New Balance Fresh Foam Vongo v3

Name: New Balance Fresh Foam Vongo v3
Brand: New Balance
Rating: 4.7 (20 reviews)

Daily trainer · Stability · Road · 10.5 oz · 4mm drop · 35/31mm stack

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

How it ranks

The New Balance Fresh Foam Vongo v3 ranks below most daily trainers in our data. Durability and cushioning are its strongest sub-ratings. Looks scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating rests on 20 runner reviews and 4 other rated shoes in the Fresh Foam Vongo product line.

Decent

70/100

Overall

Decent 70

Durability

Exceptional 98

Cushioning

Exceptional 97

Comfort

Excellent 94

Value

Good 84

Appearance

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

90/100

High 90

What runners say

“Runs about a half size big”

4/5 Full review 40 mpw training for middle distance came from the Saucony Liberty ISO

“Strong and spongy mid-foot cushioning helps alleviate foot pain”

5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon

“Lasted nearly 600 miles before cushioning broke down”

5/5 Full review 65 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Altra Provision 3.5

“Feet don't start feeling tired until at least the 8 mile mark even on hard asphalt”

4/5 Full review 45 mpw training for a marathon came from the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 16

“Feel like mush when going faster; not responsive enough”

4/5 Full review

“Can handle a ton of mileage without transferring much of a beating on your legs”

4/5 Full review 45 mpw training for a marathon came from the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 16

“The ride was like butter”

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

“Poor ventilation causes foot/insole sliding on hot days”

5/5 Full review 70 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Guide ISO

“Much less like a brick than typical stability shoes”

4/5 Full review 45 mpw training for a marathon came from the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 16

“Reliable for logging longer miles without excessive wear and tear”

5/5 Full review 45 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Ghost 10

Prefer this shoe over another

44% 7/16

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.

Pros

Reviewers report several hundred miles before the cushioning breaks down, and rate durability 4.6 out of 5.
Its stability comes from denser foam along the medial side, and reviewers find it less rigid underfoot than posted shoes.
Reviewers prefer it to the first two Vongo versions, which score 59 and 60.

Cons

Reviewers find it mushy and unresponsive at faster paces.
Averaging 9.7 oz across the men's and women's builds, it is heavier than the 8.9 oz median for daily trainers on sale.
One reviewer reports it ventilates poorly, with the insole sliding underfoot on hot days.

Fresh Foam Vongo v3 rates 70. This shoe has high certainty. See how we rate shoes.

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

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

Rating

40 60 80 100

59 2017 61 2017 70 2018 84 2019 74 2021

Release year

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

Fresh Foam Vongo v5

2021 · 6 reviews

74 Decent

58 Confidence
Fresh Foam Vongo v4

2019 · 7 reviews

84 Good

75 Confidence
Fresh Foam Vongo v3 This shoe

2018 · 20 reviews

70 Decent

90 Confidence
Fresh Foam Vongo v2

2017 · 7 reviews

61 Below average

77 Confidence
Fresh Foam Vongo

2017 · 8 reviews

59 Bottom-tier

80 Confidence

Reader Ratings

20 ratings

5/5 14

4/5 6

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: 10.5 oz
Release: 2018 Q2
MSRP: $135
Stack Height: 35mm heel - 31mm toe
Drop Height: 4mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Reader review

5/5

Overall

Anonymous runner · Jul 7, 2019

85 mpw training for a marathon

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

this is the one.

5/5

Overall

I never write reviews, but felt compelled to after running 100 miles in the New Balance Fresh Foam Vongo 3's. First off, I'm a supinator (under pronation) who typically runs in neutral cushioned shoes. But after trying these on at my local running store, they fit my feet perfectly, and were too good to pass up. Went for an easy 6 mile run out the box, and the ride was like butter. This plush, stable, high mileage trainer reminds me a lot like Hoka One One Clifton 3 that I currently run in. Max cushion, 4-5mm drop, but a better fit, and more responsive. I've since taken them on an 20+ mile run and my legs felt protected and fresh after. I've found my new race day marathon shoe! While the Vongo is listed as stability, it was minimal, and worked just fine for me. Just goes to show that you need to try the shoe regardless of what the "type" it's categorized as. You may just pass up a good thing. If you're looking for a daily trainer with mild stability, and can go the distance, this is the one!

livinproof · Jul 4, 2019

20 mpw training for ultramarathons came from the HOKA Clifton 3

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

Fresh Foam Vongo v3

4/5

Overall

A nicely cushioned, relatively responsive shoe. Not for tempo sessions, but good for everyday easy and recovery runs. Low profile feels good compared to other competitors.

Anonymous runner · Jul 3, 2019

30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Vongo

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

Not your average stability shoe

4/5

Overall

Now let me first start of by saying I normally run in neutral shoes but was looking for a more durable, stability type shoe to better support and protect me as I undertake some higher mileage. There’s are no hard stability elements like posting or plastic mid-foot bridges similar to those elements in the NB 860 and ASICS GT-2000 but the Fresh-foam is denser along the medial side of the foot to act as a less rigid post. For me this worked perfectly because it wasn’t restricting but still provided an adequate amount of stability. The straighter last of the shoe also provides added stability by giving a good foundation for landing similar to that of a Hoka. This model compared to others seems to be running about a half size big so I think on the v4 I will size down. I had a pair of v2’s size 10 and compared them to my size 9.5 v3’s and they lined up perfectly. Not sure what lasts the shoes were made on that’d be a question for NB. Overall the shoe is a nice moderate stability shoe that provides sufficient lock down in the mid-foot with a durable upper along with a fresh foam midsole that has denser portions to support the foot properly.

gopre26 · Jun 20, 2019

40 mpw training for middle distance came from the Saucony Liberty ISO

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

Great pair of comfy shoes

5/5

Overall

I've been using V3s for 6 weeks now and have really liked them. I faced a lot of injury in my previous pair of shoes, and these shoes have helped greatly reduce that. Strong and spongy cushioning in the mid-foot helps alleviate foot pain. I have wide feet and enjoy these shoes because they're wider than average at the toes. The shoes look a bit clunky, but they feel far from that. Store clerk told me I should get about 400 miles out of them, so it should last the typical runner 1.5-3 months depending on your mileage.

brendanberney · Sep 11, 2018

30 mpw training for a half marathon