New Balance DynaSoft TRNR v2 review

We think that the New Balance DynaSoft TRNR 2 could be a great add-on to your gym wear if:

• you are new to working out and need an affordable pair
• you want a no-frills trainer for light-to-moderate exercise
• you prefer to have one pair of athletic shoes for both gym and casual use

If the shoe's dainty upper concerns you and you don't want to risk tearing it up, we recommend another affordable option, the Nike MC Trainer 2. It has a stronger toebox material.

Ladies might as well check out the women's Nike Air Max Bella TR 5 cross-trainer.

In training shoes, you want to remain in close contact with the ground and yet feel protected from the impact of jumps and other high-intensity movements.

We found that the New Balance TRNR 2 handles that balance pretty well. Measuring its heel stack with a caliper, we got 26.9 mm.

It is a couple of millimeters taller than average but there was no compromise in the ground feel.

In the forefoot part of the midsole, our caliper returned 20.7 mm of stack. Yet again, we found this amount of cushioning to be optimal for a wide range of gym activities.

More specifically, we tested the DynaSoft TRNR 2 for rope jumping and experienced well-cushioned landings and responsive toe-offs.

Cross-training shoes typically have a very minimal difference in height between the heels and toes. This parallel-to-the-ground position is the most optimal as it helps to achieve stability and balance with less effort.

In the DynaSoft TRNR 2, the drop comes in at 6.2 mm which is standard for a cross-trainer.

While the name of the foam "DynaSoft" is associated with really plush cushioning, we found it to be only moderately soft.

Pressing our durometer against the foam, we got a reading of 26.8 HA. This is nearly the same as the average of training shoes.

You don't want plush trainers for HIIT workouts and the like. This NB trainer has just a touch of softness that makes it quite responsive for jumps.

We always include insole thickness in our stack measurements. The insole in the New Balance TRNR 2 turned out to be quite average at 3.9 mm.

The New Balance DynaSoft TRNR 2 wrapped around our medium-width feet like a glove. It is neither roomy nor too snug-fitting and its toebox mesh has a little give.

We turned to our caliper and measured the widest part of the shoe's forefoot, near the ball of the foot. At 98.7 mm, it is only a smidge narrower than average.

Cramped toes were never a concern for us either as there is very little tapering in the TRNR 2's toebox.

Measuring its width near the big toe, our caliper showed 77.5 mm which is very close to the average of training shoes.

However, if have wide feet or you don't feel like yourself without ample toe space, this New Balance trainer is also available in wide.

The NB TRNR 2 has a very basic training shoe construction. Unlike the famous Nike Metcon, it doesn't feature any bells and whistles for enhanced stability.

And yet, for what it's worth, we found the DynaSoft TRNR 2 to be a sufficiently steady trainer.

But if you're wondering exactly how stable flagship cross-trainers are, here is what lateral stability looks like in the Nike Metcon 8.

The DynaSoft TRNR 2 may look like a "softie" but it surely has some rigidity in its character.

Assessing the shoe's torsional stiffness in our manual test, we found that it resists being twisted. On a 1-5 scale, where 5 is the stiffest, we rated it with a pretty high score of 4.

Pair that with the shoe's slightly raised foam walls on the sides, and you will get a minimized risk of ankle rolls!

Having a reasonably stiff heel counter is another essential component of stability and foothold. But you don't want it to be too rigid either as it could limit ankle mobility and freedom of movement overall.

We found that the TRNR 2 hits a sweet sport here with a moderately stiff heel counter. We rated it with an average score of 3 out of 5.

This New Balance trainer is equipped with a nice wide platform to prevent wobbly feet and impromptu foot rolling.

Measuring the shoe's midsole in the widest part of the forefoot, we got 117.3 mm. This is notably wider than the average and is very similar to the Nike Metcon 9 parameters.

In the widest part of the heel, we also got an above-average width of 91.6 mm. Quite surprising for a basic under-$100 trainer! 

Given this New Balance shoe's simple design, there is nothing to hold back its flexibility.

