The New Balance 880v15 is a daily cushioned running shoe designed for eating up miles in comfort. The Fresh Foam X midsole sees an increase in stack height compared to the previous model and a redesigned geometry. The shoe aims to provide a balanced ride, a good level of support and a smooth heel-to-toe-transition.
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00:00 – Intro
00:14 – Stats
00:29 – Design
00:59 – How’s the fit?
03:03 – The Run Test
10:29 – Early Verdict
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Hey Tommy from the Run testers in this Video we're going to be doing our full Review of the New Balance 880 v15 let's Take a Look the New Balance 880 v15 costs £140 Or $139.99 it weighs 275 G or 9.7 o for men In a size 8 and the drop is 6 Mm the New Balance 8 at v15 is a daily Cushioned running shoe designed for Eating up miles in Comfort the Fresh Foam X midsole sees an increase in stack Height compared to the previous model And a redesigned geometry the shoe aims To provide a balanced ride a good level Of support and a smooth Heel To Toe Transition the upper uses a structured Engineered mesh for comfort and Breathability while the outs soole Features a modest level of rubber at the Front and back with some exposed Sections of the midsole foam in the Center the shoe is also available in Standard wide and extra wide versions Quick word on fit then and I ran in my Regular running shoe size which UK 8 and A half sometimes in a New Balance shoe That can come up a little bit snug I Know it did in the 1080 v4s other shoes I found that a little bit tight as well But in this shoe fits like a glove got Loads of room here in the toe box Towards the end or a good amount of room That's you know enhanced by the fact
There's lots of flex in the uppers again It's got what I really like which is you Hold the toe Knuckles here but there's Lots of wiggle and flex so they feel Sort of nice and and hugging but not Restrictive easy to get a good lock down Across the midford from the lacing these Nice s of balanced padded tongues help There really nicely the big padded heel Collar have helped to keep my heel nice And secure everything just feels good so Yeah you've got good instant steping Feel good Comfort plushness disappearing Feel on the foot and I would recommend Going true to size in these shoes so I'm Not holding the shoe now because I Stupidly wore it to a part run on Saturday which was probably the muddiest Part run I've ever done so it's Completely covered in mud I've washed Them they're outside drying but um I'm Not going to be holding up in this video Um the fit for me in the 880 V15 what I did find about it was that it Was slightly restrictive shoe when I First started wearing it when you Compare it with shoes like the 1080 v14 It's definitely not as roomy um it feels A little bit more restrictive um around The sides of the shoe and around the Front as well so there's not as much Space before the big toe uh as I Normally experience in shoes that are You a size 8 as a result I didn't have
Any problems with it it actually Loosened up a bit the first run I did in The um 880 v15 was a I think about 24K Uh run um easy run as part by marathon Training and by the end of it it did Feel like it loosened up a bit but it Definitely didn't feel very comfortable The first time I put it on it took me a Bit of time to get a nice comfortable Fit in it so I'd probably suggest that Maybe you size up half a size in that Shoe if you like to have a nice bit of Space before your big toe um but I Haven't had any issues with it since Testing it over about 70k k um so Far so the 880 is a funny range because It's one of those ones that has existed For quite a long time um but it's never Really been one of the top level ones That people look for when they go for Shoes from New Balance it seems to be More of has historically been more of The the cheaper option when a lot of People may be looking for something like The 1080 um but want something a little Bit cheaper and it is at the moment About 20 cheaper than the 1080 v14 um But there has been a few changes in the New version of the shoe including the um The amount of uh foam that's in the Midsole and I I haven't tested the Previous version of the 880 I know Kieran has um but I wasn't really sure What to expect with the 880 v15 I
Thought it would be a fairly General Shoe that um was probably a bit of a mix Between lifestyle and um and daily Comfortable miles but I was really Surprised by it actually so I've done About 70k in it so far majority of that Has been easier runs little bit faster As my marathon training uh I haven't Really done loads of intervals or Anything like that in it I have ran a Bit faster in it on some sessions but It's a shoe that's really designed for That sort of General daily running um a Bit like the 108 uh v14 and earlier Shoes um but what I have found about the Shoe is that the midsole in it even Though it's fresh foam X which is the Same you get in a lot of other shoes it Does feel a bit different to what you Get in something like the 1080 uh v14 it Feels a little bit more balanced it Feels a little bit um firmer than what You get in the 1080 uh V4 14 and as a Result it makes it a little bit more Versatile as well I would say the ten V14 isn't a particularly versatile shoe Um it's not as soft as some of the um Cushion shoes out there but it's Definitely a shoe that you would use for Easy runs I think the a80 B15 is really Um it's carving itself a little bit of a An area in the range from New Balance as Being a little bit more of a Balance Shoe that sits in the middle of maybe
