New Balance Fresh Foam 680v8 vs New Balance Fresh Foam 680v9:
Which to Choose

On the big structural numbers, these two are nearly identical: both run an 8mm drop, both land right around 258–261g in a men's US 9, both sit on roughly the same amount of foam (a heel stack in the low-to-mid 30s of millimeters), and neither uses a plate, so responsiveness stays low on both — you won't get spring back when you push either one. They share the same wide, planted platform, the same breathable engineered mesh upper, and the same sweet spot: relaxed aerobic mileage at roughly 5:30–6:30 min/km, topping out somewhere in the low-5s per km before the flat foam becomes the limit. The one meaningful change is the foam itself. The v8's single-density Fresh Foam reads firm and grounded — you feel connected to the road, and it can feel a touch lifeless once your legs tire on longer outings. The v9 retunes that same foam to be measurably softer and more forgiving, which is why its cushioning rates a notch higher; it's calmer and more cushioned underfoot at easy paces, trading a little of the v8's road feel for comfort. Stability stays strong on both, though the v8 is tuned slightly more toward support (its stable-neutral bias) while the v9 is a cleaner neutral shoe that leans on a broadened heel base to stay steady. The upper also gets a tidier, more modern look on the v9, though breathability is about the same.