New Balance Fresh Foam 880 v10 Intro

The 880v10 is a new, everyday, trainer offered by New Balance. This shoe has had a complete update from the ground up and shows a lot of promise as a daily trainer.

The combination of soft Fresh Foam and a flexible and breathable upper allow this offering to be used for most types of runs.

This shoe will compete against the likes of the Brooks Ghosts, Nike Pegasus, ASICS Cumulus, Saucony Ride, and Skechers GOrun Ride amongst others.

Although not as soft as some of those, nor as responsive as others, the combination strikes a balance many companies struggle to obtain.

New Balance Fresh Foam 880 v10 First Impressions

New Balance Fresh Foam 880 v10 – Lateral Side

When these shoes showed up, I hoped to get the blue colorway, seeing as the other colorways were pretty boring. That is exactly what I got when I opened up the box.

However, I was struck by the complete redesign of the shoe and just how sleek it looks. Once on my feet, they were great.

With the pandemic, I was not able to give these shoes my usual “All-Day” test of using them at school, but I felt comfortable in them around the house all day.

On my first run in them, I loved how responsive they were and how quick the transition towards my next step was. However, I did notice they were heavier than the last few shoes I had been wearing.

New Balance Fresh Foam 880 v10 Sole Unit

New Balance Fresh Foam 880 v10 – Sole

As stated earlier, New Balance completely redesigned the 880, and that all starts with the sole unit. Using a blown rubber outsole in the New Balance pod design, the outsole offers great grip and decent flexibility.

Using targeted footbed cutouts to help with flexibility, the outsole shines on most every surface.

However, the star of the show (or the shoe) is the Fresh Foam X midsole. New Balance decided to add their most popular material to the midsole of the shoe, and I have yet to be disappointed with it.

The material is soft, yet responsive. When compared to the 1080, the 880’s level of cushion is firmer, much like the Ghosts compared to the Glycerins.

The biggest drawback to this shoe is in the sole unit. The number of materials and the weight of the rubber outsole weight the shoe down when compared to other offerings out there.

New Balance Fresh Foam 880 v10 Upper Unit

New Balance Fresh Foam 880 v10 – Top

The newly redesigned upper uses a Hypoknit material that is engineered to both support around the arches and heel, and stretch in the toe box and midfoot for a secure and comfortable fit.

This material and design truly hit the mark. The material is breathable, yet didn’t just let everything in. I loved the way it moved with my foot throughout my gait.

New Balance Fresh Foam 880 v10 – Heel

One of my biggest complaints about New Balance in the past is that I’ve had heel lock-in issues. However, the molded heel counter helped my foot feel secure and locked down throughout every run I did in them.

The upper fits true to size in length, and is comfortable fitting throughout. The heel is a medium fit, but with a great lock-in with the counter my heel didn’t shift at all.

In the midfoot it stays fairly narrow and then splays into a roomy toebox.

New Balance Fresh Foam 880 v10 Conclusion

I had reviewed the 880v5 in the past, and was looking forward to seeing what the improvements were to the shoe, and I was seriously impressed.

I was not a big fan of the 880v5, but this new version is truly a great shoe. I was impressed with all the updates and I truly love the Fresh Foam material of the midsole.

This material is on par with the Saucony PWRRUN and other topline offerings.

However, the biggest downside of this shoe is the combination of materials weighing it down. This extra weight was very apparent when I tried to up the tempo.

My legs are not ready for real speed work yet, but I did take them on tempo runs and my legs felt heavy afterward. I ran in them side-by-side with the Skechers GOrun Ride 8, and the weight difference was noticeable.

With that said, if I was going for a regular run, or even a long-slow run, the shoe responded super well.

I truly enjoyed most of the runs I had in them, and I think I’ll continue using them for mid-distance training runs. If you’re in the market for a daily trainer, the 880v10 is definitely worth a look.

We purchased a pair of New Balance Fresh Foam 880 v10 from runningwarehouse using our own money. This did not influence the outcome of this review, written after running more than 50 miles in them.