This article is a review of my favorite shoes, the NEW BALANCE 990 V6.
I’ve been wearing these shoes for three months, so I’ll share my honest thoughts based on my long-term experience with them.
By the way, the NEW BALANCE 990 V6 that I own has aged like this.
The Most Comfortable New Balance Ever Made
To start with the conclusion, this is the most comfortable New Balance shoe ever created.
For me, the best shoes used to be the New Balance 990v3, but the 990v6 surpasses even that in terms of comfort.
I work at a clothing store, and on days when I’m on shift, I walk between 15,000 to 20,000 steps per day.（The average man walks about 5,340 steps per day.）
For someone in their 30s like me, this amount of walking is quite tough. Wearing uncomfortable shoes can make the soles of my feet start to hurt after just 1,000 steps. Walking with sore feet not only puts stress on my body but also leaves me utterly exhausted after work, with no energy left for anything else.
However, when I wear the New Balance 990v6, even after walking over 20,000 steps, the soles of my feet don’t hurt. I even have enough energy to exercise after work. Since switching to this shoe, I’ve been able to balance work with my favorite hobby, basketball.
Moreover, compared to other New Balance shoes, the 990v6 is by far the most comfortable. I’ve worn over 10 pairs of New Balance shoes, including the highly praised American-made models. Among all of them, the 990v6 feels the best.
For reference, here are the New Balance shoes I’ve worn so far:
• CM996
• M998
• M2040 V1
• WR993
• MR993
• M990 V5
• 2002R
• 2002R GORETEX
• M990V3
• 991v2
From here, I’ll dive into why the New Balance 990v6 offers such exceptional comfort.
A Cushioning Experience Like Never Before
The cushioning of the New Balance 990v6 feels delightfully soft and springy, making it a pleasure to wear. The secret lies in the new material used in the midsole: FuelCell.
FuelCell is a cushioning material that combines polyurethane with nitrogen, achieving both high rebound and lightweight properties.
Until now, the primary cushioning used in New Balance shoes was Abzorb. However, with the 990v6, it has been replaced by the new FuelCell cushioning.
To be honest, as someone who weighs 64 kg (a bit on the lighter side), I found the conventional Abzorb cushioning a little too firm. For that reason, my go-to cushioning was REVLITE, which is softer than Abzorb. For instance, the New Balance 990v3 uses REVLITE, and it had been my favorite cushioning material.
But FuelCell has surpassed even REVLITE. The reason? Its exceptional rebound, which I’ll explain in detail later.
The New Balance 990v6 Excels in Rebound
When walking for extended periods, rebound is an essential factor. Shoes with high rebound act like springs, supporting the motion of your feet. For someone like me who walks long distances, this support is crucial, especially in the late afternoon when the difference becomes evident.
FuelCell feels more responsive compared to REVLITE. This is just my personal observation, but in general, softer cushioning tends to feel less responsive than firmer cushioning.
To achieve both softness and rebound, the New Balance 990v3 combines REVLITE cushioning with a carbon shank. This design likely absorbs impact with RevLite while providing rebound through the carbon.
The carbon shank used in the New Balance 990v3
What is a shank?
A shank is a component that supports the arch of the foot, offering stability while walking. It is commonly found in footwear like high heels, pumps, and leather shoes, where it’s often referred to as “arch support.”
On the other hand, the New Balance 990v6’s FuelCell enhances rebound without relying on carbon. This innovative cushioning overcomes the traditional weakness of soft materials while also achieving a lighter weight by eliminating carbon and plastic components.
Surprisingly Lightweight
For shoes worn for long periods, the lighter, the better. The New Balance 990v6 achieves its remarkable lightweight design in an innovative way.
Most leather shoes and sneakers have a component called a “saddle.” The saddle’s role is to improve fit by wrapping the foot from both sides when the laces are tightened.
The saddle of the New Balance 993
To enhance its lightweight properties, the New Balance 990v6 eliminates the saddle entirely. As a result, you can immediately feel how much lighter it is compared to other shoes just by holding it.
The New Balance 990v6 does not have a saddle section.
However, removing the saddle is an exceptionally challenging task in the manufacturing process.
Here’s why it’s tricky:
• Using a single large saddle reduces production steps.
• Replacing it with smaller, precisely placed components increases the complexity of stitching.
• Sewing clean curves on small parts is difficult and carries a higher risk of defects.
This meticulous attention to detail is what made the lightweight design of the 990v6 possible.
This is a Bit Disappointing…
The heel support feels weak, which gives a sense of slippage while walking. To compensate for this, I had to tie the laces tighter to eliminate the loose fit.
In particular, when I first started wearing them, I needed to re-tie the laces multiple times to find the right adjustment, which was a bit tedious. However, after wearing the shoes about five times, the sense of slippage became less noticeable. It seems the shape of the upper began to conform to my feet.
Overall Evaluation
For anyone looking for comfortable shoes, I can confidently recommend the New Balance 990v6. It’s especially worth trying for those who, like me, walk a lot every day.
Buying these shoes has significantly improved my quality of life. I truly feel that purchasing them was a great decision.
Thank you for reading until the end.
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Sayonara
