Official New Balance Thread *sizing info for different models on first page*

getitaway said:
The GOAT J.Crew colorway for today
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So nice 
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DeezyVSOP2 said:
 
^Agreed.  I got a pair of 998 CHI's during Black Friday.  Love that colorway and works for x-mas season as well as anything.

I'm too worried about keeping that midsole clean though, so I'm trying to get a non-white midsole 997/998 next.
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i got the cns and other 998 all white midsoles and the quality on the abzorb sole doesn't absorb dirt like other soles out there (like ultraboosts, etc). 

i barely clean them.

so  no need to worry that much. 
 
DeezyVSOP2 said:
 
^Agreed.  I got a pair of 998 CHI's during Black Friday.  Love that colorway and works for x-mas season as well as anything.
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I was contemplating copping the CHI's the entire season, but I already own a CNCPTS Boston 998, and the usual websites have all sold out of my size Black friday/early December, probably for that exact same reason.... I still want em...but im 4 pairs deep this month 
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I'm too worried about keeping that midsole clean though, so I'm trying to get a non-white midsole 997/998 next.
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NB1 
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Eh...maybe when I have a chance to make a design I like.  I also want to try out different models like 1300, 1400 and 577.
 
Do any of you guys who own any of the NB x Horween models use wooden shoe trees? If so, I'd love insight on which ones would be a good bet to purchase as I've never used cedar shoe trees for sneakers before (just the plastic IKEA ones). I've seen wooden shoe trees ranging in price from $20 to way more but am wondering if a cheap one from Nordstrom Rack will do.

I've beaten my 1300BERs to death and want to help preserve its shape and help it last longer along with other Horween NBs that I own.

Any help is appreciated!
 
moshepark said:
Do any of you guys who own any of the NB x Horween models use wooden shoe trees? If so, I'd love insight on which ones would be a good bet to purchase as I've never used cedar shoe trees for sneakers before (just the plastic IKEA ones). I've seen wooden shoe trees ranging in price from $20 to way more but am wondering if a cheap one from Nordstrom Rack will do.

I've beaten my 1300BERs to death and want to help preserve its shape and help it last longer along with other Horween NBs that I own.

Any help is appreciated!
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I have some wooden shoe trees from Clarks that I got on sale. I think they're usually $20 each and I got 2 for a discount. They're well made. But I don't use them on my 997bexp. The wooden ones I originally got for leather dress shoes are spring loaded and I think it would stretch out leather sneakers too much. I'm enjoying breaking in the 997bexp so I only use my ikea shoe trees to maintain shape. I use the wooden shoe trees only to stretch out sneakers that are a little too snug for my liking. I'm using them now to stretch the 991 that I got at the outlet since they only had a half size smaller than my usual size. Works like a charm.

FYI. I determined I could get away with a half size down from my usual MiUSA size by trying them on without the insoles. It'll give you an idea of how it'll fit with a little stretch and thin socks.
 
tfurumi said:
I have some wooden shoe trees from Clarks that I got on sale. I think they're usually $20 each and I got 2 for a discount. They're well made. But I don't use them on my 997bexp. The wooden ones I originally got for leather dress shoes are spring loaded and I think it would stretch out leather sneakers too much. I'm enjoying breaking in the 997bexp so I only use my ikea shoe trees to maintain shape. I use the wooden shoe trees only to stretch out sneakers that are a little too snug for my liking. I'm using them now to stretch the 991 that I got at the outlet since they only had a half size smaller than my usual size. Works like a charm.

FYI. I determined I could get away with a half size down from my usual MiUSA size by trying them on without the insoles. It'll give you an idea of how it'll fit with a little stretch and thin socks.
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Thanks for the reply (repped). Aren't there wooden shoe trees that aren't spring loaded? Or am I mistaken? I don't keep the IKEA shoe trees in any of my shoes for fear that they'll stretch the shoes out.
 
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moshepark said:
Thanks for the reply (repped). Aren't there wooden shoe trees that aren't spring loaded? Or am I mistaken? I don't keep the IKEA shoe trees in any of my shoes for fear that they'll stretch the shoes out.
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I think there are shoe trees that have notches or pre-set lengths you can adjust to if you look for them. That might be what you want except it depends how the predetermined lengths fit in your shoes the way you want. I think there are also shoe trees that can be set more subtlety by winding but you might have to do some digging to find those or pay premium for them. I've seen that kith has shoe trees that are like ikea ones except the plastic parts are wooden.
 
moshepark said:
Do any of you guys who own any of the NB x Horween models use wooden shoe trees? If so, I'd love insight on which ones would be a good bet to purchase as I've never used cedar shoe trees for sneakers before (just the plastic IKEA ones). I've seen wooden shoe trees ranging in price from $20 to way more but am wondering if a cheap one from Nordstrom Rack will do.

