New Balance # containment thread

[rothdigga]

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It's weird that the 933 has gotten so many colors meanwhile the 440 gets 2 or 3 mid ones in the same time his shoe gets 6. I stopped skating the 600 partly because the colors consistently sucked. That and the tongue always flopped to the side and bothered me. Otherwise great shoes but as an adult I'm not gunna ride things I don't want to ride even if they're on sale.

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I've mentioned this before. It's down to one cw per quarter for the 440 high. The V1s had a dozen colors, maybe more, with multiple per quarter. I get the need to flaunt your flagship models and yeah the 933, 808 lites, and whatever else was new in 2025/24 were big deals but they really backburnered the 440 for it being such the proclaimed "team favorite."

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I don’t think highs sell that well at the moment.   It’s why there aren’t many dunk highs either.

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This is correct.  Hi's seem to ebb and flow in volume over the years.  I've been repping or sales managing footwear now for 20+ years and sometimes hi's just smash it, other years they're very slow.  We're just in one of those moments where hi-tops are slow so you gotta put your effort into where the volume is.  We're always going to keep them in the line to offer something, but doing multiple colors of a silhouette that demand is low on isn't a winning formula.

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My $.02

1.Dunks are dead, high and low. I don't think most skaters buying footwear preferred the dunk high for skating. Also the 440 and dunks are apples and oranges.

2.Colorways matter.

My go to shoe is the 440 hi V1 or V2. But CW's matter, I wasn't a fan of the beef and broccoli with the black sole and same with the blue with black sole. And for that reason I skipped on those even though I prefer the model. I just prefer lighter colored shoes, I think I just got spoiled with the amount of white upper combos that dropped in the V1.

@rothdigga  - Has there been any discussion internally at NB# of doing like a castlerock with white sole CW or a "core" like NB does with the MiUSA thats just always available for any numeric models? I can walk into 10 stores in every mall right now and get some grey and white 574's or 990's. Just something timeless thats always available alongside seasonally available CW's. Figure it would be easy to manage that inventory and wouldn't necessarily need to swing for the fences when ordering with the suppliers. Could even buy the materials in bulk to spread over the whole year versus a season.

For those that need the dunk comparrison the white and black "ISO" that just keep dropping every season.

Not sure on the specific colorway you're talking about, but I did have a couple of carryover colorways of 440 Hi's that I kept back about 5 years ago I'm guessing.  Mostly I pick the carryover/evergreen colors by which ones pop off super hard, as opposed to just the basic grey 990's or 574's you're talking about above.  I've kept the NM480SBW in stock since it came out since it's just a quick and easy 480 color that almost everyone universally likes and keeps selling.  I'll look for a 440-hi next time we do a round of carryover to see if anything fits the bill. 

[flintstagram]

Got my pair of 306C from Premier on Monday. The shoes are sick! They’ve been super comfortable for the handful of hours, only chilled in them so far. I find myself torn on if I want to skate them yet, but they’re skate shoes, so it feels kind of dumb to not skate them.

I have an extremely large supply of nb#’s still sitting new in box here, but these are likely going to bypass those 15 pairs or so and go straight to the top of the list.

[The Huffer]

Do we care about NB's continued contribution to and support of the Republican Party at this point?

[arrbee]

Do we care about NB's continued contribution to and support of the Republican Party at this point?

It’s not my favorite. It would also be hypocritical to say I’ll stop buying NB because of this as I type on an Apple phone. On an online forum that is probably hosted by another right wing contributor tech company server. Nike C level is not much better. Adidas is pretty liberal donation wise but the skate shoes don’t work for me. ASICS doesn’t donate to any political parties that I could find.

[Chalupa]

Do we care about NB's continued contribution to and support of the Republican Party at this point?

I do. However, it looks like they supported Cheeto Dick in ‘16, and then flipped after the tariffs screwed them in ‘19.

I’ll switch to LRAB and IPATH instantly if you have recent proof of supporting MAGA dipshits.

[arrbee]

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Do we care about NB's continued contribution to and support of the Republican Party at this point?

