Third pair
This is my third pair of New Balance 990v3. I have the blue, gray and now black pairs. I'll keep this short since shoe reviews are pretty straightforward to me. This shoe reminds of how shoes used to be made. These days I can't hardly buy shoes online because the sizes vary so much between brands. The 990v3 is a perfect fit for me in 11 4E. To give you an idea of how much other brands vary for me: I own and wear a pair of Nike Air Max that are sized 12.5. A pair of Adidas Thrashers that are sized 13. A pair of Brooks Glycerin in size 11.5 2E. And when I need to put work boots on, I have a pair of Red Wing's that are size 11. The boots don't need wide width since they are cut wider than running shoes. An interesting note: Both the Red Wings and these 990s by New Balance are part of "Heritage" collections. Also, if you have New Balance not from the Heritage line, your size most likely won't be the same. I bought a pair of New Balance hiking type shoes here on Amazon and have a review of them in my history that were way too small on me even though I got the same size I wear in the 990s.Quality and workmanship are both very high on these 990s. They're comfortable, even comfortable enough to leave on once you get home from work. The padding is very balanced, unlike most running shoes that tend to pad in the front, middle or heel. I've never complained about the price of these either. As a former athlete, I have had numerous severe/serious/needed surgery injuries to my legs, especially knees and ankles, but these shoes just feel good on my legs. My oldest pair of 990v3's are a couple years old and are still worn when I mow our yard. The padding in those are breaking down a little, but I wore them nearly everyday for a year before buying my second pair. To add to the durability of these shoes, I'm well over 6' and weigh between 250-300 at any given time.I couldn't be happier about spending another hundred and fifty dollars on the same pair of shoes I already have. They are well worth it. Last, I don't doubt those who are having the cat urine smell problem, but I can say I've not had it with any of my pairs of 990s. I can't recommend any shoe any higher than these.
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Pamela M.
September 05, 2025
Perfect walking shoe
I am on at least my fifth pair of these shoes. I walk 10K steps every day and have had a broken toe, so I like to switch out my shoes every 6 months. My podiatrist recommended these shoes. They do not wear out on the outside, but I replace them often for maximum cushion inside. I donate the old pairs. In the summer, I do not wear socks and the shoes breathe well. They are lightweight while giving me great support. I do have high arches. Very comfortable! The colors are nice and as advertised.
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Great Choice!
After trying the NB998 and the NB567, the NB990 perfectly fit the bill. These shoes seem to be well-made and durable. As for the the sizing, they seem to run a bit small, so perhaps a half-size bigger may be required. The toe box is adequately sized for my medium D width. I particularly liked the styling of the navy blue 990 model, because it contrasts well with any attire - even when one is not an avid runner, such as I. The fit is nice around the ankle, good arch support and enough cushion for an average weight guy or gal. In comparing the NB990 to the other two: The NB998 was a retro-design running shoe, but for me this model slipped the heel even when walking. The NB567 was okay design-wise, however, for me the left toe box cramped a toe or two, which was not acceptable.Wear these around your house for a while to ensure a proper fit - that way, returns will not be an issue, if they ultimately don't fit correctly.The NB990 is a very nice athletic shoe. Made in USA, great quality, as expected.
