New Balance FuelCell Summit Unknown

Name: New Balance FuelCell Summit Unknown
Brand: New Balance

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 10.0 oz (men's)

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The New Balance FuelCell Summit Unknown v3 replaced it

How it ranks

The New Balance FuelCell Summit Unknown’s rating is an early estimate. We’ve collected 3 runner reviews so far, with brand history also informing the score.

Current estimate: Below average

Overall

Below average 64

Appearance

Good 83

Value

Decent 78

Comfort

Decent 72

Durability

Below average 69

Cushioning

Below average 64

Confidence

How settled the rating is against every other rated shoe. A shoe can rate high on confidence with relatively few reviews of its own when its product line has a long record and external ratings from retailer sites agree. Confidence is low when we have few ratings or when runners disagree.

See the product line's history

Confidence

39 Very low

Very low 39

Based on

The bars show roughly how much each source contributes to this shoe’s rating. Their influence depends on how many reviews we’ve collected, how many earlier versions are in the product line, and the external ratings available.

Brand rating
Our ratings
External ratings

What runners say

“The tongue doesn't stay up—no hole for laces to keep it secured.”

3/5 Full review 35 mpw

“Ripped mesh after 20 miles; pull tab tore off easily.”

5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for ultramarathons came from the New Balance Vazee Summit v2

“Excellent grip on both dry and moist surfaces.”

3/5 Full review 35 mpw

“Very little arch protection—fine for toe, but rocks hurt on technical trails.”

3/5 Full review 35 mpw

“Tongue falls down since it's not attached to laces.”

5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for ultramarathons came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Gobi V2

“Constantly paranoid of rolling ankles.”

3/5 Full review 35 mpw

“Good fit and foot lock down.”

5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for ultramarathons came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Gobi V2

“Not super cushioned, high stack height.”

5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for ultramarathons came from the New Balance Vazee Summit v2

“Fits and runs similar to the RC1400—exactly what I was looking for.”

5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for ultramarathons came from the New Balance Vazee Summit v2

“Mesh tears early on.”

3/5 Full review 35 mpw

“Light weight; decent for racing shorter distances.”

3/5 Full review 35 mpw

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Oct 23.

Pros

Appearance draws 5.0 out of 5, the highest mark of any dimension, and reviewers praise the grip on dry and wet surfaces.
One reviewer who has run similar New Balance shoes since the RC1400 says it fits and runs the way he wanted.

Cons

Durability draws 3.7 out of 5 across three reviewers, the lowest mark of any dimension, and one reviewer ripped a hole in the mesh.
One reviewer reports the tongue falling down because it is not attached to the laces.
One reviewer says it is not very cushioned despite a high stack.

FuelCell Summit Unknown rates 64. This shoe has very low confidence. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the New Balance FuelCell Summit Unknown

Each dot is one version of the FuelCell Summit Unknown, placed by its rating and release year. The gold dot is this shoe.

Rating

40 60 80 100

64 2018 74 2023

Release year

We use the reviews of past versions to inform this shoe’s rating. See why.

FuelCell Summit Unknown v4

2023 · 0 reviews

74 Decent

25 Confidence
FuelCell Summit Unknown This shoe

2018 · 3 reviews

64 Below average

39 Confidence

Runner Ratings

3 ratings

5/5 2

4/5 0

3/5 1

2/5 0

1/5 0

See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight: 10.0 oz (men's)
Release: 2018

Runner reviews

Write a review

5/5

Overall

I have been running in similar NB shoes for about 8 years, starting with the RC1400. The Summit Unknown fits and runs similarly to this shoe, which is something I have been looking for. The shoe is not super cushioned, and has a high stack height, which will send some people looking elsewhere. The only downside is the shoe has some durability issues, I ripped a hole in the mesh after 20 miles, and the ripped the pull tab off accidentally. Other than those issues, a great shoe.

Anonymous runner · Jul 8, 2019

40 mpw training for ultramarathons came from the New Balance Vazee Summit v2

Comfort: 5/5
Cushioning: 4/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 5/5
Value: 5/5

Light Trail Shoe With Some Flaws

3/5

Overall

I really wanted to enjoy these shoes. I think their price point is ideal and they look awesome. They're nice and light but they have a few glaring flaws (in my opinion): PROS: 1.) Excellent grip (on both dry and moist surfaces). 2.) Light weight (they'd make decent shoes for racing [shorter distances]). 3.) Look great (I got the black and green ones and they look good clean or muddy). 4.) They're in a good price point (at least when comparing to the other shoes in this category). CONS: 1.) The tongue: it simply doesn't stay up. It doesn't include the typical hole that the laces slip through to keep it up. Expect it to fall down. After a while you start to get used to it, but it's still a big flaw. 2.) Very little arch protection. They flaunt their toe protection, but ignore the arch. If you're like me and you run a lot of technical trails, those rocks are going to hurt. Also, they start to tear a hole into the mesh pretty early on. 3.) Stability (or lack of it). I don't know if this is a flaw or a matter of my gait being different, but I just find myself constantly paranoid of rolling my ankles. I tie them tight but that doesn't seem to be sufficient. I wanted to like these, but I think I'll be exploring my other options with my next pair.

Anonymous runner · Jul 9, 2018

35 mpw