Brooks Trace 4 vs Revel 8

Which Running Shoe Is Better?

Products

Brooks Trace 4
Brooks Revel 8

Tested using Methodology v0.15

Updated Sep 03, 2026 03:45 PM

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Amazon

Tested using Methodology v0.8.2

Updated Aug 03, 2026 07:29 PM

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Brooks Trace 4 Picture

Track

Brooks Revel 8 Picture

Track

Our Verdict

Brooks Trace 4

Brooks Revel 8

The Brooks Trace 4 and Brooks Revel 8 are very similar shoes. They're both intended for gym work and lifestyle wear as much as running. They're both very stable underfoot, with poor impact protection that prioritizes feedback from the road over bounce or energy. If you're a heel striker, the Trace 4's higher drop will suit you better; otherwise, there's not much to differentiate them, so get whichever is on sale or in a color you prefer.

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Variants

  • Trace 4 (Black/Cobalt/White - (Men - US 9))
  • Trace 4 (Black/Ebony/Dusty Olive - (Men - US 9))
  • Revel 8 (Black/Black - (Men - US 9))
  • Revel 8 (Black/Black - (Women - US 7))
Read more

Main Differences for
Half/Full Marathon Racing

Threshold 

0.10

Half/Full Marathon Racing 
 

4.8
4.2

Plate 
 

None
None

Forefoot Compression Energy Return 
 

4.9
3.0

Full Comparison

Design

Weight  

5.8
6.1

Right Shoe Weight Photo 
 

Compare High-Res
Brooks Trace 4 Right Shoe Weight Photo
Compare High-Res
Brooks Revel 8 Right Shoe Weight Photo

Left Shoe Weight Photo 
 

Compare High-Res
Brooks Trace 4 Left Shoe Weight Photo
Compare High-Res
Brooks Revel 8 Left Shoe Weight Photo

Weight 
 

266.4 g (9.40 oz)
259.2 g (9.14 oz)

Stack Heights 
 

Stack Height Photo 
 

Compare High-Res
Brooks Trace 4 Stack Height Photo
Compare High-Res
Brooks Revel 8 Stack Height Photo

Heel Stack Height 
 

33.8 mm
33.4 mm

Forefoot Stack Height 
 

22.2 mm
24.8 mm

Heel-To-Toe Drop 
 

11.6 mm
8.6 mm

Advertised Heel-To-Toe Drop 
 

12.0 mm
8.0 mm

External Shape 
 

3D Model Full Shoe  

Preview 3D
Brooks Trace 4 3D Model Full Shoe
Preview 3D
Brooks Revel 8 3D Model Full Shoe

Outsole Heel Width 
 

92 mm (3.6")
89 mm (3.5")

Outsole Arch Width 
 

69 mm (2.7")
71 mm (2.8")

Outsole Forefoot Width 
 

113 mm (4.4")
111 mm (4.4")

Heel Width-To-Stack Ratio 
 

2.72
2.66

Forefoot Width-To-Stack Ratio 
 

5.09
4.48

Internal Shape 
 

3D Model Internal  

Preview 3D
Brooks Trace 4 3D Model Internal
Preview 3D
Brooks Revel 8 3D Model Internal

Internal Length 
 

278 mm (10.9")
283 mm (11.1")

Internal Heel Width 
 

78 mm (3.1")
68 mm (2.7")

Internal Forefoot Width 
 

90 mm (3.5")
94 mm (3.7")

Wide Sizing Available 
 

Yes
Yes

Forefoot Fit: Width 
 

9.6

Forefoot Width Photo  

Brooks Trace 4 Forefoot Width Photo

Ball-Of-Foot TTS Deviation 
 

1.9 mm (0.074")

Toe TTS Deviation 
 

2.3 mm (0.091")

Forefoot Fit: Height 
 

7.6

Forefoot Height Photo  

Brooks Trace 4 Forefoot Height Photo

Toe TTS Deviation 
 

-2.8 mm (-0.112")

Arch Fit: Width 
 

7.7

Arch Fit Photo  

Brooks Trace 4 Arch Fit Photo

Arch Width TTS Deviation 
 

-3.8 mm (-0.148")

Length Fit 
 

10

Toe Clearance Photo  

Brooks Trace 4 Toe Clearance Photo

Heel Rocker Geometry 
 

5.8

Heel Rocker Photo  

Brooks Trace 4 Heel Rocker Photo

Heel Spring 
 

16 mm (0.6")

Heel Apex Position 
 

12.4%

Heel Rocker Angle 
 

24.0°

Forefoot Rocker Geometry 
 

6.7

Forefoot Rocker Photo  

Brooks Trace 4 Forefoot Rocker Photo

Toe Spring 
 

46 mm (1.8")

Toe Apex Position 
 

63.9%

Forefoot Rocker Angle 
 

23.7°

Foam 
 

Primary Foam Picture  

Brooks Trace 4 Primary Foam Picture

Secondary Foam Picture  

Brooks Trace 4 Secondary Foam Picture

Primary Foam Name 
 

DNA LOFT v2

Primary Foam Type 
 

EVA

Secondary Foam Name 
 

N/A

Secondary Foam Type 
 

No Secondary Foam

Laces 
 

Laces Picture  

Brooks Trace 4 Laces Picture

Lace Type 
 

Flat

Width 
 

5.0 mm (0.2")

