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 rests on 16 runner reviews and 11 other rated shoes in the 860 product line.

Bottom-tier

47/100

Overall

Bottom-tier 47

Cushioning

Bottom-tier 58

Durability

Bottom-tier 54

Appearance

Bottom-tier 55

Value

Bottom-tier 50

Comfort

Bottom-tier 53

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 will score low when we have few ratings or when runners disagree.

See the product line's history

Confidence

94/100

High 94

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

“Sturdy and stiff where needed”

4/5 Full review 35 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

“Good blend of mild stability and comfort”

4/5 Full review 80 mpw training for a 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 Sep 14.

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 47. This shoe has high certainty. 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

53 2014 47 2014 66 2016 52 2018 55 2018 60 2019 54 2019 74 2020 55 2020 54 2021 54 2022 50 2024

Release year

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

Fresh Foam X 860 v14

2024 · 11 reviews

50 Bottom-tier

88 Confidence
Fresh Foam X 860 v13

2022 · 5 reviews

54 Bottom-tier

81 Confidence
Fresh Foam X 860 v12

2021 · 1 review

54 Bottom-tier

64 Confidence
Fresh Foam 860 v11

2020 · 1 review

55 Bottom-tier

45 Confidence
860 v10

2020 · 8 reviews

74 Decent

74 Confidence
860 V9

2019 · 5 reviews

54 Bottom-tier

83 Confidence
860 v8

2019 · 10 reviews

60 Bottom-tier

78 Confidence
860 v7

2018 · 4 reviews

55 Bottom-tier

66 Confidence
860 v6

2018 · 2 reviews

52 Bottom-tier

65 Confidence
860 v5

2016 · 4 reviews

66 Below average

69 Confidence
860 v4 This shoe

2014 · 16 reviews

47 Bottom-tier

94 Confidence
860 v3

2014 · 2 reviews

53 Bottom-tier

68 Confidence

Reader 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

Reader 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

Reader review

5/5

Overall

hantph96 · Mar 23, 2015

60 mpw

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

Reader review

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

Reader review

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

Reader review

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