Updated New Balance plate shoe?

[MikeSafari]

I seem to remember one of our guys got an early picture of the new base shoe NB released this year, but one of the guys I was working with last night mentioned that there's also an updated plate shoe on the horizon that's low-cut, Reebok-style.

Anyone heard of this? Or, even better, have pictures?

[Welpe]

I have heard there will be a low top version as well. I'm looking forward to getting my hands on it.

[UmpNation21]

I have a pair of the prototypes if anyone would like to see.

[ChrisUrbz]

 

58 minutes ago, UmpNation21 said:

I have a pair of the prototypes if anyone would like to see.

Yes post a pic please

[UmpNation21]

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[UmpNation21]

You'll have to excuse me. Haven't had a chance to clean them since my last game.

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[Mr Ump]

The current shoe (as of last week for comparrison

[umpstu]

Not so sure I like the flap on the prototype.  Why not place it the same as the current shoes?

[Welpe]

Not so sure I like the flap on the prototype.  Why not place it the same as the current shoes?

They've had some issues with it tearing. This is probably an attempt to alleviate that.

[canadianump]

why don't they just make the same style shoe as the od pos ones....lighter sole and leather material....best looking shoes and lasted....the new ones are all ugly and lucky to last 3 years

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MikeSafari]

8 hours ago, UmpNation21 said:

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Those don't look at all like what I was hoping to see. They look very old-school, and don't appear to have made many changes apart from a lower cut.

[kylejt]

Is it real leather, like the 450's, or that plastic crap they used on the 460's?

I do like the shape of this prototype. High in the front, and has the 450 style notch in the back for your Achilles. I find it funny they put a logo on the plate, as your plate pants will cover it.

The mesh on the sides may be a great idea, but we all know that will collect dirt, and is a bitch to clean. Better to have perforated LEATHER, instead.

How 'bout a picture of the soles, please? And thank you for sharing those pictures.

 

I agree that the ol' +POS low top oxfords are still the best looking plate shoes ever made. I did love the routine of Parade Glossing them before a game, too. I don't feel the same passion, or need to do the same with newer shoes. I still have a pair for working 4/6 man, where I don't need to bust out very often.

[Welpe]

3 hours ago, canadianump said:

why don't they just make the same style shoe as the od pos ones....lighter sole and leather material....best looking shoes and lasted....the new ones are all ugly and lucky to last 3 years

 

They also look and are unathletic as can be. Heavy as bricks and look like we should still be umpiring in a three piece suit.

[umpstu]

10 hours ago, Welpe said:

They've had some issues with it tearing. This is probably an attempt to alleviate that.

The 450's tore on mine.  Have had no such issues with the 460's.

[UmpNation21]

I will say this, I'm not a fan of the model they gave me only bc of the glossy finish and the fact they are low tops. Both are just personal preference. Outside of that they are the most comfortable plate shoes I have worn outside the reebok zigs. I suspect when we send our prototypes back to new Balance with the consumer review that some small changes will be made. Or they may ignore it and put them out like they are. First time I've done this with new balance

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[kylejt]

It's hard to tell, but are your ankle bones covered, or not? 

[kylejt]

Oh, the old +POS are rather unathletic looking and performing, but so are our wool hats, wool pants, wide glossy belts and creased hats. I'm just saying the running shoes, with the white soles, don't match monkey suits we're forced to wear now. 

 

At some point, someone will wake up and design an athletic uniform for us umpires. Probably happen right after I retire. 

[RichMSN]

I'll crease my hats till you pull one off my cold, dead body.

[kstrunk]

I wouldn't give $20 for the prototype of the low cut. IMHO, hideous! 

[MadMax]

They're looking at the problem all wrong.

That they dropped it to a low cut isn't an issue, because the top-tier shinguards (Force3 Ultimates, Wilson... sorry, had to catch my breath after laughing... ) have extended, reinforced ankle flaps. The problem starts at the midfoot, where the mesh venting is. Venting is necessary, but mesh venting is highly problematic with plate shoes for anyone less than Div 1 NCAA and/or MiLB AA because fields are poorly maintained, if at all. Sand, dirt, mud, clay all get in that mesh venting and it becomes impossible to keep clean. At least the 460's had a pleather side and micro-holes.

The real problem is New Balance is trying to design this to satisfy two factors – budget (final price per unit) and sourcing (who constructs what where and how). If I remember right, the 450's were $99(?) when they were on retail shelves. The clunky 460's were $119. If NB had used real leather instead of pleather, I'm sure the PPU would have been $149-$159. Now you're getting into territory that no shoe manufacturer wants to go. The use of pleather and steel (is it steel? I can't confirm or deny that it is) is indicative of this price-conscience approach, too, because what would dramatically lighten this shoe and make it more athletic? The use of cutting-edge tech materials, such as carbon fiber or kevlar. That toe box on the Prototypes looks like something Herman Munster or Lurch would wear, primarily because it's a big steel toe box under pleather. Why pleather (again)? Because we umpires repeatedly beat the crap out of our plate shoes and then demand that they are uber clean and polished. We use harsh chemicals (Scrubbing Bubbles, Simple Green, 409, glass cleaner, etc.) on them in the cause of speed n' ease, and then b!tch when they don't hold up over a season.

The sourcing is also problematic because factories in Asia (China, primarily) aren't exactly innovative and high-quality. They are very good at churning out numerous units in a short amount of time to a plan, as long as that plan doesn't involve new techniques and new materials. To retool factories to produce an "all-new design" takes an exorbitant amount of (time / capital) that New Balance likely can't afford to spend. They have a specific window of X amount of time to produce Y units of Z shoes, and that's it.

