New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Trainer v3 vs On Cloudsurfer Max:
Which to Choose

The clearest divide is the plate and the foam that surrounds it. The SuperComp Trainer v3 pairs a full-length carbon plate with soft, springy PEBA-based FuelCell, so it compresses and rebounds with real bounce and rolls you forward once you commit to the pace; it scores 6/6 for responsiveness and is happiest on uptempo and marathon-progression efforts, with its best zone around 4:00-4:45 min/km. The Cloudsurfer Max has no plate at all; its Helion EVA/OBC foam shaped into wide CloudTec pods feels firm, grounded and controlled rather than lively (3/6 responsiveness), giving back medium energy and running out of pop if you try to push much past 5:00-5:30 min/km. On cushioning they're close (6/6 vs 5/6) and both pile on the stack, but the New Balance sits taller at 40 mm heel / 34 mm forefoot versus the On's 37 mm / 29 mm, and it's the lighter of the two, roughly 261 g against the Cloudsurfer Max's 292 g, which matters over a long, fast effort. The trade-off shows up in stability: the Cloudsurfer Max's wide, firm platform is the steadier, more planted ride (4/6) and stays composed at slow speeds, whereas the SuperComp Trainer's tall, energetic stack rates 3/6 and can feel slightly tippy at a jog before it settles once you speed up. Drop is similar but not identical, 6 mm on the New Balance versus roughly 8 mm on the On, so the Cloudsurfer eases a touch more toward the heel. In short: same broad category, opposite personalities, one a propulsive do-it-all trainer, the other a comfort-first mileage cruiser.