New Balance 890 v3

Name: New Balance 890 v3
Brand: New Balance
Rating: 4.5 (27 reviews)

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 9.1 oz · 7mm drop · 28/21mm stack

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The New Balance 890 v4 replaced it

How it ranks

The New Balance 890 v3 trails most daily trainers in our data. Value and looks are its strongest sub-ratings. Durability scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating rests on 27 runner reviews and 6 other rated shoes in the 890 product line.

Below average

63/100

Overall

Below average 63

Value

Decent 77

Appearance

Decent 72

Cushioning

Below average 63

Comfort

Below average 66

Durability

Bottom-tier 59

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

88/100

High 88

What runners say

“I've had four pairs of these shoes and they are an absolute workhorse. I put about 1000km on each pair”

5/5 Full review 45 mpw came from the PUMA Faas 500 v2

“Comfortable and smooth; good for anything except short sprints. Lasted me over 1200 miles.”

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

“I was able to put 1250 miles on my first pair of them. I was only getting about 700 miles out of other shoes”

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

“Heel drop seems to be about right. There is enough of a heel to not fry my calves, but it's not chunky either.”

4/5 Full review 15 mpw training for a half marathon

“The shoe doesn't last long enough and frequently breaks down after 300 miles or so.”

4/5 Full review 85 mpw training for a marathon

“Lightweight, yet sufficient cushioning for logging mileage on roads and sidewalks.”

4/5 Full review 15 mpw training for a half marathon

“Good balance of support and weight for everyday training. Low drop compared to other shoes, but more support than no drop shoes.”

4/5 Full review 45 mpw training for a marathon

“Put more miles on these shoes than any other, around 640 and still running in them.”

4/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon

“Lightweight, but enough support to do longer runs in.”

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

“Great shoe for everyday mileage or tempo work. Have run 3 marathons in them.”

5/5 Full review 60 mpw training for a marathon

Prefer this shoe over another

38% 3/8

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.

Pros

Six reviewers call it light, one adding that the cushioning is enough for logging road miles.
Five reviewers use it for everything from intervals to marathons.
Three reviewers get over 1000 miles from a pair, one of them 1250.

Cons

Durability averages 4.0 out of 5 and the file splits, one reviewer seeing it break down by about 300 miles.
One reviewer finds it stiff and narrow in the front, another that the sole picks up gravel, and a third that the laces come untied.
Ten of the twenty-six reviewers who answered report an injury while running in it.

890 v3 rates 63. This shoe has high certainty. 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

70 2012 63 2013 50 2014 59 2015 58 2018 88 2019 56 2020

Release year

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

890 v8

2020 · 2 reviews

56 Bottom-tier

70 Confidence
890 v7

2019 · 9 reviews

88 Good

85 Confidence
890 v6

2018 · 8 reviews

58 Bottom-tier

84 Confidence
890 v5

2015 · 4 reviews

59 Bottom-tier

75 Confidence
890 v4

2014 · 57 reviews

50 Bottom-tier

98 Confidence
890 v3 This shoe

2013 · 27 reviews

63 Below average

88 Confidence
890 v2

2012 · 5 reviews

70 Decent

67 Confidence

Reader Ratings

27 ratings

5/5 13

4/5 14

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: 9.1 oz
Release: 2013
MSRP: $110
Stack Height: 28mm heel - 21mm toe
Drop Height: 7mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Reader review

4/5

Overall

Lightweight, yet sufficient cushioning for logging mileage on roads and sidewalks. Heel drop seems to be about right. There is enough of a heel to not fry my calves, but it's not chunky either.

Anonymous runner · Sep 19, 2014

15 mpw training for a half marathon

Comfort: 5/5
Durability: 3/5
Appearance: 3/5
Value: 4/5

Reader review

5/5

Overall

Anonymous runner · Sep 19, 2014

70 mpw training for a half marathon

Comfort: 5/5
Durability: 3/5
Appearance: 5/5
Value: 5/5

Reader review

5/5

Overall

Anonymous runner · Sep 18, 2014

Comfort: 4/5
Durability: 3/5
Appearance: 5/5
Value: 4/5

Reader review

4/5

Overall

Nice shoe, a bit light but ok for everyday training

Anonymous runner · Sep 13, 2014

50 mpw training for a half marathon

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

Reader review

4/5

Overall

My second pair. Light and low profile. Comfortable to run in and is quite durable. Used to wear heavier shoes with orthotics.

Anonymous runner · Sep 10, 2014

20 mpw training for a half marathon

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

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Analyses

New Balance 890 v3

Below average