New Balance Men's Fresh Foam 1450 V1 Walking Shoe

I hate giving this anything less than a good review because I feel like my problem with these shoes, are probably just that - my problem. But I'll share my experience anyway.First of all, most of the repeating complaints are fairly accurate, albeit maybe a bit unfair at times. Read on;- These are kind of hot... Hotter than any other pair of "shoes" I have. However, no hotter than the pair of $150 Merrell's I have. I feel fairly confident that Lightweight and Waterproof are hard to achieve without also heating up a dude's foot. I wear lace up boots most of the time at work, and they don't seem to be any hotter than those... so, I guess it depends on what you're used to... There are lots of outdoor shoes that are much cooler.- The laces are long AF - that shouldn't really matter... You didn't explicitly pay for shoe laces, did you?- If you somehow gouge a deep hole in the "Fresh Foam" midsole, it will probably make noise if it gets water in it... Mine don't, and I wear them all over crazy job sites, but it makes sense that a person may be faced with this issue under the right circumstances. In my opinion, it's a fair trade for the wonderful comfort of the "Fresh Foam" midsole. I own 3 pairs of shoes with this feature and it's a wonderful thing.Those are the most glaring complaints I noticed while browsing these. None of which are a deal breaker for me.Pros:- They truly are waterproof!- They look rad. Not like my goofy Merrells, which make me look like a perpetual Dad volunteering to supervise at church camp.- They come in wide and extra wide. They will probably suit most peoples wide foot needs. More on that later...- They are comfortable to wear. Especially if you have minimal foot/ankle problems. More on that later as well...- They seem to hold up well against general wear and tear. Especially if you're not a porpoise, like me. More on that too...The reason I have kind of abandoned these are as follows:I broke my ankle in a motorcycle accident and have supination problem. Look that up if you don't know what it is. I don't supinate (or under pronate...) much... I regularly see people with a worse supination problem than I have. However, I think when I add that I weigh 280lbs - not a lite cat by any means, and that I'm on my feet like 700 hours a day and walk across all kinds of terrains for all 700 of those hours.... these just didn't fair super well. the outer edge of my midsole is kind of permanently squashed into a very slight supinated shape and thats enough that it exacerbates my problem. So, while the shoes still honestly look basically new after about 60 miles of walking (and clean up well), they are a bit worn into a not so good shape.When I analyze what shoes have held up and which ones haven't, it seems to be that the shoes/boots that are excessively wide on the outer process of the foot hold up better. Maybe if I got these in 6E as opposed to 4E, that would have made the difference.. I don't know. But, I know that I can usually get away with either EW or 4E shoes/boots, so thats what I buy...I would recommend these to someone who is not fat, has decent feet to begin with and needs a good looking pair of hiking/outdoor shoes

I just purchased my second pair of these shoes after wearing my first pair for 6 months. I initially purchased them since a New Balance employee told me cushioned shoes were the best bet for working on poured concrete all day. I purchased these shoes with the NB1200 cushioned insoles. They tolerate 8 - 10 hour shifts in warehouse environments well, and I also wear them when walking around the city. They're supportive as well. I also put strips of Tenacious Tape around the base of the shoes to help with reflection, both at work and in the streets during evening commute.I read reviews on New Balance's website that others needed to purchase a larger size than normal. I had the opposite issue, and went from an 8.5D in NB 779 to a 7.5D in these 1450's. Once I had the sizing figured out, I was happy with my purchase.New Balance seems to advertise these shoes as waterproof, and that is not true. They are water-resistant, and they've worked well in the Pacific Northwest-style of winter I've worn them through. However, they will allow water in if they're exposed to rain for a long-enough period of time. I also have to remove my insoles each night to allow them to properly dry out. Not a huge issue, but when I was working overtime last winter, the insoles and shoes would be slightly damp the next morning if I didn't pull out the insoles over night. As far as I know, I don't have an abnormal foot-sweating issue, so hopefully my last point isn't moot.

I've been wearing New Balance for many years, and this is the first pair I've actually disliked. They are comfortable enough, but unfortunately the foam soles make a very noticeable and embarrassing swishing/squishing sound when walking. I gave them the benefit of a doubt for a few weeks, thinking that the noise would eventually fade after breaking them in for a while, but they are still as noisy as ever. Now I'm wishing I had returned them instead.

I was looking for a pair of waterproof shoes to replace a worn out pair of Brooks shoes that had a Gore Tex upper. I had these in my Amazon shopping list and when the price dropped to $44 I put them into my cart. Great shoes! It only took me one 5 mile walk to break these in. I find them to be very comfortable and very waterproof. I have briefly stepped into puddles that almost went up to my ankles and my socks have remained dry. Great traction on rough terrain. My only complaint is the shoelaces....they are terrible. New Balance sells millions of pairs of shoes every year so you think that they would know about shoelaces. On one of my typical 4-5 mile walks I have to retie the shoes at least 2 times. I have tried everything, double knots, triple knots, nothing works. I finally replaced the laces with a set of elastic ones.

Purchased Mens 13 XW . The xw size is two wole widths smaller than the xw width in rest of the fresh foam line. So, I have to return them as they dont fit, way too tight to be a labeled as a XW(4E). THE XW(4E) WIDTH IS ACTUALLY A NARROW FITTING W(2E). What a DISAPPOINTMENT. NEW BALACE SIZING HAS BECOME TOTALLY INCONSISTENT AMONGST ITS OWN DAMN SHOES.

I'd originally written a rave review for this shoe, which hits a really sweet spot in terms of hiking toughness and walking comfort. It originally seemed perfect for those of us who do a lot of daily walking, along with some occasional off-road hiking/walking. But, unfortunately, after about 3 weeks of wear, this shoe's significant weakness-- lack of ventilation -- began to make itself evident. Warning - this shoe will function as a sweatbox for your feet, with the usual ramifications -- including dry skin and odor control issues -- none of which are a problem with my other New Balance shoes. Too bad -- properly ventilated, these would've been the best shoes I ever owned.

Seemed very comfortable. But even in wide the shoe is still very narrow. Also for the price they should be leather.

Great shoes for walking and well worth the price. I ordered these in the 4E width and I have flat feet with some slight pronation and they're probably the best shoe I've worn in recent memory. Excellent support with the mid top design and lacing. I've worn these in -20 celsius weather with a good pair of socks and I was warm and dry with no problems and the sole stays relatively flexible although the grip on ice is so so, nothing a pair of ice grippers can't fix. Even in wet conditions they have held up well and I don't find the shoes to be too hot or sweaty to wear. Tempted to buy a back up pair just in case NB decides to discontinue or change the design.