New Balance Fresh Foam Beacon

Name: New Balance Fresh Foam Beacon
Brand: New Balance
Rating: 4.7 (32 reviews)

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 6.9 oz · 29/23mm stack · 6mm drop

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The New Balance Fresh Foam Beacon v2 replaced it

How it ranks

The New Balance Fresh Foam Beacon is one of the strongest daily trainers in our data. Comfort and cushioning are its strongest sub-ratings. Durability scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating is based on 32 runner reviews and 2 other rated shoes in the Fresh Foam Beacon product line.

Excellent

Overall

Excellent 93

Comfort

Exceptional 99

Cushioning

Exceptional 97

Value

Excellent 95

Appearance

Very good 90

Durability

Below average 69

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

98 Very high

Very high 98

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.

Brand rating
Our ratings
External ratings

What runners say

“This shoe is extremely durable. I've put over 50 miles between dirt, roads, and trail in this shoe, and the only true wear on it is the dirt it has accumulated.”

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

“My legs are surprisingly not destroyed, as they have been in my other trainers (NB 880 v9, Brooks Ghost 11, Saucony Kinvara 9) after slightly shorter runs.”

5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a marathon came from the New Balance 880 v9

“Light enough for speed work and repeats, durable enough to last a reasonable workload of daily wear, and comfortable enough to wear during long runs.”

5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for middle distance came from the New Balance 890 v7

“It is responsive when you need it, but cushioned when you want it.”

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

“I love that it's a super light weight shoe and provides plenty of cushion without having to go for a clunky heavy shoe.”

5/5 Full review 60 mpw came from the Altra Torin 3.0

“The cushioning is ample but not intense/overwhelming. It's also not as soft as I expected but that's not a bad thing, it means the shoe feels a bit more responsive.”

5/5 Full review 60 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Freedom ISO 2

“Beacon is cushioned, but somehow still has good road feel and feels responsive.”

5/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the New Balance 1080 v8

“Excellent blend of cushioning (particularly in the forefoot), flexibility, and bounce.”

5/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Skechers GOrun Ride 6

“I've tried for years to find a shoe that I can put on, go for a run, and not think about my feet. These accomplish that.”

4/5 Full review 38 mpw training for a half marathon

“They are super comfortable at slower paces and have amazing energy return, making them good at faster paces/harder efforts.”

5/5 Full review 25 mpw came from the Saucony Kinvara 9

“Going downhill, it's going to feel like you will fly out of this shoe.”

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

“For the first two miles I wore these I hated them. They felt like styrofoam blocks on my feet.”

5/5 Full review 30 mpw came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Zante v3

“After 200 miles the shoe loses some responsiveness but the cushioning remains premium.”

5/5 Full review 45 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Altra Escalante 1.5

“The heel collar will run in your Achilles the first few times you run in it.”

5/5 Full review 45 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Altra Escalante 1.5

“Traction is poor in wet conditions, they run a bit hot, and they get waterlogged.”

5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a marathon came from the New Balance 880 v9

“I do still want a softer option for long runs, but Beacons work great for marathon pace and easy pace runs.”

4/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a half marathon came from the adidas adiZero adios 3 Boost (2018)

“They seem to wear out after about 150 miles.”

4/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a marathon came from the Brooks Ghost 12

“You may want to size up 1/2 size, but realize that the sloppy upper will diminish the value of sizing up.”

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

“The insoles are paper thin and don't grip the bottom of the shoe.”

5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a marathon came from the New Balance 880 v9

“Doesn't feel "fast" so better for long steady efforts for me than all-out workouts or races.”

4/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a marathon came from the HOKA Clifton 3

“I ended up with a hole in the top of the big toe area, which usually happens with my shoes, but it would be nice if more models had a little extra fabric there to prevent that.”

5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for middle distance came from the New Balance 890 v7

“The durability on the outsole is not bad, but the lack of outsole material shows.”

5/5 Full review 55 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Ghost 10

“I only wish they added a touch more hard rubber under the toe box to increase its durability.”

4/5 Full review 45 mpw came from the Brooks Launch 6

Prefer this shoe over another

53% 20/38

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Oct 23.

Pros

At 7.5 oz, reviewers still get enough cushioning for long runs.
Runners use it for easy days, tempos and marathons alike.
Many find the roomy toe box comfortable, and it comes in a wide.

Cons

The outsole carries little rubber, and several reviewers replace the shoe by about 300 miles.
Three reviewers report the thin insole sliding back and bunching under the heel.
One reviewer finds the upper sloppy on downhills, and another finds it hot and slow to dry.

Fresh Foam Beacon rates 93. This shoe has very high confidence. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the New Balance Fresh Foam Beacon

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

Rating

40 60 80 100

93 2018 97 2019 90 2020

Release year

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

Fresh Foam Beacon v3

2020 · 2 reviews

90 Very good

67 Confidence
Fresh Foam Beacon v2

2019 · 14 reviews

97 Exceptional

91 Confidence
Fresh Foam Beacon This shoe

2018 · 32 reviews

93 Excellent

98 Confidence

Runner Ratings

32 ratings

5/5 23

4/5 9

3/5 0

2/5 0

1/5 0

See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight: 6.9 oz
Men's / women's: Men's 7.5 oz · Women's 6.4 oz
Release: 2018 Q2
MSRP: $120
Stack: 29/23mm
Drop: 6mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Strangest shoes I ever tried

5/5

Overall

I have been running for 30 years and have never experienced shoes like these. For the first two miles I wore these I hated them. They felt like styrofoam blocks on my feet. Did not feel at all like they were giving any support whatsoever to my feet. They just felt heavy and flat. After two miles they seemed to have "broken in" and then they started to feel smoother and more cushioned. Then they started to live up to the reviews I had read online that said they were awesome. I have never had this experience with a pair of shoes before. Never had to break in shoes before.

Anonymous runner · Jul 3, 2019

30 mpw came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Zante v3

Comfort: 5/5
Cushioning: 5/5
Durability: 5/5
Appearance: 5/5
Value: 5/5

Finally Found My Shoe

5/5

Overall

I like a cushioned shoe, but dont want to run on Marshmallows. Beacon is cushioned, but somehow still has good road feel and feels responsive. I require a generous toe box, but a snug feeling heel and NB nailed the fit. And they look sleek AF.

Anonymous runner · Jul 3, 2019

35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the New Balance 1080 v8

Comfort: 5/5
Cushioning: 5/5
Durability: 5/5
Appearance: 5/5
Value: 5/5

Versatile Light Trainer

5/5

Overall

The New Balance Beacon is a nice, light, comfortable shoe I use for my Easy days. It has good cushioning, but not too squishy with a fairly firm feel. It's not overly done or complicated, just gets the job done.

Anonymous runner · Jul 3, 2019

50 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 7

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

Awesome Road Shoe

5/5

Overall

These shoes feel incredible on the road. They are very comfortable and are light as well. They are perfect for workouts on the road when you need a shoe to help you keep up with faster paces.

Anonymous runner · Jul 2, 2019

40 mpw training for a half marathon