First off, it's great that New Balance provides the X-Wide fit. Thank you! I'm on my feet walking, standing and climbing stairs for 7-8 hours at a stretch. I tried other brands that came highly recommended but I was surprised to find they don;t have X-Wide sizes and their Wide sizes are rather narrow in the toe box, and I ended up with tired and aching feet. I ordered the Fresh Foam X 880v14 and the Fresh Foam X 860v14, both in X-Wide (2E) 8.5. The specifications of both these models are almost identical except that the Fresh Foam X 860v14 has the stability feature, which is probably why it is a little heavier by about 36.4 grams. I couldn't feel this minor difference in weight at all. I ended up keeping the Fresh Foam X 860v14 because I like its stability feature. ... MoreFirst off, it's great that New Balance provides the X-Wide fit. Thank you! I'm on my feet walking, standing and climbing stairs for 7-8 hours at a stretch. I tried other brands that came highly recommended but I was surprised to find they don;t have X-Wide sizes and their Wide sizes are rather narrow in the toe box, and I ended up with tired and aching feet. I ordered the Fresh Foam X 880v14 and the Fresh Foam X 860v14, both in X-Wide (2E) 8.5. The specifications of both these models are almost identical except that the Fresh Foam X 860v14 has the stability feature, which is probably why it is a little heavier by about 36.4 grams. I couldn't feel this minor difference in weight at all. I ended up keeping the Fresh Foam X 860v14 because I like its stability feature. My feet feel very secure and comfortable, the arch support is just what I need, and the "Grey Matter with Copper and Silver Metallic" is a beautiful color!

I buy the 860s because I have birth defects of my foot and require the stability that the 860 provides. While and generally changes a bit from here to year, this year’s model has two big changes. One are the two elasticized tongue stays that go from the tongue to the foot bed of the shoe on either side of your foot. I’m sure some people appreciate these, but my foot is not only wide from side to side. It’s thick from soul to top of the foot. These elasticized tongue stays are uncomfortable on my foot so I will be snipping them out for more comfortable shoe. The other thing I’m not in love with is the thickness of the soul of the shoe. I have gate issues due to birth defects of my feet and the thicker soul makes me a bit unstable when I walk. The 860 is still my ... MoreI buy the 860s because I have birth defects of my foot and require the stability that the 860 provides. While and generally changes a bit from here to year, this year’s model has two big changes. One are the two elasticized tongue stays that go from the tongue to the foot bed of the shoe on either side of your foot. I’m sure some people appreciate these, but my foot is not only wide from side to side. It’s thick from soul to top of the foot. These elasticized tongue stays are uncomfortable on my foot so I will be snipping them out for more comfortable shoe. The other thing I’m not in love with is the thickness of the soul of the shoe. I have gate issues due to birth defects of my feet and the thicker soul makes me a bit unstable when I walk. The 860 is still my favorite shoe out of the lineup But I would love to have a less thick sole on the shoe Since that’s not something I can easily take care of at home like the elasticized tongue stays. The colors that I got are beautiful, and the quality is what I would expect from New Balance.

I tried on at least four different brands before trying New Balance and discovering this particular model (fresh foam x 860v14), and it’s been by far my favorite.- I need my toes to be able to have some room to spread when I walk and run, and not feel compressed in the toe box or tight in the mid-foot. I’m usually a 10 women’s and opted for the 10 Wide for this reason, and it was perfect. I did try a 10 double wide which were also fantastic in the toe box but my heel was swimming so opted to stick with the 10 Wide.- The cushion for me is ideal - soft enough where the impact is significantly less jarring upon heel strike and still snappy for my liking, but not too soft where I feel unsupported from it being too squishy. My knees and lower back love these shoes as ... MoreI tried on at least four different brands before trying New Balance and discovering this particular model (fresh foam x 860v14), and it’s been by far my favorite.- I need my toes to be able to have some room to spread when I walk and run, and not feel compressed in the toe box or tight in the mid-foot. I’m usually a 10 women’s and opted for the 10 Wide for this reason, and it was perfect. I did try a 10 double wide which were also fantastic in the toe box but my heel was swimming so opted to stick with the 10 Wide.- The cushion for me is ideal - soft enough where the impact is significantly less jarring upon heel strike and still snappy for my liking, but not too soft where I feel unsupported from it being too squishy. My knees and lower back love these shoes as much as my feet do!- My toes aren’t crammed in the toe box - no idea why many shoes in general are still so heavily tapered or narrowed when that’s not the typical shape of a healthy foot - but regardless, these have been my golden ticket!- I do swap out the insoles for my own due to my high arches as I wouldn’t say these offer a ton of built-in arch support; they also have elastics on the interior sides of the tongue which I can feel if I wear thinner socks but those can be cut out if they really bother you, so those minor factors are why I took off a star in terms of comfort category. I’ve already worn them during a full day at work and personally experienced zero discomfort!!- My friends wear the hoka bondis and cliftons which I also tried but those were too narrow in the mid foot even in wide sizing, and these new balances are like a combination between those two models but so much better, I LOVE the way these look and all their options.- I will be repurchasing these for sure!!!! I don’t buy sneakers often since it’s always a lengthy process with how picky I am, so it’s nice to have finally found ones that I love and can come back to buy again and in other colors. Additionally, shipping was extremely fast which was much appreciated! Thanks New Balance for this particular model, you hit it out of the park.