New Balance x Joe Freshgoods 992: Aged Well
Price: $229 [SOLD OUT; Check eBay for Current Prices]
Why Buy?
The New Balance x Joe Freshgoods 992 Aged Well is a good looking and comfortable pair of sneakers that is surprisingly versatile
Why Avoid?
The New Balance x Joe Freshgoods 992 Aged Well doesn’t quite have the same magic as the original, and come at a premium.
Specs
| Model | 992 |
| Height | Low |
| Material | Suede / EVA |
| Size | 13 |
| Weight | 510 g / 1 lb 1.9 oz |
| Construction | Cemented |
| Country of Origin | United States |
History
The importance of Joe Freshgoods to New Balance is honestly hard to overstate. While today almost nobody questions that New Balance sneakers are as relevant to style as Adidas or Nike, even just a few years ago that would have been laughable. Other than a couple of pockets around the United States, New Balance was associated with dads, podiatrists, and CEOs who wore them with mom jeans.
The launch of the Joe Freshgoods “no emotions are emotions” (NEAE) 992 was key to changing that. This sneaker, alongside similar releases from Teddy Santis around the same time, put New Balance on the map for an entirely new generation of sneakerheads. Sneakers weren’t just flying off shelves, even GR colorways were reselling.
While Joe Freshgoods has released a number of other New Balance collaborations, none of them have been able to capture the world like that original pair. Enter the New Balance x Joe Freshgoods 992 Aged Well. This sneaker, a celebration of 5 years of collaborations, is designed to represent one of those original pairs that has been worn for 5 years.
It also announces the return of the 992 model, which has been out of production for a few years now.
With a pair of these in hand, it’s time to find out if this is a restart of that Joe Freshgoods and New Balance magic, or just a last grasp at milking what you can from the original pair. Let’s dive in and find out.
Looks
Upper
The Upper of the New Balance x Joe Freshgoods 992 Aged Well comes in a series of pinks, reds, and creams. While I wouldn’t call these a subtle sneaker, these various colors blend together in a much more wearable way than something like a bright red Jordans would.
The sneaker starts off darkest at the edges, on the suedes at the heel, toebox, and eyelets. Moving in, the structural supports – also suede – are slightly darker, and connect to a peach-colored midfoot panel. Stitched on top is a pink N, which has a reflectivity that makes it feel even lighter. All of these are supported by a dirty cream-colored mesh lining.
These foams and suedes are accented by a few different hits. On the heel, tongue, and bottom of the eyelets, there are saddle tan leather patches. The leather looks better than it feels, but is a nice touch and one area where these are identical to the NEAE original.
The inset tongue panel and heel panel, which typically carries the USA logos, is replaced by JFG.
When it comes to laces on this pair, you’re spoiled for choice. Cream, pink, a different cream, green, and blue are all available. I personally find the green pair the best, though if you want to truly lean into the NEAE story, the blue probably make sense.
Mid- and Outsole
On the bottom half of the New Balance x Joe Freshgoods 992 Aged Well, the sneaker features two different colors. On the back half, where there is a stiffer foam, you will find a pink. Up front, showing a softer foam, you will find a cream color.
Around back a clear plastic heel cap features New Balance branding, and there are rubber ABZOB pods under the ball of your foot and at the very back of the sneaker. Both of these features will get yellow in a short period of time – that’s just the 992.
Underneath, the outsole is a very dark grey, but they did add two rubber green stripes. I’m not quite sure what this is supposed to reference. The original NEAE sneaker featured an all-black outsole. Changing it to a faded grey makes sense. But, what is the green? Something you stepped in? The accent color on that sneaker was blue.
Anyway, like I said above, I think the green works well with the upper so I don’t hate it.
In addition, the red and blue 992 logo is also featured on the outsole, covered with a translucent plastic. I know this is a 992 feature, but I think it looks way out of place. Nobody will see it though, so can’t complain too much.
Summary
The New Balance x Joe Freshgoods 992 Aged Well does a really good job of clearly being a special, collaboration sneaker without resorting to bright, unwearable colors. Look, I was as bummed as anyone when I didn’t get the Union L.A. Jordan 1s, but let’s be honest with ourselves. These are way, way more wearable.
Speaking of wearable, I find that they look best with pretty much any earth tone or navy pant. Chinos, rip stops, jeans, they are surprisingly versatile. Of course, the 992 shape is chunky. Even for a pair of New Balances. I wouldn’t wear them with anything too slim fitting.