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I do. However, it looks like they supported Cheeto Dick in ‘16, and then flipped after the tariffs screwed them in ‘19.

I’ll switch to LRAB and IPATH instantly if you have recent proof of supporting MAGA dipshits.

https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/new-balance-athletics/summary?topnumcycle=2024&contribcycle=2024&lobcycle=2024&outspendcycle=2024&id=D000036175&toprecipcycle=2024

Also if you look through the data in 2016 they only donated $1.6M to red organizations. In 2024 they donated $9.3M to red organizations

[Chalupa]

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Do we care about NB's continued contribution to and support of the Republican Party at this point?

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I do. However, it looks like they supported Cheeto Dick in ‘16, and then flipped after the tariffs screwed them in ‘19.

I’ll switch to LRAB and IPATH instantly if you have recent proof of supporting MAGA dipshits.

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https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/new-balance-athletics/summary?topnumcycle=2024&contribcycle=2024&lobcycle=2024&outspendcycle=2024&id=D000036175&toprecipcycle=2024

Thanks, I’m going to skate the two pairs of #770 that I have before exclusively buying Grasshoppers/Cats in the future.

[Snackbar]

Got my pair of 306C from Premier on Monday. The shoes are sick! They’ve been super comfortable for the handful of hours, only chilled in them so far. I find myself torn on if I want to skate them yet, but they’re skate shoes, so it feels kind of dumb to not skate them.

I have an extremely large supply of nb#’s still sitting new in box here, but these are likely going to bypass those 15 pairs or so and go straight to the top of the list.

Agreed on the 306C, I got mine on Saturday and they're fantastic so far. Super comfy, and they fit my weird feet so well.

[The Huffer]

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Do we care about NB's continued contribution to and support of the Republican Party at this point?

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It’s not my favorite. It would also be hypocritical to say I’ll stop buying NB because of this as I type on an Apple phone. On an online forum that is probably hosted by another right wing contributor tech company server. Nike C level is not much better. Adidas is pretty liberal donation wise but the skate shoes don’t work for me. ASICS doesn’t donate to any political parties that I could find.

I hear ya. We all do what we can and vote with our $s where we will but every bit helps I suppose. I'm a fan of Numeric and I know good people work and skate for them but this is something to consider among other factors. I was just curious if it is something people think about, especially given where these maniacs they supported have taken us.

I have two more pairs of 440s in my stack that I will of course still wear but I am also pretty stoked ipaths have been working out for me as an alternative. Hoping NB make better choices in the future, so we have more 'ethical' choices as  consumers.

[Atiba Applebum]

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Do we care about NB's continued contribution to and support of the Republican Party at this point?

[close]

It’s not my favorite. It would also be hypocritical to say I’ll stop buying NB because of this as I type on an Apple phone. On an online forum that is probably hosted by another right wing contributor tech company server. Nike C level is not much better. Adidas is pretty liberal donation wise but the skate shoes don’t work for me. ASICS doesn’t donate to any political parties that I could find.

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I hear ya. We all do what we can and vote with our $s where we will but every bit helps I suppose. I'm a fan of Numeric and I know good people work and skate for them but this is something to consider among other factors. I was just curious if it is something people think about, especially given where these maniacs they supported have taken us.

I have two more pairs of 440s in my stack that I will of course still wear but I am also pretty stoked ipaths have been working out for me as an alternative. Hoping NB make better choices in the future, so we have more 'ethical' choices as  consumers.

I just try and view it as supporting the good people at Numeric.   I may not be crazy about the top of the ladder but I know there are people I like that and have good politics that are also supported by that money.   It’s like if my friend made a movie for MGM, I wouldn’t not buy a ticket for it bc fuck Bezos.     

[arrbee]

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Do we care about NB's continued contribution to and support of the Republican Party at this point?

[close]

It’s not my favorite. It would also be hypocritical to say I’ll stop buying NB because of this as I type on an Apple phone. On an online forum that is probably hosted by another right wing contributor tech company server. Nike C level is not much better. Adidas is pretty liberal donation wise but the skate shoes don’t work for me. ASICS doesn’t donate to any political parties that I could find.

