New Balance 890v4 Shoe Review

The Good

Meaghan Although this is the fourth edition of the New Balance 890, it’s my first encounter with this shoe. I like it. Have you ever picked something up expecting it to be heavy, only to be completely thrown off balance by how light it actually is? That’s this shoe. What it looks like and what it actually weighs are conflicting ideologies. If I had to guess (on looks alone), I’d say this shoe weighs close to 11 oz… not even close. The women’s size 7 comes in at a mere 6.6oz. Incredibly light. The midfoot contains the New Balance Revlite foam which I’ve come to love. It gives the shoe some firmness and a nice bounce. The upper is made of a breathable, seamless mesh, or what New Balance is calling the “FantomFit” (seems like a pretty standard upper to me.)They’re built with an 8mm drop, so not super minimal, but they provide nice ground feel. The podular outsole is pretty cool looking and it adds some traction and support. I never went over 10 miles in these shoes, but I wouldn’t hesitate to take them on some longer runs.

Thomas This shoe did something great. When I first ran in the New Balance 890v4 I didn’t think that much of it, but as I kept getting in miles on the shoe I started liking it more and more. It was like a song that when you first hear it you think, “that’s ok.” Then the more you hear it the more you become obsessed with it. I thought the shoe was good looking from the start, now I know it has substance to back it up. It just needed time to break in. The fit of the is damn near perfect with no hot spots. The midsole is just enough cushioning without being too soft. There is plenty of blown rubber on the outsole that will help with traction and durability. The shoe is light for such an all-around trainer weighing in at 8.5 oz.

The Bad

Meaghan I had two main complaints about this shoe. First and foremost is the forefoot. I have wide feet and this shoe did not create an enjoyable experience for my toes. New Balance suggests these shoes are true to size, but I’m wondering if a half size up would have benefited me. The second issue I had with these shoes was in the heel, the outsole. There’s a lot going on here and the thick rubber pods seem to encourage a heel strike.

Thomas The New Balance 890v4 isn’t run ready out of the box, it took some runs to break it in and find the personality. With that said, it is worth it. The heel counter and tongue are overstuffed. Like giant pillows or airbags. It didn’t really bother me much but I am not sure why the puffiness is necessary.

The Overall

Meaghan New Balance has become one of my favorite shoe brands. They’ve continued to impress me with their well made, performance focused running shoes. I had a couple issues with the 890v4, but they’re directly correlated to my stride and the shape of my foot. For a normal or narrower foot, this would be an excellent neutral trainer.

Thomas I did a 180 on the New Balance 890v4 shoes. It is hard not to want to pull these out when it is time to go for a run. This is a go to shoe for easy effort runs and long slow distance. The shoe looks and feels good on the feet. As the shoe broke in I could feel more of the pod segments in the mid and outsole. This shoe is a strong thumbs up for me. A good combo would be mixing in the New Balance RC 1400 v2 for speed days.