New Balance 890 v4

Name: New Balance 890 v4
Brand: New Balance
Rating: 4.2 (57 reviews)

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 11.0 oz (men's) · 23/15mm stack · 8mm drop

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The New Balance 890 v5 replaced it

How it ranks

The New Balance 890 v4 trails most daily trainers in our data. Cushioning and value are its strongest sub-ratings. The rating is based on 57 runner reviews and 6 other rated shoes in the 890 product line.

Bottom-tier

Overall

Bottom-tier 53

Value

Bottom-tier 59

Cushioning

Bottom-tier 59

Appearance

Bottom-tier 55

Comfort

Bottom-tier 50

Durability

Bottom-tier 50

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

97 Very high

Very high 97

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.

Our ratings
Product line track record
External ratings

What runners say

“Feels really fast; pods compact differently per foot strike.”

5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a marathon came from the New Balance Fresh Foam 980

“Third pair torn through in less than a month.”

2/5 Full review 85 mpw training for a half marathon

“Tongue is a huge monstrosity that makes the upper too tight.”

2/5 Full review 80 mpw training for a marathon

“Feels smaller, tighter, and thinner in sole than v3.”

4/5 Full review 80 mpw training for middle distance

“Feels just as good as new after 400 miles.”

4/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a half marathon

“Midsole is just enough cushioning without being too soft.”

5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a marathon came from the New Balance Fresh Foam 980

“Big gaps between sole parts pick up rocks.”

4/5 Full review 65 mpw training for a half marathon

“Outsole wears extremely fast.”

2/5 Full review 80 mpw training for a marathon

“Tongue is massive; tough to cinch on narrow foot.”

4/5 Full review 70 mpw training for a half marathon

“Midsole doesn't protect against rocks or small pebbles.”

4/5 Full review 95 mpw training for a half marathon

“Lightweight, flexible, and have plenty of cushion.”

5/5 Full review 11 mpw training for a half marathon

“Wear out faster than normal; maybe 300 miles.”

4/5 Full review 70 mpw training for a half marathon

“Not enough support in sole in later miles of long run.”

4/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a marathon

“At higher mileage, doesn't feel very protective.”

4/5 Full review 65 mpw training for a half marathon

“Lightweight, adaptable, yet protective.”

5/5 Full review 80 mpw training for a marathon

“Over 100 miles and very durable.”

5/5 Full review 11 mpw training for a half marathon

“Got about 700 miles on them.”

4/5 Full review 80 mpw training for middle distance

“Great cushion/comfort for a lightweight shoe.”

5/5 Full review training for a half marathon

“Usually get 500 miles out of the shoe.”

5/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a marathon came from the Mizuno Wave Rider 17

“Not too cushy—just enough support for longer runs.”

4/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a marathon

“Sized up for the rounded toe box.”

5/5 Full review training for a half marathon

Prefer this shoe over another

40% 8/20

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Oct 22.

Pros

Three reviewers call it cushioned enough for long runs while still light on foot.
Two reviewers use it on both roads and dirt trails.

Cons

Reviewers rate durability 3.5 out of 5, its lowest dimension, and several report fast outsole wear.
At 11.0 oz it is well above the 8.9 oz median for daily trainers for sale.
The 890 v3 before it scores 63 on twenty-seven reviews and the 890 v7 scores 89 on nine, against this version's 50.

890 v4 rates 53. This shoe has very high confidence. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the New Balance 890

Each dot is one version of the 890, placed by its rating and release year. The gold dot is this shoe.

Rating

40 60 80 100

66 2012 62 2013 53 2014 62 2015 67 2018 84 2019 67 2020

Release year

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

890 v8

2020 · 2 reviews

67 Below average

75 Confidence
890 v7

2019 · 9 reviews

84 Good

88 Confidence
890 v6

2018 · 8 reviews

67 Below average

91 Confidence
890 v5

2015 · 4 reviews

62 Below average

81 Confidence
890 v4 This shoe

2014 · 57 reviews

53 Bottom-tier

97 Confidence
890 v3

2013 · 27 reviews

62 Below average

93 Confidence
890 v2

2012 · 5 reviews

66 Below average

82 Confidence

Runner Ratings

57 ratings

5/5 20

4/5 31

3/5 3

2/5 3

1/5 0

See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight: 11.0 oz (men's)
Release: 2014
MSRP: $120
Stack: 23/15mm
Drop: 8mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

4/5

Overall

Was in the 890 v3's, which I loved, so I went with the update. The v4 feels smaller, tighter, and thinner in the sole than the v3. The shoes are pretty durable, and I've been able to get about 700 miles on them, but after running in the v3s, the v4s were a little disappointing.

Anonymous runner · Aug 29, 2014

80 mpw training for middle distance