[close]

I hear ya. We all do what we can and vote with our $s where we will but every bit helps I suppose. I'm a fan of Numeric and I know good people work and skate for them but this is something to consider among other factors. I was just curious if it is something people think about, especially given where these maniacs they supported have taken us.

I have two more pairs of 440s in my stack that I will of course still wear but I am also pretty stoked ipaths have been working out for me as an alternative. Hoping NB make better choices in the future, so we have more 'ethical' choices as  consumers.

[close]

I just try and view it as supporting the good people at Numeric.   I may not be crazy about the top of the ladder but I know there are people I like that and have good politics that are also supported by that money.   It’s like if my friend made a movie for MGM, I wouldn’t not buy a ticket for it bc fuck Bezos.   

Not only that, also the shops I’m buying from. I’m friends with a bunch of shop owners and the shops I support I know align with my political leanings. We’re in a messy political climate as a country currently. It’s nearly impossible to live a life in the US where the money you spend isn’t used to fight against what you believe.

[CreepySweaty]

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Do we care about NB's continued contribution to and support of the Republican Party at this point?

[close]

It’s not my favorite. It would also be hypocritical to say I’ll stop buying NB because of this as I type on an Apple phone. On an online forum that is probably hosted by another right wing contributor tech company server. Nike C level is not much better. Adidas is pretty liberal donation wise but the skate shoes don’t work for me. ASICS doesn’t donate to any political parties that I could find.

[close]

I hear ya. We all do what we can and vote with our $s where we will but every bit helps I suppose. I'm a fan of Numeric and I know good people work and skate for them but this is something to consider among other factors. I was just curious if it is something people think about, especially given where these maniacs they supported have taken us.

I have two more pairs of 440s in my stack that I will of course still wear but I am also pretty stoked ipaths have been working out for me as an alternative. Hoping NB make better choices in the future, so we have more 'ethical' choices as  consumers.

[close]

I just try and view it as supporting the good people at Numeric.   I may not be crazy about the top of the ladder but I know there are people I like that and have good politics that are also supported by that money.   It’s like if my friend made a movie for MGM, I wouldn’t not buy a ticket for it bc fuck Bezos.   

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Not only that, also the shops I’m buying from. I’m friends with a bunch of shop owners and the shops I support I know align with my political leanings. We’re in a messy political climate as a country currently. It’s nearly impossible to live a life in the US where the money you spend isn’t used to fight against what you believe.

I haven’t purchased a pair of skate shoes new in 5 years. So much excellent used condition product floating around on eBay, poshmark, and depop.

[Chalupa]

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Do we care about NB's continued contribution to and support of the Republican Party at this point?

[close]

It’s not my favorite. It would also be hypocritical to say I’ll stop buying NB because of this as I type on an Apple phone. On an online forum that is probably hosted by another right wing contributor tech company server. Nike C level is not much better. Adidas is pretty liberal donation wise but the skate shoes don’t work for me. ASICS doesn’t donate to any political parties that I could find.

[close]

I hear ya. We all do what we can and vote with our $s where we will but every bit helps I suppose. I'm a fan of Numeric and I know good people work and skate for them but this is something to consider among other factors. I was just curious if it is something people think about, especially given where these maniacs they supported have taken us.

I have two more pairs of 440s in my stack that I will of course still wear but I am also pretty stoked ipaths have been working out for me as an alternative. Hoping NB make better choices in the future, so we have more 'ethical' choices as  consumers.

[close]

I just try and view it as supporting the good people at Numeric.   I may not be crazy about the top of the ladder but I know there are people I like that and have good politics that are also supported by that money.   It’s like if my friend made a movie for MGM, I wouldn’t not buy a ticket for it bc fuck Bezos.   

[close]

Not only that, also the shops I’m buying from. I’m friends with a bunch of shop owners and the shops I support I know align with my political leanings. We’re in a messy political climate as a country currently. It’s nearly impossible to live a life in the US where the money you spend isn’t used to fight against what you believe.

