New Balance Fresh Foam 880v11 vs 880v10 Comparison Shoe Review
Josh reviews the updated New Balance Fresh Foam 880v11 running shoes for 2021 and highlights the minor changes that set them apart from their predecessor, the New Balance Fresh Foam 880v10.
The New Balance 880v11 continues to be an ever-reliable daily trainer for neutral runners. New Balance have stuck to what works, rolling over the outsole configuration of the earlier model to provide the ideal blend of responsiveness and durability.
It features heel striker-friendly engineering with denser rubber at the high-impact zone of the rearfoot to increase the lifespan of your go-to running shoes.
Although the heel drop and stack height of the 880v11 are identical to the 880v10, the new version offers a softer feel with an updated execution of the Fresh Foam X midsole. Without changing the outsole, New Balance have increased the flexibility – making this an asset to runners that prefer a more cushioned and plush sensation.
New Balance have swapped out the knitted upper of the previous model for a double jacquard mesh upper – elevating breathability without sacrifice to durability.
Check out the review with full transcript below.
Hey guys, Josh here from Sportitude Running and today it’s shoe review time. We’re going to be introducing to you the New Balance Fresh Foam 880v11. This shoe has just landed in our warehouse and there’s a lot to like about this new update.
In saying that though, from the outset there is a lot of similarities in the actual make-up of this shoe. In today’s review we’ll give you all the information at home on how it runs up against the New Balance Fresh Foam 880v10 because there are a subtle number of changes. Without further ado let’s get stuck in.
Runner Profile
In our shoe reviews gone by we do like to identify what foot type could be considering the shoe. For the best part of the decade plus it’s been targeting that neutral runner. We’re talking about a foot type that when coming through the gait cycle from midstance to toe-off, we don’t tend to see too much collapse through the midstance phase. If the runner does have that posture with their foot, we tend to lean towards stability shoes like the New Balance Fresh Foam 860v11 for example.
With the New Balance 880, we’re looking for the runner that has most of the pressure through the central part of their foot with a relatively stable neutral foot type. They may have a flatter arch, however traditionally a neutral to supinated foot type has a higher arch. There’s a lot of space between the arch and the ground so when this runner comes through their transition, the pressure is towards the lateral part of their gait cycle through midstance before they engage, ready to release at toe-off.
We're going to compare the New Balance 880v11 with the 880v10. I like to start from the ground and work our way up.
Outsole
First things first, let’s talk all things outsole with this shoe. You can see to the naked eye that nothing has changed with the outsole. We have the exact same compound in both heel and forefoot, and the flex grooves and the depth of the rubber underneath is the same.
New Balance obviously have found that this outsole works quite well regarding durability on those bitumen footpath pavements and also works well in protecting the asset in this shoe which is the Fresh Foam X midsole.
Just to dial in on a couple of features which are important to know, the lateral part of this heel is a harder-wearing rubber. It is designed for a heel striker, the runner that is going to come down on their heel first and make contact with the ground. That rubber is a denser compound, so it is going to wear a lot better than the rubber that is in the forefoot which is traditionally more of a blown rubber and therefore will be a little bit softer and slightly more responsive.
Midsole
Coming to the midsole of this shoe. At Sportitude Running when a new shoe comes in, we get a few staff members to test it on the treadmill and get a real idea of how they are performing and how they are feeling before we go and release it to the world.
The feedback so far with the New Balance 880v11 is it is considerably softer underneath the foot. It is remarkable because when we look at the shoes they are both on a 10mm offset so there’s nothing that has changed there. The stack height is the same, being 28mm heel and 18mm in the forefoot.
However, the execution of the Fresh Foam X midsole is noticeably softer in the 880v11. While I’m talking about the softness of the cushioning, it's important to know that because it is softer, it is more flexible.
The outsole is the same. They haven’t changed anything in regard to the flex grooves with this shoe. The only change that we’ve picked up on from our end is the midsole is a bit softer, so therefore you’re going to get a bit more flexibility through the toe-off phase in your gait cycle.
