New Balance Fresh Foam Beacon v2

Name: New Balance Fresh Foam Beacon v2
Brand: New Balance
Rating: 4.8 (14 reviews)

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 6.5 oz · 6mm drop · 26/20mm stack

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The New Balance Fresh Foam Beacon v3 replaced it

How it ranks

The New Balance Fresh Foam Beacon v2 is one of the strongest 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 14 runner reviews and 2 other rated shoes in the Fresh Foam Beacon product line.

Exceptional

99/100

Overall

Exceptional 99

Value

Exceptional 99

Comfort

Exceptional 98

Appearance

Exceptional 98

Cushioning

Exceptional 97

Durability

Decent 75

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

97/100

Very high 97

What runners say

“Perfectly cushioned—not too plush to be awkward, but enough to keep feet from getting tired after 20 miles.”

5/5 Full review 55 mpw training for a marathon came from the New Balance 890 v6

“Feel lighter than their listing. Almost like a racing flat.”

5/5 Full review 15 mpw training for middle distance came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Zante v3

“Great cushioning for hour+ runs but still light and quick for tempo work.”

5/5 Full review 45 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 36

“The foam is fairly firm but in a good way. Has good give and pop.”

5/5 Full review 15 mpw training for middle distance came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Zante v3

“The ride was like butter.”

5/5 Full review 20 mpw training for ultramarathons came from the HOKA Clifton 3

“At 350 miles, it became almost unusable.”

5/5 Full review 45 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 36

“When this shoe dies, there's a sudden and immediate drop in usability.”

5/5 Full review 45 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 36

“Feel connected to the road without any spongy feel.”

5/5 Full review 22 mpw training for a half marathon

“My big toe presses against the inside of lots of shoes, but not these.”

5/5 Full review 15 mpw training for middle distance came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Zante v3

“Perfect for slower recovery days, but prefer more responsive shoes for faster days.”

5/5 Full review came from the Nike Zoom Fly 3

Prefer this shoe over another

71% 12/17

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.

Pros

Reviewers call it light and well cushioned, several using it for everyday miles and one for a marathon.
Three reviewers call it a great value at its $120 list price.
Reviewers name the roomy toe box and a fit that suits wider feet.

Cons

Durability is its lowest-rated dimension at 4.0 out of 5, and reviewers point to the exposed foam outsole.
Two reviewers find it too soft for track and treadmill work and reach for something more responsive on fast days.

Fresh Foam Beacon v2 rates 99. This shoe has very high certainty. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the New Balance Fresh Foam Beacon

Each dot is one version of the Fresh Foam Beacon, placed by its rating and release year. The gold dot is this shoe.

Rating

40 60 80 100

98 2018 99 2019 93 2020

Release year

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

Fresh Foam Beacon v3

2020 · 2 reviews

93 Excellent

62 Confidence
Fresh Foam Beacon v2 This shoe

2019 · 14 reviews

99 Exceptional

97 Confidence
Fresh Foam Beacon

2018 · 32 reviews

98 Exceptional

97 Confidence

Reader Ratings

14 ratings

5/5 11

4/5 3

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: 6.5 oz
Release: 2019 Q2
MSRP: $120
Stack Height: 26mm heel - 20mm toe
Drop Height: 6mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Great relatively low cost trainer

5/5

Overall

This shoe replaced the peg 36 for me and it felt like a way better version. The cushioning was great for hour+ runs but it was still light and quick enough on my feet to be worth using for tempo work. I would say sometimes I had trouble with the tongue but I also was tying my laces too tight at that time so I'm not sure. One thing of note is that when this shoe dies there's a sudden and immediate drop in usability. I think because the stack height is so low the instant this shoe hit 350 or so miles it became almost unusable. Other than that though this shoe was really great and I had fun running in it.

DoItForHim91 · Nov 24, 2020

45 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 36

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

Lightweight, stable, fast

5/5

Overall

Wow, these are great shoes. The pros: * Very lightweight: These feel lighter than their listing IMO. Almost like a racing flat. * Well-cushioned: The foam is fairly firm but in a good way. Has good give and pop when I run. * Stable: Unlike the Zante v3, which had a vendetta against my ankles, these feel very stable. I think the higher ankle and firmer foam both help a lot. * Anatomical toe box: My big toe presses against the inside of a lot of running shoes. But not these ones. * Fast: I love picking up the pace in these. The cons: * Nothing at all major, but... * I'm slightly concerned about durability since the ankle/heel area is so thin and light. * I would've preferred a slightly taller toebox. * These ran sliiiightly small for me, so I tried running sockless in them. Despite the very minimal upper, I didn't have much luck. The medial logo kind of dug into my foot and caused a nasty cut. So I'm wearing my thinnest socks instead, which works fine.

x days without injury · Jul 9, 2020

15 mpw training for middle distance came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Zante v3

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

Very comfortable and relax experience...

5/5

Overall

The shoe was very light weight and the cushion was very comfortable. I preferred a slightly more responsive shoe for faster days but the beacon was perfect for slower recovery days. The upper fit well and was very comfortable. Overall a great value for a great running shoe.

https://www.noinsurancemedicalsupplies.com · Mar 23, 2020

came from the Nike Zoom Fly 3

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

Improved v2

5/5

Overall

I found v2 to be better for me. More snug in the midfoot and more comfortable in the toebox. This is a Swiss army knife shoe for me - a great trainer and suitable for racing 10K- half distance. Not sure it would be kind enough to my feet for the full marathon distance.

mpbp · Jan 26, 2020

40 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Epic React 2

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

Cushion and bounce

5/5

Overall

So nice to find a trainer that's both well cushioned and responsive. Plus, the Beacon has a roomy toe box.

Anonymous runner · Dec 28, 2019

45 mpw training for a half marathon came from the New Balance 890 v6

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

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New Balance Fresh Foam Beacon v2

Exceptional