New Balance Fresh Foam More V3 review and comparison

I already tried the 1080 V9 and the 1080 V11 and liked the Fresh Foam, but both those models had some issues with the heel counter. And I like max cushioned shoes, so more Fresh Foam did sound good to me, but somehow I didn’t get around to testing the first two versions of this shoe. But who doesn’t want more of something that’s good? New Balance promised us more Fresh Foam and that’s what we got in the Fresh Foam More V3. 

Since I’m always looking for my next marathon shoe, I decided to give these a go. Sure, the faster runners amongst you would never really consider this a marathon racing shoe, only an easy long run shoe. But us slower runners at the back don’t necessarily need carbon plates, but shoes to get us round the course and which remain comfortable for the hours we spend on our feet. 

For such a large shoe it is surprisingly bouncy and can therefore be used for more than just a very slow pace. I ended up using this shoe during several half marathon races and during the Boston Marathon and I don’t regret that decision. I managed to even get a PB at the Boston Marathon and I am curious to see what the More V4 will be like.

So, what is the difference between the 1080 and the More? The 1080 V11 has a 22 mm stack height in the forefoot and 30 in the heel giving it an 8 mm drop. But the More V3 has 29 mm in the forefoot and 33 in the heel, which only gives it a 4 mm drop. The 1080V11 comes in at 271 grams versus 284 grams for the More V3. 

The heel of the 1080 V11 was a deal breaker for me. The midsole was fine, but the heel counter just bugged me too much to make it a nice shoe. Not that it gave me any pain or hotspots, but you just kept noticing it the entire time. The More V3 has a more traditional heel cup, the one you just don’t have to think about. 

Upper

The upper is nothing really special, but that’s actually what makes it work. It’s a traditional heel counter and an engineered mesh upper. Good lockdown but also enough room in the toe box. If the 1080 V11 has taught us anything, it’s that a good upper is an upper that you don’t have to think about and can just forget, and that’s the case with this shoe.

Midsole

It’s a wide shoe with a tall stack height, although these days this sort of stack height is becoming quite normal. It’s a soft shoe, but together with the bounce and the wide platform, it is also stable enough for those longer runs.

It also reminds me a bit of the Nike ZoomX Invincible. But the Invincible has a bit of a narrow midfoot platform (which is quite common for Nike actually) and thus is a bit less stable if you are a bit of a pronator. And the Invincible is also a bit noisier because of all the rubber they slapped on the outsole of the shoe. It is quite similar in weight with 279 grams but has a 9 mm drop with 36 in the heel and 27 in the forefoot. The ZoomX is bouncier than the More, but if you are looking for a little bit more stability, the More is a better option.

Outsole

The outsole rubber is placed in a way that it gives you just a little bit extra stability on the medial side, and that’s what you need in a shoe that is this high and squishy. The V3 has less rubber than the previous version, which helps it to keep it flexible. 

This shoe doesn’t have the most interesting designs or the most interesting new technologies, but it just works. It is soft, yet bouncy and flexible. If you like Fresh Foam and you wouldn’t mind just having a little bit more of it than the 1080, you’ll like this shoe. It’s also a good shoe if you are just looking for that one shoe for your easy long run, but which also allows you to pick up the pace for some of your other runs. If you are looking for a max cushioned shoe that still has quite a bit of bounce, maybe for your long runs, easy runs, or even for your next race, this shoe is all you need, and a bit more.