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Reddit Reviews
bodytesterFor me its about having balanced cushioning. - too much = instability = shin splints - not enough = worse blisters - too narrow = foot pain That leaves me with brooks ghost and new balance 880 v14 Adidas, nike, puma all too narrow. Most overs not wide enough or too cushioned Barefoot shoes are ok but I wouldn"t do long distance in them unless on grass
Character_Trip59125'7, 127 lbs Upper: The running shoe store didn't have my size, so I went down half a size from my normal running shoes but they feel ok. the upper is nice and plush in the heel and tongue, which is a good length. The laces use weird strings as eyelets, which I don't like for durability. I had a tad bit of heel slip but nothing that bothered me. score: 8/10 Midsole: Full Zoomx midsole, I believe the training version is tpu or tpee based. The shoe is still very bouncy and cushioned. I would NOT recommend them for walking since they're so thick, but for running the vomero plus feels great. I've only got around 20 miles on the shoe. It likes to go kind of steadier paces, not quite recovery but it works great for recovery either way. I took the shoes for a faster long run and they worked well. I think going down half a size affected my experience of comfort a bit because sometimes they hurt my feet but sometimes not. 8/10 Outsole: Full waffle coverage. I ran on slightly damp concrete/asphalt with them and they felt good. On dry surfaces, they feel great, better than the Supernova Rise 2 and 880 v14. 10/10? (I haven't used them on wet ground yet) Overall: A good shoe for recovery and steady runs. $180 isn't great for the wallet, but they feel like $180 shoes. Nice and cushioned. 8.6/10
grombak_wombatHey all, I have run into an issue where almost all of my lower stack or more agile trainers have been pushed out of my rotation and I am essentially running all my daily mileage or non-workout miles in either the Vomero Plus or Neo Zen. Could anyone recommend some lower stack, more "ground feel" trainers that can still get the job done? I am running into recurring post tib pain and calf pain and am starting to suspect the massive shoes are part of the issue. I had good experiences with the adidas SL2 and the no-nonsense NB 880 v14. I am just looking for a comprehensive list of "stupid trainers" to serve as a counterbalance to the influx of max stack "super trainers" currently on market. I am currently considering either the Kinvara 16 or Ride 19 just because I think Saucony does normal trainers pretty well but I could use more input. I am M30/6'0"/150lb if that factors into the feedback at all.
itsatwistttNew Balance Womens Fresh Foam X 880 V14 I recently bought these in x-wide and they’re SO comfy. Don’t know if we’re allowed to link in here but was able to get them on amazon. Not the cheapest - but I just spent 9hrs walking in them at a theme park and had no pain :)
skipofwelooseI had both 880s 14 and 15. I'd say the upper on the 15 feels more plush, but they're pretty much the same shoe
Subject-Pension-3027How do these differ from the 880v14, they’re some of my favorites, and 1080v14, which I didn’t really care for
ThudGamerFrom my summer marathon training effort. NB 880 V14 351 miles - easy day trainer NB 1080 V13 107 miles - super soft (too soft) recovery day Saucony Triumph 21 521 miles - long run shoe. Favorite shoe of the year. Apparently they changed the new versions, otherwise I'd buy again. Saucony Endorphin Pro 320 miles - previous racing shoe down graded to tempo runs. Saucony Endorphin Pro 3 86 miles - race day shoe Plus a handful of miles on the NB supercomp 1 and NB Rebel. The supercomp sole is worn thin with 470 miles. I need to throw these out, but I keep saying I can get one more run. I don't like the Rebel, too heavy for speed, not enough cushion for easy days.
I've had many pairs of 880. They are such a work horse. All of them have gone for 500+ miles, up to 700+ for some of the newer versions.
Every brand of running shoe will have a daily trainer for about $140: New Balance 880, Saucony Ride, ASICS Novablast, Brooks Ghost. They will also have a max cushion shoe for $180: NB 1080, Saucony Triumph. Do go to a running store and try a few on and get the size right. After that, buy last year's model for 30 percent off online.
357MagnumHonestly it is impossible to answer this question for you. Everyone's feet are so wildly different. Main thing to do is to go to a proper running store that has all the good shoes of all the good brands and just try them on. You will immediately be able to rule out a lot of shoes just by the initial feel. Some stores will have a thing you can stand on to analyze the pressure on your feet and recommend shoes for you. Once you narrow it down to the ones that feel right, one of your decisions is mostly going to be how much cushion you want. And again, that's a pretty personal preference thing that won't matter that much to a beginner. In general, shoes with more cushion end up being bulkier and heavier (duh), so they're better for lower intensity long runs with lots of steps, where the cushion makes a difference. Shoes designed to run as fast as possible will often have less cushion to be lighter and not have you sink so much into each step. But even then, what is best for you depends a lot on your body's running mechanics. Anyway, as a beginner, you won't really be running super far OR super fast, so it really will mostly just be what is most comfortable to you in terms of cushion. By the time you've worn those shoes out in a year or so of running/walking 4-5 days a week, you will know enough about yourself to know what you want in a shoe. Personally, I started off with New Balance 880s because the new balance store had the foot analyzer thinger and I tried them, and they felt the best. They're also a middle of the road, everyday trainer type shoe with a medium amount of cushion, so very versatile. But after running in those for a year and getting a lot faster and running a lot farther, I started to realize what I didn't love about them. They'd rub me in a few places, they'd feel a bi too loose or too tight around the top lace sometimes, etc., and I struggled to get them to feel right when lacing up. And I wanted slightly more cushion. After about a year of running about 20Km per week, they were starting to feel flat, too. So I went to a running store with all the brands and settled on Brooks Glycerin 22s. They didn't have the issue with the uneven tightness of the upper to me. I didn't have to do a runners lock knot. They were a bit cushier. Ran in those for almost a year, then had my first half marathon coming up and figured the Brooks would be too worn out by the time that happened, so I went back to the running store to get a new pair so I'd have a fresher pair for the race. But I still tried on different shoes again. And as much as I liked the Brooks, and almost bought another pair, I tried on the Mizuno Wave Cloud 8s, which happened to be on sale, and which further showed me that there was still room for improvement. They felt just as cushy as the Brooks, but with just a BIT more firmness in the heel that felt more "right" to me than the brooks, lol. So trust me, you'll figure it out. And your feet might even change shape over years of running, so never feel bad trying different shoes.
Rankings by Use Case
Top recommendations from others in the same boat
Best for Achilles tendonitis
Top pick
Brooks - Glycerin GTS 22
Best for Budget-conscious running
Top pick
ADIDAS - Adizero Evo SL
Best for Heavier runners
Top pick
ASICS - SUPERBLAST 2
Best for Long-distance training
Top pick
ASICS - SUPERBLAST 2
Best for Marathon race day
Top pick
ASICS - SUPERBLAST 2
Best for Maximum cushioning and joint protection
Top pick
Nike - Vomero Plus
