New Balance 890 v5

Name: New Balance 890 v5
Brand: New Balance

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 8.6 oz · 8mm drop · 23/15mm stack

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The New Balance 890 v6 replaced it

How it ranks

The New Balance 890 v5 trails most daily trainers in our data. Value and looks are its strongest sub-ratings. The rating rests on 4 runner reviews and 6 other rated shoes in the 890 product line. Another 8 reviews would set the confidence on this shoe's own reviews.

Bottom-tier

59/100

Overall

Bottom-tier 59

Value

Decent 72

Appearance

Below average 67

Cushioning

Below average 63

Comfort

Below average 60

Durability

Bottom-tier 55

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

75/100

Moderate 75

What runners say

“Perfect for marathon racing—light enough to feel fast but with enough cushioning to keep me protected.”

5/5 Full review 60 mpw training for a marathon came from the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 31

“Cushioning is an improvement over the v4, which was too close to the ground in the forefoot.”

4/5 Full review 28 mpw came from the adidas adizero Boston 3

“Felt very tight on first wear in the toe box, but quickly shaped to my feet.”

5/5 Full review 60 mpw training for a marathon came from the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 31

“The back of the heel is too high and rubs against achilles.”

4/5 Full review 65 mpw came from the New Balance 890 v4

“Light with solid cushioning that has held up well.”

5/5 Full review 60 mpw training for a marathon came from the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 31

“Comfortable without being bulky.”

4/5 Full review 28 mpw came from the adidas adizero Boston 3

“Not as breathable as previous iterations.”

4/5 Full review 28 mpw came from the adidas adizero Boston 3

Prefer this shoe over another

60% 3/5

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.

Pros

Comfort and value both average 4.5 out of 5 across four reviews.
Averaging 8.0 oz across the men's and women's builds, it is lighter than the 8.9 oz median for daily trainers on sale, and one reviewer races marathons in it for the cushioning it keeps at that weight.
One reviewer uses it for easy runs, long runs and tempo work, and finds the forefoot improved over the v4.

Cons

Durability and appearance both average 3.8 out of 5 across those four reviews.
One reviewer finds the heel collar rubs their Achilles, and another says it breathes less than earlier versions.

890 v5 rates 59. This shoe has moderate 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 This shoe

2015 · 4 reviews

59 Bottom-tier

75 Confidence
890 v4

2014 · 57 reviews

50 Bottom-tier

98 Confidence
890 v3

2013 · 27 reviews

63 Below average

88 Confidence
890 v2

2012 · 5 reviews

70 Decent

67 Confidence

Reader Ratings

4 ratings

5/5 2

4/5 2

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: 8.6 oz
Release: 2015
MSRP: $115
Stack Height: 23mm heel - 15mm toe
Drop Height: 8mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Reader review

5/5

Overall

Anonymous runner · Dec 12, 2015

50 mpw training for a marathon

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

Reader review

4/5

Overall

Cushioning is great. Fit is good, only problem is I find the back of the heel is too high and rubs against achilles.

kdmh · Dec 8, 2015

65 mpw came from the New Balance 890 v4

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

Reader review

5/5

Overall

This shoe felt very tight on first wear, especially in the toe box, but it quickly shaped to my feet and is now very comfortable. It is light, but the cushioning is solid and has held up well. I find it to be a perfect shoe for marathon racing - light enough to feel fast but with enough cushioning to keep me protected.

Anonymous runner · Jul 16, 2015

60 mpw training for a marathon came from the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 31

Comfort: 5/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 2/5
Value: 4/5

Reader review

4/5

Overall

I wear this shoe for all easy running, long running, and can use it for tempo training if I need to (though I prefer a lighter shoe for faster work). The shoe's feel and cushioning is an improvement over the v4 which was too close to the ground in the forefoot. This shoe is just comfortable without being bulky. The only knock I can think of is that it does not seem to be as breathable as previous iterations of the shoe.

Anonymous runner · May 9, 2015

28 mpw came from the adidas adizero Boston 3