Category: New Balance  

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New Balance Fresh Foam BB Performance Review

New Balance released the brand-new Fresh Foam BB with a limited Paris colorway. From the name, we can see that New Balance brings another cushion technology. The shoe tongue is printed with ‘FRESHFOAM’. The main colorway is powderblue.

Appearance:

New Balance Fresh Foam BB also released several colorways. The colorway that I purchase is the theme of Star Game. The vamp is black, gray and silver. The sole is purple and orange color. The appearance is retro type. The hot-melting design on the position of shoelaces to shoe head is similar to 991 & 993.

Comfort Level:

The insole of Fresh Foam BB is Fresh Foam X material. Fresh Foam X is New Balance which uses 3D motion capture technology to collect impact data from athletes to create a material which can withstand impact on your feet. Laser cut pits on both sides increase cushion performance and reduce the weight. The thick Fresh Foam X insole is soft. Comparing with the Fuel Cell insole of Two WXY, the cushion performance of Fresh Foam X is better.

The vamp is made of FitWeave, and the shoe head and position of shoelaces are reinforced by hot-melting and glue. The FitWeave vamp is light and elastic, and the air permeability is good. The comfort level is not great as expecting. The hot-melting position is stiff. The padding of ankle position and shoe tongue is thin. After fastening the shoelaces, the ankle is a little uncomfortable. It needs time to break-in.

Protection:

New Balance Fresh Foam BB is middle type design. The FitWeave vamp offer good supporting performance. And the shoe heel has TPU plate to support ankle. The outboard Fresh Foam X shape is the same. The TPU plate strengthen the stability of insole. For the fitness, both sides of vamp oppress the foot. It needs time to break-in. If your foot is not wide, we suggest you to choose the standard size. But as the ankle position doesn’t have enough padding to improve the fitness, so it needs to fasten all of the shoelace’s holes well. The outboard sole has outrigger design. The inboard side also extends to outward to improve the stability of half-sole.

Comparing with TWO WXY series, Fresh Foam is thick. But as the Fresh Foam has good resilience, the feedback is not bad.

Durability:

The semi-transparent outsole uses gradually changing color. The outsole patterns is composed of an imperfect circle. The traction performance on outdoor court is not good enough. But after cleaning the dust of outsole, the traction performance of New Balance Fresh Foam BB is excellent. The pattern of outsole is rough and stiff, so the rub fastness should be good. After testing a few times, it doesn’t have obvious abrasion.

Overall:

The insole system is quite resilient. Although the insole is thick, but it still has some flexibility. If it can improve the traction performance, New Balance Fresh Foam BB will be a pair of nice basketball shoes.

Before Fresh Foam BB, New Balance only has Kawhi’s signature shoes and TWO WXY team shoes. Comparing with TWO WXY, Fresh Foam BB emphasize on the cushion performance.

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New Balance 1080V11 Performance Review

For most experienced runners, it is nothing new that they wore out a dozen pairs of running shoes during the years of their running “journey”. In my case, it’s been seven years since I started running, and I’ve worn out thirteen pairs of running shoes, including those of ASICS, MIZUNO NIKE, ADDIDAS and SAUCONY, but New Balance has never been tried before. In 2021, the 1080 series has launched its 11th work, the New Balance 1080V11, from which we can get a glimpse of its significance in New Balance, and then with great expectation, I copped my first pair of New Balance. Here are some details about the shoes.

To begin with, the shoe’s size needs to be made particular mention of. Usually I wear size 41 by Asics, Metzinon, Adidas and Nike, but after putting on the 1080V11, I found it was somewhat bigger than my feet. Therefore, with respect to the size, it is recommended to choose a bigger one.

From my point of view, its white vamp matches very well with the red logo at the side, and the the shoes as a whole, because of its simple appearance, matches my daily outfits fantastically as well.

The Fresh Foam and 1080 on the tongue clearly indicates its identity and help distinguish it from the various shoes on the market.

As is obviously shown in the picture, there are a large area of holes that ensure excellent air permeability. For runners who are afraid of stuffiness under their feet, the shoes would be a good choice.

At the outer side of the heel, the “Fresh Foam” printed clearly shows the material that composes the outsole.

The appearance of the outsole at the side is comprised of irregular polygon concave and convex, seemingly advanced and embodying the ingenuity of the designer.

The heel part also adopts concave and convex irregular design whereas the left and right shoes are symmetrically patterned.

When I first saw the outsole, I was somewhat shocked by its appearance for there are actually very few irregular block design as this. Therefore, the design, from my perspective, is quite novel.

The entire insole is red, which is becoming with the red logo and the red outsole.

I usually run 10 or 5 kilometers at a time, and up to now I’ve run 305 kilometers in the shoes. Here is my personal experience. My first feeling of the shoes was that it felt super soft and was quite bouncy, offering sufficient feedback for me. It seems that the shoes are to help push me forward, which does improve my pace.

However, I’m not used to running long distances in these shoes because the longer I run the more indisposed I felt under my feet. But anyway, the situation is not for everyone.

For the wrapping, it is overall good, but the heel wrapping is a bit poor. After I put on the shoes, there is some extra room in the heel.

As for the shoes’ breathability, I have to own that it is inferior, not least in summer. I bought the shoes when it was still hot, and every time I ran I felt burning hot under my feet. Later when it turned colder, the problem was naturally solved.

Overall:

To sum up, 1080V11 is still a relatively good running shoe for me. Although it is not without shortcomings, I think it is very cost-effective with nice performances. Therefore, you may as well have a try if you are interested in it.

