The Asics Novablast 4 and New Balance Rebel v4 take a different approach to delivering a versatile ride for daily training. The Novablast 4 is a max-cushioned shoe with a big stack of comfortable foam and a rocker, while the Rebel v4 is a lightweight, relatively low-stack shoe with a bouncy PEBA/EVA foam in the midsole. We like both shoes, but which should you get? Tom, Mike and Nick deliver their verdict here.
Check out our full reviews of both shoes:
New Balance Rebel v4 Review:
Asics Novablast 4 Review:
JUMP STRAIGHT IN:
00:00 – Intro
00:13 – Design & Key Stats
02:20 – How’s The Fit?
05:21 – The Run Tests
15:08 – Verdict
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Hello and welcome to run testers my name Is Nick and in this video we're going to Be comparing the aex NOA blast 4 and the New Balance Rebel [Music] V4 so the no blast and the rebel are Both versatile daily training shoes the Rebel is pitched slightly more as a Speed Focus shoe but we've all enjoyed It as a general daily trainer and the Overlast is almost a Max cushion but Still quite lightweight ver St daily Trainer that again we're all quite big Fans of they're very similar in price With the rebel being £140 or $140 and The no blast 4 being $135 or $140 the rebel is the lighter shoe it's 219 g or 7.7 o in a UK 9.5 whereas no Blast I've got here is a uk9 and it's Still Fair bit heavier it's 270 G or 9.5 O got a 6 mm drop in the rebel and an 8 Mm drop in the Nova blast the rebel is The lower stack shoe which is one of the Reasons to Fair a bit lighter it's 30 mm High at the hill 24 mm at the 4T whereas The no blast is 41.5 MM at the heel and 33.5 at the 4ot W no blast you've got a Woven mesh upper quite a lot of padding Around the back of the shoe not too much On the tongue itself but really a lot of Padding at the back and then this Internal heel counter to add a little Bit more structure to the back of the Upper you got an FF blast plus Eco foam
Midso with side walls of foam to Increase stability it's obviously a very High stack shoe uh for a daily trainer But it's still pretty stable thanks to That design you've got ahar low rubber Out on the shoe pretty firm material With all the key imp areas covered there To ensure good durability and grip with The rebel V4 you've got a very Lightweight mesh upper with a really Quite a wide 4ot design here there's Still a little bit of padding around the Back of the shoe despite the fact it is Such a lightweight shoe but overall it's An upper that's built mainly to be light And Speedy rather than offer a lot of Structure and support you have a fuel Cell midso which is a new version of Fuel cell for the rebel V4 it's a blend Of peber and Eva it's wider and higher Than past Rubble shoes and should have a Little bit more softness and bounce Compared to the previous versions of Fuel cell that haven't used those peam In there as well then it comes to the Out soole you've got pretty good rubber Coverage especially on the for foot just A couple of strips at the back there's Quite a bit of exposed foam in the Middle of the shoe there but the key Impact area should be covered you can Really see how wide the rebel is by Looking at the bottom of the shoe it's You know comparable or even wider than
The Nova blast which has a much higher Stack which is one of the big changes to The rebel V4 to make it a slightly more Supportive shoe for longer [Music] Runs so in terms of fit I would say Generally it's been pretty good for me On both of these shoes but I would say I Have had them in different size Now I've had the no blast 4 in a UK size Eight that is my typical running shoe Size across most brands now the New Balance real V4 was sent to me in the UK 8 and a half but actually I think that's Kind of worked out for me in the end Because I feel like if I'd gone my usual Size it might have been a little bit too Snug so I think there is an argument to Say go half size up in the New Balance Shoe compared to the no blast 4 which I Think fits more true size for me on my Kind of skinnier feet other thing I Would say the general fits of the shoes I think there's some similarities but Obviously you are definitely getting More padding in the Nova blast 4 whether That's kind of in the general upper the Kind of Hill color compared to the Reel V4 so if you like something that sits a Little bit more snug hugs a little bit More to your feet then I think you're Going to get that more on the Nova blast 4 the rebel V4 is just a lot thinner It's a lot lighter um you just kind of
