, October 25, 2018 ( FEATURED REVIEW )
ToyI've been buying New Balance MX-001 lasted shoes (MX608, MX623) for years now...probably a pair every year or so for the last 15+ years. Historically, for me, they have fit better, given more support (flat feet), and held up better than just about any other knock-about training shoe I've bought (Nike, Adidas, etc). In addition, the non-marking sole is great for boat decks (your boat-owner friends won't get upset and hand you a scrub bucket!)
As others have noted, there is a fit difference with the V3 vs. the earlier shoes. In particular, I find the heel pocket to be just slightly wider than before, so I get a very small amount of heel-lift while walking. This is probably my biggest concern right now. There is also less arch support than in older models, though with a custom orthotic, this is less of an issue for me.
On the quality side, you can see a few obvious cost-saving measures--the 'N' on each side of the shoe is no longer embroidered, but simply a plastic/rubber molding glued or welded to the upper. The heel pull loop is no longer stitched into the upper, but merely tacked onto the outside of the upper. Too early to tell about durabilty--I'm hoping the sole is of better quality than on the V2, where the outer-most (bottom) layer delaminated from the midsole after only a few months of use. Better is the label on the tongue--with the V2, it was a 1.5" w x 1/2" h strip tack-stitched on the left and right ends (1/2" dimension), easily snagged and torn off the tongue when lacing up the shoes. The V3 has a 1.5" w x 1" tall label stitched across the bottom and also into the top of the tongue--less likely to snag and looks to be more robust.
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