I've beaten my 1300BERs to death and want to help preserve its shape and help it last longer along with other Horween NBs that I own.

Any help is appreciated!
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I use those IKEA plastic spring joints in all my shoes. I've used shoe trees for years, I've tried expensive wooden and everything in between.
What I've come to find works best with out stretching or stressing the shoe is just a plastic bag and IKEA plastic tree, the kind of bag from the grocery store molded in the shape of the toebox. I then press that to the ceiling of the toebox and slide the shoe tree under so its pressing the bag up against the toebox.
I think the IKEA plastic joints alone are too weak and many of the other types are too much. The bag fills the toebox perfectly and gives just enough lift under the tongue and laces to keep a nice shape without stretching. Anyway this works for me after trying many others.
 
max90 said:
I use those IKEA plastic spring joints in all my shoes. I've used shoe trees for years, I've tried expensive wooden and everything in between.
What I've come to find works best with out stretching or stressing the shoe is just a plastic bag and IKEA plastic tree, the kind of bag from the grocery store molded in the shape of the toebox. I then press that to the ceiling of the toebox and slide the shoe tree under so its pressing the bag up against the toebox.
I think the IKEA plastic joints alone are too weak and many of the other types are too much. The bag fills the toebox perfectly and gives just enough lift under the tongue and laces to keep a nice shape without stretching. Anyway this works for me after trying many others.
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Thanks for your input. I have a ton of IKEA shoe trees that I never use because I think they're not all that helpful in keeping the shape of the sneakers- just my personal experience.

I'm asking specifically about wooden shoe trees in regards to the New Balance models where the upper is made up entirely of Horween leather. Although at their core they really are just sneakers, they do have the quality (and the price tag) of a really nice dress shoe, especially because of the Horween leather that they use. When I purchased my first two pairs of Horween NBs my wife smelled the shoes and said she was surprised because they smelled like really nice, expensive leather handbags, lol.

For me I'm interested in maintaining the longevity of the Horween joints. They're different from typical running shoes because they actually get better with age because of the materials used. If possible I'd like to take good care of them other than stuffing them with the tissue paper they come with- I see them as an investment much like I do with the nicer leather dress shoes that I have. Cedar shoe trees also not only maintain the shape (which I do care about) but more importantly absorb moisture which is huge for maintaining the health of the shoe. This is money for the days I'm wearing the shoes all day and my feet get sweaty.

I've just never bought cedar shoe trees for running sneakers so I wasn't sure if there was a particular brand or kind that would work well with these NBs.
 
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One more thing to add to my discussion about Horween sneaker care... did some more research and found this helpful article. I researched "Horween leather shoe care" and thought this article was super helpful as it even has input from Nick Horween himself: http://thesweethome.com/reviews/best-leather-shoe-care-products/ 

I gotta admit, because my job is pretty lax when it comes to dress code I've never had to wear leather dress shoes regularly and therefore have never had to care for them. The biggest takeaway from this article is that leather is skin and just like skin needs nutrients, so does leather on shoes. I'm assuming this applies to Horween NBs as well. I'm going to try and see if I can clean and condition my Horweens- they've lost a bit of their luster because I've worn them so much. I'll post before and after pics after my experiment.

Hope these series of posts helps anyone else who's beaten their Horweens to the ground!
 
@moshepark  yeah man conditioning is key when it comes to leather. I know there's so many ways you can do it, but for my dress shoes i usually just apply a bit of Saphir Renovateur and buff it out with a towel or brush. If there are significant scuffs you could find a polish that matches that shade of brown which would help cover it up.
 
Talking about leather care, I found out today that my pair of 997 started to get all sorts of mouldy patch all over the suede! I guess the neglect is starting to sip in :frown:

I think perhaps the place I store it is subjected to moisture and humidity (there is an air-con duct somewhere, where water flows) and that is what i suspect is causing the mould to start infesting...anyone know how to go about removing it? 
 
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