Anybody notice about New Balance shoes?

[ksaves2]

Hi,

I've ordered NB shoes online for years living out in the boondocks with no nearby shoe store that had them. Over the last year I've noticed their quality control on sizing has simply gone to h$ll. I'd keep a pair for backup and never had to try them on first as I have been and always will be an 11D. Well I took out my two backup pairs, different NB styles and they are way to small. Both say American 11D. My older NB shoes that fit say 11D also.
Anyone else notice this if they have to buy by mail? In my case it's way too late to send them back so off to a Goodwill type store. Svcks.
Kurt

 

[boomtube-mk2]

Many, many, many Moons ago I only purchased Nike running shoes as they had the best fit for me, meanwhile I couldn't find an Adidas that would fit me at all.

Then, many Moons ago both Nike and Adidas moved their manufacturing from, not sure where, to Vietnam and it was as if they had switched their lasts because suddenly Adidas' fit and Nike's don't.

 

[dhbarr]

I am absolutely not intending to be offensive; but is it in any way possible your feet have grown ?

I would absolutely expect my old shoes to flex a bit with me as I Level Up My Physique ( weight gain, fluid retention, etc. )

 

[lakeroadster]

I am absolutely not intending to be offensive; but is it in any way possible your feet have grown ?

I would absolutely expect my old shoes to flex a bit with me as I Level Up My Physique ( weight gain, fluid retention, etc. )

Wider, Yes.
Longer, No.

Link

 

[Peartree]

Wider, Yes.
Longer, No.

Link

All the same, you might want to stop by a shoe store that still has one of those foot measuring things just to check. For decades I was an 8-1/2. Then, all of a sudden (it seemed that way), I was a nine. Now tens seem to fit me better. And all of this "growth" was after I was in the Army and mostly after I turned 40.

 

[speed]

Hi,

I've ordered NB shoes online for years living out in the boondocks with no nearby shoe store that had them. Over the last year I've noticed their quality control on sizing has simply gone to h$ll. I'd keep a pair for backup and never had to try them on first as I have been and always will be an 11D. Well I took out my two backup pairs, different NB styles and they are way to small. Both say American 11D. My older NB shoes that fit say 11D also.
Anyone else notice this if they have to buy by mail? In my case it's way too late to send them back so off to a Goodwill type store. Svcks.
Kurt

NB are all i wear. I have wide feet and New Balance offer a 4E wide shoe. That being said, i buy 2 or 3 pair a year. I have not noticed any sizing issues, and i just got a pair last week. 11 4E 608 in white! ymmv

 

[DEmery]

A news article says New Balance closed their Boston manufacturing plant in February. They still have 3 plants in Vermont, but the majority of their shoes are imported. I wonder if your shoes are now coming from a different source than before.

 

[kenstarr]

Many many years ago, Vasque sundowner boots were made in Italy and I loved them. Then they moved production to China and they felt horrible and I haven't ever purchased Vasque since. Maybe quality is better now? Not sure why anything had to change just because the place of manufacture changed but it was probably in the quality control. Or maybe different lasts? Who knows.
-Ken

 

[afadeev]

I've ordered NB shoes online for years living out in the boondocks with no nearby shoe store that had them. Over the last year I've noticed their quality control on sizing has simply gone to h$ll. I'd keep a pair for backup and never had to try them on first as I have been and always will be an 11D. Well I took out my two backup pairs, different NB styles and they are way to small. Both say American 11D. My older NB shoes that fit say 11D also.
Anyone else notice this if they have to buy by mail?

My son goes through tennis shoes like candy (at least 1 pair / calendar quarter), and loves NB 696v4 (sturdier) and NB 796v2 (lighter).
The mail order sizing has been consistent over the past two years, in our experience.
If NB ever shifted any given model's manufacturing location between plants, all bets on size and fit might be off.

Many, many, many Moons ago I only purchased Nike running shoes as they had the best fit for me, meanwhile I couldn't find an Adidas that would fit me at all.
Then, many Moons ago both Nike and Adidas moved their manufacturing from, not sure where, to Vietnam and it was as if they had switched their lasts because suddenly Adidas' fit and Nike's don't.

I went through the same thing with my favorite Nike models. Had to give up on the brand altogether about 8-10 years ago.

I am absolutely not intending to be offensive; but is it in any way possible your feet have grown ?

Most adults experience widening and lengthening of feet, with age.

