Mens FuelCell 796 V4 Hard Court

Great shoe . Looks good and super comfortable. Breathable mesh construction. I’m between a 10 1/2 and 11 went with a 10 1/2 perfect fit. Stability great too .

I have never had a pair of New Balance shoes and thought I would give these FuelCell Propel v4 a chance. They have the same FuelCell foam as New Balance’s Supercomp race lineup, but have a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) plate in them rather than the Energy Arc carbon fiber one like the race shoes. They also don’t have the steep price like a race shoe which was attractive!I ordered them in my normal size of 10.5 2E US and they feel nice and roomy in the toe box. The upper looks nice and airy based on my basic light testing. The midsole foam had an average of 25 HA from my Shore A Durometer over 6 datapoints and the outsole averaged 55 HA over 6 datapoints. The toe box measured 100.2 mm at the widest point and 78.8 mm at the big toe area. The heel upper measured 79 mm at the heel cup. The midsole forefoot measured 119 mm at the widest point and the heel at 96.1 mm. My normal daily training shoes are the ultra plush cushioned Hoka Bondi 8 which has an average 34 HA on my Shore A Durometer in the midsole foam. The foam just agrees with my feet and legs unlike some others. The shoes at 10.5 2E US weighed in at 307 and 311 grams each which is about 35 grams less than my Bondi 8’s! The one thing I noticed was an irregularity in the logo on the upper.I jumped on the treadmill for a quick minute to see how the Propel felt and there wasn’t anything I could feel that concerned me, so I headed outside to get a 5k jog in. I’m not a fast runner and really only started jogging last summer. I was surprised to look down at my watch to see that I was at just over 4 minutes at the first half mile. I ended up backing down and recorded a 10:02 first mile. The New Balance FuelCell foam has a great feel! It feels a lot like the foam in my Bondi 8’s. I can’t say that I feel much feedback from the TPU plate like I feel from the carbon fiber plate in my Puma Deviate Nitro first gen shoes. That said, it makes the Supercomp Trainer v2 with more cushioning and the Energy Arc carbon fiber plate even more interesting as a next shoe possibility since they are about 35 grams less than the Propel v4.6-18-24 update: I am more impressed with these shoes more than a month in and about 75 miles on them. You can see how the outsole is showing very little wear on the Propel v4 against my go to Hoka Bondi 8’s in the latest pictures. The Hoka’s have just about 12 miles more on them than the New Balance.8-4-24 update: I have two minor knocks against them. One is a knock on all white shoes and that is they are hard to keep clean. The second is that I’m starting to see some wear from my big toe in the right foot toe box as you can see in my latest picture.

I would really like to give these shoes 4.5/5 as they are such a fantastic shoe, but they do have some slight limitations.I’ve been wearing the NB FuelCell for nearly 2 years now and liked them so much I bought a second pair just to have a fresh rotation. They’ve been fantastic for running, walking, and cardio (Elliptical). They are comfortable, lightweight, and they absorb impact beautifully. I easily log 5 - 6 miles per walk/run, and these keep my feet feeling great with no blisters or joint fatigue.I recently started using my newer pair in the gym, and while they’re still comfortable for general training, they’re not ideal for weightlifting or stability work. The cushioning that makes them great for running doesn’t offer the flat, grounded feel you’d want for Leg focused or balance-based exercises. You’ll get a bit of “squish” under load, which can compromise form if you’re lifting heavy.That said, for walking, running, treadmill/elliptical work, or even all-day wear they’re hard to beat. Just be aware they’re not a substitute for cross-trainers or lifting shoes.

Love these shoes. For context, I average about 90 miles a month running. Prior to these shoes my rotation was: Hoka Mach X (124.8 miles), New Balance Rebel v3 (133.7 miles), and Adidas Duramo Speed (91.6 miles). Depending on what I am doing that day, I rotate accordingly. Wasn't really in the market for a new pair of shoes, but I couldn't pass up the deal on these. I am not a fast runner by any means. 51M, PB 5k 28:49, 10K 58:47, 15K 1:31:02, Half 2:19:05. Now down to the review.The upper is great. It is a knit type material and really soft. The shoe fits snug without being uncomfortable. The laces lock in really well and the shoe fits TTS.The foam is exactly what I expected from fuel cell. Having the rebel v3, I knew I was going to have a comfortable ride, but I was a little worried about feeling the plate. And while I did notice the plate, it was not a bother. I had planned on just knocking out a comfortable 6 miles when I laced them up, but found myself running closer to race pace than I had intended without putting in any more exertion than I did the day before for almost the same run.I have read the reviews talking about this shoe being a little heavy, but truly I did not notice that. It is supposed to be 0.2 oz heavier than the Mach X, but on my foot it feels lighter than the Mach X. I plan on slotting this one in as a race day shoe and alternating with the Mach X for longer 80% runs.Overall, this is a great shoe that I would highly recommend.

God fit and comfort

I use the shoes for walking, it's my second pair so clearly I like the performance of them. My only drawback comment and why I gave it three stars is for this price I would have expected the shoes to being good shape for longer than four or five months. At the 6-month mark they were showing visible wear in the shoe itself (upper), the tread was normal wear but the shoe just started giving out. The second pair that it's happened to. I typically walk about 12 to 15 miles a week. So perhaps 250 to 300 Mi over that length of time. The average should be 350 to 500 miles.

As good as Hokas. Similar rocker design. Very cushy. Fairly stable. Not for trails as such.