This is a shoe which lives up to its name. More foam, more cushion and more softness then before, the More v6 must be as close as a runner can get to feeling like Stay-Puft the Marshmallow Man. A towering 44mm of Fresh Foam X under the heel soaks up all the shock and stress of the road and the upper envelops the foot in all-day comfort.
Whilst shoes of such thickness and softness may not be to everyone’s taste, brands can’t seem to get enough of them. There was a time when the Alphafly was an outlandishly large shoe. Currently, it is dwarfed by many daily trainers. The More v6 is no exception. How does it work?
Upper and Fit of the New Balance More v6
What works for me
As is fitting with the name, the More v6 also offers a large, plush upper. Generous but not overbearing padding surrounds the heel. Further down the shoe, a gussetted tongue offers ample protection from lace bite while helping create a solid lockdown. On both lateral and medial sides of the upper we find a New Balance N which adds a little structure to hold things in place.
The heel cup itself is fairly stout which is further stiffened with an overlay. It rises to approximately the mid achilles but sits softly and without irritation. Meanwhile, the lace chain is pretty traditional but it works well. The flat laces lay comfortably and hold everything together neatly.
Despite the plushness and padding of the upper, it doesn’t run hot. My entire testing period, so far, has been in very warm and humid conditions. Nevertheless, my feet have remained comfortable. That said, I can imagine that if wet, the More v6 would take some time to dry out due to the amount of fabric in both the tongue and heel cup area.
I have worn the More v6 as both a daily walking around shoe and as a running shoe over the past few weeks and found it really does offer a comfortable fit. As it comes in both regular and wide flavours, I would imagine that the vast majority of runners will find a fit that suits. Overall, the More v6 does what it sets out to do in the upper department. It gives good lockdown, comfort and breathability.
What doesn’t work for me
If I am honest, there is nothing really to add here. Perhaps a little of the 306g weight could be saved with some padding reduction. That said, for the purpose of the More v6, the weight doesn’t matter that much and it has already lost a bit of weight from the v5.
While these things do come down to personal preference, I can’t imagine that much needs improving on a daily shoe upper like this.
Midsole and Ride of the New Balance More v6
What works for me
With 44mm of Fresh Foam X in the heel and a 4mm drop, there is plenty of midsole to talk about. Firstly, despite the sky-high stack, the enormous width of the platform means that there is stability in the shoe. This isn’t a shoe which feels like it is wallowing from side to side on the run. Each landing is sure and there is plenty of surface area to push off.
Following on from the sureness of each landing it the softness. As soon as you step into the More v6, you can feel the raised sidewalls of the shoe soak you into the softness of the foam. The softness continues to be apparent with each step. Both as a walking shoe and a running shoe, it really does offer a comfortable ride. If you are looking for a pillow to baby your legs on days when pace doesn’t matter and the miles are building up, this is a great place to look.
To add to the comfort, there is a pleasing roll to the More v6 while running. The toe-spring helps add a little pop to the feel of the shoe. That said, it will never be a race shoe. This just goes to remove a little of the energy needed for each run.
As far as running in the More v6 goes, I have used it for short strolls of 4 or 5km up to longer jaunts of 16 or so km. For all of these it has been comfortable and cushioned.
What doesn’t work for me
While the More v6 works as intended, its use case is a little narrow. This is not an all round daily shoe. I very much doubt that you will want to try picking up the pace in it. All the things that make it good as a recovery and easy mile shoe mean that it isn’t great for anything else.
The weight and width of the platform mean that it doesn’t have a rapid transition through the gait cycle. Meanwhile the depth of cushion means that efficiency isn’t really a high point of the midsole. The sink and settle is more present than the compress and rebound feeling of other shoes.
But, the More v6 is designed for those days when pace doesn’t matter and comfort is paramount. Some morning runs when I have been trying to keep up with faster, sprightlier folk, the More v6 has been a bit of an anchor. These limitations are more of a feature than a bug. It does what it is designed to do and does it well.
Outsole of the New Balance More v6
Grip and Traction
With a crash pad on the heel section of the foam and a good amount of coverage on the forefoot area, there is a good amount of grip. Having only run this through warm, summer conditions, I haven’t had much of a chance to assess the grip and traction in grim conditions. That said, I have no issue with anything I have felt so far.