Noticed that in terms of that fit the Kind of lock down the tongue and lace is Very similar for me that's what I found I've had no issues in terms of kind of The kind of Hill rub or lock down at the Kind of Hill color as well so I think You're getting good kind of you know Experience there as well so I think the Things for me here is that there may be An argument to get half a size up in the New band shoe I think if you're looking For a more comfortable hugging kind of Snug fitting upper in general then I Think you're going to get that more than The NOA Blast for but overall I think The fits for me in my sizes and the size I've gone for have been absolutely fine So the fit for me in these two shoes in The Nova blast 4 I'm a size eight in the UK uh both of these are size eights in The UK in the overlast 4 I have no Issues at all I found it very Comfortable there's plenty of space in The 4 foot for me um it's not the widest Shoe but I didn't have any issues with It at all uh so I definitely stated my Size in the Nova blast 4 the rebel I Have actually found that in my UK size 8 It's a little bit small and I did get a Bit of tow rubbing I very rarely get That with shoes in my size um so I would Size up half a size in the rebel I found It to be very com Able Shoe apart from a Bit of toe rubbing on my big toe but um
Yeah I'd size up half a size in this Shoe so comes the fit I have no concerns All about the aex no blast 4 which I Have in my normal run Sho size the same Size I use across all aex shoes yeah no Concerns at all there I would stick with Your normal size with the no blast four With the rebel I've got a half a size up On my normal size because past Rebels Have been quite tight fitting so I'm a Uk9 which of new new balance is a US 9.5 It's a US 10 in the Nova blast so Sometimes in New Balance shoes they can Come up a little bit short for me a Little bit cramped so I did end up with A half size up but actually I don't Think I needed to do that I think i' Probably would have been better off Sticking with my normal size because it Is quite roomy around the front of Sho Especially the back of the forefoot and I have quite a narrow foot this hasn't Been a problem throughout my testing I Found it a comfortable fit but it's Something to look out for if you do have A narrow foot because it is quite a wide Upper to go with the wide base of the [Music] Shoe so these two shoes are both shoes That I I really enjoy I quite like both Of these shoes uh I think the Nova blast Uh four is probably um my second Favorite version out of the four Nova Blasts that have been created um the
Thing I like about the most recent no Blast is that uh the new foam in it just Feels a little bit more responsive a Little bit poier uh and I found it to be A very enjoyable daily shoe to wear I've Used this shoe quite a bit for um Tempo Sessions daily sessions things like that And I found it to be really solid shoe For for those sorts of runs the no last 3 I found to be a bit dull didn't really Enjoy it very much uh and didn't really Tend to use it that much for many runs Um as a daily shoe I think that uh the Nova Blast 3 really didn't really Deliver when you were trying to pick up The pace it wasn't a very versatile shoe I think the Nova blast 4 is a lot more Versatile than that shoe uh it's a lot More enjoyable to run in uh I find the Foam uh isn't too soft um but has you Can use it really nicely for easy days Uh but also it just has a little bit Energy return in it and works quite well If you need to pick up the pace it's not As fast as a shoe like the S Dophin Speed 4 um but it's still quite a nice Versatile shoe I think skews a little Bit more towards the slower efforts but Very much enjoy testing the shoe I think It's a very solid daily shoe now the New Balance Rebel V4 I haven't used a rebel Since the original the original Rebel Was very very different than what we've Got here um and uh so when I picked up
This year I was quite excited to try it Because I've heard some very good things For other run testers as well as other Reviewers um and it didn't disappoint uh This shoe is fantastically it feels very Light on feet it feels like it's got a Lovely bit of turnover um it's quite a Subtle shoe it doesn't feel particularly Bouncy for me it doesn't feel like uh There's loads of soft midsole in it it Just feels very subtle and comfortable And nice to wear it's really easy to Pick up the pace in this shoe um it's Quite comfortable for running slower Efforts in as well uh it's just a really Nice solid um versatile shoe uh I'd Definitely say it's a faster shoe than The Nova blast 4 I feel I can really Pick up the pace in this shoe uh I've Been using it um over the past couple of Weeks for some of my faster Tempo Efforts for Boston marathon training um And it's great for that it just really Allows you to pick up the pace without Being um too noticeable in there's no Plate in it or anything like that so It's just a very comfortable natural Feeling shoe um that really does allow You to pick up the pace nice because it Just feels so light and Nimble when You're out running in it but also there There is quite a lot of midell foam in Here so it is really comfortable shoe to Wear uh when you're doing longer runs as