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New Balance RC1500 v2 Performance Review

Several years ago, as I was sitting in the office, I found suddenly that my physical fitness has declined greatly with the increase of age and the decrease of exercise. Therefore, I made up my mind at the moment that I’d begin exercising again for the good of  my health although it would be a hard process. And I finally chose the most convenient way: running.

And since I was determined to work out, it was a must to have the suitable equipment. So my friends recommended me the New Balance running shoes, and after learning more about this brand, I had great faith in its shoes, and over the years, I’ve been making the brand as my first choice. Now since I am going to take part in some kind of match, I decided to pick one more pair of New Balance shoes to help me in the match. My final choice was this New Balance  RC1500v2. Here are also my experiences with it.

For the shoebox, it is the bright red in the outside and looks a bit more delicate than many others.

The size of this one is 8 which is the size I usually pick. So as soon as I got to the playground near my home, I just started warming up and then I began my running. But the first impression the New Balance RC1500v2 gave me was that it was super lightweight and brought no burden to my feet.

With regard to the shoes’ appearance, to tell the truth, it is very eye-catching for it has attracted much attention during my exercising on the playground.

Then from the vamp, I can tell that the shoes are born for running. It is made of the breathable and thin material which is to ensure enough air ventilation and help dissipate heat. Because I am wild about exercising in summer days when it is rather hot and the air is relatively moist, it is of great importance that my shoes should have excellent breathability performance. And it is also great to see that this New Balance RC1500v2 can meet my requirement in this aspect.

In terms of the shoes’ outsole, it is actually superior. Made of rubber and patterned with many rhombuses that correspond to that in the midsole, the grip offers me a very nice grip as well as the anti-slipping performance. And on the strength of my experiences, it performs equally nicely even on wet grounds, thus saving me some energy during long-distance running.

In the insoles there are also many air holes which enhances air permeability.

And with respect to the cushioning, although I am a bit heavy, weighing 78kg, it is enough for use even for me. The cushions are comfortable and elastic, but it is never too soft to affect our performance. And with the lightness of the shoes, I can always maintain a feeling of comfort and energetic both during the process of  jogging and fast running.

And even if I sometimes come across some rugged road, there is no need worrying about being injured by the impact of shock for the excellent and stable supporting can help protect my feet. In short, it is quite reliable and I am also confident in its performance.

As can be seen clearly that the toe of the shoe is upturned which also protect our toes from violent shock. And looking at the inside of the shoes, the tongue is integrated with the soles so as to avoid its slanting to the side during the running process. As for the shoelaces, they are professionally designed. They are very flat and long, which can prevent the laces from coming loose during running.

In addition to the shoelace buckles on each side of the tongue, there are another two buckles near the uppermost one. “All things in their being are good for something.” and this is just the case for the two buckles since they can adjust wrapping for those who have high requirements in this respect.

Overall:

To sum up, the New Balance RC1500V2 is an excellent running shoe that offers both breathable stability and nice cushioning. And the cushioning and stable support are also ideal for long-distance running; with its protection performance, I think I can just be engrossed in my exercising.

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A Close Look at New Balance Kawhi 1

Following the OMN1S, Leonard’s first truly signature shoe, the New Balance The Kawhi 1, has finally arrived at the appointed time. And the first-released colorway is the blue, black and gold one which is fantastically cool. And to share with you some more detailed information about the shoes, I’ve checked it carefully, and let’s get underway.

As a matter of fact, the New Balance 1 has been worn and attracted lots of attention at the All-Star Game earlier in 2020. Designed by Kawhi, this pair of New Balance Kawhi 1 is actually endowed with extraordinary significance.

For the shoebox, it is white with a simple design, a NB logo in the middle and the signature. And in terms of the shoes, it is mainly blue and black in the vamp with the gold part serving as a decoration which has become a classic mark of Leonard and is particularly bright.

As regards the name of the colorway, some of you might have learned about it previously. Actually, as the first-released colorway, the origin of its name is also widely talked about. It started with Kawhi Leonard’s game-winning shot at the end of the game on May 16, 2019. It was a legend in NBA history and was really amazing. Therefore, in order to mark the occasion, New Balance teamed up with Leonard to release this remarkable pair of signature basketball shoes.

Then for the materials used in the vamp, there are actually a variety of materials. But what is nicer is that while reducing the shoes’ weight, its wrapping and protection are further enhanced. Besides, the toe of the shoe has been added with 3M reflective material that is visually impactive.

In the upper there is also the grain of crocodile skin which matches the blue vamp so well that the whole shoe looks rather characteristic.

And in the shoe tongue there is also the iconic gold K logo of Leonard with a tiny “2” in the top right. Also, the gold leather in the middle of the vamp is printed with the number “2” and the leather is sewn with blue thread, which makes it conspicuous and delicate.

In fact, to ensure a comfortable wearing experience, the collar part of the shoes is filled with thick foams that is skin-friendly and soft. And at the heel, it is covered with a large area of TPU to provide adequate support and protection for our ankles and heels. But with the signature of Kawhi Leonard, the shoes are set to get a lot of attention before people knowing about its excellency.

In the midsole, the FuelCell technology used in OMN1S series is again used in this pair of shoes for the midsole cushioning. And objectively, speaking, the feedback is quite obvious and the setup can be of great help in start-up. So, in this aspect, I will give it a full mark.

When it comes to the outsole, its durability is absolutely not a desirable. It is true that the outsole grips nicely on indoor courts, but there is no denying that it also wear somewhat easily.

Overall:

Anyway, the above are my personal views based on my experience. But to get some more details about its overall performances, I have to test it more. And if you’ve already took a liking to it, you can also learn some more about it before taking a shot.