How we test trainers
To help you save time and effort, we narrowed down our top picks under various categories.
- We buy all New Balance trainers with our own money to avoid bias.
- We sport the shoes in our casual events and daily undertakings. During this time, we evaluate the shoe's pros and cons like durability, price, breathability, and others. We even style them with different fits to see how their aesthetic adapt to every look.
- To gather accurate results, we subject these shoes to countless trials and comparisons inside our lab. One particular thing we look for in trainers is their ability to repel stains. We smudge their upper with coloured chalk, as well as stream them with a liquid dye. We then observe if the material easily absorbs the stains or completely resists them. We clean the shoes afterward and we evaluate how quickly or difficult to transform them to their brand-new state.
How to choose the best New Balance trainers for you
Aesthetics and colour are what you mostly pay attention to when shopping for trainers. And that’s great! You deserve a dopamine hit looking down at your beaters.
However, if you want the most comfortable and well-fitting NB trainers for all-day wear, there is more to it than good looks.
We are here to help you look under the hood and consider features like:
- durability
- cushioning
- arch support
- size and fit
- breathability
- weight
…and more to get the most out of your future New Balance pair.
But first of all, let’s have a look at that visual aspect.
Style and aesthetic of NB trainers
The brand’s trademark suede-and-mesh uppers as well as muted colorways exude functionality over flamboyance. Since its beginnings, New Balance has been all about making trainers that don't just look flashy but deliver top-notch performance.
At first, such a practical vibe gave New Balance a bad name in the 1990s and 2000s. But since then, the brand’s image has evolved from unassuming “dad shoes” and dorky kicks to fashion-forward footwear that now sets the tone of the industry.
Today you can choose from dozens of timeless designs and closet staples from New Balance.
Classic silhouettes
When in doubt, classic NB trainers are the safest bet. These shoes have stood the test of time as some of them date back to the ‘80s! The iconic 574 was first released in 1988 and the first 990 edition dropped in 1982.
If you are happy purchasing the same pair of trainers year in and year out, this selection will always be there for you.
“Dad” shoes
Those in search of practicality and laid-back style will love NB’s dad shoes. After all, it’s what the brand is well known for!
Chunky, clunky, and kinda ugly, these kicks are the equivalent of your old worn sweatpants that are too comfy to throw away.
Chunky aesthetic
If you want to play with proportions or complement your oversized outfit, chunky kicks are the way to go!
Check out the startling 9060 which was New Balance’s most sought-after shoe in 2024.
Futuristic trainers
New Balance has successfully experimented with some retrofuturistic silhouettes too.
These shoes look as if they just came out of an old sci-fi comic book where the author imagined what trainers would look like by 2025.
Materials and craftsmanship quality in New Balance trainers
With a long history of over 100 years, New Balance is a brand that has found itself in the top echelon of sneakerwear, thanks to its focus on quality. NB trainers hardly ever receive hate or negative comments about their quality or durability.
Having lab-tested a myriad of kicks from New Balance, we can subscribe to that.
In one of our tests, we use a butane torch and a scratch awl to check the genuineness of suede and leather pieces on NB shoes. For the record, none of the uppers that claimed using real leather or suede caught fire or melted. This is an indication of genuine material.
See how easily the synthetic bit melted, unlike the suede patch below it.
Durability of NB kicks
To mimic the wear-and-tear of long-term use, we apply a Dremel with a sandpaper tip to various parts of NB shoes. The Dremel pressure remains the same (3.2N) but the speed and length of drilling depend on the shoe area.
First, we check a sneaker's most sensitive area - the toebox (12 seconds at 5K RPM speed).
Then, we move to the part that often gives up first in trainers - the lining and padding on the inner side of the heel counter (4 seconds at 5K RPM speed).
Finally, we go hard on each shoe’s rubber outsole by setting the Dremel to the max (22 seconds at 10K RPM speed).
The depth of the dent indicates how fast the shoe’s rubber wears out.
Putting all of our findings together, here is the overview of the most durable New Balance trainers:
As you can see, a lower price doesn’t always mean a less durable sneaker.
We should also mention that New Balance trainers, on average, show better durability results compared to other brands.
Made in USA / Made in UK
You might have noticed that some New Balance trainers have a “Made in USA” or “Made in UK” label added to their names.
The brand prides itself on the fact that some of its trainers are manufactured domestically (in the US or the UK), which is an extremely rare occurrence among athletic brands.
According to New Balance, this allows to employ American workers at several facilities in Maine and Massachusetts. In addition, the company purchases materials from domestic suppliers with over 7 thousand employees whenever possible.
