New Balance Fresh Foam 520v9 vs Brooks Revel 9

Which Running Shoe Is Better?

Products

New Balance Fresh Foam 520v9
Brooks Revel 9

Tested using Methodology v0.15

Updated Sep 03, 2026 04:09 PM

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Amazon

Tested using Methodology v0.15

Updated Sep 03, 2026 03:44 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon
New Balance Fresh Foam 520v9 Picture

Track

Brooks Revel 9 Picture

Track

Our Verdict

New Balance Fresh Foam 520v9

Brooks Revel 9

The New Balance Fresh Foam 520v9 is a slightly better daily trainer than the Brooks Revel 9. Though both provide sub-par impact protection and excitement underfoot, the New Balance is the lighter, more stable, and snappier of the two. The Brooks has the higher drop, so heel strikers may prefer its ride, but it costs considerably more without delivering a clear performance advantage.

 

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Variants

  • Fresh Foam 520v9 (Angora/Blue Oyster - (Women - US 7))
  • Fresh Foam 520v9 (Black/Black/Black Metallic - (Women - US 7))
  • Revel 9 (Black/Black/Rose Gold - (Women - US 7))
  • Revel 9 (Black/Ebony/Biscuit - (Men - US 9))

Main Differences for
Half/Full Marathon Racing

Threshold 

0.10

Half/Full Marathon Racing 
 

6.1
5.0

Forefoot Stack Height 
 

30.3 mm
24.9 mm

Heel Stack Height 
 

36.8 mm
33.8 mm

Forefoot Long Run Cushioning 
 

4.1
4.9

Full Comparison

Design

Weight  

6.2
5.9

Right Shoe Weight Photo 
 

Compare High-Res
New Balance Fresh Foam 520v9 Right Shoe Weight Photo
Compare High-Res
Brooks Revel 9 Right Shoe Weight Photo

Left Shoe Weight Photo 
 

Compare High-Res
New Balance Fresh Foam 520v9 Left Shoe Weight Photo
Compare High-Res
Brooks Revel 9 Left Shoe Weight Photo

Weight 
 

256.1 g (9.03 oz)
263.8 g (9.31 oz)

Stack Heights 
 

Stack Height Photo 
 

Compare High-Res
New Balance Fresh Foam 520v9 Stack Height Photo
Compare High-Res
Brooks Revel 9 Stack Height Photo

Heel Stack Height 
 

36.8 mm
33.8 mm

Forefoot Stack Height 
 

30.3 mm
24.9 mm

Heel-To-Toe Drop 
 

6.5 mm
8.9 mm

Advertised Heel-To-Toe Drop 
 

10.0 mm
8.0 mm

External Shape 
 

3D Model Full Shoe  

Preview 3D
New Balance Fresh Foam 520v9 3D Model Full Shoe
Preview 3D
Brooks Revel 9 3D Model Full Shoe

Outsole Heel Width 
 

89 mm (3.5")
89 mm (3.5")

Outsole Arch Width 
 

83 mm (3.3")
77 mm (3.0")

Outsole Forefoot Width 
 

116 mm (4.6")
113 mm (4.4")

Heel Width-To-Stack Ratio 
 

2.42
2.63

Forefoot Width-To-Stack Ratio 
 

3.83
4.53

Internal Shape 
 

3D Model Internal  

Preview 3D
New Balance Fresh Foam 520v9 3D Model Internal
Preview 3D
Brooks Revel 9 3D Model Internal

Internal Length 
 

272 mm (10.7")
280 mm (11.0")

Internal Heel Width 
 

62 mm (2.4")
68 mm (2.7")

Internal Forefoot Width 
 

90 mm (3.5")
93 mm (3.7")

Wide Sizing Available 
 

Yes
Yes

Forefoot Fit: Width 
 

9.7
9.5

Forefoot Width Photo 
 

Compare High-Res
New Balance Fresh Foam 520v9 Forefoot Width Photo
Compare High-Res
Brooks Revel 9 Forefoot Width Photo

Ball-Of-Foot TTS Deviation 
 

2.1 mm (0.083")
2.9 mm (0.115")

Toe TTS Deviation 
 

1.6 mm (0.061")
0.6 mm (0.024")

Forefoot Fit: Height 
 

7.2
7.4

Forefoot Height Photo 
 

Compare High-Res
New Balance Fresh Foam 520v9 Forefoot Height Photo
Compare High-Res
Brooks Revel 9 Forefoot Height Photo

