Brooks Revel Max review

We believe that the Brooks Revel Max is an interesting pick for runners that:

• Strike heel-first and want an affordable shoe with plenty of foam underfoot for added protection and a stable, cushioned ride.
• Prefer the comfort and feel of a knit upper but don't want to spend premium prices on a daily running shoe.
• Enjoy the Revel series but want a taller, more protective midsole for long runs and easier miles.

For runners who prefer a more versatile shoe that's also more comfortable for everyday wear, we think the Brooks Revel 9 is the better pick. It's also cheaper, making it an even more appealing option for budget-conscious runners.

We also think the Revel Max's tapered toebox could be an issue for some runners. Instead, we suggest trying the Nike Winflo 12, which isn't extremely wide but offers more room than the Revel Max while occupying a similar spot in the market as an affordable yet cushioned shoe.

Given its name, we expected above-average shock absorption from the Revel Max, and it basically sits right on that line. With 134 SA in the heel and 110 SA in the forefoot, it's certainly a highly-cushioned running shoe.

However, we wouldn't call it a true max-cushioned shoe given the current vibes on today's running shoe market.

Energy return is fair for the Revel Max's price, so we have absolutely no complaints here. With 56.6% in the heel and 61.2% in the forefoot, it delivers a good result for an entry-level running shoe, as long as you don't expect it to perform like a premium model.

Brooks could have simply made a taller Revel 9, but that's not what happened. Instead, as we mentioned in our verdict, this feels more like a mix of the Ghost Max and Revel families, blending key elements from both series.

For the heel stack height, we measured 38.5 mm, exactly the same as the Ghost Max 3!

While the heel certainly deserves the Max moniker, the forefoot is more in line with an average running shoe at 26.0 mm.

You may already be guessing that something is going on with the drop, as Brooks lists 6 mm in its official specs, but we measured 12.5 mm. That's more than double the stated figure, and we've seen this happen with other Brooks shoes, although not in our most recent reviews.

To be honest, the shoe feels clearly tailored to heel strikers from the very first stride. That's also easy to see in our sliced shoe, where the geometry makes the high-drop design particularly obvious.

Brooks has tuned the DNA LOFT v2 foam in the Revel Max to be softer than in the Revel 9, which could be a divisive decision. We measured a softness of just 23.6 AC, making the Revel Max one of the most interesting shoes when it comes to plushness per dollar.

We also put the shoe in the freezer for 20 minutes and measured its softness again. It came back 24% firmer, which is exactly what we expected from an EVA foam.

The GlideRoll rocker is here, as in most of Brooks' running shoes, but we found the curvature to be very moderate and never intrusive. In fact, this is one of the easiest max-stack shoes to recommend to beginners.

One thing worth pointing out is that, unlike the regular Revel, this version doesn't come in a wide 2E width. The Revel Max is only available in the standard D width.

We made our usual gel replica of the interior and started taking measurements. The first one revealed a width of 94.3 mm.

Brooks is well known in the running shoe world for creating snug-fitting uppers, and the Revel Max is no exception. With a toebox width of 70.8 mm, it's not a good match for runners with wide feet.

The toebox height also falls slightly below our current lab average, although only by a small margin.

However, we don't see any major issues here, as the 26.6 mm of clearance should work well for most feet.

We put the Revel Max through our custom-made traction machine, following the SATRA TM144 standard. We found a solid 0.59 result over wet concrete, which points to reliable grip in dry conditions and gives us confidence that the shoe won't turn into a disaster when the rain arrives.

Here's another area where the Revel Max takes more inspiration from the Ghost Max 3 than the Revel 9. We found the same central channel starting in the heel, along with very similar rubber sections, with two pieces in the heel and a larger one in the forefoot.

We were also positively surprised by the generous outsole coverage, although we have to see if all that rubber adds too much weight.

The dense rubber layout adds noticeable stiffness, as it lacks horizontal channels to help the forefoot flex. Combined with the added foam in the midsole, this led to a high stiffness result of 18.3N.

We put the Revel Max on our digital scale and found a weight of 9.9 oz (281g). That's noticeably heavier than the Revel series, especially the Revel 8, but it's still fairly reasonable given the shoe's price, stack height, and excellent outsole protection.

So what's behind this good result? Clearly, the supercritical foam plays a role, helping set this shoe apart from other options at this low price point.

We recommend the Brooks Revel Max only for neutral runners.

While it provides a decent level of support, the soft foam doesn't contribute much to stability. Therefore, we don't think overpronators will get the most out of this shoe.

The higher stack and lack of horizontal outsole cutouts promote greater longitudinal and torsional rigidity. We found another result that sits well above the average, at 16.2 Nm.

To compensate for the ultra-soft foam and fully support heel strikers, Brooks has implemented an ultra-stiff heel counter that may turn away runners who dislike this type of design. For us, it's a maximum 5/5.

The forefoot measures 114.4 mm in width, and we were a bit surprised to find that it doesn't even reach our current lab average.

However, keep in mind that we measured a moderate stack height in this area, so perhaps this result makes a bit more sense now.

We're now fully convinced that Brooks designed this shoe with heel strikers in mind. With a width of 97.2 mm, the heel works in tandem with the stiff heel counter to provide added support for runners who land heel-first.

While it's not an extremely poor result, we can't hide that we would have felt much better with a 3 or 4 here instead of a 2.

However, knit uppers tend to be a bit more delicate than their engineered mesh counterparts, so this result isn't a surprise at all.

On a more positive note, the heel padding surpassed our current lab average and earned a solid 4/5.

When it comes to durability, many runners would rather have a durable outsole than an equally durable upper. For those of you, this result is music to your ears, as we found just 0.5 mm of damage after completing the test. That's seriously impressive.

Combined with its 3.1 mm outsole thickness, the Brooks Revel Max is primed to deliver seriously impressive longevity.

There are no surprises from the outsole, given the standard EVA material and 4.8 mm thickness.

If you always swap in different insoles, we found that you can do it in just a few seconds.

It's a bit strange to see the pricier Revel Max come without any reflective elements when the regular model has some on the heel, but that's how it is.

One feature inherited from the regular Revel is the mixed lacing system, which combines punched eyelets and lace loops to provide better pressure management. And in our experience, it works very well.

On the other hand, the tongue has changed quite a bit. It's much thinner here at just 5.0 mm, likely to keep the weight down. However, we have no complaints at all, as we think it's still plenty comfortable.

The tongue is not gusseted, which is hardly surprising given that this sits at the lower end of Brooks' max-stack lineup.

The heel design is another clear sign that this shoe shares more DNA with the Ghost Max series than the Revel.

In our view, the £20 price jump from the Revel 9 to the Revel Max feels a bit higher than it should. We think a £10 increase would have been more reasonable. However, the Revel Max still offers enough to justify its overall price, and we don't consider it overpriced.