There are a range of cutouts to reduce the stiffness and presumably to reduce the overall weight of the shoe. A pleasant benefit of the foam and rubber combination is that, with my running style at least, it is a very quiet shoe. I have found no harsh slapping or thuddery on my runs.
Durability
After roughly 70km in the More v6, aside from a little creasing in the midfoot area of the gargantuan midsole, there is very little wear present. This is my first More of any generation so I can’t use those as a point of comparison. But, if anything, the foam has opened up a little as I have run more in it. I am hopeful of a few hundred kilometres more before we have to part ways and send it to the great shoe rack in the sky.
Conclusion
Value for Money
At £150, the More v6 offers a lot of shoe for the money. It sits at roughly the same price point as its main competitors in shoes like the Vomero Plus and Mizuno Wave Sky 9. Its value is limited by the singular purpose of the shoe although it does make for a very comfortable walking shoe too. The midsole height also adds a confidence building couple of inches to your height too, so what price vanity?
Fitting it into a shoe rotation
As mentioned above, this really only fits into one place in a shoe rotation. Those days when comfort is paramount and pace is an afterthought. This limits the time you may want to spend in the shoe although all of that time will be comfortable.
Final Verdict
The More v6 certainly offers more foam, more comfort and more cushion. What it doesn’t offer is more versatility. If you have a wide shoe rotation or are looking to build one, this fits in well for those recovery runs of whichever distance you fancy. However, if you like to keep things tight and running a frugal pursuit, these may not be a purchase you want to make. The More v6 is a one trick pony but it does do that trick very well.
Comparisons Against Similar Shoes
New Balance More v6 vs. Nike Vomero Plus
For me, this is a win for the Nike Vomero Plus. I find that I personally enjoy the more vivacious foam of the Nike shoe over the more dull, dampening foam of the New Balance More v6. Overall, I find that while both are very comfortable and capable shoes, the Vomero Plus has the edge on versatility.
New Balance More v6 vs. Mizuno Wave Sky 9
New Balance takes the win here. I find the foam of the Wave Sky 9 and the plate geometry to actively work against my recovery. The New Balance More v6 offers more in terms of support, return and stability. Again, both are well built and for a heel striker, the Mizuno would be a much more viable option.
New Balance More v6 vs. Brooks Glycerin Max
Two large, soft shoes. Again this probably comes down to foot strike. Neither shoe is a disappointment if you are looking for cushioned comfort. The Glycerin Max favours a runner who strikes more towards the rear of the foot as that is where the softer landing is. Meanwhile. the More v6 has a more forgiving midsole for a range of foot strikes. Both are very well built and will last for a very good number of miles.
New Balance More v6 vs. Diadora Cellula 2
This is a battle which really comes down to personal preference. Both are shoes which offer dampening over liveliness. They are both very well made. Each shoe has a well padded upper which gives all day comfort. Neither is a shoe which has the greatest amount of versatility outside of longer and easy runs. The majority of runners would probably be happy putting the miles through either midsole.
Other Opinions
Thys’ Take on the New Balance More v6
As a religious user of the More V5, I was extremely excited to receive and use the V6. At first glance, huge improvements in the fit and upper, much wider than its predecessor and much more stable. I agree with Andy the shoe is extremely supportive and stable despite its high stack, making this a perfect shoe for easy miles. I was such a fan of the More V5 especially as they were hugely versatile, despite their bulky appearance. For some reason the V6 does not give me that impression, like Andy said, it is very unidimensional: easy miles and long runs only. While different, I actually don’t mind this, the shoe does not hide what it is, a perfect max cushioned trainer.
While I feel the shoe has moved in the right direction, there are a few elements I wish would have been retained from the older version. The upper, particularly around the toe, feels a bit low, where the vertical movement of the toe is sometimes restricted. Moreover, the midsole on the V5 seemed much softer and snappier. Perhaps attributed to extensive use, however, I believe the fuel cell compound has changed to be slightly more rigid. For the rest I pretty much agree with Andy’s take to a T; It’s extremely comfortable, stable and for what its use case is, it’s pretty much bang on. The perfect rotation shoe for those looking for a durable daily option that will last the test of time.
