New Balance Men's 880 Shoes

Product Information

The 880 has been an old faithful friend to me over the past six years or so. It’s a classic, dependable do-it-all trainer,” Kate says. “It will serve you well for long miles and easy recovery days. If you liked the 880 in the past, I think you’ll like the update, too.” The biggest change to the 880 falls squarely in the sole unit which is now a dual density. Looking at the shoe the layers are clearly defined with the white band of Fresh Foam running nearly the length of the shoe and the orange FuelCell layer spanning from mid foot to forefoot. Sam: The 880 is a safer all around bet with now a touch of the energetic fun of the Rebel on a more stable platform than Rebel given the geometry, Fresh Foam rear and copious rubber. They make an excellent pairing for NB fans. Rebel for the shorter and faster “fun runs”, 880 for the rest of your daily training. Sam is the Editor and Founder of Road Trail Run. He is 64 with a 2018 3:40 Boston qualifier. 2022 will be Sam’s 50th year of running. He has a decades old 2:28 marathon PR. These days he runs halves in the just sub 1:40 range training 30-40 miles per week mostly at moderate paces on the roads and trails of New Hampshire and Utah. He is 5’9” tall and weighs about 164 lbs if he is not enjoying too many fine New England IPA’s.

Sam: The midsole is made up of 2 foams both of the same hardness but of different densities and compounds. The white foam is a Fresh Foam X with a slightly lower density than the front orange which is a FuelCell compound. The heel feel is soft and somewhat bouncy. The front Fuel Cell is a touch “firmer” in feel and as it is denser but of the same firmness as the Fresh Foam. It has more front rebound and this is clearly felt on the run as is decent front stability on toe off . The front rebound is not explosive as the Rebel v2’s is but there is a clear softer impulse off the front. In hand, I was optimistic. There is definitely a difference in firmness between the two layers, and what’s more, the shoe appears wide enough to fit my 13.5E foot. Plus, the color scheme is bangin’! Skratch Recovery, Coffee Flavor: Mental and physical boost post run. Coffee flavor is excellent and goes great straight into a fresh brewed cupSam: Lower drop, lighter, more up tempo focused the Mach 4 is a more versatile take on the daily trainer for the faster runner. Somewhat less cushioned at the heel and more cushioned at the forefoot it is not quite as plush overall (upper and ride) as the 880. New Balance’s use of soft less dense Fresh Foam X at the heel combined with the same hardness/firmness but denser Fuel Cell up front with its well segmented copious outsole is effective. It allows a soft landing and a slightly more responsive and stable toe off while keeping the shoe on the softer side and very easy flexing. Sam: I agree with Peter on the ride comparison but much prefer the considerably more secure Nimbus upper. Discover our selection of the best 2022 road running shoes. Comparisons – New Balance 880v12 vs.: New Balance Fresh Foam 880 v11 The revamped midsole remains the most notable improvement to the v12. While the Fresh Foam X was already present on the v11, adding a 2nd layer of FuelCell foam in the forefoot provides a greater energy return. The cushioning plays its full role with a soft landing followed by a smooth toe-off.

The New Balance 880v12 felt more responsive and flexible than its predecessor, thanks to increased cushioning and flex grooves in the forefoot. Sally: The Rebel V2 earned my favorite daily trainer award last year, but it is more of a fun fast tempo shoe and the 880 v12 is more of a solid daily trainer. I personally tend to like a fast paced ride, but the 880 has a broader appeal. Interestingly, these are the only two New Balance shoes that I would recommend going up half a size in for length if you are on the fence. Peter lives in Austin, Texas and has been a sub 3 hour marathoner as well as a 1:25 half marathoner in recent years With v12 the 880 gets a big underfoot upgrade with a softer main Fresh Foam midsole and a front slightly denser FuelCell insert on what appears to be a wider rear platform. FuelCell comes in many flavors from the supercritical in the Rebel and RC Elite to denser less energetic formulations and adding highly responsive Fuel Cell up front sure got my attention. The upper is now a more relaxed fitting, softer double jacquard mesh (as in v11) but less reinforced with a thinner more pliable mid foot logo for support and no plastic heel clip as in v11. Out of the box, I find the 880's more comfortable than the 1080s by a considerable margin. Obviously, everyone's foot is different. But the 1080's I would have some fatigue setting in at the end of my walks. These 880's never do that to me. They were good to go straight away. The 1080's felt super squishy at the start of the walks, but always felt flatter by the end. Probably in my head, but definitely less comfortable.

As you can see from this complete analysis, there’s no revolution with this 12th version of the Fresh Foam 880, at most a shift in focus from the performance-oriented v11 to more comfort. So this shoe will win you over if you’re looking for a traditional road shoe with a softer and fairly bouncy ride for daily training. New Balance Fresh Foam 1080 v12 One big difference is the tongue. The 1080's tongue is on an elastic band that goes around your foot, and it really makes putting the shoe on effortless. The tongue is always in the right place and it's supportive. Mac is a former 275 lbs American football defensive lineman who took up running at age 30. Now, at 6’4” (193cm) 200 lbs (91kg) , he has PRs of 19:19, 1:33:xx, and 3:19:xx.