New Balance 750 v3

Editor rating: 8.5 / 10

User's rating: based on 11 user ratings

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By Nicholas Olson

All New Balance Shoes

New Balance 750 v3 Review Facts

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When it comes to the world of running, New Balance has rightfully become one of the most recognizable brands in the game. This is because they regularly offer up shoes that perform at the highest levels of ability without compromising on any one feature, all offered at a reasonable price point. This is exactly the case with their New Balance 750 v3, which is an impressive trail runner designed to keep you going no matter how treacherous the environment might get. One thing that’s rare for a trail runner is for it to be comfortable, and this running shoe has been praised for being just that. It also has plenty of traction and is suitable for short runs as well as longer races. With some great cushioning, this is a well-rounded trail runner that will take you places.

Editor's Pros & Cons

Pros

Comfortable shoe
High level of traction
Good for different speeds and distances
Good cushioning

Cons

Not very durable
Expensive
Lack of support

Outsole

The outsole of the New Balance 750 v3 utilizes a feature that's made entirely out of solid rubber to give you a better grip on the road. It's laid out in a diamond pattern and is configured in such a way that allows for you to get a solid tread on the ground. When you also consider that there are a number of nubs that have been placed all over the pattern of the tread, it becomes a no-brainer that this is a great option for those who are looking into getting a new trail running shoe for either fun or serious competition.

Read also about best obstacle course shoes.

Midsole

Directly above the outsole of the New Balance 750 v3, its midsole incorporates an injection molded EVA that's designed to be firm, have plenty of protection for the underfoot area, and have plenty of durability. New Balance has also incorporated ACTEVA Lite, which is an element of the midsole that utilizes materials that only New Balance has the right to use. It's this sort of proprietary technology that allows them to stay one step ahead of the competition as they put together running shoe technology that will allow you to compete at the highest level.

Upper

The upper on the New Balance 750 v3 is fairly minimalistic as far as uppers on running shoes go. It utilizes AirMesh technology, which is fairly standard for New Balance shoes at this stage of the game. The upper is fairly breathable while also providing a number of overlays that ensure your foot is well-supported as you run. The shoe has support all the way from the heel to the forefoot, so you won't have to worry about your foot suffering from a coverage gap in the shoe. There's plenty of comfort in the shoe itself, and the fit is great.

Weight

The weight on the New Balance 750 v3 is very competitive with other running shoes in its class, especially other trail runners. It comes out to 8.7oz. for the men's version of the shoe, and 7.6oz. for the women's version. This means that your gait cycle won't be too terribly affected as you run, which is especially helpful when you're trying to handle the trails. This means you can spend more time getting a proper footing on the technical trail and less time worrying about if you'll have the speed to get up that hill.

Breathability

As we've covered a bit earlier, the New Balance 750 v3 has definitely benefited from updates over previous iterations in terms of improved breathability. As with any development, there was a bit of a learning curve for New Balance to figure out what would work best in terms of breathability. They figured it out, though, and this can be seen in the woven mesh that's used. This light mesh is highly breathable while still staying quite supportive. It's hard to find such an upper, but after three iterations of this shoe, New Balance has finally hit the jackpot.

Comfort

The forefoot of the New Balance 750 v3 has been designed to provide as much space as you could possibly need as you're running, adding to the overall level of comfort that the shoe provides. The collar and tongue on the upper are also padded and cushioned by quite a bit, lending even more comfort to the shoe. Usually, when you have this level of comfort, it comes at a price. Namely, the shoe will be quite a bit heavier as a result. New Balance has countered this by utilizing materials that are extremely lightweight, ensuring that you can truly get the best of all possible worlds.

Style

The New Balance 750 v3 is perfect for those runners who want a little bit of flair in their running shoe, the kind of runners who want to turn heads as they're tackling a tough technical trail. The shoe is accented by a variety of colors that give the shoe a luminescent look, quite different in every way from the stereotype of the plain white New Balance. You definitely won't have to worry about blending into the background with the New Balance 750 v3, that's for sure.

Durability

It should be noted that there have been a few durability concerns when it comes to the New Balance 750 v3. While the upper does have a fair amount of durability packed into it, the rest of the shoe doesn't quite perform as well durability-wise. With that said, the New Balance 750 v3 is still a stand-up shoe that is very well-cushioned, light, and effective. It's hard to find a shoe that can stand up to such punishing conditions when it comes to technical trails, but the New Balance 750 v3 definitely does.

