As you can see from this complete analysis, there’s no revolution with this 12th version of the Fresh Foam 880, at most a shift in focus from the performance-oriented v11 to more comfort. So this shoe will win you over if you’re looking for a traditional road shoe with a softer and fairly bouncy ride for daily training. New Balance Fresh Foam 1080 v12 Sam: The 880 is a safer all around bet with now a touch of the energetic fun of the Rebel on a more stable platform than Rebel given the geometry, Fresh Foam rear and copious rubber. They make an excellent pairing for NB fans. Rebel for the shorter and faster “fun runs”, 880 for the rest of your daily training.

Sally: I have found myself reaching for the FF More often for a comfortable cushioned recovery run or even a dog walk; it is the Cadillac of comfort for me. The 880 is more of an all around daily trainer. Peter: The New Balance 880 is widely known as the meat and potatoes daily trainer in the NB catalog. I’ve run in many NB shoes over the years, including many iterations of the 1080, the 1400 and 4 pairs of the Rebel V2 this past year alone. Somehow I’ve never managed to get my feet into the 880. Until now. New Balance are touting the 880 V12 as the “softest” 880 yet, featuring a dual layer midsole construction.The shoe is just what my feet have been waiting for. Soft and cushioned yet still flexible enough to move comfortably with my foot. The shoe felt so comfortable on my run that it almost felt like I wasn’t wearing anything, in a good way,” Caroline says. Sally: I agree with Peter’s summation that this is a very comfortable upper made of soft breathable mesh with good heel hold, but I found my narrow foot to have a bit too much room in the midfoot and toe box. Almost all New Balance shoes run very true to size for me in a Women’s 8, but this 880 v12 (and possibly the Rebel 2) might serve me better in a half size up; I don’t know if the shoe is actually a bit short, or if my foot is so loose that it is sliding around and hitting the front of the toe box while running. I have attempted to crank down tighter on the laces for a more secure fit, but let’s just say this shoe runs wide. The double jacquard mesh upper is simple, soft, pliable and dense making it durable but breathable. It is soft on my feet and very comfortable. I found it true to size but and very roomy especially through the midfoot. Sam: The next step “up” in cushion after the 1080 the More v3 with its 4mm drop is much more fun to run faster than the 880, with a very distinct energetic bounce off the forefoot but is overly low and soft at the heel for me at slower paces. The 880 is more versatile and with its new foam make up gets closer than before to that front energy I like in the More while remaining slower paces friendly.

The 880 has been an old faithful friend to me over the past six years or so. It’s a classic, dependable do-it-all trainer,” Kate says. “It will serve you well for long miles and easy recovery days. If you liked the 880 in the past, I think you’ll like the update, too.” New Balance’s use of soft less dense Fresh Foam X at the heel combined with the same hardness/firmness but denser Fuel Cell up front with its well segmented copious outsole is effective. It allows a soft landing and a slightly more responsive and stable toe off while keeping the shoe on the softer side and very easy flexing.

The biggest change to the 880 falls squarely in the sole unit which is now a dual density. Looking at the shoe the layers are clearly defined with the white band of Fresh Foam running nearly the length of the shoe and the orange FuelCell layer spanning from mid foot to forefoot. With the 880's, the tongue is my least favorite part. It's pretty short, and if you pull up on it at all, the sides curl underneath itself and you have to dig them out of the sides. I don't understand why the tongue has such a desire to curl up on itself, I've never seen this in a shoe. Might be a sewing defect on mine. Peter: I think the new 880 gives the 1080 a run for its money. It may be slightly more flexible. In running them side-by-side the 880 feels lower to the ground and has a less pronounced slab of foam under the midfoot. I think for a daily trainer the 880 V12 may be the more flexible and comfortable shoe.

Skratch Recovery, Coffee Flavor: Mental and physical boost post run. Coffee flavor is excellent and goes great straight into a fresh brewed cup Sam: Mac says it well. Yup, lots of rubber here and well arrayed rubber. New Balance has come a long long way from the monolithic stiff Boracay type outsoles. Remember those? The outsole plays extremely well with the geometry and feel. No harsh hard feel even in moderate cold, lots of well segmented flexibility.

New Balance Fresh Foam X 880 v12 Conclusion

Sally: I am not as tech-oriented as some of the others, and I tend to focus on the feel of a midsole and the resultant ride. I found this midsole to be soft and somewhat forgiving without being mushy, and definitely not as bouncy as a Rebel V2 or Fuel Cell Elite. The heel landing is well cushioned, making downhills fun, and the toe off is soft enough with some spring to it, yet still somewhat firm and effective. The shoe felt really nice as soon as I tried them on, and I could feel the extra soft, bouncy pod of foam right beneath my heel as I was walking around,” Caroline says. Peter: The forefoot feel of the 880 is preferable to me. I find the 880 to roll through my stride just a bit more smoothly overall. The fit of the upper on the 880 is a little more relaxed and, while the firmness is similar, the flexibility of the 880 makes it a much more runnable shoe for me. Sam: The midsole is made up of 2 foams both of the same hardness but of different densities and compounds. The white foam is a Fresh Foam X with a slightly lower density than the front orange which is a FuelCell compound. The heel feel is soft and somewhat bouncy. The front Fuel Cell is a touch “firmer” in feel and as it is denser but of the same firmness as the Fresh Foam. It has more front rebound and this is clearly felt on the run as is decent front stability on toe off . The front rebound is not explosive as the Rebel v2’s is but there is a clear softer impulse off the front.

Sally: I understand why so many think of the 880 as a workhorse daily trainer: it is a solid crowd pleasing friendly shoe that combines a modern mix of midsole foams powering a comfortable elegant looking traditional upper. It can be a great one shoe quiver type of shoe that provides a slightly soft ride with a slightly dynamic toe off, and should appeal to many types of runners. It does run on the wider side. It runs lighter than its weight would indicate, and does its part to make for a very enjoyable running experience. You add the smiles!I guess the 880 Series has always used dual-density foam, which makes the shoes different from the 1080s, but given how close they are in price, I'd probably opt-in for the latter if I were given a choice. Peter: I really like the 880. I think I may even like them more than the 1080. I think the 880 is a shoe that will work for tons of people in tons of different contexts. If I ran a hotel and had to have one shoe model on hand for guests, it would the the 880. It’s not as bouncy and dynamic as the Rebel V2, but it is a solid daily trainer that I want to put on when I have a recovery or easy day. Sure, it’d be nice if they were just a tiny bit lighter, but I think they’re a great shoe that a lot of people would be very happy with. Peter: Equally excellent uppers. The ride of the 880 feels just a little more harmonious to me. The Nimbus is softer and may be better suited to recovery days. This shoe is made to leave a smaller carbon footprint from us humans on earth by using 50% more recycled material in the upper and 3 to 5% bio based cushion in the midsole.