New Balance 860 v4

Name: New Balance 860 v4
Brand: New Balance
Rating: 4.1 (16 reviews)

Daily trainer · Stability · Road

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The New Balance 860 v3 replaced it

How it ranks

The New Balance 860 v4 trails most daily trainers in our data. Cushioning and looks are its strongest sub-ratings. The rating is based on 16 runner reviews and 12 other rated shoes in the 860 product line.

Bottom-tier

Overall

Bottom-tier 49

Appearance

Bottom-tier 59

Durability

Bottom-tier 58

Comfort

Bottom-tier 57

Cushioning

Bottom-tier 57

Value

Bottom-tier 52

Confidence

How settled the rating is against every other rated shoe. A shoe can rate high on confidence with relatively few reviews of its own when its product line has a long record and external ratings from retailer sites agree. Confidence is low when we have few ratings or when runners disagree.

See the product line's history

Confidence

89 High

High 89

Based on

The bars show roughly how much each source contributes to this shoe’s rating. Their influence depends on how many reviews we’ve collected, how many earlier versions are in the product line, and the external ratings available.

Product line track record
Our ratings
External ratings

What runners say

“Great structure for about a month, then breaking down”

1/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a half marathon

“Holes at the sides of the toe box after less than six months”

3/5 Full review 7 mpw 152 miles in this shoe came from the Saucony Kinvara 5

“Forefoot breaks down much more quickly than rest of shoe”

4/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon

“Uppers wore out faster than the soles”

3/5 Full review 7 mpw 152 miles in this shoe came from the Saucony Kinvara 5

“Solid 400 miles without major issues”

4/5 Full review 45 mpw training for a half marathon

“V4 fixed the previous model's narrow toe box”

4/5 Full review 80 mpw training for a marathon

“Need to tie very tight to control foot movement”

1/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a half marathon

“It didn't provide as much support as hoped”

3/5 Full review 7 mpw 152 miles in this shoe came from the Saucony Kinvara 5

“Sturdy and stiff where needed”

4/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon

“Good blend of mild stability and comfort”

4/5 Full review 80 mpw training for a marathon

“Good cushioning, support, reasonable durability”

4/5 Full review 45 mpw training for a half marathon

“Shouldn't break down so quickly at low mileage”

1/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a half marathon

“Lighter than previous versions”

5/5 Full review 25 mpw training for a half marathon

Prefer this shoe over another

9% 1/11

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Oct 22.

Pros

Two reviewers say the toe box is less narrow than the 860 v3.
Reviewers rate comfort 4.1 out of 5, and two say it works for them coming back from injury.

Cons

Reviewers rate durability 3.8 out of 5 and value 3.7 out of 5, its lowest dimensions, and two report the forefoot wearing out before the rest of the shoe.
The 860 v5 scores 65 on four reviews and the v10 scores 75 on eight, against this version's 47, the lowest in the line.

860 v4 rates 49. This shoe has high confidence. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the New Balance 860

Each dot is one version of the 860, placed by its rating and release year. The gold dot is this shoe.

Rating

40 60 80 100

54 49 2014 62 55 57 2018 63 60 2019 73 61 2020 63 69 2022 63 55 2026

Release year

We use the reviews of past versions to inform this shoe’s rating. See why.

Fresh Foam X 860 v15

2026 · 0 reviews

55 Bottom-tier

54 Confidence
Fresh Foam X 860 v14

2024 · 11 reviews

63 Below average

77 Confidence
Fresh Foam X 860 v13

2022 · 5 reviews

69 Below average

82 Confidence
Fresh Foam X 860 v12

2021 · 1 review

63 Below average

74 Confidence
Fresh Foam 860 v11

2020 · 1 review

61 Below average

77 Confidence
860 v10

2020 · 8 reviews

73 Decent

82 Confidence
860 V9

2019 · 5 reviews

60 Below average

81 Confidence
860 v8

2019 · 10 reviews

63 Below average

87 Confidence
860 v7

2018 · 4 reviews

57 Bottom-tier

75 Confidence
860 v6

2018 · 2 reviews

55 Bottom-tier

80 Confidence
860 v5

2016 · 4 reviews

62 Below average

80 Confidence
860 v4 This shoe

2014 · 16 reviews

49 Bottom-tier

89 Confidence
860 v3

2014 · 2 reviews

54 Bottom-tier

77 Confidence

Runner Ratings

16 ratings

5/5 5

4/5 9

3/5 1

2/5 0

1/5 1

See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Release: 2014
MSRP: $100

Runner reviews

Write a review

3/5

Overall

I purchased this shoe when my podiatrist told me to try a stability shoe (I was in treatment for plantar fasciitis). After running in minimal shoes for over a year and being injured most of that time, I decided to give his advice a try. I wasn't all that happy with this shoe because it didn't provide as much support as I had hoped and the upper showed wear quickly. I replaced it because it was worn out, but I had worn it out more from walking than from running and even then there were holes at the sides of the toe box after less than six months. The uppers were more worn out than the soles when I replaced them.

rml · Apr 20, 2015

7 mpw 152 miles in this shoe came from the Saucony Kinvara 5

Comfort: 3/5
Durability: 2/5
Appearance: 3/5
Value: 3/5

5/5

Overall

hantph96 · Mar 23, 2015

60 mpw

Comfort: 5/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 5/5
Value: 5/5

4/5

Overall

Good cushioning, support, reasonable durability (sole wears out for me, as a heel striker), can find it online for a good price. I get a solid 400mi in these without any major issues.

VitaminG · Mar 22, 2015

45 mpw training for a half marathon

Comfort: 4/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 4/5
Value: 5/5

4/5

Overall

Anonymous runner · Mar 22, 2015

70 mpw training for a marathon came from the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 15

Comfort: 4/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 5/5
Value: 5/5

4/5

Overall

I have worn various incarnations of this model over the years. The previous model was far too narrow in the toe box but this seems to have been remedied in the version 4. It offers a good blend of mild stability and comfort, and because I have narrow feet, New Balance suits me.

GladysGaniel · Sep 21, 2014

80 mpw training for a marathon