Fit & Comfort
Fit
The New Balance x Joe Freshgoods 992 Aged Well fits like every other New Balance 992. That is, slightly larger than what most consider true to size, but well padded enough you should probably take your standard size.
If you like a tight fit, or you can only find a half size smaller, you might be able to get away with it. However, the original design of the 992 was to give your feet space to move naturally, so a tight fit means the sneaker won’t line up where it should on your foot.
I got these in a size 13, which is my normal size. If you’re not sure what size you are, New Balance is now stocking the 992 in a few GR sizes. It probably won’t be too hard to find a pair to try on before you pull the trigger on this pair.
Comfort
As I’ve mentioned in previous 992 reviews, the way this sneaker handles comfort is very different than what most people think of when they think of comfort. If you want something hyper plush that you sink into – think Nike’s ZoomX, Adidas’ Boost, or even New Balance’s Fuel Cell – these are not going to make you happy. In fact, when you first put them on, they feel harder than even sneakers from the 1980’s.
However, the big difference is that those sneakers will almost all bottom out throughout the day. Sure, they’ll rebound when you let them sit for a day or two, but at the end of a long day there won’t be any support left.
The foams used in the 992 won’t break down in the same way. They will offer the same level of support at 9 AM as they do at 9 PM. There is a reason that podiatrists recommend New Balance and not Nike.
Materials & Construction
Materials
The New Balance x Joe Freshgoods 992 Aged Well uses materials that are a step up from the already nice materials on a standard New Balance 992.
The majority of the upper is made of pig suede leather. It’s even softer than what New Balance uses on other 992s. I’m not sure how, exactly. It could be from a nicer tannery, though my guess is that these are just tumbled.
In addition to the suede, there are three small panels of leather on the shoe. While the leather certainly isn’t the type of leather you’d find on dress shoes that sell in the same price range as these, it’s way better than just about everything you’ll find on a main line sneaker.
Also, on the upper you’ll find a loose poly netting for the mesh, and tightly woven poly for the JFG panels. The lining is a synthetic, and is honestly the worse feeling part of the sneaker.
Under foot, a closed cell insole is fine. Better than some of the real garbage out there, but not great. They did add a nylon later on top in order to keep the design printed on, which does feel a bit slippery under foot.
Speaking of underfoot, the lighter colored foam on the outsole – up front and in the middle of the heel – is New Balance’s ABZORB. Their blend of EVA with additional rubber designed to last longer. The darker section is Polyurethane that is wrapped around the heel portion of the EVA to provide more support. New Balance calls this their ENCAP system.
Finally, the outsole of the sneaker is made entirely of rubber. There is plenty of thickness, and the harder compound should be plenty durable.
Construction
The New Balance x Joe Freshgoods 992 is made using cemented construction. This method, which is by far the most common way to make a sneaker, sees the upper sewn together and then glued onto the midsole. It offers the best flexibility of any construction, and is the most affordable. As for drawbacks, there is only one thing holding the sneaker together – the glue. If that fails, the sneaker fails. Of course, you’re way more likely to wear out the outsole first.
Speaking of construction, these are part of New Balance’s made in the USA line. At least 70 percent of the value of the sneaker is made in the USA. Of course, it’s always good to support local manufacturing, but the big benefit is labor standards.
Pricing
The New Balance x Joe Freshgoods 992 Aged Well launched at an MSRP of 229, a $30 premium over the standard 992. Most pairs were released via Joe Freshgood’s website, which charged $20 for shipping.
As I’m writing this review about a week after release, that’s about where the prices sit today. Most sizes are slightly over MSRP. You might end up paying a little bit more after shipping and all that, but if you wanted a pair and didn’t get them, head over to eBay and you’ll find plenty for a reasonable price.
Of course, even for those paying sticker, $230 is a lot for a sneaker. However, given the premium materials, US manufacturing, and collaboration tax, it’s not as bad as it could be.
Are the New Balance x Joe Freshgoods 992 Aged Well Worth It?
I’d have to say yes, the New Balance x Joe Freshgoods 992 Aged Well are worth it.
Sure, the tie into the original Joe Freshgoods 992 might be a bit of unneeded marketing. And some of the details don’t make sense (the green outsole?!). However, the sneaker could easily stand on its own without that storytelling.
The material is great, even when compared to other New Balance made in USA sneakers. But what really gets me is the great balance the sneaker has between being a collaboration that is special, but also being wearable. You’ll fit in at sneaker con as well as the work summer picnic.