New Balance 990 v6: No Longer Retro
Price: $200
Why Buy?
The New Balance 990 v6 is well made with high end materials, here in America – plus they are comfortable to boot.
Why Avoid?
The New Balance 990 v6 is expensive, and doesn’t have the same retro charm the older models have.
Specs
| Model | 990v6 |
| Height | Low |
| Materials | Suede / EVA / Rubber |
| Size | 13 Standard |
| Weight | 440 g / 15.52 oz |
| Construction | Cemented |
| Country of Origin | United States |
History
The New Balance 990 series needs no introductions. Famously worn by supermodels in London and dads in Ohio, the sneaker has been a staple for decades and recently became a hit in the sneakerhead world as well. What makes that all the more impressive is the price. This isn’t a Dunk or 550 where it’s only a bit more than your average sneaker. They are famous for being the first sneaker to cross the 3-figure mark way back in 1982 – that’s $308 dollars in 2022. For Ohio dads to shell out for something like that there must have been a reason.
The price was always justifiable, though, because the 990 didn’t try to be an expensive sneaker. It tried to be an American-made, high-quality option. The price was just a byproduct of that.
Earlier this month New Balance released the newest version of the sizer – the V6. However, the marketing speak is a bit different than the more humble takes New Balance had previously used. Now it’s not about being the choice for the decerning runner. Rather, the brand says, “the 990’s aspirational status symbol aura has never changed.”
With that sort of marketing, it makes me wonder – has the 990 left the realm of being an expensive but value-driven option? In other words, is this now the Dunk for the brand from Massachusetts? Or, is it still the intelligent choice? Let’s find out.
Looks
Upper
The New Balance 990 v6 has a weird impact. When you first see it, you think it’s a major change. Look at the N not being over a leather panel! Look at how built up it is around your heel! I’ll fully admit I thought that New balance might have gone a bit too far after we all became comfortable with the v5.
However, after a few minutes, the similarities really start to come through. The warmth of the pigskin suede. The familiar toebox structuring. No, once you think about it, these couldn’t be anything but a 990.
That isn’t to say it’s identical. There are a number of areas where New Balance clearly wanted to take the sneaker in a new direction. First, this v6 version has a lot more mesh, particularly in the midfoot. New Balance wanted to make this model lighter and this is likely one of the ways they made that happen. Next, the plastics on the tongue and heel look and feel much higher in quality and there is more of them. I could see how someone wouldn’t be thrilled with more plastic on your sneaker, though. Finally, there is a lot more reflective material. This definitely looks cool at night, and is probably safer if you’re actually going to run in these, but there are definitely trade offs in comfort.
The sneaker also has a lot more padding all around your ankle. This is almost certainly more for comfort, but it makes the sneaker much more visually heavy compared to the previous offerings.
One last item I will flag on the upper. This will probably change from run to run, but this one was really well made – clean stitching, even panels, etc. Even compared to other MiUSA options from the brand.
Mid and Outsole
Unlike the upper, the mid- and outsole of the New Balance 990 v6 are actually a pretty major change. New Balanced wanted to integrate more of their current running shoe technologies into this model, and it shows here. The midsole is noticeably bigger and wider. It strikes me as visually similar to the Ultraboost 21 – It’s an outsole with an upper strapped to it. Not the other way around.
This isn’t a good or bad thing, but it does change the vibe. It feels much less retro and much more modern running sneaker.
If this scares you a bit, you might find some relief filling the sneaker over. The outsole is much more classic New Balance. Thick rubber with minimal cut outs shows that this was still designed with durability in mind.
Summary
The New Balance 990 v6 does a really good job of being just different enough that you can justify getting a new pair without feeling like you’ve been had, but similar enough that you know what you’re buying. In the grand scheme of things, this new iteration is a bit more modern than most 990 lovers are probably used to, but as we’ll see in the next section there are good reasons for that.
As for how to style them, there really isn’t a way you can go wrong. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of denim with New Balance 99X models, maybe that is a bit too much like a dad in Ohio, but there are plenty of people out there who can pull that look off. I prefer something like a pair of nice joggers or a dark pair of chinos.
Fit & Comfort
Fit
The New Balance 990 v6 has a surprisingly good last. I’ve found that most New Balance, like most sneakers overall, run long and narrow. This is fine if you’re actually running or hooping in a pair, but it isn’t the most comfortable thing for just hanging out.
These new 990s are shaped much more like a normal foot.
Even better, they come in a number of different widths. The normal width fits my slightly wide feet really well, but they currently come in narrow, standard, wide, and extra wide. Even more surprising, it looks like they will soon be made in extra narrow and extra-extra wide. There are high-end goodyear welted shoes that don’t come in this many widths.
The heavy padding also makes the shoes pretty accommodating if you’re in between sizes. I bet that this sneaker will fit more people than any other sneaker available today.
I took these in a size 13 standard, and they fit very well. For reference, I wear a size 13 in Jordan 1s, a size 12.5 in the Adidas Stan Smith, and a 12 in most stitched footwear. You can see a list of sizing for ever shoe reviewed on this site here.
