New Balance Women's 1500v6 Running Shoe

Product Information

I was heel-running for a while and have moved to mid-foot. I do have the occasion where the heel will scrape. And, when fatigued, I can find myself on my heels a bit more often than I should. I was a little disappointed with the blisters I got from the snugger fit of the toe box and it’s what stopped me from giving this shoe a perfect rating. The biggest change on the 1500’s bottom is the medial post redesign. If the earlier versions were barely noticeable, the V6’s medial post does a straight-up disappearing act. It has a solid feel to it with just a hint of squish. You can feel the road though it is not heavily pronounced. There is a soft feel from the inside but a solid footing. I have worn squishy shoes, and squishy is not the word. The Brooks Asteria is another mild-support racer with a higher offset of 8 mm. On this Brooks racer, the medial post is two-sided; it wraps around the heel instead of being just on the inside.

The sole of the shoe is intriguing. It has small lugs that have some bite, but you don’t feel them as individual components when running. I have had no issue with slipping on wet pavement or asphalt. Apparently, my feet splay greatly when running and require some space in the toe-box. I got these as a wide option, and they give just that right amount of snug around the midfoot, but my toes are wild and free! If you were dreading a drastic change in the 1500V6’s ride quality, you’ll be relieved to hear that there is no cause to worry. The New Balance 1500 v6 is just right. It has just enough structure to give a solid ride but light enough to not drag you down in upper mileage.

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The outer midsole has a raised sidewall like the 890 for support. Everyone’s doing the ‘Guiderail’ thing, so might as well do it on the 1500. My first big test of these shoes was racing the ever-important work 5K. I was able to get into a groove right away and open up for office bragging rights. This new variable lacing set-up could have potentially created unwanted top-down pressure, so adding the padded filter is a nice design move. Even with the sweeping updates, the 6 mm drop midsole has a ride that you’ve come to expect from this series. The firm Revlite foam has a consistent underfoot feel that helps when you’re running faster than 7 min/mile or 5 min/km. One doesn’t have to expend energy trying to work through the softness – for the 1500 has very little of it.

The transition groove under the heel is narrower and lower to the ground than the V5. With the heel flex grooves mostly gone, the rearfoot landings feel stiffer. The narrower groove decreases the softness to a certain extent, because it doesn’t splay as well as the V5 when weight-loaded. There are fewer flex grooves in the front and rear. In its place is a larger outsole with tiny perforations that expose the foam under the forefoot. The weight is up by 0.3-ounces or 8 grams due to the greater coverage of outsole rubber.From the outside, it’s virtually unrecognizable from the past versions. At its core, you get the same speed-friendly ride experience and a non-intrusive medial post. THE NEW BALANCE 1500V6 vs. V5

They looked great taking them out of the box for the first time. In my hands, the shoe felt unbelievably light, with the upper feeling like almost nothing. So when the first generation of the New Balance 1500 hit the shelves, it entered a niche that was occupied by only a few. The Saucony Fastwitch was one, and the Asics DS Trainer was another. They are speedy enough for a fast 5K but strong enough to bring a finish to the half-marathon or more. You’ll get efficient firmness from the V6 too, except that it is served in a different flavor. The medial post adopts a less aggressive design. Instead of being a rectangular wedge, it is sloped and confined to the lower part of the midsole.

Abzorb Technology, EVA In The Insole

The 1500V6 has no forefoot grooves and instead uses a perforated outsole layout. Tiny windows are spaced between the lugs, so the bending process takes place evenly. However, it takes a week or so to fully break-in the V6’s outsole and midsole. It’s a modestly priced shoe that gains traction in popularity every year, but is still a sleeper hit. Mostly this is due to the fact that there isn’t a big demand for a racing flat that also gives support. As we said at the start of this review, there aren’t many competitors in the stability racer class. MR”: The first two letters identify the gender and the sport activity. “M” is for MEN, “W” for WOMEN. “R” is for Running. “WW” will be Women’s Walking, “MX” will be Men’s Cross-Training and so on.

This category is home to road racers with a medial post or its equivalent. A ‘mild support racer’ describes this segment – because speed shoes with a stability feature are uncommon. Overall, it was still a blast to run in and I look forward to these being the fast shoe in my lineup.

New Balance 680v6 - In Short

NB calls this a racer, and it performs no doubt. The build, though light, is strong enough to find that happy place for you if “racing flats” are just too minimal for you. I have to say it is just right! With a new knit upper and a midsole that tones down the medial post, the completely redesigned 1500V6 is a sign of the times. The insole isn’t the only reason why the V6 is slightly firmer than the 2019 model. The new outsole leaves out most of the flex grooves – this includes the ones on the outer heel and forefoot. The asymmetrical NB, color combination and the “New Balance Racing” logo with the bird on the insole had me hankering to take these out ASAP.