The 1080 um V uh 14 and maybe something Like the Rebel or something like that Where you've got a bit more of a B foam That sits in the middle of those that Can allow you to do a little bit more It's not very soft foam it's not the Hardest it's not the firmest foam out There but it isn't uh it it means it's Still quite responsive as well so in Comparison to 108 v14 feels like it's Got a little bit more to it you can Probably train a bit harder in it you Can probably um use it as if you're a General Runner or a beginner it's Probably a very good shoe if you just Want one one shoe and you may be upping Your pace a bit and and progressing your Training because it's just got a little Bit more versatility to than something Like the 108 v14 which firmly sits into That realm of easier day sh running um And I probably wouldn't use that for Anything other than going out and just Plotting out some miles um the other Thing about the shoe as well it has a Really nice uh Heel To Toe transition I Was quite surprised about I found that The first one that I did it which was a The 25k um training session found it was Really easy to just maintain a nice Comfortable Pace across the whole of That run so for me that's around 450 5 Minute kmers is sort of my my my Comfortable longdistance Pace not my
Marathon pace I probably wouldn't go Faster in this shoe but for that sort of Running felt very good um very easy to Consistently run in the shoe felt like It was smoothly moving me forward not Not soggy or anything like that it Wasn't like squishing too much so it's a Very good shoe when it comes to those Sorts of comfortable daily miles where You may run run consistently you're not Necessarily running really slowly Because that mid's just a little bit More balanced and there's a little bit Um you get a little bit more back from The shoe um when you're running at a Faster Pace definitely not a fast shoe By any stress of the imagination but It's a shoe that's got a little bit more To it um other things I would say about The shoe is that it's definitely a shoe That feels like it's got good bit of Durability because that mids um uh a Little bit firmer than what you're going To get from some of those um High Cushion shoes um and 70k I've not really Seen any signs of we te on the outsole As well the outsole is pretty good There's a good thick layer of rubber Across most of the out soole there is Some exposed Mido sections but the Rubber's really thick so it's going to Take a while for you to get down through That rubber to to start really touching That that midso so I think it's a shoe
That's really designed for a lot of Miles uh and all in all it's just a very Balanced all round shoe that um if I Think previously you'd probably look at The a80 as a cheaper alternative to 1080 But now I think it's probably a shoe That probably does something a little Bit different than what the 1080 is Doing so very impressed with the testing Of the A8 v15 so far um and definitely a Shoe that I was really surprised about In testing I've done a lot of daily Mileage in the New Balance 880 v15 that Includes a steady Six Mile really slow And easy 4 and a half mile along with a Close to marathon pace 5K I've done runs Up to 90 minutes on feet as well I think That's a huge compliment to this shoe That I found myself grabbing it when I'm Just kind of squeezing in miles just Getting out for a little bit of head Space and I just want easy reliable Comfort or you know versatility in this Shoe I also recently ran in the a80 v14 Just before this shoe and I think the Significant changes to the stack and the Geometry here change the ride of the Shoe completely from that last gem which Was firmer more direct this one has ools Of cushion in a bigger stack maybe less Agile shoe but I think on balance it's An impr improvement because it's not too Soft and sinky the 80 v15 has a lovely Stepping Comfort instantly feels good on
The foot from the moment you lace it on Feels like it kind of belongs on the Foot I don't always get that nailed on Comfort immediately from New Balance Shoes even in my size they can sometimes Come up a bit narrow and a bit short in My usual size they 1080 v14 did that but This one really works with nice flexy Uppers decent amount of room in the toe Box once you get them on you can Instantly tell it's less direct less Traditional if you than the a80 v14 the Move to the bigger stack has swallowed Another more traditional shoe if you're A fan of the old school rides you might Ru the loss of another of that style of Shoe but that seems to be a trend However I don't think the a80 v14 over Does the softness it's softer than the 1080 v14 which also has a bit more Spring to it Fresh Foam X but I enjoyed The balance of cushion and response from That now bigger Mac stack in the 880 It's a soft enough but not too sinky Ride it's just got some nice mediacy in The return but it maintains a good level Of Road protection a good level of Stability the extra stack of fresh foam X is basically dampening the road but it Avoids being clumping or Slappy or big And too wobbly now for a big stack shoe It's certainly not what I'd call bouncy But there's more energy than I got from The more traditional 880 v14 if that