I agree that supporting shops is more important than what brands people buy. However, we have enough brands to choose from to avoid supporting brands that donate to Republican PACs. It sucks because boycotting NB# probably won’t change anything, and will hurt skateboarders who run shops or work for NB, instead of the CEO.

I feel a bit privileged because I don’t have foot problems (yet). So, I can skate anything from Vans Slip Ons to Adidas Forum ADVs, without having any pain (from the shoes). If NB# is significantly more comfortable, or fit your feet better than other brands, you should continue buying them from shops.

For anyone thinking about boycotting NB, don’t switch to Nike, because the owner of Nike has donated significantly more to Republican causes.

[cjscoot]

I’m on this page, I know some of the dudes at numeric are very vocal in their political opinion and it jives with mine, I appreciate that they actually care about skateboarding and support the community, and the owners at the shops I buy from have similar ideals. That’s enough for me, im not going to target a specific thing I buy when so much else of what my family spends money on ends up with companies that support similar politics. It’s too expensive to be that considerate of where your money goes but I respect the folks that do.

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Do we care about NB's continued contribution to and support of the Republican Party at this point?

[close]

It’s not my favorite. It would also be hypocritical to say I’ll stop buying NB because of this as I type on an Apple phone. On an online forum that is probably hosted by another right wing contributor tech company server. Nike C level is not much better. Adidas is pretty liberal donation wise but the skate shoes don’t work for me. ASICS doesn’t donate to any political parties that I could find.

[close]

I hear ya. We all do what we can and vote with our $s where we will but every bit helps I suppose. I'm a fan of Numeric and I know good people work and skate for them but this is something to consider among other factors. I was just curious if it is something people think about, especially given where these maniacs they supported have taken us.

I have two more pairs of 440s in my stack that I will of course still wear but I am also pretty stoked ipaths have been working out for me as an alternative. Hoping NB make better choices in the future, so we have more 'ethical' choices as  consumers.

[close]

I just try and view it as supporting the good people at Numeric.   I may not be crazy about the top of the ladder but I know there are people I like that and have good politics that are also supported by that money.   It’s like if my friend made a movie for MGM, I wouldn’t not buy a ticket for it bc fuck Bezos.   

[close]

Not only that, also the shops I’m buying from. I’m friends with a bunch of shop owners and the shops I support I know align with my political leanings. We’re in a messy political climate as a country currently. It’s nearly impossible to live a life in the US where the money you spend isn’t used to fight against what you believe.

[Amocat]

Rose Anvil has cut up the 306 cup if anyone was curious.

[Dancing Horses]

First session in the 306 cupsoles today. No surprises really, feels like a more supportive and snug version of the 306. Nice board feel, perhaps not as much uplift in cushioning under foot as I was expecting. The original 306 is already well cushioned for a vulc from its thicker insole at the heel.

The sole/flick reminded me of the Lakai XLK eg Lakai Atlantic (no bad thing in my eyes) and the Adidas Suciu ADV. Though I would say I’m not tuned into the finer details of shoes.

Looking forward to next session in them already.

[Chalupa]

Available at Coureur

[fakiefs180]

First session in the 306 cupsoles today. No surprises really, feels like a more supportive and snug version of the 306. Nice board feel, perhaps not as much uplift in cushioning under foot as I was expecting. The original 306 is already well cushioned for a vulc from its thicker insole at the heel.

The sole/flick reminded me of the Lakai XLK eg Lakai Atlantic (no bad thing in my eyes) and the Adidas Suciu ADV. Though I would say I’m not tuned into the finer details of shoes.

Looking forward to next session in them already.

Woah. I absolutely loved the Lakai Atlantic. Did you went with your usual size in the 306 cup? I wanna try them.

[Dancing Horses]

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First session in the 306 cupsoles today. No surprises really, feels like a more supportive and snug version of the 306. Nice board feel, perhaps not as much uplift in cushioning under foot as I was expecting. The original 306 is already well cushioned for a vulc from its thicker insole at the heel.

The sole/flick reminded me of the Lakai XLK eg Lakai Atlantic (no bad thing in my eyes) and the Adidas Suciu ADV. Though I would say I’m not tuned into the finer details of shoes.