Well so really big fan of the new New Balance Rebel V4 I think it's a Fantastic shoe probably uh might be uh My pick for best daily shoe of the year Not sure yet there's probably a lot more Daily shoes to come but so far really Enjoying the shoe I think it's um Fantastic um option but I also really Like the no blast 4 as well uh the outso On these SHO so uh pretty similar in Terms of the grip um I think the grip on The New Balance uh Rebel V4 is a little Bit better it's a little bit tackier a Little bit stickier uh I've been out Running in the wet tonight it's tipping It down in Brighton um and I was running On some quite uneven ground absolutely Fine had no issues at all think it's Really good no blast 4 outsa fine on This I've not had any issues there were Some issues with earlier versions of the Nova blast um I believe the three I Think had a bit of grip issue uh but This I've had no issues at all I think It's absolutely fine but I do prefer the New Balance Rebel V4 outso so I've Really enjoyed testing both the rebel V4 And the ax Nova Blast for I think They're both first tile daily trainers That skew towards slightly different Ends of the scale you've got the max Cushioned Nova blast that is very good For easy and long runs in particular It's a comfortable shoe with that big
Stack of cushioning Under Foot whereas New balance is built a little bit more To be a Nimble lightweight speed ster But with the fourth version of the shoe In particular I do think it now is more Of a daily trainer than an out and outp Speed shoe because of the wide design Can still do far stuff I've gone down The track in this shoe and enjoyed it But I think you've now got that wider More supportive Bas a softer foam and it Is a very first style daily trainer that Actually feels a bit higher stack than It is like I know the no blast is Considerably higher stack but the rebel Doesn't at all feel like a a minimalist Shoe or a shoe where you're missing out On loads of foam on the foot it is very Comfortable done a mix of runs in both These shoes including long runs workouts And just kind of General daily training And like I said I've enjoyed both of Them the aex is a bigger shoe and the Ride is more rocked you can feel the Higher drop compared to the no blast I Would say and it's not as squishy as Either past no blast or even actually The rebel it's got a slightly firmer Feel and a more smooth transition than The no blast is sometimes be known for Being quite a wobbly and very bouncy and Exciting shoe I think it's been tained Down a little bit with an over blast 4 But I do think the rides actually
Improved for me compared to past no Blast because it is now smoother and The Rocker is more noticeable for me New Balance has a slightly flatter ride Because of the lower drop there and You've got a foam that has a bit more Bounce than you get from the NOA blast 4 It's definitely lighter on the foot as Well than the NOA blast there is a quite A big difference in weight here and Although although the nose blast doesn't Feel very heavy the New Balance does Feel very light and that helps when You're picking up your feet on short Sharp reps in particular as I mentioned It is a much wider shoe than previous Versions and that does give you a really Nice supportive feel when you're on long Runs especially Long Easy runs and for Me it hasn't really sacrificed the Nimbleness and speed of past Rebels Which were a little bit narrower think You still get that but now of a more Supportive design for those long runs That make it a more versatile shoe as a Daily trainer so I did a short run where I was wearing both shoes at the same Time and I could really feel the uh more Rocket design of the aex on that run and The certainly the lightness and the Nimbleness of the new mallets in Comparison to the ax which feels just Much like a much more substantial shoe On the foot and that's good in a way
Gives you that support you got the extra Cushioning there but don't really feel You lack support and cushioning with the New balance and it is a lot lighter Whether or not you feel that the new Balance is cushioned enough for those Easy runs might depend a little bit on The type of Runner you are like I'm a Fairly lightweight Runner with a low Impact shuffling style so maybe I don't Need a load of FO under the foot to Really protect the legs that well and Maybe some people will unlock a little Bit more bounce from the Nova Blast by Putting a bit more Force into it either By being heavier or with a more Impactful running style maybe more of a Loping running style but I feel the Bounce from the new balance and it feels Certainly cushioned enough for me over Long distances I've gone up to 1550 Miles in the shoe very comfortably and Would be happy looking at it as a great Like Marathon racing option if you're Not going to use a plated shoe no blast Certainly is cushion enough for long Runs I've enjoyed my long runs in the Shoe but actually at times maybe it's a Little bit too big I'd say just for easy And short cruises whereas that's never The case to the New Balance like it's a Wide shoe but it's very light and Nimble That said if you are just looking for a Shoe purely to use for easy runs and
Long runs no blasts extra cushioning and Slightly more supportive all round Design I think might give a little Edge For lots of people then the other end of The scale you're certainly going to get More speed out of New Balance if you Looking for a daily trainer that can Handle those fast sessions okay so into That run test I'll start by saying that I've enjoyed running in both of these Shoes and I do think there's some Overlap in terms of the types of runs That they can work for but I do think There's some clear differences that Alter a kind of influence experience That you're going to get running in These shoes now the first thing I'll Talk about I think the key thing here is The weight of these shoes the new bance Is significantly lighter than the NOA Blast 4 now this isn't a NOA blast 4 Isn't a kind of chunky kind of Cumbersome shoe to run in but I do think If you're looking for the lighter of the Two Shoes then it's the New Balance reel V4 that you want now in terms of the Ride I think you're getting bounce there I think you're getting a nice rocket in Both of the issues but I do think There's more of a faster kind of racing Fi Edge to the ride in the um Rael V4 Where I think that in the know blast 4 I Think has a touch more versatility for Me when if you want to ease off and run
A little bit slower I still do think it Has that kind of faster Edge to it um You know if you do want to run more Up Tempo in it but I think if you want to Ease off the nature of that midsole the Level of cushioning just makes it a Little bit nicer to do that in I think When I've tried to do that I tried to go Out and E off in the new B Rebel V4 it Hasn't really felt like it wanted me to Do that it's always kind of wanted to Get me through up onto my toes while I Think you get that on the no blast 4 I Think it just feels a little bit Smoother a little bit less aggressive For me I think and that's kind of really Counted by the fact that the cushioning And midsole kind of works against it Wanting you to do that and also the Weight I think I think these are shoes That you can run kind of pretty Up Tempo In I think if you wanted to race in a Shoe you would probably want to do it in The new B Rebel V4 but these are shoes That you can log a lot of time in I just Think that if you wanted something That's a little bit more on The Versatile side then the over Blast for Is going to give you a little bit more That just naturally because of the way That midsole kind of works when you're Running a little bit quicker or want to Ease off and start to Tire outso wise You're getting more material on the Nova
Blast fors outso the traction and grip Side of things absolutely fine on both Of these shoes but I think from a kind Of durability point of view you're going To get more life out of the Nova Blast For so that's something you're looking For from your kind of daily trainer then I think the no blast 4 is going to give You more on that front I've got more Mileage in the no blast 4 But ultimately I'm not seeing terrible wear in my time In the new batch Rebel V4 so far the Kind of rubber cover is a bit more kind Of strategic in terms of what you're Getting here on the New Balance shoe Whereas I think there's just you know There's more of it on the Nova blast 4 So from a durability point of VI I think You're probably going to get a little Bit more from the overlast 4 But Ultimately I think two kind of very Impressive daily trainer shoes I think Daily train is slightly built Differently I think can work for the Same types of runs or similar types of Runs but I think one shoe works or hit a Little bit more on The Versatile side I Think that would be the no blast 4 for Me where I think the rebel V4 definitely Has a more faster Edge to it and Necessarily want you to ease off Particularly the kind of Paces I'm Running it it definitely kind of feels Focused to get you kind of run quicker
In your kind of daily training [Music] Runs so my take on whether you should go For the aex NOA blast 4 or the new B Rebel V4 now my take is these are both Very good daily trainers but if you want One that is going to be better built for Faster runs or faster training runs I Would be going for the new bance Rebel V4 it's light It's got that bounce there it's got that Kind of nice rocket to it and it just Feels nice to run quicker in no bus 4 Absolutely has it and it's will has to Do that as well too but I think Ultimately it's a lot more versatile Than the rebel V4 particularly if you Easing off and wanting to run slow and It definitely does want you to run Quicker in this shoe but I think because Of what you're getting in the midsole Because of what you're getting in terms Of out sole the general fit of this shoe I think you're going to get something That's going to feel more accommodating At a mixture of Paces comp compared to The rebel V4 I think they're both Fantastic shoes if I had to pick based On the type of daily trainer I normally Go for I would be going for the rebel V4 But I think ultimately these are two Shoes you're not going to really make a Mistake going with I think as I said you Want that faster daily trainer Speedy