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Stephen M. Greenfield
September 03, 2013
Great Shoe -- BEWARE the CAT URINE SMELL (updated x 4)
I'm saddened that the first review I've chosen to write in ten years of Amazon purchases had to be a warning about a product I loved and have purchased yearly for decades.All the positives posted in other reviews about the amazing fit and comfort are true: but this shoe -- and some other New Balance models -- have a dark side: a powerful, repugnant smell that seems guaranteed to emerge after the shoe gets wet.For the past two years I've been battling with a mystery: my family and coworkers have complained unabashedly about the smell of cat urine coming from my New Balance 990's (and the 993's before this model). I could smell it, too, and it was so powerful that I had to leave the shoes in another part of the house. I had assumed, since I do have indoor cats, that they had somehow decided to use my shoes as a litter box. Strange behavior for female spayed cats, but OK -- what else could it be.I tried all manner of enzymatic cat urine cleaners and deodorants -- NOTHING worked. So I bought NEW shoes and vowed to keep them away from any place the cats could get to -- including never leaving them outside where outdoor cats might find them.Amazingly -- the smell came back! I finally figured that I must have gotten cat urine from neighborhood cats on them while watering the garden. I purchased ANOTHER new pair, and this time waterproofed them and avoided taking them out into my garden area.BUT -- the smell returned AGAIN! After trying the usual round of cat de-stinking chemicals, I was at a New Balance store and happen to ask about washing them. The experienced assistant manager GUESSED: "Oh, do they smell like cat urine?" I was STUNNED! He explained that it's a known problem with a polyurethane component in the sole breaking down and/or rotting due to exposure to water. The smell is due to the release of ammonia.I could hardly wait to do a Google search -- and I could hardly believe my eyes: hundreds of postings about the VERY SAME SMELL -- from people who, like me, had been convinced it was related to feline tinkling -- many that didn't even have cats. The stories were strikingly similar: only by chance had these other consumers stumbled upon the information that the smell was a manufacturing defect, one that New Balance had been aware of for a couple of years. In many cases, New Balance had done the right thing and replaced the shoes, but also had informed consumers that the problem had been "corrected". This does NOT appear to be true: I purchased these shoes in May, and by July they had already started to smell horrible from the soles getting wet.Tomorrow I'll be speaking with New Balance. While I'm confident they'll replace the shoes, I doubt I'll get any definitive answers as to what model shoe to purchase to avoid the problem in the future. I will absolutely buy from New Balance again, but only once I've been able to determine the issue has been corrected.CAT URINE SMELL ISSUE UPDATE #1 (10-29-13):When I spoke with New Balance on 9-3-13, they acknowledged the problem, and issued me a credit for their on-line store, but frankly stated that the issue "was not fixed yet".HOWEVER, I just got off the phone with New Balance's consumer line, and I've been informed that the issue IS NOW FIXED for the 990. The 993 had a similar problem that was supposedly also fixed, but then the cat urine smell issue cropped up again for that shoe.I was told that "every new 990 is made with new materials" and they haven't heard of a recurrence of the cat urine smell issue with the new 990's -- yet. There are no manufacturing dates that are easily accessible, so there is no way to be sure if you are getting a "new" 990 or not. Perhaps Amazon does so much business that they would likely have new stock. Similarly, I would expect the New Balance web store to be a reliable (if perhaps more expensive) place to get a new 990.New Balance has no plans to make any public statement about the correction, for fear of alarming people who have never run into the issue.I have no doubt that if the problem crops up again, New Balance will surely replace my shoes again. So I will buy another pair without fear. But if I smell cat urine again, I will certainly be "pissed" -- and may write a formal letter to Consumer Reports.CAT URINE SMELL ISSUE UPDATE #2 (July 9, 2014):I am very sad to report that after 8 months, the new pair of 990v3 that New Balance customer service swore was manufactured to resolve this issue has just started to smell like cat urine! I'm beginning to feel like the abused spouse that keeps going back when assured that the abuse will never happen again. Once again, New Balance customer service agreed to replace the shoe. Actually, they issued a credit to replace the shoe with ANY NB shoe! I elected to try the 2040v2 -- which is a $349 shoe! There has only been one report of the "cat urine smell" on the 2040v1 on Amazon, so I'm hopeful that maybe the v2 might have been reengineered.New Balance sure knows how to engineer comfortable shoes, AND they do have a fabulous customer service department, although the rep I spoke with on Monday at first downplayed the issue, saying "It's just the natural breakdown of materials," and "it can happen to any shoe -- even from other manufacturers." (that latter part may be true, apparently other companies have had the same problem -- but fixed it). She also suggested the issue could be "prevented" by making sure to completely dry out the shoe if it got wet.However -- her instructions assumed that the INSIDE of the shoe had gotten exposed to water. That isn't the case. The problem is well-known to occur with water exposure on the OUTSIDE BOTTOM (sole) of the shoe. That's hard to avoid unless you live in the desert.The INSANITY is that New Balance clearly understands there IS an issue -- and even if it only affects a small percentage of their shoes, it is astonishing that a company with revenues of nearly 3 billion dollars can't correct a materials issue that they've been aware of since 2006. How many people (like me) have gone years assuming that user care, and not product engineering, were the cause of the problem?I'll report back on the 2040v2.CAT URINE SMELL ISSUE UPDATE #3 (September 21, 2015):I've been wearing the 2040v2 for over a year, and so far no cat urine smell on this model. Of course, being a very expensive shoe, superior in it's construction and materials, so it's not really a substitute for the less-expensive 990 series. I'm curious if anyone who bought the 990 during the past year has seen a repeat of the problem, or if it has FINALLY been corrected.CAT URINE SMELL ISSUE UPDATE #4 (November 29, 2016):No problems with the 2040v2 for over two years. Except that I have worn out the shoe, wearing it almost every day. Does anyone know the status of the cat urine issue for the 990?
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