Thickness 
 

2.4 mm (0.1")

Stretch 
 

13.0%

Other Features  

Other Features Photo 
 

Compare High-Res
Brooks Trace 4 Other Features Photo
Compare High-Res
Brooks Revel 8 Other Features Photo

Tongue Gusset Type 
 

Non-gusseted
Non-gusseted

Plate 
 

None
None
Performance

Heel Compression Energy Return 
 

2.3
1.4

Heel Compression Video  

Heel Energy Return  

 Preview Graph
Brooks Trace 4 Heel Energy Return
 Preview Graph
Brooks Revel 8 Heel Energy Return

Heel Energy Return 
 

68.4%
66.4%

Forefoot Compression Energy Return 
 

4.9
3.0

Forefoot Compression Video  

Forefoot Energy Return  

 Preview Graph
Brooks Trace 4 Forefoot Energy Return
 Preview Graph
Brooks Revel 8 Forefoot Energy Return

Forefoot Energy Return 
 

71.8%
69.5%

Heel Cushioning 
 

6.5
5.6

Heel Cushioning Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Brooks Trace 4 Heel Cushioning Picture
Compare High-Res
Brooks Revel 8 Heel Cushioning Picture

Heel Cushioning  

 Preview Graph
Brooks Trace 4 Heel Cushioning
 Preview Graph
Brooks Revel 8 Heel Cushioning

Energy Absorbed At 550N 
 

2.92 J
2.45 J

Energy Absorbed At 1100N 
 

8.09 J
7.27 J

Energy Absorbed At 1900N 
 

14.39 J
13.13 J

Forefoot Cushioning 
 

4.5
5.1

Forefoot Cushioning Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Brooks Trace 4 Forefoot Cushioning Picture
Compare High-Res
Brooks Revel 8 Forefoot Cushioning Picture

Forefoot Cushioning  

 Preview Graph
Brooks Trace 4 Forefoot Cushioning
 Preview Graph
Brooks Revel 8 Forefoot Cushioning

Energy Absorbed At 800N 
 

2.88 J
3.01 J

Energy Absorbed At 1300N 
 

4.90 J
5.59 J

Energy Absorbed At 2050N 
 

7.32 J
8.72 J

Heel Firmness 
 

8.9
6.5

Heel Firmness  

 Preview Graph
Brooks Revel 8 Heel Firmness

Heel Firmness Graph  

 Preview Graph
Brooks Trace 4 Heel Firmness Graph

Firmness At 550N 
 

52.7 N/mm
69.2 N/mm

Firmness At 1100N 
 

64.9 N/mm
122.7 N/mm

Firmness At 1900N 
 

89.2 N/mm
262.9 N/mm

Forefoot Firmness 
 

10
8.8

Forefoot Firmness  

 Preview Graph
Brooks Revel 8 Forefoot Firmness

Forefoot Firmness Graph  

 Preview Graph
Brooks Trace 4 Forefoot Firmness Graph

Firmness At 800N 
 

92.9 N/mm
145.3 N/mm

Firmness At 1300N 
 

122.8 N/mm
266.9 N/mm

Firmness At 2050N 
 

170 N/mm
477.2 N/mm

Forefoot Long Run Cushioning 
 

3.9

Forefoot Long Run Cushioning  

 Preview Graph
Brooks Trace 4 Forefoot Long Run Cushioning

Energy Absorbed At 10km 
 

4.54 J

Energy Absorbed At 20km 
 

4.35 J

Energy Absorbed At 30km 
 

4.23 J

Energy Absorbed At 40km 
 

4.14 J

Rocker Stiffness 
 

6.8

Forefoot Rocker Stiffness Video  

Forefoot Rocker Stiffness Graph  

 Preview Graph
Brooks Trace 4 Forefoot Rocker Stiffness Graph

Force To Flatten The Rocker 
 

79 N

Forefoot Bending Energy Return 
 

2.9

Forefoot Bending Video  

Forefoot Bending Energy Return  

 Preview Graph
Brooks Trace 4 Forefoot Bending Energy Return

Forefoot Bending Energy Return 
 

49.7%

Forefoot Bending Stiffness 
 

4.0

Forefoot Bending Resistance Picture  

Brooks Trace 4 Forefoot Bending Resistance Picture

Forefoot Bending Resistance  

 Preview Graph
Brooks Trace 4 Forefoot Bending Resistance

Forefoot Bending Stiffness 
 

-3.4 N/mm

Forefoot Bending Force 
 

289 N

Heel Compression Depth 
 

5.0

Heel Compression Graph  

 Preview Graph
Brooks Trace 4 Heel Compression Graph

Heel Compression At 550N 
 

10.4 mm

Heel Compression At 1100N 
 

16.9 mm

Heel Compression At 1900N 
 

21.3 mm

Forefoot Compression Depth 
 

3.7

Forefoot Compression Graph  

 Preview Graph
Brooks Trace 4 Forefoot Compression Graph

Forefoot Compression At 800N 
 

8.6 mm

Forefoot Compression At 1300N 
 

10.6 mm

Forefoot Compression At 2050N 
 

12.1 mm

Brooks Trace 4

Brooks Revel 8

Comments

  1. Comparison

Brooks Trace 4 vs Brooks Revel 8: Main Discussion

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