The Hierro V8 is a trail shoe designed to be both comfortable and accessible. Like New Balance’s 1080 road range, the Hierro is a shoe built for ticking off miles with a good balance of comfort, stability and cushioning.
The foam used in the midsole is a modified version of the Fresh Foam X found across many of the brand’s trail and road shoes. In this iteration of the shoe, it’s slightly softer than the previous version to improve the ride.
The GTX version of the shoe adds a new protective upper designed to protect the feet from wind, rain and water, while maintaining a good level of breathability.
Check out The Run Testers podcast:
JUMP STRAIGHT IN:
00:00 – Intro
00:22 – Stats
00:49 – Design
01:38 – How’s the fit?
02:51 – The Run Test
08:16 – Early Verdict
Subscribe to The Run Testers for more running gear reviews:
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheRunTesters?sub_confirmation=1
More ways to enjoy The Run Testers
Subscribe:
Follow Us:
Listen to The Run Testers Podcast:
Watch The Run Testers Shorts:
Hey time for run testers in this video I'm finally going to be doing my review Of the New Balance hero V8 Trail shoe uh And I'm also going to be covering the uh New balero V8 GTX as well but I'm going To put that down now cuz I just got back From a trail run and it's really muddy Right let's dive in and see what I Thought to these [Music] Shoes the New Balance hero V8 costs £140 Or $149.99 it weighs 283 G or 10 oz for men In a size 8 and the drop is 6 mm the new Balan hero V8 GTX cost 160 or $169.99 it weighs 303 G or 10.7 o for Men in the size 8 and the drop is 6 Mm the hero V8 is a trail shoe designed To be both comfortable and accessible Like new balance's 1080 road range the Hero is a shoe built for ticking off Miles with a good balance of comfort Stability and ing the foam used in the Midsole is a modified version of The Fresh Foam X found across many of the Brand's Trail and Road shoes in this Iteration of the shoe it's slightly Softer than the previous version to Improve the ride the outs soole features A healthy layer of vibr and rubber to Protect the midsole and improve grip on Varied conditions with 4 mm lugs to Tackle lighter Trails the upper is a Breathable lightweight close-knit
Engineered mesh that aims to protect the Feet from off-road obstructions without Being unnecessarily bulky the GTX Version of the shoe adds a new upper Designed to to protect the feet from Wind rain and water while maintaining a Good level of [Music] Breathability so the fit for me in these Two shoes the Helo is a shoe that is Designed for very general trail running It's not performance shoe it's not a Shoe that has any particular features That are designed for running faster Running on technical terrain it's very Much a comfortable um Trail shoe and the Fit um mirrors that completely I'm a Size8 in the UK uh both of the shoes fit Me perfectly um there's plenty of space In the forefoot there's plenty of room Before the toe uh there's the upper is Very very comfortable in the um in the In the Standard Version and in the GTX Version although uh the upper in the GTX Version is a little bit uh less Breathable um but does fit me exactly The same no issues with fit on either of These shoes there's plenty of padding on Them as well all in all definitely stay To my size in in both versions of the Hero V8 think it's fantastically Comfortable shoe sort of shoe that uh Mir crosses over that world of um Running shoes and day-to-day shoes so
For these you you these might be used by You as purely a walking shoe if you're Going out walking over the fields and uh Across public foot paths and stuff like That so it's very comfortable all around I'd St to my sight and both Shoes Okay so the Hera range is a range Really designed it's an entry level uh Range where it's really a shoe that's Designed for all out comfort on the Trails it's not particularly well Designed for anything technical or Anything like that it's really designed For ticking off the miles on pretty Light Trails um if you just want comfort And it's pretty good for road as well There a very good road to Trail shoe if You're just ticking off the miles and You want something that can keep you Relatively um safe out on the trails and Give you a little bit of extra stability And an extra a good level of outso grip As well so um I've used the hero V8 on a Few different runs now most of the runs I've done have been fairly comfortable Runs but I have been over some different Terrain in this shoe I definitely Wouldn't go out and use this shoe to run Fast in but having said that I think This new version is an improvement on Previous versions of the hero um what I've said about previous versions is They can be quite clunky uh and if You're going out and you're running long
Distance you can really feel that you've Got a lot of shoe on your feet but uh This is an improvement so the hero V8 Just feels a little bit lighter on the Feet just feels a little bit like There's a bit more softness in the midf It's a bit more comfortable and Definitely a shoe that is veering more Towards um trail shoes that you would Use for slightly more intense training Than the earlier versions the earlier Versions for me very much were almost a Walking shoe that you could use for a Bit of trail running but that's as far As i' I'd use them for that I there were So many other trail shoes that I Preferred to using the hero uh line but This one I actually quite enjoy um it's Definitely not a shoe that I would use For anything anything uh taxing uh I Have been on the Downs in this shoe and It didn't feel particularly good it was Okay it was comfortable but the outsole Isn't particularly great for dealing With Muddy terrain um the uh it doesn't It still feels relatively clunky on the Feet uh if you're trying to run fast or If you're trying to run uphill and Things like that at PACE I mean if You're going really slow it's absolutely Fine but it's just not a very versatile Shoe if you're going out and you're Trying different speeds and things like That but it is a really solid
