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New Balance Vazee Pace Review

Set a record. Break it. Repeat. Get ready to reach all new speeds in Vazee Pace. Engineered for the relentless pursuit of faster, this lightweight running shoe delivers the snappy, responsive ride required for all the miles you have planned for it. -New Balance

The Good

Thomas: This shoe is a firecracker! The Vazee is a fun shoe to pick up the pace in. The 6mm drop feels natural with just enough forward lean to get your legs rolling. The weight at 9 oz. for a size 10.5 is light and as New Balance said, “snappy.” The rubber on the outsole looks oddly placed, but oddly enough it gives a superb ground feel. The Vazee Pace fits my narrow foot nearly perfect. No hot spots or any irritation. The laces have a little elasticity to them that helps the fit of the shoe feel custom. I thought the “deconstructed heel counter” might be marketing  jargon, however, the heel counter disappears and is only noticeable when putting on and taking off the shoe. It is soft and pliable. The cushioning is perfect for me to run any distance and there is even some arch support built in. The Vazee is a good looking shoe, it looks fast. Getting ready for my morning runs I look down on them and know it will be a good run. That’s half the battle, right? I’ll say it in the conclusion, but if you can’t wait to get that far… I FRIGGIN’ LOVE THIS SHOE!

Meaghan: The Vazee Pace is an awesome shoe. It’s considered a daily trainer and replaces the 890 from New Balance’s lineup. I didn’t have high expectations for the Vazee Pace after trying out the Zante. Unlike (what seems like) most of the world, I didn’t love the Zante. Wrong fit & feel. The Vazee Pace was a completely different experience for me. It’s structured with a broader forefoot and has some additional support through the upper. The tongue and collar are nicely padded, complete with a flat lacing system. The midsole is made up of New Balance’s REVlite foam which is a bit firmer than the Fresh Foam. I really liked the feel underfoot. It’s not a max-cushioned shoe, but it’s cushioned enough for long distances. There is noticeable arch support (bump) that I actually liked, but may bother some. These shoes hug your feet without feeling constricting and they’re SO light! My W7.5 came in at 6.75 oz. Finally, it’s a good-looking shoe. Clean, simple and BRIGHT. In case the neon yellow colorway wasn’t enough, New Balance also added some reflective overlays. You can’t miss them.

The Bad

Thomas: The worst thing about these shoes is they will be worn out by the time I am ready to run the GORE-TEX® Philadelphia Marathon in November and I will need to buy a new pair.

Meaghan: The only negative thing I can say about this shoe is the laces are wayyyyy too long. I had to lace them through the extra hole and double-knot them just to avoid tripping on my laces mid-run.

The Conclusion

Thomas: The hype was all around the New Balance Zante, while a good shoe, I was not in love. Competitor Magazine gave it the shoe of the year back in March, pfsssh. The Vazee Pace was the shoe I waiting for. So far, this is my pick for new shoe of the year, and this has been a great year for running shoes. I can’t imagine any shoe will be able to take its place. The closest competitors all have at least one flaw. I warned you I would say it again, I friggin’ love this shoe. You need to have this one.

Meaghan: I know I love a shoe when I pick it up for my long run. I took the Vazee Pace out for my 21 miler last weekend and they held up great. My feet felt fresh afterwards. As someone who’s been leaning towards the max-cushioned shoes, the Vazee Pace is a breath of fresh air. Super light, super fast, and still goes the distance. I highly, highly recommend trying out this shoe.

The Vazee Pace was provided by New Balance for this review.

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Comments

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  1. amadeus303 says:

    Hey guys… how flexible is the sole on this shoe? It seems to tick off all the boxes I’m looking for, but I like a flexible sole. The Skechers Go Run 3 and 4 have been my favorites in recent seasons. How would this compare to them?

    1. It’s pretty flexible. If you like the GR3 you will like the Vazee Pace. The GR3 has a slightly softer feel, and less rubber on the outsole.

      1. amadeus303 says:

        Thanks, Thomas… just ordered them!

        1. Sweet! I hope you like them as much as we do.

  2. Michael K. says:

    how would you compare these to the lunar tempo?
    if you cold have only 1, desert-island shoe, would it be vazee? saucony ride? gemini? clifton? something else?

    1. I haven’t worn the Lunar Tempo so I can’t say. One shoe to rule them all? Right now I would go with the Clifton 2. More versatile than the others and since I am on an island, they float. My favorite on the list is the Vazee at the moment and most likely be my Marathon shoe this November.

  3. michael K. says:

    can you compare it to kinvara 5 (my planned marathon shoe for november)?

    1. I have worn the Kinvara in marathons in the past. The Vazee will be my marathon shoe in November. Lighter and I like the midsole better. less stiff.

