New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080v12

Name: New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080v12
Brand: New Balance
Rating: 4.9 (11 reviews)

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 10 oz

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080v13 replaced it

How it ranks

The New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080v12 is one of the strongest daily trainers in our data. Comfort and cushioning are its strongest sub-ratings. Value scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating rests on 25 runner reviews and 12 other rated shoes in the 1080 product line.

Excellent

97/100

Overall

Excellent 97

Comfort

Exceptional 97

Cushioning

Excellent 96

Durability

Good 83

Appearance

Decent 77

Value

Below average 69

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

93/100

High 93

What runners say

“Only downside is the lack of durability—they start to feel flat quite quickly.”

5/5 Full review 70 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the New Balance Fresh Foam 1080 v11

“Can get over 500 miles without breaking down.”

5/5 Full review 65 mpw training for a marathon came from the New Balance Fresh Foam 1080 v11

“Average B width fits both wider and narrow feet great.”

5/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the HOKA Bondi 8

“Feels slightly more stable than predecessor but retains balance of cushion and responsiveness.”

5/5 Full review 70 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the New Balance Fresh Foam 1080 v11

“Getting to 40 mile weeks in comfort with previous knee surgeries.”

5/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the HOKA Bondi 8

“Protects your ankle very well because of the way it wraps around it.”

5/5 Full review 28 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the ASICS GEL-Nimbus 25

“Comes in a wide, which is rare for a quality shoe.”

5/5 Full review 65 mpw training for a marathon came from the New Balance Fresh Foam 1080 v11

“The rocker plus fresh foam makes it pretty responsive.”

5/5 Full review 65 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the On Cloudmonster

“Has a very cushioned but springy ride.”

5/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Ride 14

“The ride is very sturdy, yet comfortable.”

5/5 Full review 28 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the ASICS GEL-Nimbus 25

Prefer this shoe over another

80% 8/10

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.

Pros

Reviewers describe a cushioned ride that still feels responsive and smooth.
Reviewers praise the sock-like knit upper, one calling it the best they have worn.
Two reviewers get 500 miles or more from a pair.

Cons

Durability and value are the weakest dimensions at 4.0 out of 5 each, and one reviewer says the midsole feels flat quite quickly.
One reviewer who has run the v9, v10 and v11 finds this version less comfortable than those.
Four of eleven reviewers who answered report an injury while running in it.

Fresh Foam X 1080v12 rates 97. This shoe has high certainty. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the New Balance 1080

Each dot is one version of the 1080, placed by its rating and release year. The gold dot is this shoe.

Rating

40 60 80 100

58 2013 70 68 2015 75 89 2018 68 98 2019 58 83 97 2022 89 96 68 2026

Release year

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

1080v15

2026 · 6 reviews

68 Below average

70 Confidence
Fresh Foam X 1080 v14

2024 · 29 reviews

96 Excellent

94 Confidence
Fresh Foam X 1080v13

2023 · 27 reviews

89 Good

88 Confidence
Fresh Foam X 1080v12 This shoe

2022 · 25 reviews

97 Excellent

93 Confidence
Fresh Foam 1080 v11

2021 · 4 reviews

83 Good

81 Confidence
Fresh Foam1080 v7

2019 · 8 reviews

58 Bottom-tier

85 Confidence
1080 v10

2019 · 24 reviews

98 Exceptional

96 Confidence
1080 v9

2018 · 22 reviews

68 Below average

91 Confidence
1080 v8

2018 · 13 reviews

89 Good

89 Confidence
Fresh Foam 1080 v1

2016 · 1 review

75 Decent

46 Confidence
1080 v5

2015 · 6 reviews

68 Below average

77 Confidence
1080 v4

2014 · 11 reviews

70 Decent

84 Confidence
1080 v3

2013 · 10 reviews

58 Bottom-tier

84 Confidence

Reader Ratings

25 ratings

5/5 17

4/5 6

3/5 1

2/5 0

1/5 1

See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight: 10 oz
Release: 2022 Q4

Runner reviews

Write a review

Ol’ Reliable

5/5

Overall

Honestly just an awesome shoe. One word I could use to describe it would be smooth. The rocker on it plus the fresh foam makes it pretty responsive. Gotta be the best daily trainer I’ve ever worn because my foot just feels awesome in it. The sock-like upper also is the best upper I’ve ever experienced in a shoe. Highly recommend.

Drew Lockner · Dec 6, 2023

65 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the On Cloudmonster

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

Favorite shoes

5/5

Overall

For runs or a 12 hour shift I always go back to my 1080’s. They are a great shoe.

Cody Ann Earnest · Dec 4, 2023

15 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the Brooks Ghost 15

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

Great Trainer, Holds up well

5/5

Overall

Can get over 500 miles without breaking down. Not the lightest or the springiest but a solid shoe that you can get your training runs in. Also comes in a wide which is rare for a quality shoe.

Bob · Aug 1, 2023

65 mpw training for a marathon came from the New Balance Fresh Foam 1080 v11

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

Reader review

4/5

Overall

Anonymous runner · Jul 30, 2023

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

My go to easy-steady run shoe

5/5

Overall

I have enjoyed most iterations of the 1080. This one is the best yet. It feels slightly more stable than its predecessor but still retains its balance of cushion and responsiveness. It feels great out the box. The only downside is the lack of durability- they start to feel flat quite quickly.

Anonymous runner · Jul 30, 2023

70 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the New Balance Fresh Foam 1080 v11