Initial Impressions

Wondering if the Adidas Stan Smith 80s is the right model for you? We take a look at the materials, price, comfort, and more to find out.

Wondering if the Grant Stone Coast is the right sneaker for you? We take a look at the materials, cost, construction, and more to find out.

Wondering if the Nike General Purpose Shoe is a good pick up? We take a look at the materials, comfort, price, and more to find out.

For a brand that wraps itself in the American flag so often, New Balance is surprisingly international. A few weeks back we took a look at a couple of Made-in-UK models, but it doesn’t stop there. As you can probably guess by the name of this article, New Balance also has a design studio based in Tokyo, Japan. This studio is tasked with taking classic designs and reworking them to fit Japan’s more fashion-forward look.

Can the Common Projects Achilles Retro possibly be worth nearly $500? Take a look here to find out.

If you’re at all familiar with New Balance you know how the models go, at least here in the U.S. There is the 990, which later got 5 more revisions. Then there is the 992, the 993, etc. However, you might have noticed that in the Made-in-America line there is one missing. That’s because if you’re looking for the first time New Balance updated their famous 990 you have to look across the Atlantic Ocean. You need to check out the UK-made New Balance 991.

Price: $265 Why Buy? The Helm Finn offers great materials and good build quality at a crazy price. Why Avoid?…

Everyone knows that the Made-in-America New Balance line is great, but what about their Made-in-England line? We take a look at the 920 to find out.

When it comes to the Grant Stone Cap Toe in Forest Kudu, you need to start with the leather. Perhaps most importantly, this is real kudu. Where some manufacturers use “kudu” to describe their oiled calf leather – a description I’ll never understand – Grant Stone uses it to describe leather that comes from, well, a kudu.

Last year, the hype around the Jordan 11 holiday release was real. The Cool Greys – which had not released in more than 20 years – were finally coming back. This was soon after the Playoffs, and a special edition was stuck in the middle. Add in the Concords and it seemed like pretty much every 11 release was going to land with a bang.