New Balance

Fresh Foam X 860v14

Men's

The 860 has been my go to shoe for years. I love the style updates to this version. The upper feels and fits great. Sadly that’s where the good things end. This has been a stability shoe, and a good one at that, until now. The outer heel and forefoot are so squishy, they make walking feel unstable. I can’t imagine training in these. The foam is not dense enough. V13 was an adjustment from the 12s as the 13s felt moderately squishy compared to previous versions. 13 is still stable enough and quite comfortable. 14 is for sure comfortable and the clean look of the white with sea salt looks fresh. Problem, and a big one this version feels anything but stable. If you are looking for stability, I would look elsewhere. If you like squishy and neutral shoes, these may be worth trying.

I first ordered EE (wide) because it seems running shoes in general have been running narrower. However, the 860V14 ran wider than expected. I now have them in "D" (normal) and they fit great, especially the toe splay. There's a bit of a rocker effect and you get a firm but not too firm bounce when doing walking as exercise. There is moderate stability, a good lock down, and are easy to lace. A bit higher platform than expected though. You will like these better than the Hoka Arahi 7, which have a rock hard platform and are narrow in the heel to mid-foot range even in the Wide version.

I bought these after reading comparisons of running/walking shoes with good arch support. They're extremely comfortable and have been helpful in reducing my tendonitis as well. My feet have been feeling great at end of the day.

As always with NB, the size 12 4E fit my very wide foot perfectly. The shoe was mostly airy, cool material was exactly what i needed for these southern 90+ degree days. Comfortable, white outer looks really sharp, cost of $130 was more than i wanted to spend but did it anyway. Love NB shoe styles because they consistently fit, are always as pictured and expected.

This shoe had absolutely no shape.