Customer Reviews New Balance M1540

Ugh! Bring back the 1123, please. The 1540 is narrower, shorter, and the toe box is now just plain uncomfortable. I need a 6e, and New Balance used to be my go-to shoe with the 1123...now I'm out of luck.

I don't really like these shoes. Lots of support and they look good but the tongue always quickly works its way to scrunched up down at the toe. I've tried moving the lace that goes under the flap on the tongue and even tried not putting it under the flap at all. Nothing worked. Unfortunately the only way to discover this flaw is to wear them so now I can't return them.

I've been running in the 1123 and 1122's (and the red one before that but I forget the model number) for many years and they were great. The 1540 is not a replacement for them. The same size 1540 as the previous series they "replaced" gave me blisters on the outsides of my toes on both feet after a few miles. Apparently the toe box is not as wide as as it was in the previous generations. I taped up my outside toes and continued to run, but they're just not the same shoe, and too tight for comfort. Please heed the reviews on this issue - lots of people have this problem. If you are coming from the previous series, try going up one width so you don't end up like me. This is goodbye to running with new balance for me, since they keep changing the model number and raising the price every few years. This is the last straw, since I was suckered into thinking it was the same product upgrade as before but now I'm out the money for an unusable pair of shoes that I had to run several miles in to realize was not a replacement for the series I liked.

The worst money I've spent. Shoes are uncomfortable and are flimsy. The tongue is always slipping down and the material on top of toes is flimsy. I have bought top of the line New Balance for many years and this model is simply junk.

I purchased this shoe on June 10th and it was a great shoe, pretty expensive but a great shoe, and now this shoe is worn out! This is August 19! Wish I could get my money back out of this one. I love New Balance shoes since I wear size 14 4E and am 250 lbs but will not buy this shoe again, had better luck with the cheaper shoes!

This shoe is not much like the shoe it replaced, the 1123 I think it was. The sole is much harder material comparatively for walking, it is slippery when wet, and the tongues in my shoes are too short. These short tongues leave the lacing creeping over your arch as at the top of the tongue. Add to that the pair I received from Zappos has a tongue on the right shoe that is sewn on crooked so after tying the shoe the tongue slips over to the left like a hound's tongue on a hot day. I would not recommend this shoe to anyone.

This shoe is overpriced and the tongues slip under the tied laces after just a few minutes of wearing them. Wish I had never seen the ads for this shoe!

Bottom line, if it's not broken, don't fix it! The 1123 was a great shoe with excellent support! They have since replaced it with the 1540. I am in pain in these shoes! Was not an issue with the 1123's. Barely had these shoes for 4 months regularly rotating them with casual and dress shoes, and they are already falling apart! Bring back the 1123's and I will try them again, otherwise, I must go with what works. Back to the Brooks Beast.

Larger individuals listen up! I am in the same boat with the other New Balance 1123 users. This shoe is not the same. It's not soft and domed to fit your heel in a way that feels cushioned. I really wanted to like these, and I wore them in my kitchen for literally 2 minutes just to try them out, then I took them off, my heel started to hurt. Not like a throbbing pain, but like a "foot on a bare cold floor feeling," if that makes any sense. For my initial purchase, I was told they ran narrow - and they do, so I ordered a half size up. I wear 10.5 and ordered an 11. I measured them toe to toe and the 1123s in 10.5 are the same size to the 11s in this model. I really hope the 1123s come back, but I doubt it. I have had some luck with Nike's walking shoes. They also come it wides, but they are not 1123s-That's for sure! I was willing to pay the price for what I thought would be awesome shoes, but they are going back. This is not Zappos fault, their service is great, this is New Balance's horrible mistake.

I was disappointed when the 1123 was discontinued, but looked forward to the New Balance replacement. When the 1540s arrived, I was initially impressed with the design, fit, and appearance. However, I quickly learned the construction materials were inferior to the previous model. The outsole rubber compound has changed (less carbon?) and wears quickly leaving grated rubber behind my treadmill at the end of a 60-minute workout. The lining in one shoe also failed after little use. It's odd to see otherwise new looking shoes with such accelerated wear and failure in two critical areas. My older 1123s each (two pair) have more than 10 times the miles on both asphalt and the treadmill, but are still intact with more distance to give.