  4. Hello god sir! I read your review it was indeed helpful. I would just like to ask a question.

    I have this fondness for a “cushy-like” feel in shoes. The Kinvara 5 satisfied that craving. Is the “softness” of the midsole of this shoe somehow similar to the Kinvara’s? Im currently thinking of buying the Kinvara 6 or this one. Im hoping you can give me an advice. Thank you!

    1. I prefer the Vazee Pace over the Kinvara 6. That is saying a lot. I am excited to try the Kinvara 7 there is a new midsole material coming.

  5. I heeded your advice and tried out this shoe this morning…felt amazing! Think I may have found my shoe!

  6. jo bennett says:

    I’m disappointed in the Vazee Pace. After a stretch of injury-plagued years, I came across the 890s, and was haven’t had any desire or need to turn back since. My local NB store informed me last weekend that the 890s had been discontinued, and recommended the Vazees. I was worried, but hopeful. Unfortunately, after a week of running on the Vazees, it’s clear that these are a bit different. They’re light, but stiffer than the 890s. One thing that I loved about the 890s was the fact that I felt like my feet were really engaged with the ground – they apparently provided enough support to keep me from suffering my typical achilles and hamstrings injuries. These shoes just make my legs and feet feel heavier after a 9-miler this morning; I’m sure I’ll be a bit sore tomorrow. I hope this feedback gets back to the NB folks somehow!

  7. David Burns says:

    On another review they said they had a lot of heel slippage in this shoe. Did you notice this?

    1. No, this was one of my favorite heel counters.

  8. Justin Perry says:

    Hey guys, as far as the upper, would you go sockless in these? I am looking for a triathlon shoe for this season, and I used to wear the 1400 v2 sockless which wasn’t very comfy bare footed (still love them otherwise). I like the 6mm drop, I currently run in the Brooks PureFlow 3 and I absolutely love them, but a bit heavy for races, and I am not sure about he new v5 that just came out. Any thoughts on the Vazee in these terms? Oh, I mostly do Olympic (10k) distances for Tri’s and I race a lot of Half marathons as well.

    1. Hi Justin, I love socks, and never run without them. I can’t really tell you if they would be good sockless. Wish I could be more helpful. -T

  9. Hi guys,
    This is the best review of the shoe I found, thank you! I had all the same thoughts as I tried them on especially the laces! Just wondering if you guys went up half a size? I like a tighter fit on my shoe but will be using these for marathon training so maybe going up half a size is a good thing since they seem to measure a little smaller than regular shoes. Any advice?

    1. I always go a half size up from my regular shoe size for trainers. You may want to order two pairs from an online store that has free shipping, or go to a store and try on a couple sizes to see what works for you. Good luck.

  10. Hans Schmidt says:

    How does the Vazee compare to the Brooks Launch 2?

    1. The Vazee is lighter and more flexible.

  11. HANS SCHMIDT says:

    What about the cushioning and general ride for the Vazee vs Launch 2? I’m trying to decide between these two.

    1. Both are pretty smooth. I prefer the Vazee Pace.

  12. Justin Perry says:

    Thomas, I must have run around my LRS building complex about 30 times (Toolen’s Running Start) with a Vazee Pace on one foot and the new Zante V2 on the other. I had tried on the V1 Zante before and wanted to like them but they just felt too narrow (V2 fits wonderful – not sure what they did to make the forefoot feel wider but they did). Anyway, I love the way the Vazee hugs my med/high arch but I was concerned about the firmness of the midsole (Revlite). With the new Zante I love the fresh foam but they felt a little “flat” to me, but I did I mention how lovely the Freshfoam feels! The upper on both the Zante V2 and the Vazee, have their merits and I like both very much. To my surprise the Vazee won the run-off for me – the arch fit and springy return just felt more “goldilocks” to me. I may end up with the New Zante later on but the Vazee won this round – the flexibility in the midsole, the sleek fitting upper, soft heel counter and energy return on the Revlite won me over (big fan of my 1400 v2’s, and I also loved the 890 although the Vazee is a very different shoe, more like a souped up 1400/1500!). I am anxious to see what the Vazee Pace 2 will bring to the table!!! Thanks again for your great reviews Thomas and Meghan! Oh and I upsized on both shoes 1/2 size – the newer NB’s seem to run a touch shorter to me.

  13. Yannick Balk says:

    Great review guys, thanks a lot! I have been running in the NB 1400v2’s (for shorter/faster runs) and Pegasus 32’s (for longer runs). While I’m typing this, I’m wearing the new 1400v4’s on one foot and the Vazee Pace’s on the other. I can’t decide! Do you agree that these shoes are too similar? (except for the difference in drop) Can you say anything about the new 1400 v4’s? Thanks a lot in advance!

    1. Thanks! I wish I could tell you Yannick. We haven’t run the 1400v4.

  14. This shoes is good to train or do a marathon? I have 85kg and 1,88m

    1. It depends on your preference. I would run a marathon in them.

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