Well, I looked at almost every shoe on before choosing this pair for my husband.He is on his feet all day long at work, and walks probably five miles a day during the course of the work day. He needs something that is both supportive and comfortable. (He'd tried Dr. Scholl's to save some money, but what a joke those are - they only made his feet sweat and break out, as well as not enough support. They should stick to the corn pads and shoe inserts!!) So, it was back to his favorite brand, New Balance.Anyway, I was disappointed in these shoes.First off, the toe box really curves in a lot, more so in my husband's size (13) than it would seem in the photographs. There are a lot of pictures from many angles provided in the listing,but it is probably of a size 9 shoe or something. When the sizes go up, the toe area doesn't seem to have been properly adjusted for the increase! It cuts in quite sharply from the little toe area to the big toe. Since most people have fairly basic toes attached to fairly basic feet, I really don't understand why shoe mfgs cut the toe area in at such an angle on ANY shoe!! Toes can't be cut off, moved over or rearranged, yet mfgs continue to adjust/tweak everything BUT the toe area.The toe box seems deep enough, so it is just the cut that might be in question. He said they feel comfortable enough, but that it did not feel like the 2E width that I ordered - more like the pair of D widths that he already has. (He wanted to go wider.) So, I would have to suggest that the widths run a little narrower on this model. (That, or again, the larger sizes were not properly adjusted as the size increased from a common smaller size. That would be an engineering/design issue. If you wear size 13 or larger, I surely would go up a width from what you normally wear for this particular shoe.)Another issue that is hard to tell from the photos, is the really funky way the shoestrings are attached on these shoes. One hard tug might break something off! I hope they are sturdier than they look, because this has to win the prize for the most cheaply-made shoestring holders I have ever seen! A yellow cord (yellow on our color combo anyway) runs decoratively around the general area of the shoelaces. It makes two loops that are supposed to hold the first part of the shoestrings (if you were counting from the toe area, it would be the loops #1 and #2). Really?!? Did NB really think a corded loop was a sturdy way to hold shoestrings for what is marketed as a trail-sturdy shoe?The opposite end has the same thin cord running around the ankle area, and providing the final loop for the shoestring. Again, doesn't look sturdy. I also consider this to be a poor design issue, because the cording just lays loose on the shoes. They could pretty easily catch a branch or twigs on a trail, or catch on anything sticking out, and cause the wearer to be tripped. What were they thinking? And you can't cut the cords off, since they make up the shoestring loops! If they wanted a color accent, which I thought it was in the photos, then something stitched down would have been better.Another fairly stupid oversight is that there is no tongue loop for the shoestrings. So, these shoes which are again marketed as being trail and/or running shoes, have a fairly short tongue with no way to force it to stay in the middle. It floats wherever it wants to with nothing to stop it. I don't know how this will actually work out either.Why would NB even make a tongue without a shoestring control loop?!These are things you really can't see clearly from the photographs (at least I couldn't), and it is bothridiculous and disappointing that New Balance thinks that all these corner-cutting designs are an improvementon anything. Well, maybe THEIR bottom line is improved, but the customer is the one paying for it in more than one way! Given that I've now held these shoes (VERY lightweight) and seen how they are constructed, they should be a good $20 LESS than they currently cost. NB shoes are never cheap, but these just aren't very impressive in the construction. The best part of the shoe is the sole, which looks really sturdy and supportive. That remains to be seen - it might be some sort of molding that wears off quickly. I'll report back once he wears them outside for a few weeks.I do have to say that New Balance really seems to have let their quality control slip right out the window in the last few years. It used to be that NB was all my husband wanted to wear, and we could count on the sizes and fits, based on certain models. The shoes were also a decent value for the length of time they lasted. No more. His last pair, about 2 yrs old and purchased before the current job, were very comfy, and the bottoms are still going strong. However, the fabric area around the toes tore fairly quickly. He said the insides still feel really good, so he has put duct tape on the inside in the toe area. Isn't that silly that the shoe would wear out so quickly in the mesh area? They need to rework the quality of the fabric they are using. I'd contact them with my concerns on this design, but based on other reviews of other models, NB has developed a deaf ear as well as the blind eye. It might be time to just choose another brand.For now, Hubby is going to wear them only inside the house for a few days and see how they work out.Not sure if we might have to return them, or if he'll want to give it a shot for work. Since he will be the onewearing them, I'll let him make that final decision. If it was on my impression alone, they'd be going back.
Michael Jordan tells UNC Love these shoes. great fit. looks great. Item as ordered. Ideal for day or evening. I find bandolino to be a reliable brand for quality and style.
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