The only caveat is that the price of these NB models ranges from £210 to 260. But given the background and the quality of these shoes, we believe that the price point is justified.
Cushioning in New Balance trainers
It is for a good reason that New Balance shoes have a stellar reputation for comfort.
Many of the brand’s current lifestyle silhouettes used to be dedicated running shoes in the past. These trainers have inherited a lot of features and technologies from their predecessors that now make them so wonderfully comfortable for all-day wear.
But not all New Balance trainers feel equally cushioned and comfy.
Stack height
Some shoes feel like soft and puffy clouds. Others feel more stable and close to the ground.
Depending on what kind of underfoot experience you are looking for, choose the shoe’s stack height accordingly. Stack refers to the amount of material that is stacked between the foot and the ground. It includes the insole, the midsole, and the outsole.
We use a calliper to measure both the heel and the forefoot stack height of each shoe following the rules set by the World Athletics for consistency.
A low-stack NB shoe vs. a high-stack NB shoe
More stack height doesn’t necessarily mean better experience. But if you want maximum support and cushioning for long hours on your feet, it is better to choose New Balance trainers with the higher stack.
Midsole softness
Getting a lifestyle sneaker from New Balance, expect a moderately firm or firm ride.
Even if these trainers use plush foam, it is mixed with the firmer shoe components that are responsible for stability.
We measure the foam softness of each New Balance sneaker with an HA durometer. It helps us to sort the brand’s shoes by the level of firmness.
Based on these measurements, we can compare the most popular NB kicks based on their midsole softness. The lower HA reading indicates a softer foam:
Beware of New Balance shoes with no cushioning foam. These models can still be great for casual wear but they won’t be your best friends for hours of walking and standing. You’re practically standing on plain rubber, except for the insole.
New Balance 480 has no cushioning foam
New Balance trainers are some of the most stable
Did you know that before New Balance released its first shoe in 1961, it had been solely focused on making arch supports?
55 years of designing arch supports for factory workers who spend hours on their feet was not in vain. Such experience helped the brand create some of the best trainers for flat feet, overpronation, and other conditions that require support.
No wonder New Balance shoes are so often recommended by the podiatrists!
To assess the stability of each New Balance sneaker, we perform a few tests:
- torsional rigidity (how hard it is to twist the shoe; assessed manually on a 1-5 scale)
- heel counter stiffness (how firm and structured is the rearfoot; assessed on a 1-5 scale)
- midsole width (how wide is the base; measured with a calliper in the two widest points of the sole)
As it turns out, New Balance trainers have higher-than-average torsional rigidity as well as wider platforms than most trainers!
On a 1-5 scale where 5 is the stiffest, New Balance trainers get an average score of 4 for torsional rigidity. You are not twisting your ankle in a New Balance sneaker any time soon!
Most NB kicks also have structured heel counters that hold the heels and ankles firmly in place.
You can also expect very wide and stable platforms in NB trainers. Measuring the widest part of their sole in the forefoot, we got 111.7 mm on average. As for the widest part of the heel, it comes in at 87.0 mm on average. Both are a few millimetres wider than the average sneaker.
New Balance | Average sneaker | |
Midsole width - forefoot | 111.7 mm | 108.9 mm |
Midsole width - heel | 87.0 mm | 83.4 mm |
Not so flexible though
Being so sturdy and supportive, New Balance kicks have to sacrifice some flexibility. Expect that you won’t be able to bend your foot so easily in these trainers.
Measuring how much force it takes to bend an NB shoe to a 90-degree angle, we got 26.5N on average. This is 12% stiffer than the average sneaker.
Finding the right size and fit in New Balance trainers
We know how tricky it is to get the right shoe size when you’re shopping online. Even if you get the same size in all of your shoes, some might end up too small or too loose.
To increase your chances of getting the right size and fit, we strongly recommend measuring your foot length first.
See how the same foot length matches different sizes depending on the brand:
New Balance | Nike | Adidas | Reebok | |
Men's US sizes | ||||
260 | 8 | 9 | 8.5 | 8 |
270 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 |
280 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 10 |
Women's US sizes | ||||
230 | 6 | 6 | 6.5 | 6 |
240 | 7 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 7 |
250 | 8 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8 |
Knowing your precise foot dimensions, you can check with New Balance’s shoe size chart to find the one that suits you best.
One of New Balance's unique features is also one that many people are passionate about - it’s their wide range of widths available across most of their shoe models. They offer options from extra-narrow through to extra extra-wide feet. For people with a foot that isn’t a standard width, it’s a real game-changer.
