New Balance Men's M890 Alpha Running Shoe

Until recently I preferred athletic shoes with leather uppers. They seemed more traditional, or classic, and I assumed they would be durable. In recent years, however, my observations have been that modern synthetic materials are superior, and the shoes stand up better to the kind of abuse my exercise regimen inflicts upon them. In particular, I work up a heavy sweat, and synthetic materials better tolerate repeated cycles of being soaked through and dried out. The only minor criticism of these shoes is that, exposed to this level of moisture, they show themselves to be less than completely color fast, with some of the color around the ankle transferring to white athletic socks (just a faint tint that comes out in the wash). This model is comfortable and light weight, doing a good job of supporting the foot for 90 minutes of strenuous exercise.

Running shoes are supposed to fit snug on the foot, but these were a bit to narrow. The toebox and heel cup both fit perfectly, but I could tell the arch would begin to hurt after a while. Also they just dont seem sturdy which is something I have come to expect from New Balance. I know they are super cheap, but I thought that was just because they were an unpopular style. New balance just lost some brownie points for this one.

I've always found NB shoes to run a little large and wide in the toes and these are no exception. Normally wear a 12 and the 11.5's I ordered fit great. I only have a few miles on these, but so far like them, especially for the price.

My favorite shoe, period. I've run countless miles in them. A bit firm out of the box, but not so much that they need a long break-in period. Soft and supple when properly broken-in. They bend and flow and move with your foot. Good for both speed work and long runs, even a marathon. They fit well with no problem spots or stiff plastic or leather on the upper. You will love these!

While I was certainly happy with the 890V3, the 890V4 seems a better all-round shoe. V3 I would think I have exceeded 1000km, so durability was great. Cushioning was good, but the V4 felt softer straight out of the box. It is a wider platform and this feels more stable. Weight is down a little too with the V4 weighing 255g for my 9.5US. 100km in and happy with it for sure.

I am a huge New Balance 890 fan. I have had a couple pairs of each version and was sad to hear about the redesign. So how do these compare? Worth the upgrade!!! There is slightly more cushioning on these shoes but they still fit the same as the previous versions.

For the short time I have had them they are good shoes. The fit well and feel good to walk in.

They did not last as long as I would have liked. I will not purchase a sec on pair. They look great and felt great. Very light weight.