The New Balance 880 v7 trails most daily trainers in our data. Value and comfort are its strongest sub-ratings. Looks scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating rests on 11 runner reviews and 13 other rated shoes in the 880 product line. One more review would set the confidence on this shoe's own reviews.
Below average
66/100
Overall
Below average66
Value
Very good91
Comfort
Good89
Durability
Good87
Cushioning
Good86
Appearance
Decent75
Confidence
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.
Comfort draws 4.7 out of 5, the highest mark of any dimension, with several reviewers on their sixth or tenth consecutive pair of 880s.
Reviewers report 350 to 800 km per pair, one getting 600 to 700 miles when rotating and running on soft surfaces.
Reviewers use one pair across easy runs, tempos and two hour long runs.
Cons
One reviewer has had multiple pairs tear where the upper fabric meets the sole.
Durability and appearance each draw 4.3 out of 5, the lowest marks of any dimension.
The 880 v5 before it scores 92 on twelve reviews against its 65.
Rating & Confidence vs. other shoes for sale
Each dot is one rated shoe for sale, placed by its rating and by how
much evidence sits behind it. Shoes toward the top right are both
well rated and well established.
Confidence
5060708090100255075100
Better Shoes Rating
880 v7 rates 66.
This shoe has moderate certainty.
See how we rate shoes.
Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the New Balance 880
Each dot is one version of the 880, placed by its rating and release year. The gold dot is this shoe.
I've been running in New Balance 880's for year now. They hold up under all conditions - up to 80 mpw. If you rotate shoes and run on soft surface, you can easily get 600-700 miles out of a pair. Great cushioning, solid 12mm heel-to-toe drop. The weight is perfectly balanced between light enough for tempo/interval sessions and heavy enough for loads of training. I'm loyal to this shoe and will continue to be so.
I'm a mid distance mileage guy. I run in the 880's and have for the past few years. I get about 800 km 's per pair and generally the sole wears out before anything else. Love the weight of these shoes especially for the longer distance stuff.
I have found this to be a reliable "work horse" trainer for many years now. I've worn many version and they while they have visibly evolved through time, the overall feel is the same (Which I like! Don't change this on me, New Balance!!!!). My one complaint is that the upper part is not durable at all. I've had multiple pairs develop tears where the fabric meets the sole. In my current pair, the treads look totally fine but I will probably have to retire this pair of shoes because they have a 2 in hole in them! Not ideal as I like to try to run shoes into the ground before replacing them....
This is a shoe for the normal training run, and what I can say about it is that it doesn't get in my way. It doesn't stand out for good or bad. I ran in New Balance years ago, and this shoe was my first venture back that way. It felt really comfortable when I tried it on at the running store. I have about 200 miles on it at this point, mostly easy miles on the road, mostly recovery days and long runs, but sometimes I'll wear it for speed workouts. I ran in Hoka Clifton 4s before bought this shoe. I liked those better for the most part, but would always blister on the top of my toe whenever I ran over 90 minutes. I don't have that issue with the NB 880v7.
It's a solid trainer. If it came on sale I might buy it again, otherwise I'll probably try something else next time.
I am in my 10th pair of New Balance 880s. I went through six pair of the version 6 and am now onto v7. I just bought three more pairs direct from New Balance, as they are now down to $99 ($89 if you create an account, add them to your cart, then leave for a few hours until NB sends you a 10 percent off plus free shipping offer via email). These babies are a workhorse. I've put over 400 miles on a pair, accidently, but feel confident and comfortable running in them well over 300 miles. I train and race in these, as I haven't fared well in flats in the past. I find them to be very durable and fast enough for me; in my 16th year of running last year, I pr'd in the 5k, half, and full in the 880. I wear a 2E in Asics (Gel Cumulus and the like) but am fine with standard width D's with the 880. I have no complaints and I keep multiple pairs in stock. Please don't change!