" Many of us gain weight as we get older, which can also make your feet flatter, Dr. Rowland says.​

The plantar fascia tendon that runs the length of the bottom of your foot becomes stretched, which contributes to lowering of the arch. Weight gain also can change the mechanics of how you walk and put extra pressure on the feet and ankles. "​

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/shoes-getting-tight-feet-change-size-time/

"By the time you reach your 50th birthday, you've prob-ably also reached another milestone: you've put 75,000 miles on your feet. You may reach this milestone much earlier if you've led a foot-active lifestyle. By age 50, you may have lost nearly half of the fatty padding on the soles of your feet. And you may be wearing a shoe that's a size bigger than what you wore in your 20s, in part because of weight gain that puts greater pres-sure on your feet, and in part because your ligaments and tendons have lost some of their elasticity (which also predisposes them to potentially painful ruptures or microtears)."​

https://www.health.harvard.edu/pain/why-your-feet-get-bigger-as-you-age

 

[cobra1336]

I used to sell shoes. You can grab 3 pairs of the same model and same size and they will all feel different. Especially Nike because they are made by different countries.

 

[icyclops]

NB are all i wear. I have wide feet and New Balance offer a 4E wide shoe. That being said, i buy 2 or 3 pair a year. I have not noticed any sizing issues, and i just got a pair last week. 11 4E 608 in white! ymmv

I wear the same 608….10 4E….seem to fit the same.

 

[Marc_G]

I've worn NB 608 for... Ever? I think my latest are V5. Size 13 M always seem to fit. Time to order my new pair; now I'm worried.

I keep two pairs on hand. The "good" pair that look presentable and the "rocketry range" pair info mucking about the fields in.

Edit: order placed.

 

[ksaves2]

I am absolutely not intending to be offensive; but is it in any way possible your feet have grown ?

I would absolutely expect my old shoes to flex a bit with me as I Level Up My Physique ( weight gain, fluid retention, etc. )

Ummmm, No. I'm an adult. My right foot got torn up trying to restrain my autistic spectrum son during a meltdown so it is a bit more swollen than my left foot. The sized 11d's I bought in the past from New Balance accommodated the slight swollen sized right foot as a result of my past altercations.

My son autistically spectrum, Chris grew up and grew out of the violent phase. Life is good now. If only his mother was still with us. She died knowing he was better and grew out of his violent behavior. I'm still sad as she was 5 years younger then me and I thought I would croak/die before her. Life can throw some really hard balls at folks.
Best regards,
Kurt Savegnago

 

[ksaves2]

I am absolutely not intending to be offensive; but is it in any way possible your feet have grown ?

I would absolutely expect my old shoes to flex a bit with me as I Level Up My Physique ( weight gain, fluid retention, etc. )

Yes! My right foot has forefoot edema from physical struggles with my autistic spectrum son when he was going through adolescence.
He's perfectly fine now but my older NB shoes fit fine and the right right ones stretched out perfectly to accommodate my slightly larger right foot.

My issue is that even the "appropriately" labelled NB shoes did not fit my "normal" left foot. I have shoe T's to stretch out shoes and the 11d's were still too small. I suspect that the sizing in the foreign factories are an issue here.

The older shoes fit fine but the older by mail ones do not.

Kurt Savegnago

 

[Funkworks]

My dream shoes but I refuse to pay for them:

 

[deborali]

My experience with New Balance sneakers has also been negative. I had a problem with the insoles, and the seams on the logo itself began to come apart. Pity.

 

[Bill S]

Many many years ago, Vasque sundowner boots were made in Italy and I loved them. Then they moved production to China and they felt horrible and I haven't ever purchased Vasque since. Maybe quality is better now? Not sure why anything had to change just because the place of manufacture changed but it was probably in the quality control. Or maybe different lasts? Who knows.
-Ken

I used to be a really big fan of Vasque's Clarion GTX boots, until they moved the mfg from where it had been, to China. They no longer fit well, and I had only the one pair to use. The soles finally dry-rotted to heck and gone on a dayhike, unfortunately.

 

[Grog6]

Why do people like to wear stuff now that looks like bowling shoes?

 

[jsdemar]

Why do people like to wear stuff now that looks like bowling shoes?

Because they have no idea what bowling shoes look like!

 

[deborali]

Yes, I paid attention to New Balance shoes. They really disappointed me. Especially since I wasn't buying the lowest price segment, I would say, above average. However, I was disappointed that the foot size did not match. On my previous boots, the size fits me perfectly. The New Balance, on the other hand, I can't get them on me, even though the numbers are the same. Also, I wouldn't say I liked the packaging. It was too worn and crumpled. On the sneakers themselves, I noticed how poorly the seams were made. The threads were sticking out in some places. I have bought sneakers from online stores like forstepstyle.com before. Maybe I'll give New Balance another chance someday. I will probably try to order them through the same forstepstyle. However, I have no intention of going back to them just yet.

 

[Daddyisabar]

I want to get in a time machine and go back to 1979 where I can buy some Pumas made in Germany! Machts mit qualitat! They moved production to Yugoslavia and then to Asia. It would be so cool to be 13 again and toting some rad kicks! When the MIGHTY D ruled.