Introduced in 2017, the Revel is a $100 shoe designed to be at home on a run and in the gym, with the looks for day-to-day life. In what might be the biggest come-up in 2019, Brooks’ budget-casual runner has become possibly their best shoe of the year.

First up, the sole. It’s very balanced and bouncy without being mushy. Combined with the low weight, this would make a great raceday shoe if you’re training in the Ghost, Glycerin, or Ravenna. Between the price, look, and specs, this feels like a worthy successor to the Nike LunarTempo. It’s perfect for faster training or even some gym work.

The downsides are that the upper isn’t super accommodating and a little warm, but by contrast this does give a better feeling of lockdown.

Between the Brooks Revel 3, Brooks Launch 6, the Reebok Forever Floatride Energy, and an upcoming, revamped Nike Legend React 2, 2019 may be proving that the $100 shoe is the real be-all, end-all trainer. The Revel is highly adaptable to almost any workout (we’d put a limit on their distance at daily train of 10mi) and then some.

Score: 9.5/10

As a bonus, here’s a quick comparison of Brooks‘ entry-level neutral trainers: