New Balance is back again with the sophomore edition of the their Vazee Prism line. It is a shoe that is incredibly fast but does not sacrifice support; giving a fast yet comfortable ride.

There are upgrades in the fit and traction making it another hit from New Balance.

New Balance Vazee Prism v2 General Info

New Balance Vazee Prism v2 – Toe

This is the second edition of the Vazee Prism line. The Vazee line as a whole is marketed to runners looking for something fast, sleek and comfortable.

The Vasee Prism is the only stability shoe in the Vazee line. Geometric prisms are throughout the sole, hence the name. It competes with lightweight support trainers like the ASICS DS Trainer, Brooks Ravenna and Saucony Guide.

I had great results with the first Prisms, so I was pretty excited for the 2nd go around. The new color scheme is sleek. The colors are very sharp and pop out but still remain reserved.

When I laced them up, I could tell the fit was not as tight as before. They felt wider like most New Balance shoes I have ran in.

New Balance Vazee Prism v2 Sole Unit

New Balance Vazee Prism v2 – Sole

The sole unit has had some nice upgrades to it while keeping its foundation. It bows up, naturally pushing you forward when lifting off the ground. This makes the 8mm drop feel like it’s much lower than it is.

There is REVlite foam, giving a soft and responsive ride. It allowed me to lock into a fast pace on flat straightaways and adapt well to hills.

You will find the mid and ball of the foot doing most of the work with this shoe so get ready for a calf workout. There is of course protection in the heel to combat against over pronation and heel striking, but I did not find myself heel striking much, if at all.

The first edition had some traction issues, especially in inclement weather. This has been thankfully rectified with a new pattern of prism shapes for grip.

I am in complete control in any type of weather. I was even able to dabble a little bit on some trail runs and did not feel like I was making a mistake when I did this!

New Balance Vazee Prism v2 Upper Info

There is breathable, weather proof mesh in the toe box with synthetic overlays through the rest. The material upgrade gives more room in the toe box and is more akin to New Balance’s reputation of roomier shoes.

The tongue is mostly attached to the upper with high vis tabs, giving a “bootie” like feel. This was something I loved in the first version and it has been enhanced in this one.

New Balance Vazee Prism v2 – Medial Side

The lacing is not segmented and is one unit. It gives an even fit and does not constrict or over compensate any part of my foot. While this was a plus, I found myself having to tie them much tighter than I wanted to.

At one point, the eyelets nearly touched each other on either side when I laced them up. I was worried that they would tear, but they were durable and stretched to where I needed them to be.

The heel unit has hard plastic underneath to lock you in. The heel is firm, but not as much as the first edition. Still secure thankfully.

Overall, I liked the new material but it took me some time to get used to the roomier feel. More room in the toe box caused me to move around more than I had hoped giving me blisters on my toes during the first week of testing. This thankfully went away and was only a problem initially.

New Balance Vazee Prism v2 Conclusions

New Balance Vazee Prism v2 – Heel

The Vazee Prisms continue to be my go to race shoes for the half marathon and up. The first editions saw me shave 3 minutes off my marathon PR and these helped me PR in the half marathon during testing. They were also sturdy enough for me to run a volume heavy week with them.

It’s rare for me to be able to have a shoe be my trainer AND my racer, but the Vazee Prism is a winning combination. Not only this, the price is more than attractive when compared to the competition.

If you are like me and like to train and race fast, but don’t want your body (or your wallet) breaking down on you, then you need to get these shoes.

We purchased a pair of New Balance Vazee Prism v2 at full retail price at our own expense. This did not influence the outcome of the review, written after running more than 50 miles in them.