New Balance FuelCell Rebel v4 vs Adidas Adizero Evo SL:
Which to Choose

Start with the foam, because that is what drives both shoes — nitrogen-infused FuelCell PEBA in the Rebel, full-length Lightstrike Pro (also PEBA-class) in the Evo SL — and in both cases there is no plate doing the work, just soft-yet-springy foam that rewards a quick, purposeful footstrike. Where they genuinely diverge is geometry and weight. The Rebel v4 sits at 30mm heel / 24mm forefoot, while the Evo SL is noticeably taller at 38mm / 32mm; both land on the same 6mm drop, but the Adidas gives you roughly 8mm more stack front and back, which translates to a more protective, longer-legged ride. The Rebel answers back on the scale: in a men's 9 it comes in around 6.9 oz versus about 7.9 oz for the Evo SL, so the New Balance is the lighter, more immediate shoe — transitions feel quicker and the platform sits closer to the ground, which also makes it the steadier of the two at speed. The Evo SL's extra foam is exactly why it earns the higher cushioning rating; it carries more comfort into the back half of a half marathon, but that tall, soft neutral base is also the more tippy of the two at easy paces, and both shoes share the classic soft-fast-foam caveat of exposed, lightly-covered outsoles that wear faster than an everyday trainer. In short: same mission, same formula, but the Rebel is the lower-slung, lighter, more connected-to-the-road option, and the Evo SL trades a little immediacy for more cushion and a more cushioned long-rep feel.