Looking forward to next session in them already.

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Woah. I absolutely loved the Lakai Atlantic. Did you went with your usual size in the 306 cup? I wanna try them.

Yes went with my usual 306 size. A slightly snugger fit but not enough to make me want to go up a size.

[Fitspire]

For those that are looking for a synthetic option, the UN440VBB just arrived into inventory and should start hitting shops soon.  That's our main synth/vegan option for 2026.

When i look up the mentioned 440 on the Canada site the description says
 
Material

    Suede, canvas and mesh upper
    This item contains cow leather

Is that wrong or am i looking at the wrong shoe?

[Tuktuk]

I just had a fucking revelation, kinda thanks to you guys.

I skated Dunks for years and honestly that’s what gave me the best comfort, boardfeel, and overall vibe. But I really wanted to find the ideal skate shoe. So I tried a bunch of stuff (1010, 306, Superstar, Nora, Classic Hi, Busenitz, AJ4, Superskate, Samba, Pro model, blazer, Spezial, 808, Chuck, Wino, Slip-On, Gamma, Heritic).

I had picked up a pair of 440 V1 in brown on sale at some point, but the square toe cap kinda killed it for me on the first try-on, so I threw the box under the stairs and forgot about them until two weeks ago.

I didn’t have anything decent left to skate, so I pulled the 440 V1s back out — and honestly, once they broke in, they’re actually really nice to skate. The outsole rubber is super fragile though.

So I ordered the 440 V2 Wide in black/black. Haven’t skated them yet, but just walking around in them they already feel really comfortable and flexible. The wide version isn’t actually that wide, by the way. I’m hoping the sole is more durable than the V1, and that I can try the Hi version soon.

[Chalupa]

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For those that are looking for a synthetic option, the UN440VBB just arrived into inventory and should start hitting shops soon.  That's our main synth/vegan option for 2026.

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When i look up the mentioned 440 on the Canada site the description says
 
Material

    Suede, canvas and mesh upper
    This item contains cow leather

Is that wrong or am i looking at the wrong shoe?

It’s wrong. That’s the description for all the 440v2 colorways. They didn’t update it for that colorway.

Escapist listed it as vegan:
https://www.escapistskateboarding.com/new-balance-numeric-440v2-dark-brown-black.html

[rothdigga]

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For those that are looking for a synthetic option, the UN440VBB just arrived into inventory and should start hitting shops soon.  That's our main synth/vegan option for 2026.

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When i look up the mentioned 440 on the Canada site the description says
 
Material

    Suede, canvas and mesh upper
    This item contains cow leather

Is that wrong or am i looking at the wrong shoe?

You're looking at the correct shoe.  The description is wrong for some reason so I'll see if they can correct it.  If you hover over the small image of the shoe and it says UN440VBB (Brown with black) then that's 100% the synth one. 

[Fitspire]

Thanks guys, will order them as soon as they arrive in Europe.

[cjscoot]

Ryan Lay’s got a new 480 CW in his last YouTube video. These aren’t either of the Q2 colorways so maybe it’s something special? Any guesses?

[cjscoot]

Oh and q2 colorways starting to pop up
https://freestyleshop.com/collections/new-balance-numeric-skate-shoes/products/new-balance-numeric-tom-knox-600-un600pwg-phantom-nb-103-white-shoes
https://freestyleshop.com/collections/new-balance-numeric-skate-shoes/products/new-balance-numeric-440-high-v2-un440htw-timberwolf-nb-103-white-shoes

[Atiba Applebum]

Love those 440 his

[arisechicken]

Ryan Lay’s got a new 480 CW in his last YouTube video. These aren’t either of the Q2 colorways so maybe it’s something special? Any guesses?

Looks like they’re a collab with Slow Impact

[arisechicken]

I tried to post the screen shot but it says the file is too big. Sorry for not providing pics

[Atiba Applebum]

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Ryan Lay’s got a new 480 CW in his last YouTube video. These aren’t either of the Q2 colorways so maybe it’s something special? Any guesses?

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Looks like they’re a collab with Slow Impact

Big month for AZ colorways.   I like this better