Protection

The majority of the protection from the New Balance 750 v3 comes from the underfoot cushioning that you'll find in the midsole. It also makes the midsole that much more durable, which is essential for a trail runner. Durability is an important feature in any running shoe, but without durability and protection in a trail runner, you run the serious risk of injuring your feet, perhaps severely. While paved surfaces can be their own brand of unforgiving, nothing compares to the possibility of getting debris lodged in your shoe's outsole or worse.

Responsiveness

The responsiveness of the New Balance 750 v3 likewise mostly comes from its midsole. Instead of simply using regular EVA, New Balance utilizes what they call AVTEVA Lite, which delivers just as much cushioning and responsiveness but without adding a lot of bulk and weight that will only bring the shoe down. It shouldn't be too much to ask for that a trail runner have the kind of responsiveness you need to get a productive run, but it's a more complicated process than you'd think.

Support

The arch support on the New Balance 750 v3 is neutral, which means that it's going to support the vast majority of runners who are looking at the shoe. Of course, this means that overpronators aren't going to be getting the kind of arch support that they might need. For those who do overpronate, it might be best to look elsewhere, specifically toward a shoe that has stable arch support. With that said, the support on the New Balance 750 v3 is more than adequate and will be just fine for the majority of runners who try on the shoe.

Terrain

The New Balance 750 v3 has been decidedly designed to be a trail runner. You can see this from the entire design of the outsole, which has been made to stand up to the harsh terrain of your average technical trail. And if you happen to sign up for an obstacle race that involves running through mud or other similar conditions, you'll be happy that you made this choice. There aren't nearly as many trail runners as there are road runners, so it's refreshing to see a shoe that can compete at such a high level as the New Balance 750 v3.

Price

Lucky for those runners who are on a budget, the New Balance 750 v3 is very affordably priced. As of the time of this writing, you shouldn't be spending any more than $70 on a pair of these shoes, freeing you up to invest in other running gear as you see fit and necessary. Especially if you're a competitive runner, you'll want to be able to stock up on other things such as gels for races, proper running shorts, shirts, and headbands. There are a lot of things to keep in mind when you're getting ready to run a big race, so luckily the cost of your shoes won't be a big issue here.

Traction

One of the features that is the most important in a running shoe is its level of traction. This is doubly important in a trail runner, as it's imperative that you get a good grip on the trail lest you lose grip on a particularly rough section and slip up, losing valuable time that could've been spent pushing toward the finish line. There's no way to guarantee that you'll get a good grip on the trail, but a good place to start is by purchasing a shoe with the kind of traction that the New Balance 750 v3 features.

Flexibility

The flexibility on the New Balance 750 v3 hasn't been overtly lauded by reviewers, but it also hasn't been a complaint, either. It seems the shoe performs just fine in this regard, especially in the area of its heel, where it has an overlay that's quite substantial and more than adequate when it comes to giving the shoe plenty of flexibility. Also, since the outsole isn't just a solid, flat construction, you can also expect to find more flexibility in that regard as well.

Stability

The New Balance 750 v3 is fairly stable for a trail runner, which historically isn't always the case with those types of shoes. This is because they don't have flat, wide outsoles like road runners do, or at least not usually. Instead, they utilize strategic lugs to ensure that you get a good grip on the ground, allowing you to propel forward as you run. This is very important in trail running, as you need grip over stability. With that said, the New Balance 750 v3 packs in both, and it allows you to run the way you'd like to run.

Drop

The heel to toe drop for the New Balance 750 v3 is actually fairly hefty as far as these things go. Youll be looking at a 12mm drop for both the men's and women's versions of the shoe. While this isn't the absolute largest drop that we've seen in a running shoe, it will definitely be enough to impact your gait cycle. With that said, it probably won't impact it as dramatically as it would in a road running situation, so you should also take this with a grain of salt. After all, there are plenty of other specifications a runner will look for in a running shoe, and the New Balance 750 v3 excels at nearly all of them.

Key Features

- High level of comfort
- Good traction
- Varied speeds and distances
- Excellent cushioning
- Very affordable

Bottom Line

The bottom line when it comes to the New Balance 750 v3 is that it's a versatile trail runner that's surprisingly light for all of the features that it packs in, and plenty stable while still remaining flexible as well. It has comfort that allows runners to run for extended periods of time without growing uncomfortably, and it has the responsiveness that you need as well. Priced at a very affordable price point, the New Balance 750 v3 is a natural choice for those who want to take their running game to the next level.