The New Balance 880 v15 has been transformed. No longer the basic alternative to the 1080 v14, it’s back with a unique set-up with a bigger stack of FreshFoam X in the midsole, new uppers and a whole distinct ride that sets it further apart from the pricier 1080. If that all leaves you wondering which of New Balance’s daily trainers will suit your running best, you’re in the right place. We’re here to explore exactly that. Hit play to get into it in our New Balance 880 v15 vs New Balance 1080 v14 head to head.
JUMP STRAIGHT IN:
0:00 – Intro
0:27 – Details: Stack height, drop, weight, price
1:15 – Shoe comparison
2:11 – How’s the fit?
4:30 – The Run Test
11:13 – Verdict
14:30 – Now watch this: Best daily trainers
Hey people welcome to the Run testers And in this video we've got the new Transformed New Balance 880 v15 going up Against the 1080 v14 now in the past Generations the 880 was essentially a Cheaper basic alternative to the 1080 But that has all changed with a bigger Stack new uppers and a distinct ride That sets it further apart so now if You're wondering which New Balance daily Training will suit your running needs Best we're here to break it down so Let's get into it in our 880 v15 versus 1080 v14 head-to Head quick details starting with the Stack height then and the 1080 v14 drops In at 38 Ms in the hill 32 Ms in the 4 Foot for a 6 mil drop the 880 v15 now Has a bigger stack of 40 A2 Ms in the Hill 34.5 m in the 4T for the same 6 mil Drop when it comes to weight the 1080 V14 put a bit of weight on in our US Men's 9 and a half Testo It Now tips a Scale at 10.1 o or 285 G that's still Lighter than the 80 which is 10.6 o or 299 G when it comes to price you're Going to pay a bit more for the 1080 $165 or £60 the 880 comes in at $140 or £140 let's give you a quick shoe Comparison then starting with the Midsoles and the a80 v5s rocked midsole Uses the same Fresh Foam X as you've got In the at v14 but there's now more of it That significantly changes the ride but
We're going to come to more on that in a Mo later in this review back into the 1080 v14 this also has a tweak ride and The rocket midsole it's cut from fresh Fo X as well but there's some increased Stiffness in the for foot of this one to Help with toe off versus the v13 that Was slightly softer this one now feels Tuned firmer both Tunes combine flexible Soft engineered nicely breathable mesh Uppers with highly padded heel collars Cushion gusted tongues it's all very Plush big mileage friendly there's Little to choose between the two however The a80 v15 is is more spacious with a More generous fit the 1080 v14 has a More wrapped less Airy fit if you flip Them over there's a healthy covering of Outsole rubber to boost the grip and Durability fit then and I ran in my Regular New Balance size which is a UK 8 And a half us 9 and A2 I had no trouble With locking and heel hold in either Shoe they're both solid in that regard But the fit of these two shoes is Different the 1080 v14 comes up quite Short in the toe box it's notably more Snug with a touch less Flex to the toes As well it's just a bit more cramped Overall across the top of the midfoot Something you notice if like me you've Got quite High insteps the a80 v15 is Much more spacious and Airy in the toe Box get more wiggle room there's more
Flex in the uppers the fit is overall I Think much more disappearing as a result And on balance I prefer the Freer feel Of the 80 v15 over the locked in hugging Feel of the 1080 v14 I think there's Definitely an argument to half size up In the 1080 v14 if you prefer a more Spa Fit okay so I'm only going to be holding Up the 1080 v14 in this video because I Went for a run uh I went for a par run In the 880 on Saturday and it was an Absolute Mudfest and they're completely Covered in mud uh and I've they're just Outside drying now so um the these two Shoes are both shoes designed for Comfort uh but the fit is quite Different actually so the 1080 v14 um There's loads of space in this shoe not Just in the for foot but around the shoe It's a very spacious uh shoe from the First time you put it on nice bit of Padding on it it's a shoe all about Balance so it's very balanced Comfortable shoe um very easy to get on I like the the tongue in this lots of Padding on that as well so I definitely Stay to my size in the 1080 v14 I think It's a very comfortable shoot all around The 880 uh v15 is actually a little bit Um more restrictive than the 108 v14 and What I have found is there slightly less Space before the big toe in the 880 uh And around the side as well it does feel Quite restricted the first run I did in
The the shoe was uh I think it's about 20 Uh 23k and I did find it to be quite Uncomfortable um and I had to keep Rearranging it on the on the first run Because it does feel like quite a um a Restrictive shoe so it does it does Loosen up a bit over time but it's Definitely a shoe that is more Restrictive in fit than the 10v v14 so I Might suggest going up half a size in That shoe if you really want a little Bit more space in it um but both are Very comfortable shoes overall and very Similar in in the way that they've got Padding and everything So in testing I've run more than 40 mil In the 1080 v14 more than 30 mi in the 88 v15 I've done a lot of easy miles I've done some faster efforts with runs Up to 90 minutes and as usual I covered A mix of Road and light off-road River Paths all the usual stuff that I put These shoes through in testing now the 1080 I think the v14 is back to being Marginally firmer like the V12 with a Bit of stiffness to the outso and some Additional resilience What You Get There Is smoother Transitions and I think it Makes the ride a bit more immediate There's now a kind of quicker response With the phone returning faster but it Still ticks all the boxes for a plush And softer Max cushion comfort shoe so
