Type a shoe name, like Pegasus, Clifton or Kayano.

New Balance 890 v6

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 9.6 oz · 6mm drop · 27/21mm stack

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The New Balance 890 v7 replaced it

How it ranks

The New Balance 890 v6 trails most daily trainers in our data. Looks and value are its strongest sub-ratings. The rating rests on 8 runner reviews and 6 other rated shoes in the 890 product line. Another 4 reviews would set the confidence on this shoe's own reviews.

New Balance 890 v6

of 5

Bottom-tier

58/100
Overall
58
Appearance
68
Value
60
Durability
55
Cushioning
53
Comfort
54
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.

See the product line's history

Confidence

84/100

84

What runners say

“Noticeable wear after only about 200 miles. Dead beyond dead at 300.”
2/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a marathon came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Zante v3
“Lightweight and responsive so I can run in them on easy mileage days and in tempos or track workouts”
5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for middle distance came from the New Balance 880v8
“The upper stretches so much that on basically every long run, I find myself having to stop 1-2 times to tighten the laces”
2/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a marathon came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Zante v3
“Finding a wide toe box shoe that is not a Hoka or Altra very difficult”
4/5 Full review 40 mpw came from the Topo Athletic Magnifly 2
“A little stiff for the first 30 miles fresh out of the box”
4/5 Full review 55 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Ride 10
“Firm cushioning paired with a breathable upper lends itself to a faster runner who just wants a dependable trainer”
4/5 Full review 70 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Zealot ISO 2
“As New Balance, it comes in extra wide”
5/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a half marathon
“Good training shoe if you need/want a wide toe box”
4/5 Full review 40 mpw came from the Topo Athletic Magnifly 2
“Not the long-term quality or durability of past versions”
3/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the New Balance 890 v4
“This shoe is on the minimalist end”
5/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a half marathon

Prefer this shoe over another

33% 5/15

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.


Pros

  • Comfort averages 4.4 out of 5 across eight reviews.
  • Two reviewers value the roomy toe box, one of them the extra-wide sizing.
  • Two reviewers call it a dependable, no-frills trainer that handles easy miles and workouts alike.

Cons

  • Cushioning averages 3.6 out of 5, the lowest of its dimensions, and two reviewers describe it as firm or minimal.
  • One reviewer sees noticeable wear by 200 miles and calls the pair dead at 300, and another says it lacks the durability of past versions.
  • One reviewer has the upper stretch until they stop on long runs to tighten the laces.

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
50 60 70 80 90 100 25 50 75 100

Better Shoes Rating

890 v6 rates 58. 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

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 This shoe

    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

    2013 · 27 reviews

    63 Below average

    88 Confidence

  • 890 v2

    2012 · 5 reviews

    70 Decent

    67 Confidence

Reader Ratings

8 ratings
5/5 3
4/5 3
3/5 1
2/5 1
1/5 0

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight
9.6 oz
Release
2018 Q1
MSRP
$120
Stack Height
27mm heel - 21mm toe
Drop Height
6mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Showing 1–5 of 8 written reviews

a nice shoe

5/5

Overall

I enjoy this shoe b/c it is on the minimalist end. b/c it is new balance, i can get it in extra wide.

Anonymous runner · Aug 10, 2019

50 mpw training for a half marathon

Comfort
5/5
Cushioning
3/5
Durability
5/5
Appearance
2/5
Value
4/5

New 890s

3/5

Overall

It's not what I'd come to expect from this model series. A decent, serviceable shoe for longer runs, but not the long-term quality or durability of past versions. A B- shoe and a step backwards.

Anonymous runner · Jul 23, 2019

35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the New Balance 890 v4

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

Great All-Around Trainer

5/5

Overall

I like that these are lightweight and responsive so I can run in them on easy mileage days and in tempos or track workouts.

Anonymous runner · Jul 17, 2019

30 mpw training for middle distance came from the New Balance 880v8

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

Nb 890 v6

4/5

Overall

Pretty good, a little stiff for the first 30 miles fresh out of the box

Anonymous runner · Jul 14, 2019

55 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Ride 10

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

Alternatives

Other shoes worth considering.

More from New Balance

Compared to other shoes

See how this shoe compares to others like it.

Current shoe
Choose a model
Reference shoe
Lightest
Newest / Best overall / Best comfort
Shoe properties
Type
Daily trainer
Daily trainer
Daily trainer
Pronation
Neutral
Neutral
Neutral
Weight
9.6 oz M
8.4 oz M Lightest
8.5 oz M
Stack
27/21mm
40/35mm
Drop
6mm
5mm
Release
2018 Q1
2020 Q2
2023 Q1 Newest
MSRP
$120 Lower MSRP
$145
Best price
$149.99
Ratings
Overall
Bottom-tier (58)
Bottom-tier (56)
Exceptional (99) Best overall
Comfort
Bottom-tier (54)
Bottom-tier (53)
Exceptional (99) Best comfort
Cushioning
Bottom-tier (53)
Bottom-tier (60)
Exceptional (99) Best cushioning
Durability
Bottom-tier (55)
Bottom-tier (53)
Very good (92) Best durability
Appearance
Below average (68)
Below average (67)
Very good (91) Best appearance
Value
Below average (60)
Below average (65)
Good (88) Best value
Specific shoe

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