Symbolic of the problem, and New Balance's (limited) attitude to fixing it, is the way the tarsal guard attaches to the main body of the shoe. Look at how heavy that stitching is! Instead of addressing the problem with a new type of fastener or stronger strap (which was the point of failure on the 460's), they just told the factory to do an even heftier stitch on that flap connecting the body to the tarsal guard! Granted, these are prototypes, but c'mon!

New Balance needs to look at this from a different angle. They are now the lone manufacturer of clout in this market only because Adidas (Reebok's parent company) completely overhauled their plan of investment in the sports landscape (Reebok was pulled out of MLB, NFL and this will be the final year of NHL, with parent Adidas taking over NHL outfitting duties), designating Reebok to concentrate solely on CrossFit. New Balance didn't earn this exclusivity by merit, but by attrition. There were some advantages to the Reebok models; New Balance should be dissecting those models to incorporate those features into their future shoes!

[Welpe]

4 hours ago, RichMSN said:

I'll crease my hats till you pull one off my cold, dead body.

I'll make up for it by continuing to not.

[umpstu]

25 minutes ago, MadMax said:

They're looking at the problem all wrong.

That they dropped it to a low cut isn't an issue, because the top-tier shinguards (Force3 Ultimates, Wilson... sorry, had to catch my breath after laughing... ) have extended, reinforced ankle flaps. The problem starts at the midfoot, where the mesh venting is. Venting is necessary, but mesh venting is highly problematic with plate shoes for anyone less than Div 1 NCAA and/or MiLB AA because fields are poorly maintained, if at all. Sand, dirt, mud, clay all get in that mesh venting and it becomes impossible to keep clean. At least the 460's had a pleather side and micro-holes.

The real problem is New Balance is trying to design this to satisfy two factors – budget (final price per unit) and sourcing (who constructs what where and how). If I remember right, the 450's were $99(?) when they were on retail shelves. The clunky 460's were $119. If NB had used real leather instead of pleather, I'm sure the PPU would have been $149-$159. Now you're getting into territory that no shoe manufacturer wants to go. The use of pleather and steel (is it steel? I can't confirm or deny that it is) is indicative of this price-conscience approach, too, because what would dramatically lighten this shoe and make it more athletic? The use of cutting-edge tech materials, such as carbon fiber or kevlar. That toe box on the Prototypes looks like something Herman Munster or Lurch would wear, primarily because it's a big steel toe box under pleather. Why pleather (again)? Because we umpires repeatedly beat the crap out of our plate shoes and then demand that they are uber clean and polished. We use harsh chemicals (Scrubbing Bubbles, Simple Green, 409, glass cleaner, etc.) on them in the cause of speed n' ease, and then b!tch when they don't hold up over a season.

The sourcing is also problematic because factories in Asia (China, primarily) aren't exactly innovative and high-quality. They are very good at churning out numerous units in a short amount of time to a plan, as long as that plan doesn't involve new techniques and new materials. To retool factories to produce an "all-new design" takes an exorbitant amount of (time / capital) that New Balance likely can't afford to spend. They have a specific window of X amount of time to produce Y units of Z shoes, and that's it.

Symbolic of the problem, and New Balance's (limited) attitude to fixing it, is the way the tarsal guard attaches to the main body of the shoe. Look at how heavy that stitching is! Instead of addressing the problem with a new type of fastener or stronger strap (which was the point of failure on the 460's), they just told the factory to do an even heftier stitch on that flap connecting the body to the tarsal guard! Granted, these are prototypes, but c'mon!

New Balance needs to look at this from a different angle. They are now the lone manufacturer of clout in this market only because Adidas (Reebok's parent company) completely overhauled their plan of investment in the sports landscape (Reebok was pulled out of MLB, NFL and this will be the final year of NHL, with parent Adidas taking over NHL outfitting duties), designating Reebok to concentrate solely on CrossFit. New Balance didn't earn this exclusivity by merit, but by attrition. There were some advantages to the Reebok models; New Balance should be dissecting those models to incorporate those features into their future shoes!

Only had a flap issue with the 450's.

 

 

 

 

[MadMax]

5 minutes ago, umpstu said:

Only had a flap issue with the 450's.

Eh, I remember at least two members here having strap-to-flap issues on their 460's. If you look at this prototype, it looks more like a 450 than a 460 in execution anyway. That being said, I've had my 460's for 2+ years now of several hundred games worth of work, and they're just fine. They are heavy, clunky, and the tops of the shoes, by the ankles, are wearing out and fraying because of the constant rubbing they get by my Force3 shinguards.

I'd locate those threads from those members, but this search "feature" would put me in this chair for several hours... which is where I don't want to be on a beautiful Friday afternoon.

[Welpe]

Just now, MadMax said:

Eh, I remember at least two members here having strap-to-flap issues on their 460's. That being said, I've had my 460's for 2+ years now of several hundred games worth of work, and they're just fine. They are heavy, clunky, and the tops of the shoes, by the ankles, are wearing out and fraying because of the constant rubbing they get by my Force3 shinguards.

I'm having the same wear issues plus the tops of the met guards are pretty scuffed up from my shin guards. Fortunately the pants hide that but it's still annoying.

[MikeSafari]

27 minutes ago, MadMax said:

They are heavy, clunky, and the tops of the shoes, by the ankles, are wearing out and fraying because of the constant rubbing they get by my Force3 shinguards.

And this right here is why I'm hoping for a new plate shoe. The 460s I wear work, but they don't work well. They're just a crappy, not particularly comfortable mid-cut shoe with a poor sole design, an added steel toe, and a steel plate on top.

I'd really, really like to see some quality shoes. Mizuno makes some plate shoes (check out @Majordave's kicks here) that make NBs look clunky as all hell, but even those I'm not sure would sell well this side of the Atlantic (which is probably why they aren't sold here).