It's a very capable easyday recovery Option that definitely Rivals the likes Of the aex Jo lius 27 or the S Tri 22 But I think it now has some sort of Swifter Pace potential too the a 0v5 is A bit of a surprise not only is it very Different from the past gen v14 in this Shoe but if you're expecting Marsh mow Softness from that big wedge of fresh Foam X that's not quite what you're Going to get here the big stack is soft But it actually feels firmer than denser Than some rival big stack shoes and Although you've got fresh foam X in both Shoes it's not the same I think the 880 V15 is notably softer now I also did a Sidebyside mile with one shoe on each Foot to really tease out those Differences and here's what I found so I've just done my side by side mile I Have the 88 v15 on the left foot I have The 1080 v14 on the right foot just Wanted to tease out those differences is In the ride first thing you notice just How snug the v14 are I said it in the Fit piece but when you put them both on Side by side like this the 80 v15 feels Roomy accommodating nice flexible kind Of toe box plenty of space up front to Wiggle the the 1080 v14 just feels Really kind of snug bordering on too Small so although I'm running in eight And a half in both of these shoes get Two different fits
Entirely I think my prefer really is for The 880 it just feels a bit more natural A bit more spacious if you like it snug 1080 might be okay nice and tight but I Would look at the sizing on that then When you come to the ride I think big Difference here is although you've got Fresh foam X in both of these shoes I Haven't got the details on how those Foams are tuned but they are not the Same foam I wouldn't say you're getting A very different ride the foam in the A8 Is notably softer the foam in the 1080 I Think returns far quicker and has more Energy to it there's more immediacy to It there's a bit more punch to it so if The 880 kind of looks after you cradles You takes to the edge off the road it's Got that kind of nice cushion feel the 1080 also has a cut cushion feel which We're familiar with but there's a bit More snap to it the bit the midsole Doesn't take as long it's not quite as Sinky comes back much quicker I also Noticed the rocker in that kind of scoop In the 1080 much more than I do in the 880 which feels a bit flatter the roll Through I think in the 1080 is much more Smooth it's f faster there's a bit more Pop to the shoe as a result it urges you To go a little bit faster than the a80 Now if the past generations of the a880 Felt like a kind of cheaper version of The 1080 then I think that's definitely
Changed it does have its own unique Place now and it's doing a different job I guess in some ways what you've got Here from the 880 is the softness that You might have got from the 1080 V13 so it's sort of picking up that Slack if you wanted a shoe that offers a Bit more cushioning a bit more Protection it's just like an easy shoe Then the 880 really fits that it does a Job but I think what it does is it's a It's a really good cushion shoe for People who don't want too much sink so Although the 1080 comes back quicker and Maybe isn't quite as soft the 880 isn't Really sludgy isn't really kind of Squishy it's it's still nicely well Balanced so I think actually there's Quite a lot of crossover in terms of What these shoes might be able to do if I was going to split it I would say that The 880 is going to be better for your Easier lower Pace maybe longer miles the 1080 is probably going to step up when You maybe want to go and do some longer Miles with a bit more speed a bit more Pace maybe you're going to put some Intervals in there you still want some Cushion and protection you still want Lots of nice Road eating but you also Want a bit more energy that is how I'm Feeling the difference in these two Shoes as I'm running them now so these Are two shoes that are probably quite
Confusing if you're looking to buy a Pair of um comfortable Cushing shoes uh They're both shoes that are designed for Cushing daily runs basically they're They're very general shoes that are Designed to be comfortable they're Designed to take off a lot of different Runs they're designed to be used a lot Um and they're designed to give you lots Of cushioning as well um I think the Biggest difference between these and if I'd done the versus between the 1080 v13 And the 880 v15 it might have been a bit Different because that the 1080 v13 is a Very soft shoe and is very much just Designed for Pure Comfort don't get a Lot of energy return from that shoe and A lot of people didn't like it as a Result cuz you lose a bit of stability As well um the difference between the 880 v15 and the 1080 V uh 14 really is Just that that midsole um the it's the 10xt V uh 14 is not the most is not the Softest shoe out there but it is Definitely softer than the 880 B15 um The midso is quite balanced in the 1080 Um it's very comfortable shoe it's a Great shoe very accessible shoe for a Lot of people it's got a nice balance of Stability it's got a nice balance of Cushioning it's a great all around shoe And I think a lot of people can buy this Shoe as their one shoe and you're maybe You're a beginner or you're a general