Walking, jumping, holding planks, and doing burpees, our feet felt as much freedom of movement as they needed to bend.

To check the trainer's flexibility in our lab, we bent it to a 90-degree angle and measured how much effort it takes with a force gauge. With a measurement of 16.6N, we found that the TRNR 2 is indeed 20% more flexible than average!

The moment we slipped into the NB TRNR 2, we knew it was lighter than many other cross-trainers on the market.

Weighing the trainer in a men's US size 9, we got 10.2 oz (289g) on our scale. This is an ounce lighter than the average and is also a bit lighter than the popular Nike Free Metcon 5 (10.5 oz/298g).

The TRNR 2 felt exceptionally agile on foot and made exercises like high knee runs much more bearable. 

New Balance puts a special emphasis on the TRNR 2's breathable mesh upper in its product description. And we are happy to confirm that it lives up to the claims!

Putting the TRNR 2 through our smoke-pumping machine test, we saw a substantial amount of smoke passing through the shoe's upper. Specifically in the toebox mesh!

On our breathability scale from 1 to 5, where 5 is the airiest, this NB trainer earned a solid 4 out of 5. And if you crave 5/5 ventilation, we can recommend the Adidas Dropset Trainer 2.

No wonder the TRNR gets to be so breathable! Look at all those large ventilation pores on its toebox and throughout the upper!

Using a microscope, we also investigated the shoe's mesh upper up close.

Turns out, this New Balance trainer uses a mix of different threads that are closely woven together and yet leave pretty large pores for breathability.

But to our great disappointment, the shoe's breathability comes at the price of durability. Its upper material is just too dainty to resist an abrasive force, like our Dremel for example.

It took the tool just a few seconds to leave a large hole in the shoe's mesh toebox.

For that reason, we cannot rate its toebox durability any higher than 1 on a 1-5 scale. 

For the record, we apply the exact same speed (5K RPM) and pressure (3.2N) to all of our tested training shoes. And some shoes actually stand up to the test, like the Under Armour TriBase Reign 5 for example (4 out of 5).

Much like the shoe's upper mesh, its inner lining didn't show much abrasion resistance.

Drilling it for only 4 seconds resulted in damage that was serious enough to lower the heel padding durability score to the minimum 1 out of 5.

We believe that such textile quality is way too frail, even for an $80 shoe.

Given how frail the shoe's upper textile is, we were more conscious about its outsole.

Measuring rubber hardness with a durometer, we got a pretty low reading of 72.5 HC. This is 17% softer than average! Oops, is this shoe's outsole going to be torn apart too?

As it turns out, no! Despite the correlation between rubber hardness and its durability, this New Balance trainer proves otherwise.

After 22 seconds of drilling it at a fierce speed of 10K RPM, the dent was even smaller than average!

According to our tread gauge, the dent is only 0.79 mm deep which is smaller than the typical 1 mm. Looks like walking on concrete won't destroy the shoe's outsole so fast.

After measuring the shoe's outsole at a pretty thick 4.3 mm, we felt even more reassured.

Looks like the New Balance Dynasoft TRNR 2 can indeed be worn outside the gym. We found the shoe's outsole reinforced enough to handle pavements. However, you must be careful not to scratch the upper as it tears way too easily.

Having gym-tested this New Balance shoe, we found that its traction pattern is ideal for this setting.

Two different types of treading with sharp lugs are optimized for multi-directional movements and bite the gym floor like hungry.

This New Balance shoe didn't skimp on padding around the collar and in the tongue. Our caliper showed a generous 8.3 mm of foamy comfort in the latter.

No wonder the brand recommends it for all-day wear!

The shoe's tongue has no attachments on the sides which may result in slight tongue shifting. But this wasn't a glaring issue for us and took a seconds to fix.

No finger loops or pull tabs are present in the TRNR 2. But you can grab the shoe's extended heel collar lip to help yourself get in.

The stock insole is easy to take out of the New Balance TRNR 2 in case you need to use custom orthotics.