Customer Reviews New Balance Fresh Foam 860v12

I've been wearing the 860's for the past 5 years and have not had any issue. This latest pair as soon as I put them on I noticed they were directly against both sides of my feet. Yes i do have bunions but the standard width has never been an issue before. I saw in some other reviews that others have encountered a similar issue and bout the men's shoe. They are saying that the men's equivalent has a wider toe box; I have already ordered a pair but I had to say goodbye to that beautiful "vibrant sky with lemonade and serene blue" color that's only in women's. They don't sell a lot of the more unique colors in stores, especially in smaller towns and so you have no option but to get the shoe online. Also, the shoelaces ARE shorter than usual just as others have mentioned. Crossing my fingers that the men's version works better.

I'm not sure why but this is the second pair of shoes I got within two months and the sizing seems off. I have always worn 7.5 wide, and been a customer for years. My regular shoes were unavailable so I ordered these. Runs very big and doesn't have much support.

Shoe is attractive and well made. It is one size smaller than the size it is labelled and in comparison to two other pairs of New Balance that I have. Had to return them. Did the manufacturer put the wrong size on the shoes or did he just made them smaller? Disappointing.

Bought these for my wife after she tried it in store for fit and selecting the color she wanted online. The size and width fit correctly. This is her feedback. "Great support, allows for free movement. However, the material change on the upper shell, specifically by the outer edge of each foot by the Fifth toe "little toe". Tends to press against the foot. The majority of the upper material is flexible while this small detail is not flexible at all. This piece does press against the toe even after being sized for the right shoe at REI. This condition exists even with socks on. After some time, she has noticed bruising on both baby toes nails. Resulting to change in color and pain due to pressure from the hard material. Remember the shoe fits correctly but due to the variation of material flexibility on the upper shell this condition persists. In essence the shoe wearer will develop cones even if the shoe fits. (upper and outer left and right parts of the shoes, the hard-shell material with the NB logo). Why put such an issolated hard material on an otherwise flexible web by the toe area? Design and comfort on the rest of the shoe is great. In my opinion I would do away with that hard plastic and preserve customer comfort. Does not work for the function of the shoe and not worth continued damage and issues with the toes. Will be returning for a refund.

Great shoes but why are the laces so short?? My last pair that I purchased from a retail store had laces that were a bit long. But a bit long is way better than too short. There is hardly enough lace to tie them. Not happy.

I love my 860v11 to the extent that I have 2 pairs and wear them daily. I bought my v12 and just tried them on and am beyond disappointed. My previous six pairs of 860s are all 2E width, size 8, so I purchased the same. They are shorter in the toe box and rub my toes causing discomfort. An even bigger issue is the laces. They are about 6-7 inches shorter than those on my v11's meaning I can't utilize all of the loops to secure my heel. Can't even tie them as there is not enough length. And the new laces are totally fraying, it's horrible. These will have to go back and I will need an alternate brand.

Love the look and colors of this shoe but they are not comfortable for all day wear.

Unfortunately, this new version doesn't have the same support. Feels flat compared to V11. :-( This was the only style I loved from New Balance.

I have always run in New Balance shoes and have never had any problems at all with any of the previous versions. I could take them out of the box and do a long run and it was fine. However, with my first pair of v12s, I am having a rubbing issue. They seem to have done something to the opening where it is thicker and maybe comes up higher and I had both of my inner ankle bones rubbed raw on just a 5K. I now have to tape my ankle bones just to be able to wear the shoes. Hopefully this doesn't happen on the next version of the shoe or I'll have to find a new brand.

I have been running in this series for 10+ years and I have always loved the shoe. This version seems shorter in the toe box and the overall shoe feels less stiff. I wish I had re purchased the v11. Unfortunately I was out in them a few times to try to break them in so can't return. Please go back to similar versions.