Comfort
I mentioned up above that the midsole on this sneaker takes away from the retro look, but the midsole of the New Balance 990 v6 goes a long way in making this sneaker comfortable.
The 990 line has always been supportive, but on the v6 they added in New Balance’s recently developed FuelCell foam. While nothing crazy like Nike’s ZoomX, this gives it a bit more squish than previous versions of the sneaker. What makes it special is that, unlike a lot of brands, they only used a small bit. Most of the foam is still fairly firm.
Look, I love soft foams as much as the next guy, but those super soft foams are made for a 30-minute run, not a 12-hour day at work. Having something in the rotation that leans more towards supportive makes a lot of sense.
For what this sneaker aims to do, I’m not sure there is any better option out there.
Materials & Construction
Materials
Overall, the materials in the New Balance 990 v6 are pretty impressive. The upper is mostly made of a grey pig suede. While pig leather is actually a bit less expensive than cow, on this pair it’s actual dyed suede as opposed to the plastic coated stuff you find on most sneakers.
Alongside the suede, most of the rest of the upper is a polyester blend. Coming in various weaves, this is again nothing to write home about, but it’s all put together in a high quality way. Elsewhere on the upper, plastic panels on the tongue and heel cap are just that – plastic – but they have a bit step up compared to what we got on previous models.
In the midsole of the sneaker, New Balance used three different types of EVA foam represented by the three different colors. They go from firmest up front to softest under your heel, and do a good job protecting your feet.
Finishing off the sneaker, thick rubber panels make up the majority of the outsole.
Construction
The New Balance 990 v6 is made with cemented construction. If you want a more in-depth explanation, you can click here, but if you just want the short version read on. Cemented construction is the most basic form of construction out there, and is the standard for most sneakers.
To make a shoe this way, the upper is basically glued onto the midsole. Cemented construction is affordable to make and offers unparalleled flexibility and water resistance. The drawback is durability – if the glue fails the entire sneaker falls apart, and replacing the sole will cost more than the sneaker did.
For most people, cemented sneakers are the best option. You’ll only want to look for something else in specific cases.
It’s also important to highly where their shoes are constructed. Unlike pretty much every other sneaker out there, these are made here in the United States. In fact, New Balance actually has several factories in the New England area.
Making things in the U.S. is expensive, and drives up the cost. However, many people are happy to pay that extra money to support U.S. jobs.
Pricing & Value
As you can probably guess, those higher end materials and American construction means these are not cheap. The New Balance 990 v6 launched with an MSRP of $200. Further, don’t expect them to go on sale. Even with these launching the v5 is still full price.
New Balance is extremely protective about these going for anything less than MSRP. Even their outlets typically sell seconds as a “buy one at full price, get one half off.” That doesn’t mean it’s impossible, but if you want a pair more likely than not you’re going to be shelling out two Benjamins.
There is no doubt that is a lot of money, but the more I thought about it, the less egregious it becomes. The top casual shoe for the other big brands – the Adidas Ultraboost 22 and the Nike Invincible – are both $190 now. Their hype brands – Jordan and whatever they will call the new Yeezy line – are regularly blowing past $250 on releases.
These have better materials than any of those, and are made in the U.S. I have no doubt that New Balance is making less on these than their competitors are on competing products. At least, if you ignore sales.
I wouldn’t fault anyone for saying they wouldn’t pay $200 for a pair of sneakers. At the same time, New Balance isn’t pulling one over on you. It’s a more than fair price for what you get.
Wrap Up
The New Balance 990 v6 is exactly what it says on the box. It’s the latest and greatest in a long line of high-end sneakers. There are very few compromises, and the price reflects that.
I can see how the retro guys won’t like it. This definitely changes the parameters of what a 990 means. If that’s you, all the other 990s are still available. Including the 1982 launch models.
For everyone else – those dads looking for a long lasting, comfortable shoe and those models looking for something that is new – the New Balance 990 v6 is a great option.
It looks like they discontinued woman’s size 11.5 in v6. I guess that leaves me out now. [In the past, I tried men’s size 10 but they were too bulky for me].
Donna –
That’s crazy. The one thing NB prides themselves on is the wide variety of widths, but the men’s don’t have a narrow and there is no women’s 11.5! Hopefully they bring one out soon for you.
Wide heel or narrow? Need a NB that doesn’t slip in the heel.
Hey Gemmmi –
I wouldn’t say the 990v6 has a wide heel, but it is as wide as any other New Balance sneakers I’ve tried.
If you find that other sneakers in the 99X series are too wide in the heel but fit in the toe box, these may not work for you. That being said, if you just need a more narrow sneaker overall, if you go to New Balance’s website you can get them in both narrow and extra narrow.
I used to have a heal slip issue but there is a special way to tie your shoe that it will tighten the ankle and heel won’t slip. Look up examples u should be able to find on google or have a specialty shoe store show u: it’s a game changer