Toe TTS Deviation 
 

-3.3 mm (-0.131")
-3.1 mm (-0.124")

Arch Fit: Width 
 

10
9.1

Arch Fit Photo 
 

Compare High-Res
New Balance Fresh Foam 520v9 Arch Fit Photo
Compare High-Res
Brooks Revel 9 Arch Fit Photo

Arch Width TTS Deviation 
 

0.8 mm (0.032")
-1.8 mm (-0.069")

Length Fit 
 

10
10

Toe Clearance Photo 
 

Compare High-Res
New Balance Fresh Foam 520v9 Toe Clearance Photo
Compare High-Res
Brooks Revel 9 Toe Clearance Photo

Heel Rocker Geometry 
 

7.5
6.3

Heel Rocker Photo 
 

Compare High-Res
New Balance Fresh Foam 520v9 Heel Rocker Photo
Compare High-Res
Brooks Revel 9 Heel Rocker Photo

Heel Spring 
 

29 mm (1.1")
16 mm (0.6")

Heel Apex Position 
 

35.1%
13.9%

Heel Rocker Angle 
 

16.2°
21.8°

Forefoot Rocker Geometry 
 

6.8
7.3

Forefoot Rocker Photo 
 

Compare High-Res
New Balance Fresh Foam 520v9 Forefoot Rocker Photo
Compare High-Res
Brooks Revel 9 Forefoot Rocker Photo

Toe Spring 
 

46 mm (1.8")
50 mm (2.0")

Toe Apex Position 
 

61.4%
61.7%

Forefoot Rocker Angle 
 

22.7°
24.4°

Foam 
 

Primary Foam Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
New Balance Fresh Foam 520v9 Primary Foam Picture
Compare High-Res
Brooks Revel 9 Primary Foam Picture

Secondary Foam Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
New Balance Fresh Foam 520v9 Secondary Foam Picture
Compare High-Res
Brooks Revel 9 Secondary Foam Picture

Primary Foam Name 
 

Freshfoam
DNA LOFT v2

Primary Foam Type 
 

EVA
EVA

Secondary Foam Name 
 

N/A
N/A

Secondary Foam Type 
 

No Secondary Foam
No Secondary Foam

Laces 
 

Laces Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
New Balance Fresh Foam 520v9 Laces Picture
Compare High-Res
Brooks Revel 9 Laces Picture

Lace Type 
 

Flat
Flat

Width 
 

5.0 mm (0.2")
6.0 mm (0.2")

Thickness 
 

1.2 mm (0.0")
2.6 mm (0.1")

Stretch 
 

5.0%
9.5%

Other Features  

Other Features Photo 
 

Compare High-Res
New Balance Fresh Foam 520v9 Other Features Photo
Compare High-Res
Brooks Revel 9 Other Features Photo

Tongue Gusset Type 
 

Non-gusseted
Non-gusseted

Plate 
 

None
None
Performance

Heel Compression Energy Return 
 

3.3
2.5

Heel Compression Video  

Heel Energy Return  

 Preview Graph
New Balance Fresh Foam 520v9 Heel Energy Return
 Preview Graph
Brooks Revel 9 Heel Energy Return

Heel Energy Return 
 

69.9%
68.8%

Forefoot Compression Energy Return 
 

4.6
4.6

Forefoot Compression Video  

Forefoot Energy Return  

 Preview Graph
New Balance Fresh Foam 520v9 Forefoot Energy Return
 Preview Graph
Brooks Revel 9 Forefoot Energy Return

Forefoot Energy Return 
 

71.4%
71.4%

Heel Cushioning 
 

6.1
6.4

Heel Cushioning Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
New Balance Fresh Foam 520v9 Heel Cushioning Picture
Compare High-Res
Brooks Revel 9 Heel Cushioning Picture

Heel Cushioning  

 Preview Graph
New Balance Fresh Foam 520v9 Heel Cushioning
 Preview Graph
Brooks Revel 9 Heel Cushioning

Energy Absorbed At 550N 
 

2.85 J
2.79 J

Energy Absorbed At 1100N 
 

7.74 J
8.08 J

Energy Absorbed At 1900N 
 

13.34 J
14.22 J

Forefoot Cushioning 
 

5.0
5.4

Forefoot Cushioning Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
New Balance Fresh Foam 520v9 Forefoot Cushioning Picture
Compare High-Res
Brooks Revel 9 Forefoot Cushioning Picture