Comfortable shoe for me The Sweet Spot For this shoe is those Trail runs where You're going across public foot paths Maybe you're going through Forest paths Things like that where you've got a good Level of um a fairly hard compact ground And you want something that's almost Like a rachu that is going to give you a Bit more traction on the ground a bit More protection um from things like this Toe protect at the front it's really Just a a a road shoe that's been upped To be able to deal with the trails in a Lot of ways and I think that's that's Exactly what it's it's positioned as and I think that works very very well for Most people who are probably doing quite Easy Trails or Trails where you're not Really concerned too much about falling Over or things pointing into your feet Very good shoe for that very very Comfortable uh and you can also use it For road as well I know people that have Versions of the hero and they run part Runs in it they they they run on Road in It um sometimes the GTX version of the Shoe is almost identical to the standard Version of the shoe uh it's a bit Heavier um because it's got an upper on It a GTX upper which is a bit thicker uh And it's designed for dealing with wet Conditions I'm always a bit skeptical With GTX versions of shoes um because Even though they make the shoe
Waterproof it if you're running around In shorts uh and it's raining you're Still going to get water into those into Those shoes and it's also harder to get Out sometimes because uh they're less Breathable um than the normal version of The shoe so I've been out and um on the Best way to use the GTX version is if You're going out and running on maybe Fields or if you're running on paths Where there's a bit of mud and a bit of A bit of wet on there but you're not Really going over it I did go out for a Trun and I went straight into a puddle So it completely negates the point the The the value of having a waterproof Shoe on if you're actually submerging The shoe in water but if you're running Along fields or puddles or things like That and the water's not going above the Ankle Line That's The Sweet Spot for Those sorts of GTX shoes probably also Good for Walkers as well who are walking Around fields in The Dewy mornings and Things uh just to stop your socks Getting wet and your feet getting cold Um so the difference in those two shoes Is minimal um in terms of the ride you You can tell that the GTX version is a Little bit heavier than um The Standard Version it's pretty pretty pretty normal Uh when you have that sort of extra Weight on from from the upper but the Ride is very similar the out Soo is very
Similar uh and for me if you're the sort Of person that's probably going out and Walking on wet paths and things like That it's it might be a good option um For me I would always go for the um Standard version of the shoe because the Only time I'm really worried about my Feet getting wet uh is in the rain um And this that's not going to stop it Unless you've got Gators on so overall Uh the I really like the hero I think It's a big Improvement on the earli Version of the the shoe which I've never Been a massive fan of um and I think It's a really good option if you're Looking for Comfort if you're looking For something that delivers very similar To a road shoe um and maybe something Like the ten v14 um it's it's a similar Ride to that sort of shoe uh and it's Also um just feels very good and stable Out on those lighter lighter foot paths Um so yeah uh solid um run test in this Shoe so my verdict on the hero V8 and The hero V8 GTX I think it's a solid Shoe that a lot of people are going to Like um I think it's a shoe designed for Comfort and ease of use over lighter Trails if you're looking for a shoe that You might want to do some technical Running in whether that is up a mountain Or rocky areas or uh really boggy wet Areas I wouldn't get these shoes they're Not designed for that the the out soole
Is not really that hard or deep logs and It's not really designed for you know Running up a a boggy Hillside in the Lake District because it's going to get A bit slippy if you're on foot paths if You're going across Fields um if you're Going through um Forest paths things Like that where it's pretty comfortable To run on and you're not you've not got Loads of um obstacles in the way great Shoe for that definitely a shoe that I Think a lot of people probably wear Because it is comfortable walking shoe Um if I was going out and taking the dog For a walk this is a great shoe for it Um but I'm not reviewing walking shoes Here I'm reviewing running shoes so as a Running shoe I think it's a solid uh Lighter Trail shoe definitely not Designed for any speed definitely not Designed for anything technical very Comfortable um and if you're the sort of Trail Runner that just wants something That goes from a road shoe to a trail Shoe over those lighter Trails I think It's a really good option now and I Didn't say that about the previous Versions so definitely uh definitely a Big improvement with this new tweak to The midell phone and solid um a solid General use Trail shoe uh unless which I Wouldn't get if you were doing anything Really really technical alternatives for This would be things like the sakon
Paragr range S paragen range is quite Similar in the way that it's uh quite It's quite accessible for a lot of People um but it is better when it comes To more technical terrain um it feels a Little bit lighter on the feet uh it's Got a bit better grip on it it's not the Lugs aren't massive in comparison to This but it's just got a little bit more To it when it comes to um running faster Or running on technical terrain if you Wanted to get a nice entry level shoe Maybe get that or maybe the Hawker speed Go range I haven't tried the latest Version but I know the other guys really Like that that shoe um they're both good Options which aren't miles off of this Shoe they're still very comfortable um Row to trail shoes if you needed to use Them for that but they just got a little Bit more to them when you're running out On more technical terrain that's it for Me on this review of the New Balance Hero V8 and V8 GTX thanks a lot for Watching don't forget to like subscribe Click little bell and if you go to catch Below you can find L to our podcast Which comes out a couple of times each Month thanks a lot for watching catch You next time [Music]
