Buy MX608WT New Balance MX608 Men's Crosstrainer, Size: 14.0, Width: 4EMX608WT New Balance MX608 Men's Crosstrainer, Size: 14.0, Width: 4E Product Description:
- Men's Cross-Training Shoes
- The Original 608 Cross-Trainer
- Exclusive!
Product Description
The Original New Balance 608 cross-trainer -- versatile, lightweight, this best selling cross-trainer features a leather upper and ABZORB® in the heel for multiple fitness and sports activities. Limited Production Run. Color: White
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful.
Best ever
By Poco
I've bought this exact model (608) for years. Best shoe ever. Usually I get them at Sears because once a year they have a really good sale price on them. This year, however, all I could find was the 608-v2 (version 2). I tried them on and they felt like crap. I did some research on the web, and apparently New Balance considers the version 2 as an improved model or upgrade. I don't know how they could be so wrong. Also, basically every review I read on the web said that reviewer hated the upgrade. So, with a little more research I finally found my size of the old model on Amazon. I'm hoping New Balance sees the error of their ways and reverts to manufacturing the old 608. Otherwise, a lot of us may be buying Nikes.
26 of 29 people found the following review helpful.
Used to be a good shoe but now worthless
By bonsaipark
I've worn New Balance shoes for walking since the late '80s or early '90s. They lasted years. Last fall I bought a new pair that started to fall apart within a few months (since I haven't been taking daily walks for almost a year now, this was brought about merely by walking the dog and pushing a lawnmower around the yard). Another pair did the same thing, so I started hassling NB a couple of weeks ago. Told them the shoes looked like they had a bad sunburn, with a thin, rubbery white coating peeling and shedding from the synthetic foam underneath. It's completely gone from the toe and much of the sides. Where's the leather???After getting several conflicting stories from the girls who answer the phones (and sending one pair of MX608s back to their laboratory for an 'examination'), I finally received the following explanation from someone higher up:"Thank you for contacting New Balance Consumer Support!The tip, vamp, entire heel area and the quarters of the MX608 are all leather. It is called split leather because it is "split away" from the top layer, which is called full grain. The 2-3 layers you can split away from that are called split leathers. The surface of the split is treated with a pu coating and painted. Splits are real leather.The mudguard area of the shoe is a synthetic material. This is the area along the sides directly above the midsole. If this area of the shoe is abrading, then what you are seeing could be the backing of the synthetic material which is made of compressed fibers.Additionally, very few athletic shoes are made of top grain or full grain leather anymore. It is just too expensive. All of the 608s are made this way, so there should not be a difference among different pairs."This gave me enough information to start digging into the realities of "split leather" (or "bicast leather" as it is more commonly known). This is from Wikipedia:"Bicast leather (also known as bycast leather, split leather or PU leather) is a split leather with a layer of polyurethane applied to the surface and then embossed. Bycast was originally made for the shoe industry and recently was adopted by the furniture industry. The resulting product is cheaper than top grain leather and has an artificially consistent texture and is easier to clean and maintain.The use of the term 'leather' in relation to this bicast treatment is considered a misrepresentation and therefore not permitted in the United Kingdom and New Zealand. Furniture made with bicast exhibits none of the characteristics associated with genuine leather; it will not develop a patina or suppleness nor otherwise "improve with age". With constant use the polyurethane layer will crack and split free of its backing.Modern technology permits up to 3 or 4 horizontal layers being taken from the one hide. The leather used in the backing of bicast is a thin, otherwise worthless, layer remaining after better quality layers have been removed for traditional leather work and contributes nothing to the look and feel of the end product."Nice.That's Wikipedia's take, but the conclusions match those of professional leatherworkers as well. New Balance has changed from a durable real leather upper to a bicast "leather", the use of which several countries have already ruled is deliberately misleading.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful.
Comfortable Shoes
By lori
This shoe definitely feels like the original 608. It is a good value and comfortable shoe for walking and standing on concrete floors all day. I did not like the 608v2 and was very disappointed when New Balance changed my favorite shoe. I'm so glad these are still available.
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