New Balance

608v5

Men's

this version of the 608 is an horrendous backward step for the 608. the absorb footbed is gone. replaced by a hard nylon footbed. the insole is not enough to replace the comfort. the 100% leather construction is now gone. replaced by fake leather. needless to say I will not be buying the v5 anytime soon. will have to find another type of NB shoe to go to. also the v4 was made on a sl-2 last that gave you extra depth in the toebox. the mx-oo1 last does not. it is a longer narrower last so don't expect it to have the toe room that the 608v4 did. all in all a botched job. I expected better from New Balance.

I have been wearing the 608v4 for years. The new v5 are a HUGE disappointment. First, they look to be almost entirely low grade vinyl uppers as opposed to real leather I depend on for durability. If you wear out and replace your shoes every six months like I do, then to be fair, it may not matter much in the end... however, it might. For me, if I wanted cheap plastic shoes, I would buy Walmart shoes. Second, the v4 had a soft sole that felt like walking on, well like running/walking on foam. The new v5 sole is hard and does not absorb ANY impact that I could define. This may be an improvement in certain applications, however, I cannot imagine what they might be. To make matters worse, they have redesigned the insert, which no longer provides any support at all, including in the arches. So right off the batt, plan on adding an after market insert. Lastly, what killed this shoe for me, is that they have made the shoe at least 3/8" more narrow than the V4 as measured at the hinge/ball of the foot. See pics. (The first pic shows I have aligned the opposite edge as closely as possible, while the second pic shows the old sole extending out past the new sole as described.) This equates to a "4E" which my feet require, and I ordered, to actually only be approximately 2E in width. What makes this so very horrible, is that the design of the shoe forces my feet inward, which means that I am walking on the inside edge of the sole ALL of the time, and my foot is hanging over that 3/8" they removed from the width. AND since they do not provide this shoe in a 6E, the actual reality is that I can no longer wear my favorite shoe.

Been ordering this style for years, though this time the inner sole seems to be less cushioned.

I have been wearing New Balance sneakers for the past few years and I am very happy with the company's products. I find their sneakers to be very comfortable, and I have found Zappos to offer them for the most reasonable prices. For those of you, like me, who suffer from Plantar Fasciitis, or who simply need more arch support, you may want to think about going over to Amazon's site to purchase a pair of Giotto Orthotic High Arch Support Inserts for your new sneakers. Personally, I have found the supports to be a great addition to my new sneakers for relieving heel pain. Simply remove the inserts that come with the sneakers to install the supports and you’ll be good-to-go.

I keep buying this model of New Balance sneaker since they fit so well and last a good long time. I walk around five miles a day, and get about six months use before they begin to loose support.