, its usefulness beyond easy runs is pretty limited. However, we think the Propel doesn't feel as heavy as it is. It feels light enough for us to use it on long runs.
We are also disappointed by the traction, given the weight. Typically, a good portion of weight comes from the outsole of a shoe. While the Propel uses a rubber outsole and has decent grip, it didn't wow us, particularly on loose surfaces.
Should You Buy the New Balance Propel v4?
If you want a well-cushioned, budget trainer that is great for easy-to-moderate paces, consider the Propel. It's not the best shoe in our test, but for specific users, it will be a great training partner. Finally, if you want to try out a plated shoe but don't want the cost typically associated with one, try the Propel.
What Other Running Shoes Should You Consider?
Our favorite budget buy in our running shoe category is the Puma Velocity Nitro 3. It's a great daily shoe with ample cushioning and a more comfortable upper. The Saucony Endorphin Speed 3 is another trainer that combines lots of bouncy foam with a nylon plate, and we think it does it better than the Propel.