Shoe was a bit too direct for you the A80 v15 is a step change we got more Between you and the ground if you like a More connected ride of the v14 of this This change might not float your boat Interestingly I've just come from a load Of test miles in the S endorphin trainer Is a similar stacked shoe that shoots For super trainer status but doesn't hit The spot but I sort of see these shoes Are quite similar and for me the 80 v15 Delivers a more natural ride than that Shoe which is much pricier I prefer the Slightly firmer edge of the v15 here It's a better shoe all around than the S And dwen trainer it's also a big chunk Cheaper than that shoe I also did a Sideb side Mile with this one up against The 1080 v14 they'll be a head-to-head On the channel soon but in that Comparison the 880 v15 it's no longer Just a cheaper version of the 1080 it's Offering something different it's a Bigger stack shoe that's soft but not Devoid of energy and it work very well Up to a sort of certain pace Verdict then I wasn't expecting to be a Fan of this shoe out of the box it looks Chunky and it like it might be overly Soft but I've really enjoyed my miles in The8 v15 I like the comfort of the Uppers I like the wider more Accommodating fit I don't mind the Bigger stack in this shoe because it's
Not too squishy or sludgy some Runners May crave more bounce but I like the Balance it's all quite smooth protective And it's just easy to Glide in I Describe this as a competent cushion Daily trainer definitely geared towards The easier end of things kind of Happiest up to cruising pace and I could E out marathon pace miles in it too I Did log some 645 minute miles and it did A job though admittedly it's somewhat Big and heavy for that so a bit too Heavy to be ideal for the faster end of Things it's not one I'd lce up first for Shifting up the gears it can do it at a Push it's a big change from the simpler More traditional 880 v14 the stack Change moves it closer to the more V4 if You're considering the 1080 v14 that Shoe is undoubtedly better at faster and I'd say more versatile but at 140 I Think there's a lot to like with this Version of the a80 v15 if you're looking For a big Comfort Cruiser it's got a lot Going for it and I think it can cover Many of the same runs as the 1080 v14 it Just handles them in a slightly Different way bigger softer stack but Perhaps with more control I think New Balance has made a very good shoe here That a lot of Runners will get along With I also really like the Colorway so my verdict on the 880 v15 I Think it's a really interesting shoe
That is has definitely gone from being Something that I probably wouldn't Really have thought about before as more Of the uh cost effective shoes from a Brand to now it's a shoe that actually Has something that probably some people Would really like over and above Something like the 1080 uh v14 it's a Balanced shoe it reminds me of something Like the soy ride range so the ride Range is a really really good series of Shoes um and it just sits in that realm Of being comfortable uh nicely stable It's got uh good for slightly more Versatile training this is very much That same sort of thing it's almost to Competitive for that shoe now and a very Similar price as well so it's an Interesting shoe to fit in there and in Fact the ride and something like the Triumph um if you look at those over Time the Triumph has always been the the Popular one for um daily training miles For comfort for having a really nice Foam in there but the ride sort of Overtaken it now because the tri 22 Isn't particularly um versatile shoe uh And to be honest it's not very Comfortable shoe either I'm not a big Fan of the tri Um this is a similar thing where New Balance has taken something like the 108 V14 and taken the shoe that people would Probably go for if they wanted to save a
Bit of money but actually in some ways It's probably better for a lot of people Because that midso is just a little bit Um little bit better for running more Versatile uh training sessions in feels A little bit more um nicer heel totoe Transition if you're running at a Consistent pace so I think for a lot of People this actually may be a better Option than the 1080 v14 now I certainly Like it more for as a general shoe I'd Still go for the 108 v14 if I was going All out easy day runs because it's just A little bit softer but um I think a lot Of people especially those who probably Want to do a bit more of their training Maybe want one pair of shoes to do lots Of different types of running it's Probably a better option you're saving Yourself 20s in the UK if you get any 80 V 15 so really solid shoe I'm really Impressed with it and wasn't expecting To bed on my knowledge of the 880 range In the past um so definitely worth Looking at if you want a versatile daily Trainer that skews more towards the Easier runs but you can do a bit more in It um and also really stable as well Which is a nice bonus for um a fairly High stack uh cushion shoe that's it From us on this full review of the 8 v15 From New Balance thanks a lot for Watching don't forget to like subscribe And click that little bell and if you go
Into catch below you can find a link to Our podcast which comes out a couple of Times each month thanks lot for watching Catch you next time