Forefoot Cushioning  

 Preview Graph
New Balance Fresh Foam 520v9 Forefoot Cushioning
 Preview Graph
Brooks Revel 9 Forefoot Cushioning

Energy Absorbed At 800N 
 

3.28 J
3.35 J

Energy Absorbed At 1300N 
 

5.42 J
5.78 J

Energy Absorbed At 2050N 
 

7.81 J
8.57 J

Heel Firmness 
 

8.9
9.0

Heel Firmness Graph  

 Preview Graph
New Balance Fresh Foam 520v9 Heel Firmness Graph
 Preview Graph
Brooks Revel 9 Heel Firmness Graph

Firmness At 550N 
 

50.4 N/mm
55.0 N/mm

Firmness At 1100N 
 

64.4 N/mm
66.0 N/mm

Firmness At 1900N 
 

90.7 N/mm
90.8 N/mm

Forefoot Firmness 
 

9.7
9.6

Forefoot Firmness Graph  

 Preview Graph
New Balance Fresh Foam 520v9 Forefoot Firmness Graph
 Preview Graph
Brooks Revel 9 Forefoot Firmness Graph

Firmness At 800N 
 

82.7 N/mm
81.7 N/mm

Firmness At 1300N 
 

110.5 N/mm
106.8 N/mm

Firmness At 2050N 
 

155 N/mm
148 N/mm

Forefoot Long Run Cushioning 
 

4.1
4.9

Forefoot Long Run Cushioning  

 Preview Graph
New Balance Fresh Foam 520v9 Forefoot Long Run Cushioning
 Preview Graph
Brooks Revel 9 Forefoot Long Run Cushioning

Energy Absorbed At 10km 
 

4.78 J
5.41 J

Energy Absorbed At 20km 
 

4.56 J
5.26 J

Energy Absorbed At 30km 
 

4.41 J
5.15 J

Energy Absorbed At 40km 
 

4.30 J
5.05 J

Rocker Stiffness 
 

4.0
5.7

Forefoot Rocker Stiffness Video  

Forefoot Rocker Stiffness Graph  

 Preview Graph
New Balance Fresh Foam 520v9 Forefoot Rocker Stiffness Graph
 Preview Graph
Brooks Revel 9 Forefoot Rocker Stiffness Graph

Force To Flatten The Rocker 
 

30 N
54 N

Forefoot Bending Energy Return 
 

4.3
3.6

Forefoot Bending Video  

Forefoot Bending Energy Return  

 Preview Graph
New Balance Fresh Foam 520v9 Forefoot Bending Energy Return
 Preview Graph
Brooks Revel 9 Forefoot Bending Energy Return

Forefoot Bending Energy Return 
 

54.3%
52.1%

Forefoot Bending Stiffness 
 

7.0
5.1

Forefoot Bending Resistance Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
New Balance Fresh Foam 520v9 Forefoot Bending Resistance Picture
Compare High-Res
Brooks Revel 9 Forefoot Bending Resistance Picture

Forefoot Bending Resistance  

 Preview Graph
New Balance Fresh Foam 520v9 Forefoot Bending Resistance
 Preview Graph
Brooks Revel 9 Forefoot Bending Resistance

Forefoot Bending Stiffness 
 

11.0 N/mm
2.3 N/mm

Forefoot Bending Force 
 

281 N
297 N

Heel Compression Depth 
 

5.0
4.8

Heel Compression Graph  

 Preview Graph
New Balance Fresh Foam 520v9 Heel Compression Graph
 Preview Graph
Brooks Revel 9 Heel Compression Graph

Heel Compression At 550N 
 

10.9 mm
10.0 mm

Heel Compression At 1100N 
 

17.1 mm
16.7 mm

Heel Compression At 1900N 
 

21.0 mm
20.9 mm

Forefoot Compression Depth 
 

4.1
4.2

Forefoot Compression Graph  

 Preview Graph
New Balance Fresh Foam 520v9 Forefoot Compression Graph
 Preview Graph
Brooks Revel 9 Forefoot Compression Graph

Forefoot Compression At 800N 
 

9.7 mm
9.8 mm

Forefoot Compression At 1300N 
 

11.8 mm
12.2 mm

Forefoot Compression At 2050N 
 

13.2 mm
13.9 mm

New Balance Fresh Foam 520v9

Brooks Revel 9

Comments

  1. Comparison

New Balance Fresh Foam 520v9 vs Brooks Revel 9: Main Discussion

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