Question:
I used to use Adidas and Nike as
my general-purpose (i.e., mostly
walking and occasional jogging)
athletic shoe. One day a shoe salesman
introduced me to a pair of New Balance
998. After I mentioned that the
inside edges of the heel cup seem
to be too close, he showed me a
width EE, and it fit just right.
I was very pleased with that pair
of shoes. It felt comfortable, and
I was impressed with the overall
quality of workmanship.
Two years
later, when the heel wore down,
I went to buy another pair, but
was told that that style was no
longer made. Fortunately, I found
a mom & pop discount store that
still had one. Finally, (when I
couldn't find another pair of 998's),
I switched to a pair of 574's. This
past summer when I tried to buy
another pair of 574's, I was told
that those had been discontinued
as well, and the one or two stores
that still carried them did not
have the EE width.
I seem to have noticed the following
trends
* Athletic shoes of practically
all brands (including New Balance)
don't seem to last as long as they
used to.
* The quality-control of the shoes
made nowadays seems to be somewhat
shoddy. Even with New Balance (a
brand that I used to trust), I've
noticed irregularites in manufacture,
where the heel-cup was apparently
not aligned properly, or where there
were unexpected bumps or high spots
in the sole, or where the left-shoe
was not symmetrical to the right-shoe.
* Styles get discontinued after
a year or two. After I've gone through
the trouble of finding a style and
size that seems to work well, and
after I've finally gotten to like
it and need to get another one,
they don't sell them anymore! Why
do they do this? Why can't they
keep a few clic models that people
will always like?
* It used to be that practically
all athletic shoes had non-flamboyant
and unpretentious styling. Now,
most of them come in wild color
combinations, and have superfluous
designs on them. What about the
rest of us who don't want to attract
undue attention by wearing those
frivolous looking shoes?
Are there brands besides New Balance
that you've had good results with
for general purpose use, that are
available in widths wider than the
normal D, and that you can recommend?
Answer:
I understand the 998s are actually
still made but only sold at Road
Runner. You won't find them on NB's
web site, though.