I've been wearing 860's for years. The footbed is as hard as wood clogs. No cushion. The back of the shoe is different, it's hard and rubs on the back of the heel and ankles. Super disappointed in this shoe.

Typically fit between a 9.5 - 10 wide shoe. Happy to see New Balance has a small selection of wide runners but this one fits really big all over (including length and in step). Ordered a 9.5 extra wide, width is great but not with the length. I would have to go down to a 8.5 extra wide for it to fit.

The back sticks up too high and when my foot slides down in the shoe it feels like it's gone too far and rubs against the back of my ankle. Wearing them around the house to see if I like them enough to keep them

Love the color and style, usually wear New Balance but this sneaker was not comfortable for my walking routine. Very disappointed!

These were my second choice cause my 840s weren't available. I do not like them. I swear the left shoe was made smaller than the right, with a dip on the inside of the outside heel. My feet hurt, the toe box isn't very wide and there's not a lot of cushioning. I should have sent them back, but thought I could get use to them. Unfortunately it's to late now, cause they're not in "bought" condition. I like the old technology with absorb, wide toe box,roll bar etc, but the websites very user friendly for me to find what I want.

Fresh Foam is not an improvement. Quite unsatisfied.

I LOVE NB gear. I ran my half marathon PR in 860s. But this version is not it. After EVERY run (even months into use) I was getting serious blood blisters. The toe box seems significantly narrower than usual, or possibly shaped differently, and even started experiencing serious knee pain. Breaks my heart but I've had to change to different shoes, and my pain was gone within a week. This model needs a redesign.

I have bought many New Balance gym shoes over the years. My last ones were the 860's from a few years ago & they were great. This time I ordered the 860's again. After reading many reviews I did order up 1/2 size as many say they ran small. I put them on a couple times & walked around the house. They were very uncomfortable. The instep was high & the sides were really hard, hurt my feet. Had to return. New Balance was great with the free shipping & free returns & got my money back in timely manner.

I previously had the 860v10 and those were true to size. These extremely painful and uncomfortable.

The shoes look great. I am a faithful wearer of 860s as it was the only shoe to prevent plantar facitis in my very flat feet and give support. I work 12 hour shifts on my feet. Since the change to the fresh foam they give less spring and dont last as long but I still persisted with the shoe once they changed back to the normal backs with the v12. Unfortunately, these shoes are too narrow! I already order wide shoes due to my feet spreading out over the day but my pinky toes are miserable!! They rub on the fabric with every step. The sides of my foot stick out over the edge of the foot bed every time I take a step and put weight into the shoe. This was never a problem over the last 5 or 6 models of this shoe. Disappointed and unsure what size or model to move on to now.

Not as comfortable as I was hoping. I have collapsed arches and I was hoping these would help. They didn't help at all. Even with my special inserts. I'll just stick to my Hokas.

The comfort is good but I don't like the style or the color. The white is too white and bright. I would prefer a more shaded look.

I have been purchasing the same size and width sneakers from NB for the last 6 years with happy results. These sneakers were so tight and uncomfortable, I had to take them off after just 8 minutes of sitting with them on.

I need these shoes for plantar fasciitis and every year they drastically change the style now for some reason. This style seemed more true to how they used to be, but for the first time ever, I have to go up a half size because they are smaller. Sure enough when I went to process my return, they are out of the color I wanted so I had to order from a different store.

I have been running in the NB 860 the past few years after running in the Brooks Adrenaline for over a decade. I was extremely pleased with versions 9, 10, and 11, but the updates on version 12 are disappointing. The shoe runs small in the tie box. My toes rubbed the front end of the shoe and I had to return my normal size and size up. The sized-up shoe is now too wide, but feels better than too small when laced tight. Also, the high part of the heel cup rubs above socks, is uncomfortable, and can cause blisters. The support is okay and the cushion is good, but overall the shoe just feels wrong with every stride. Hopefully some updates to version 13 can redeem the NB 860 I miss my dependable, go-to running shoe!