Runner great shoe for all of that Because you get a bit of everything the At v15 is similar um but the midlam is a Little bit firmer and it's as a result I Think it's a little bit faster it's a Little bit more versatile um reminds me Of something like the ride range uh Where it's really a DA shoe but that Midell foam is just just got a bit more To it when it comes to responsiveness It's not got loads of energy return in It it's not got loads of Bounce in it It's just a little bit firmer so just is A bit more conducive to running a bit Fast faster um still a very stable shoe Still a very comfortable shoe Um but really I think it comes down to How you like that midso phone and I Think for some people I think the 880 V15 has probably got a midell phone that Is a little bit more um uh beneficial For the style of running that you've got I think the uh 1080 v14 it's not a a Mushy shoe but any stretch of the Imagination but I definitely wouldn't Run faster in this shoe it's definitely An easy day shoe um that's designed for Comfort whereas the 880 I do think There's a bit more to that shoe uh and You can pick up the pace a little bit in It so I have enjoyed testing the 880 um B15 and been quite surprised by it as Well but yeah so really both great Comfortable daily shoes that you can you
CH up a lot of miles in but I think Really it's just the type of Mido you Want and if you want a bit more softness But not loads of softness you go for the 108 B14 verdict then and I think you've got Two shoes here that deliver for the easy Cruising daily miles there's loads of Comfort plenty of cushioning good Stability in both shoes you got two Great workhorses here I think that also Serve up a healthy dose of Versatility The marginally heavier a80 v15 softer Cushioned Edge is better suited to your Easier lower Pace maybe longer miles the 1080 v14 has a more energetic snpp here A rolling ride that's probably good for Longer miles with a bit more speed with A bit more Pace do got of runs maybe Where you might droing some faster Intervals in the mix on a long run it's Good for that kind of stuff you'll pay Slightly more for the 1080 v14 but if You're looking for the most versatility I think that's the best option it'll Cater for a wider range of your weekly Miles if you just want reliable comfort In a go-to easy shoe the 880 v15 is Excellent I think both of these shoes Are also well suited to beginners so my Verdict on these two shoes even though I'm not holding the other shoe up um Very similar shoes in a lot of ways and Quite difficult on to choose between
Because if you're buying these shoes you Probably just looking for a comfortable Daily shoe that you want to churn out Miles in it really comes down to that Midell foam and the price as well uh so The midell foam uh if you if you want Pure comfort and you're not bothered About running fast or anything like that I definitely go for the uh 108 v14 it's Just a little bit softer a little bit More enjoyable not massively soft if you Want really soft go for the TT v13 cuz That is really squishy um but it really Comes out to that midsole and I think if You're looking for an easy day shoe you Would go for the 1080 uh v14 if you're Looking for a shoe that's a little bit Um has a little bit more to it a little Bit of a firmer midsole a little bit More versatility you'd go for the at v15 I think it's a bit more to that year I Think it's surprisingly good now and I Think a lot of brands are coming at this 140 Mark and really reling some great Shoes at the moment uh so I've really Much I really enjoyed it um for the runs That I've been using that for and the 23k which was the first one I did it Just felt really great in it lovely he Heel To Toe transition just a very Smooth ride in it nice consistent Pace Just felt really really good and you Could def feels like because of that mid Home you can pick up the pace a little
Bit in it as well so I think it really Comes down to what you want if you're Looking for an easy day shoe and that's All you want I think the 1080 v14 is Probably the best one to go for if You're looking for a solid all around Daily trainer that when I say all around I mean you can do daily Cushing runs in It but also you maybe you can do a bit Of tempo running or something like that And if you wanted to and you don't want To break the bank because the 1080 v14 Is2 more expensive in the UK um I think The midell foam is better for quite a Few runs so if you're buying these shoes For um just easy day runs and comfort I Think the 108 v14 is better but I do Prefer the versatility of the A8 v15 and The price so out of these two shoes I'm Going to go for the 880 v15 cuz I think It's a really surprisingly good shoe and I've very much been enjoying training in It so um I would go for that out these Tissues so there you have it that's been Our head-to-head between the 1080 v14 And the a80 v15 hope it helped you pick The shoe out of those two that's right For you do us a favor and hit like if it Did if you found it helpful useful we'd Also love it if you'd hit subscribe if You're not already we're getting very Close to the 100,000 Subs Milestone so We'd absolutely love it if you could Help us hit that if you're interested in
Good daily trainers I'm going to pop a Video up on the channel now that you can Go and watch on screen here otherwise Thanks for stopping by and we hope to See you again soon on the Run testers in The meantime as ever happy running People
