NB 880v3 vs. Brooks Dyad 7

As I became more serious about running, there have been two brands I have been able to wear somewhat consistently; New Balance and Brooks. Because of the various issues with my feet, and the fact they are extra wide, very few companies make shoes I can wear. These two brands have been pretty good for me.

Over the last three years I have been strictly Brooks. The reason being that as New Balance has tinkered with old standbys, I have found their shoes to be too narrow, or in the case of the last shoe I wore, the heel broke down in 7 runs.

Now there is a new version of the NB 880v3 out, and I was given a pair, so it's time to compare shoes....

On the right, we have my current shoe - Brooks Dyad 7. One the left - NB 880v3.

Let's look at the make of the shoes. First of all the Dyad runs a bit longer than the 880. It isn't by much, but there is a touch more length.

The stability pods on the Dyad also make it a wider shoe. Both have a wide toe box which is very important to me, as that is where I am widest.


Not many people think about depth in a shoe, but the move these days is to have a shallower shoe. This helps make it a lighter shoe.  In this case, the NB 880 is much closer to the foot than the Dyad.

Both shoes have the 12mm drop from heel to toe. These are more traditional, as the move is the have 4mm less heel to tow drop. Thank you barefoot movement.

So how do the shoes compare running?

The Dyad 7 has Brooks DNA cushioning in it, which has been in several of their other shoes like the Adrenaline or Glycerin. It is designed to make Brooks shoes even softer. For the record, Brooks shoes have never been known for their pillowy feel, and to be honest, I don't like a softer cushion. I find over time my feet and ankles hurt with more cushion, because I'm not as firmly planted on the ground, or so I feel.

NB 880v3 uses Abzorb for it's cushioning. Again, this is not a pillow to run on, it is a pretty firm shoe. They have also added ActevaLite which is a premium lightweight midsole, for an additional cushion.

Yesterday I ran 5 miles in the NB 880v3. Here is what I liked. The firm feel. While Brooks has made the Dyad feel softer, I liked the firmer feel of the New Balance. I felt I could push off from the ground better, like I was more in control of planting my foot. The New Balance is also lighter. The Brooks Dyad can sometimes feel clunky. Now this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes I want more flex in my shoe. While the 880 felt narrower, I never felt the width was a problem. To be fair, I would need to do a longer run, and allow my feet to swell before I made a final determination.

What I didn't like... The shallow depth of the shoe was an issue. I felt it pressing on the top of my foot, especially on the left foot, to the point I felt some pain. I thought this was odd, because my right foot is the wider. I did loosen the shoes laces, and alleviated some of the pain. The pain though, lingered through the rest of the evening. The shoes laces on the 880 are very thin, and it can lead one to tie them too tight for fear they may come undone. I am going to re-lace them a bit differently on my next run to see if there is still the issue.

My other concern is the heel. After my last NB shoe, I am a bit leery of the heel strength. Again, further running would need to be done before any durability can be discerned.

Overall I really liked the 880v3. Am I going to give up on the Dyad? No. I think it's good to have another shoe in the arsenal. I am going to run a few more times before I decide which one I want to use on race day.

Charlie