Daily trainer Phil go for the rebel V4 If you want that shoe that can give you That as well too but can let you ease Off and feel comfortable to do that and Give you a little bit more durability I Think overall then i' would be going for The no blast 4 so the verdict is that I Think there's quite a lot of overlap Between these two shoes but at the same Time they are daily trainers that skew At slightly different ends and you could Almost pair both of them in a rotation If you like your cushion Sho still be Quite lightweight like the Nova blast is And you're not going for an allout Max Cushion shoe something like the ax GEL Nimbus or something like that for your Easy runs Nova blast is a very Accomplished easy run shoe with a bit of Versatility at the top end the new Balance is a very good daily trainer for Steady and faster runs and can do those Easy runs as well thanks to the more Supportive and higher stack design you Have with the new model I certainly Prefer the new balanc Rebel as the all Round shoe just cuz I really like that Light design I find it really Comfortable and I certainly find it Speedier than the ax so i' be looking at The new balance as a very versatile Daily trainer and for me I'd probably Pick up the nose blast more just as a Cushion shoe for my rotation if I was
Going to look at it like that so if you Are just looking for a pure cushion shoe I think no blast might still Edge it but All around I think the new balance is The more versatile shoe and the more Enjoyable shoe to use for a range of Runs there might be some differences on Feeling like that though if you are like I say a heavier Runner or a newer Runner I think the no blast is a fantastic all Round the shoe that you can use for Everything and I like the fact it's the A bit lighter and more versatile than Kind of traditional very cushion shoes That are just a bit Hefty you got that Really good rocker on the shoe that does Make it a little bit better for speedier Runs than most shoes with this amount of Cushioning Under Foot but if you are Looking for a really versatile shoe in General I definitely think the rebel is The more versatile shoe and I do like The updates to the four in that it does Give you that extra comfort and support On long runs just really ticking that Box a lot more because with past Versions of the rebel I wasn't sure if I Really was going to enjoy doing very Long runs in them because they just felt A little bit thin underfoot don't get That feeling with a rebel V4 it's Comfortable supportive and still a nice Sprightly shoe when you are going to run Fast so my verdict on these two shoes so
I like both of these shoes I think They're both really good daily shoe Options uh I don't think you can really Go wrong with either of them I think it Really comes down to the um speed that You're wanting to run in these shoes and The types of run that you're trying to Do in them uh I think the noas 4 is a Very solid comfortable um relatively Versatile allrounder that most people Would get on with and could use as a Shoe that uh sits in as their daily shoe Uh or somebody who just wants more pair Of shoes and maybe is doing all of their Runs in it you could probably even Comfortably do a marathon in the shoe It's absolutely fine comfortable um Definitely protects the legs over long Distance um and just has a nice bit of Cushioning in it um but when you're Doing faster sessions like uh Tempo runs Intervals things like that I think the New bands Rebel V4 really comes into its Own it's just a little bit um more Nimble it's just a little bit faster it Just feels a little bit leaner on the Feet so I would definitely say the New Balance Rebel V4 just got a bit more to It um so for that reason I'm going to Pick this based on the type of running That I'm doing I also think that they're Both equal when it comes to those easier Runs as well I think the Midol foam in Both of these um does fantastic job at
Those comfortable runs recovery runs Long runs all those sorts of things but The new band Rebel V4 just skews better Towards um running a bit faster in uh And that's what I want from my daily Shoot so I'm going to go for the new B Balance Rebel V4 all the way but I still Like the no blast uh 4 [Music] That's our comparison of the no blast 4 And the rebel V4 let us know what you Think in the comments below please like Subscribe ring the little bell and we'll See you next Time
