Customer Reviews New Balance MW966

Walk 1-2 hours every day - about half on trails. Have worn high end Merrells (stiff soles) for years which proved to be great trail shoes but not comfortable for all day wear. Also heel sole wore down quickly and distorted walking angle. These New Balance walkers: Look good. Comfortable from the first wearing - good for all day. Stable on rough terrain. Seem to breath well even without GoreTex. Comfort improved with SuperFeet insoles. Might run a touch big for some people. I'd buy them again.

Shoe size is a cut narrow. I normally wear a 11.5 2E in a New Balance but had to send them back for a 4E. Shoe has good support but seems to be a better hiking boot rather than an avid walking shoe.

These are perfect for dealing with Chicago snow and slush while still looking nice-casual. Our family is sold on New Balance, as both men in the family wear B-width, hard to find in other brands, especially in running/walking/hiking shoes. Our experience is that New Balance requires ordering up a half-size in length. Husband reports that the round laces on these require extra tugging when being laced as they slip, rather than holding their position like flat laces.

I don't know why I'm writing a review. The shoe is no longer available to me. I bought the last pair available in a 13B. Real discouraging. This is the third model like these that New Balance has discontinued. I started with the 955 ten years ago. When they discontinued them in 13Bs I went to the 965 and then they discontinued them. The shoe is great for wet grass and minor wet situations. Also great for hiking and as an all around shoe. The last was perfect for a narrow foot. The shoes are five stars. New Balance gets one star for discontinuing them!

I liked everything about these shoes except that the eyelet on the inside of the right shoe digs into the bone on the top of my foot something awful. I read another complaint about this but decided to buy them anyway, needing a narrow hiking shoe. I can't wear them for any length of time unless I put something between the eyelet-stud and my foot, like a corn cushion or a band-aid.

Handsome but tight and harsh - The metal eyelets stab into the top of your foot. This model is generally tight in the toe.

De-evolution of a decent walking shoe - The functionality and quality of these shoes has deteriorated with each new version. When I first started wearing the 963 about six years ago, the shoe was ugly but a great, durable, and lightweight walker. The 964 wasn't bad, a bit heavier, but the waterproofing didn't really work. The 965 was clunky, heavy, and the metal eyelets dug into the top of my foot. Now, the 966 doesn't fit well, is too heavy, cheaply-made, and ug-go-lee. It slips off your foot because there's no eyelet at the top. The leather web on the tongue doesn't even connect at the bottom, so water will pour right in. Not worth the price. It's too bad. New Balance used to make good shoes.

I bought these to replace the MW965\'s that NB had replaced with these. From the first, these were not as well fit as the 965\'s. These started to fall apart after about 6 months and continue to decline. My old pair of 965\'s are now used for yard word and are still in better condition that the "new 966\'s". If I hadn\'t been using a very similar shoe from NB, maybe these would have been better, but compared to previous model of this shoe, these have suffered greatly in qualilty and the price is higher. I would not buy this shoe again for 25% of the price. I had to return the origional shipment because the shoes were mislabled for size. Glad I bought them from Zappos so this wasn\'t a problem.

This shoe replaced the 965 which replaced the 964, which was a great shoe. Hey New Balance! Bring back the 964 (in the B width) and you'll get a customer back! I haven't found a shoe since that fits worth a crap and doesn't cause me pain. My foot slides all over the place in the 966. The eyelets dig into my foot. That's all I have to say about this piece o' crap 966!