Mach 6 vs FuelCell Rebel 4

The Hoka Mach 6 is one of the best value do-it-all trainers going, a lightweight road shoe that punches well above its £140 price. It sits in that useful middle ground between a soft daily trainer and a firm racer, so it can handle your easy miles in the week and still come alive when you pick up the pace on tempo day. At 232g with a 5mm drop it feels quick and unfussy underfoot, and the bouncy supercritical foam gives you a lively toe-off without the harshness of a plated racing shoe. There is no carbon plate here, which keeps the ride natural and forgiving. We rate it as a genuine one-shoe solution for runners who want a single pair for most of their training. If you are chasing a marathon PB you will want a plated shoe on race day, but for everything in the build up the Mach 6 is hard to beat. The Mach 7 refines the formula, though the 6 is often the smarter buy on price.

The FuelCell Rebel v4 is New Balance at its most fun: a lightweight, plateless tempo shoe built to make quick running feel easy. At 212g it is properly light, and there is no carbon plate here, so the pop comes straight from a soft, springy FuelCell midsole rather than a stiff propulsion board. That makes it one of the more versatile speed shoes going. You can rip a session in it, float through a steady long run, then use it as a do-everything daily trainer the next morning. It sits in that sweet spot between a cushioned daily and a race shoe, and it does it for a fair RRP. If you want a single pair to cover most of your mileage without buying a rotation, this is a strong pick. The newer Rebel v5 has since arrived, so the v4 is often the smarter buy on price. Just do not expect the locked-in, aggressive feel of a plated racer. This one is about bounce and freedom, not rigidity.