We also use a calliper to measure each NB sneaker’s toebox dimensions to make sure it has enough space for a medium width. Some models are designed with a narrower profile on purpose which is good to know if you have wide feet.
Consider breathability
No matter how good your sneaker looks, it won’t cover up the sweat odour on a hot summer day if it lacks breathability.
But luckily, New Balance shoes prove to be more breathable than the average sneaker. On a 1-5 scale, where 5 is the most breathable, 50% of NB kicks got a score of 4 or 5 in our lab tests.
Example of a breathable NB sneaker
Our tests include pumping smoke through each shoe’s upper to assess its ventilation capacity. In addition, we hover the half-cut upper over the light to see the mapping of most breathable areas.
Here is the overview of the most breathable, summer-ready kicks from New Balance:
What is the weight of NB trainers?
The average weight of all New Balance trainers that we have lab-tested is just the same as the average of trainers across all other brands - 14 oz (398g).
However, the weight ranges from 10.6 oz (301g) all the way to 22.6 oz (641g)! Yes, the heaviest sneaker we’ve ever tried is the CT302 at 22.6 oz.
Because NB has a model in each weight category, you can choose based on your preferences. Here is the overview of the brand’s lightest trainers:
Price of NB trainers
No matter what your sneaker budget is, there is a New Balance shoe to match it.
The brand offers affordable kicks in the £80-£110 range as well as premium options that cost up to £270.
Here is the MSRP for the most popular New Balance trainers:
But let us remind you that on RunRepeat, you can find sales up to 50%! We partner with over 200 online retailers to let you know where you can get your NB shoe of choice the cheapest.
Why are New Balance trainers so popular?
We don’t think there is a simple formula for the brand’s success but there are a few factors that greatly contributed to New Balance’s popularity, in our opinion.
Technically focused from the very start
Before becoming a global sneaker giant, New Balance started in 1906 in Boston as the "New Balance Arch Support Company." They initially designed arch supports and orthopaedic footwear, and their now iconic sneaker line was a later addition to their portfolio.
Let’s just take a moment to appreciate that; more than 100 years ago, before most of their rivals had ever been thought of, New Balance was a technically-minded brand that relied upon science to sell their shoes. A modern train of thought even by today’s standards.
Commitment to product, not sponsorship
For a long time, New Balance bucked the trend by not sponsoring big-name athletes and instead choosing to let their shoes sell themselves. This became known as the “Endorsed by No One” philosophy, one whereby resources were directed towards research, design, and domestic manufacturing instead of famous sportspeople. Although that philosophy technically no longer exists, as New Balance does sponsor some sports stars these days - the history lingers.
The unchanged logo
Originally conceived by highly regarded designer Terry Heckler, New Balance's "N" and “NB” logos have remained largely unchanged since their creation over four decades ago. The New Balance brand logo does what a logo is supposed to do: it is simple but effective and showcases the brand's relationship with speed and power.
The rotated positioning makes it look as though the “NB” is constantly in forward motion, progressing towards its goal - just like all New Balance sneaker wearers should be.
What is New Balance Grey Day?
Grey has long become New Balance’s signature colour. It’s classic, it’s muted, it’s versatile and it is often overlooked.
That’s why the brand announced an annual “Grey Day” back in 2018. It is the company’s unofficial holiday which celebrates the colour by releasing new grey colorways for both new and old models.
Comparing New Balance to their rivals
Nike vs New Balance
New Balance is often seen as a more understated alternative to Nike. While Nike is known for its bold designs and extensive celebrity endorsem*nts, New Balance focuses on comfort and fit, with many models offering wide-width options. Both brands excel in performance footwear, but New Balance tends to cater more to those looking for comfortable, everyday athletic shoes.
If Nike is more your style, check out our guide to the best Nike trainers.
Adidas vs New Balance
New Balance and Adidas both offer versatile athletic and lifestyle options. However, Adidas is known for its trendy and fashion-forward designs, often backed by high-profile collaborations and endorsem*nts. In contrast, New Balance emphasises fit and comfort, especially for those with specific width needs.
Want to take a look at the Adidas offerings? Visit our guide to the best Adidas trainers.
Reebok vs New Balance
Reebok and New Balance have a history of performance-oriented footwear. New Balance often excels in wide-width options and premium cushioning, while Reebok is known for its versatile training shoes. Both brands cater to athletes and fitness enthusiasts but with distinct design and comfort preferences.
Please visit our guide to the best Reebok trainers to learn more.