New Balance Fresh Foam Vongo v3

Name: New Balance Fresh Foam Vongo v3
Brand: New Balance
Rating: 4.7 (20 reviews)

Daily trainer · Stability · Road · 9.7 oz · 35/31mm stack · 4mm drop

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The New Balance Fresh Foam Vongo v4 replaced it

How it ranks

The New Balance Fresh Foam Vongo v3 trails most daily trainers in our data. Durability and cushioning are its strongest sub-ratings. Looks scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating is based on 20 runner reviews and 4 other rated shoes in the Fresh Foam Vongo product line.

Below average

Overall

Below average 68

Durability

Excellent 93

Cushioning

Very good 90

Comfort

Good 87

Value

Good 81

Appearance

Decent 75

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

93 High

High 93

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

“Runs about a half size big”

4/5 Full review 40 mpw training for middle distance came from the Saucony Liberty ISO

“Strong and spongy mid-foot cushioning helps alleviate foot pain”

5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon

“Lasted nearly 600 miles before cushioning broke down”

5/5 Full review 65 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Altra Provision 3.5

“Feet don't start feeling tired until at least the 8 mile mark even on hard asphalt”

4/5 Full review 45 mpw training for a marathon came from the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 16

“Feel like mush when going faster; not responsive enough”

4/5 Full review

“The ride was like butter”

5/5 Full review 20 mpw training for ultramarathons came from the HOKA Clifton 3

“Can handle a ton of mileage without transferring much of a beating on your legs”

4/5 Full review 45 mpw training for a marathon came from the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 16

“Poor ventilation causes foot/insole sliding on hot days”

5/5 Full review 70 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Guide ISO

“Reliable for logging longer miles without excessive wear and tear”

5/5 Full review 45 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Ghost 10

“Much less like a brick than typical stability shoes”

4/5 Full review 45 mpw training for a marathon came from the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 16

“Legs felt protected and fresh after 20+ mile run”

5/5 Full review 20 mpw training for ultramarathons came from the HOKA Clifton 3

“Good for easy and recovery runs; not for tempo sessions”

4/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Vongo

“Lightweight, supportive and responsive”

5/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a marathon came from the Nike Air Zoom Structure 22

“Fresh Foam denser along medial side acts as a less rigid post”

4/5 Full review 40 mpw training for middle distance came from the Saucony Liberty ISO

“Fresh Foam really shining through in the cushioning category”

4/5 Full review 45 mpw training for a marathon came from the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 16

“When picking up pace and getting on your toes feels more forced than normal”

4/5 Full review 45 mpw training for a marathon came from the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 16

“Wider than average at the toes”

5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon

“Requires adjustment period if coming from a 12mm drop”

4/5 Full review

“Higher-priced options may offer better performance”

4/5 Full review 20 mpw came from the Brooks Ghost 10

“Cushioning wears out faster than some other brands”

4/5 Full review 45 mpw training for a marathon came from the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 16

Prefer this shoe over another

44% 7/16

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Oct 23.

Pros

Reviewers report several hundred miles before the cushioning breaks down, and rate durability 4.6 out of 5.
Its stability comes from denser foam along the medial side, and reviewers find it less rigid underfoot than posted shoes.
Reviewers prefer it to the first two Vongo versions, which score 59 and 60.

Cons

Reviewers find it mushy and unresponsive at faster paces.
Averaging 9.7 oz across the men's and women's builds, it is heavier than the 8.9 oz median for daily trainers for sale.
One reviewer reports it ventilates poorly, with the insole sliding underfoot on hot days.

Fresh Foam Vongo v3 rates 68. This shoe has high confidence. See how we rate shoes.

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

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

Rating

40 60 80 100

61 2017 62 2017 68 2018 77 2019 79 2021

Release year

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

Fresh Foam Vongo v5

2021 · 6 reviews

79 Decent

75 Confidence
Fresh Foam Vongo v4

2019 · 7 reviews

77 Decent

85 Confidence
Fresh Foam Vongo v3 This shoe

2018 · 20 reviews

68 Below average

93 Confidence
Fresh Foam Vongo v2

2017 · 7 reviews

62 Below average

84 Confidence
Fresh Foam Vongo

2017 · 8 reviews

61 Below average

83 Confidence

Runner Ratings

20 ratings

5/5 14

4/5 6

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: 9.7 oz
Men's / women's: Men's 10.5 oz · Women's 8.8 oz
Release: 2018 Q2
MSRP: $135
Stack: 35/31mm
Drop: 4mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Fits like a sock - feels like a cloud

5/5

Overall

Perfect stability shoe. So comfortable to wear and handles the higher mileage 50-70 miles a week)

Anonymous runner · Jul 17, 2018

50 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Ravenna 8

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

Vongo Bongo- An expensive, but awesome shoe

5/5

Overall

Having previously just worn Brooks Ghost, I switched the to Fresh Foam Vongo about a year ago and was really pleased with the feel. I switch up to a lighter shoe (or flats) if I have anything faster than mid-run pickups or tempos, but the Vongo has been a reliable choice for logging longer miles without a crazy amount of wear and tear.

Anonymous runner · Jul 14, 2018

45 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Ghost 10

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

Good Overall Daily Trainer

5/5

Overall

I have had the Vongo since the original and I believe this is the best one yet. The first one was too stiff to start and the upper on the v2 was too big. This one is perfect. Comfortable right from the start and allowed me to get nearly 600 miles out of them before I felt they started to break down - however the outsole was still intact I just felt after 600 miles that the cushioning broke down.

Anonymous runner · Jul 7, 2018

65 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Altra Provision 3.5

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

One of the best New Balance Shoes

4/5

Overall

Great shoe, I am a D2 athlete and have used it for every summer and did not have one injury.

Anonymous runner · Jul 6, 2018

65 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Omni ISO

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

Decent

4/5

Overall

Good for the price. I was looking for a lightweight trainer with some stability, like the zante but a little more supportive. This is what I found and was pleased, but if you spend more money you can probably find a better shoe.

me1234568 · Jul 6, 2018

20 mpw came from the Brooks Ghost 10