New Balance 070 Eco-friendly Shoe Review - $80
Pros:
- Very comfortable, easy fit for the normal foot
|
Cons:
- No wide sizes
- Not a performance shoe; their website seems a bit misleading by calling them trail running shoes
- Looks are not for everyone
|
These are some very comfortable walking shoes. That’s right, walking. We must admit, we were expecting performance from New Balance. When speaking with Kristen Sullivan, Associate PR Manager, she was quick to tell us that New Balance designed these shoes for the casual user. “We are not yet able to develop high performance eco-friendly shoes that would deliver to New Balance expectations.” But Kristen went on to state that these shoes are very comfortable, everyday use shoes fit for the mall or the trail.
Unfortunately,
New Balance’s website puts these in the “Trail Running” category. Maybe they mean to say that they’re fine for casual trail running, but it’s not clear on their website that these are not performance minded.
The traction is good, though not as good as the END Footwear shoes we tested. The fit and comfort is very good, as you would expect with New Balance, unless you have wide feet.
OK, New Balance, what are you thinking? You can’t yet design a serious performance shoe so you throw together these shoes you don’t even make them in a wide size, which is what New Balance is known for, and, to be
very frank, you design them to look, well… a little too “tree huggish”.? Can we say band wagon!?!
We’re not going to call this “green washing”. The shoes are green, and it’s a good first step. And we are not saying they are bad shoes. They are fine shoes. As far as design goes, some will call them ugly, and some will say they are just right. You be the judge. Women’s sizes come in an interesting soft blue and a green that we couldn’t get used to, while men’s come in a brown and a lighter brown. Some of our staff loved the design, but most would have preferred them to look like New Balance shoes without trying to placate the green crowd.
The bottom line is this; these are a disappointment because we expected more from New Balance. Isn’t the tree hugging, save the spotted owl granola eating recycling type known for being active, fit, and partial to the trails? Shouldn’t these be designed with more performance and fewer excuses?
Yes, you can design a better shoe that is both performance-minded, eco-conscious, and available in wide sizes! New Balance, you can do better.