That may work for several runners out there and it may play against a few that really like the 880v10. However, I don’t think it’s a monumental change where you need to really dial in on it, it’s just something to be aware of. When you put it on and try it out, if you tried the version previously you should notice that the new model is a little bit softer underneath the foot.
For me personally, increasing the cushioning is what I’m all about. I love the fact that they’ve made this marginally softer. However, keep note of that at home and if you really liked the 880v10 you may prefer that cushioning system.
With the midsole there’s been a little bit of change that’s probably more to do with the cosmetics. You have this laser-printed technology with the little dimples inside that concave set-up on the midsole of the 880v10, but it’s been removed in the 880v11. You still have that honeycomb set-up with that concave execution on the midsole, but there is none of that laser printing on the lateral side. That could be a reason why it is wearing underneath the middle of the foot a little bit softer.
Upper
Let’s move along and talk all things upper. Let’s start from the back. The New Balance 880v10 has a plastic external heel counter. That provided a little bit more support around the base of your heel to get a nice lockdown. In the 880v11 New Balance haven’t executed it on the model in the same way. The support system is in the plastic wedge in the internal heel counter support.
Potentially the reason for removing it is that they’ve increased the height of the shoe around the back of the Achilles. This is quite a common trend throughout every single brand in the last couple of seasons with that ‘elf’ design that’s heightened the heel collar.
Therefore, the angle of which this is executed naturally gives the shoe a nice lockdown and secure fit around the back of your ankle which is great. We can remove that external system, potentially reduce the weight and get if not a better support around the back of the heel.
As we’re coming through to the middle of the shoe itself, nothing really has changed from a fit perspective. The depth is the same and the width is the same. I’m happy with what they’ve done in the 880v11, they haven’t changed too much.
However, as you come through the forefoot the change is in the double layered jacquard mesh. New Balance had used a knitted upper in the 880v10. That worked quite well and had a lot of great feedback about the durability however some small feedback that got to New Balance was that it probably lacked ventilation.
New Balance therefore dialled in the jacquard mesh and it’s double layered, so it’s still going to be nice and strong. The jacquard mesh offers a lot more breathability through this shoe so it’s a great feature to throw into this next edition.
Widths
While we’re talking all things upper, lets dial in on the widths of this shoe itself. New Balance obviously believe and back their engineering, hence they make it successful for a lot of different foot shapes out there.
In the men’s we have a D width which is standard, a 2E and a 4E. It’s offered in three widths which is fantastic. The women’s is the same regarding the offerings. They have three widths, and they start with a B which is standard, D which is slightly wider and they have it in a 2E which is fantastic as well.
The Wrap Up
That is my take on the New Balance Fresh Foam 880v11. This shoe has had some minor changes regarding the overall engineering which is obviously affecting the performance. The four key takeaways from my end is that the shoe is marginally lighter, so there's a bit of a weight reduction.
It’s a little bit softer underneath the foot which then makes it a little more flexible. Also, the addition of the breathability with the execution of that double layered jacquard mesh is probably one of my favourite changes within this shoe.
If you have been a New Balance 880 wearer previously and you have some comments or questions on that, please contact our Sportitude shoe experts. If you have any queries about this shoe and how it works, please let us know.
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We’ll continue to pump out as many shoe reviews as we possibly can for you the running community at home.
Until next time, stay safe and be kind to each other. Happy running and we’ll see you soon. Take care.
FEATURES
New Balance Fresh Foam 880v11
- Support: Neutral
- Upper: Mesh
- Midsole: New Balance Fresh Foam X
- Offset / Drop: 10mm
Men
- Weight: 298g / 10.5oz
- Width: D (standard), 2E (wide), 4E (extra wide)
Women
- Weight: 247g / 8.7oz
- Width: B (standard), D (wide), 2E (extra wide)
New Balance Fresh Foam 880v10