I'm pretty into the wide toe box / barefoot shoe thing and the New Balance 272 has been the best skate shoe for that vibe for me. The toe box is nice and wide and the arch support minimal. The heel is slightly raised, but these are only skate shoes that leave my feet feeling normal after a session. I think they're also slightly longer than some of the other numeric models so that might be part of it. They have plenty of protection too. I've landed primo a number of times and have gotten away with it every time.
Here's a pic of the other NBs I've tried and a few shoes popular in the wide toe box world. I'm a size 12 so here's a summary of how the others felt compared to the 272s.
255 - Started here. These felt pretty nice but something about how they placed the laces leads to me ripping one basically every session.
440 - Grabbed these next. Super bummed these didn't work out because these seems to always get great colorways. They're more squared off so my middle toes are a little more snug than I'd like, but that might work for your foot shape. The killer for me was the built in arch support. It's high. I'm used to minimalist shoes so after even a half hour in these my soles feel like they lost a fight.
306L - I was excited to try these after burning through laces in 255s. They were great for a while but the elastic on my flick foot gave out and now it's pretty floppy. They are a little narrower than the 272s.
I really appreciate the variety of sizes and shapes New Balance offers. It can make finding your fit an expensive hassle, especially when they don't even have a dealer locator for their Numeric line on their website, but it's nice that they seem to offer something for everyone.
The 255s were the best fit for me, 1/2 size up, but after a few weeks, the ball of my foot always hurt, and immediately after putting them on and just walking...
272s in my size (10) felt too long, but great width-wise.
Foys, in a 10 were snug, 10.5, swimming and heel slip....
10 in the 1010 tiago too big (heel slip for days), 9.5 too small (the leather ones, I felt cramped height-wise in the toe box
Westgates, same thing as hte 1010s but much more narrow, as are all the 'square toed' NB#
I've pretty much sworn NB# off but I too, appreciate the amount of options they have, sadly I can't find one that works. I might try the 255s again.
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New Balance 272’s, my friend. Most of the shoes in recent memory that I have skated hurt my toes (ordered in no particular order: Vans Chima 2, DC Tiago(these ones killed my toes BAD even after they were broken in), Vans Style 112, Kyle Walker 1’s (So bad that I didn’t even finish skating the life out of the shoe yet because they’re so unenjoyable)). The Chima 2s are still my favorite skate shoe even though they kill my toes and it becomes more noticeable as the session goes by
The only ones that didn’t hurt my toes too bad were the Rowan’s, One Star Pros, and Louie Lopez Lows.
But the New Balance 272’s are roomier and more enjoyable to skate than all of them simply because I don’t have to worry about something I should even be worried about (toe pain) when I’m skating. Theres room in the toes, forefoot isn’t tight, and they lock in your heel nicely. Highly recommend. Will pick up another pair.
The 255s have been perfect for me, zero complaints (they are a no frills shoe, buyer beware). I've picked up some 272s to have on ice and can only assume the 306 (Foy) would fit similarly given the shape of the toe box. The 10.5 vulc from NB# is a perfect fit...
The only bummer is I'd prefer a cupsole that fits as well (and the NB sizing in cup doesn't fit my foot).
Has anyone tried the és silo sc or the quatro? They seem like they are wider cupsole shoes.
Silo SC is roomier than the Quattro. The Quattro is a little more stubby/snug fit in the toe box compared to the Silo SC. Silo SC definitely has a more forgiving toe box and is wider, not as pointy, more toe height, etc. Personally, those two models run small (just like the Marana and Joslin), so go up 0.5 from your regular siz for a better fit.
Thank you! I think I will try the Silo Sc next.
I just bought the tyshawn mids. They are not that wide, but I think I can make it work. I would compare the fit to a Marana mid.
Other than that they feel a bit tight in the toe box they are an amazing shoe. Very stable but not limiting ancle movement. A good balance between a thicker cupsole and good boardfeel. I bought them half a size up.
Damnit, I just bought some (arriving today) in hopes they were wide enough as the 3ST.003 was the last pair of Adidas I owned and they were fine once they broke in (tho I wasn't impressed with the grip).