The latest New Balance Plate shoes - Meh

[kylejt]

Been wearing the low tops since February. They're okay, but I'm not really ga-ga over them.

 

Ups

I do like the soles, as they seem to release mud pretty easily. Plenty of mucky fields in San Diego this year, and they've got good grip, and don't clog up.

Easy to wipe off the plastic parts.

Comfortable fit. They ran pretty true to size for me, at 10.5E. Nice insole.

 

Downs

Plastic. Plastic toes. Plastic uppers. We deserve a quality shoe. I'd pay more for leather, and a real hard toe cap. This one I can flex with my two thumbs.

The mesh is nice, but a bitch to clean. It will only get worse over the years. You can spray what ever chemical you want on it, but it won't make the dirt disappear. They'll need to be scrubbed and rinsed. I take a brush in my utility sink after games.

 

I'm not sure how long they'll last, as I'm not convinced on the quality of the build. And the black finish is starting to turn a tad gray, too.

So I'll wear them this season, and probably next. I don't see NB coming up with a replacement anytime soon. But perhaps Under Armour, when it takes over the uniforms, may not wish to have a competing brand on the feet of the umpires on TV, and will come up with something new. One can hope.

My wish: The soles of the v3, the leather of the 450, and looks of the +POS low top. Something classy, yet athletic. Something I can go over with Parade Gloss and a Zippo, and see myself in the shine.

 

[conbo61]

I had purchased a set (base and plate) of V2's a couple of years ago and at that time the base shoes were all "leather".  Recently I purchased a second set of V2's from U-A and noticed that the base shoes are now mesh.  When did this happen?  I can see @kylejt's point that these are going to be a bear to keep clean and that continuous scrubbing will eventually break the mesh down.

I also agree with him that I too would pay a little more for a good leather shoe with a good hard toe cap.

[mbkcoach]

Those days seem to be gone for good. Shoes like these are not made to last for years anymore. A New pair every year or two max. Very similar to football cleats. Those guys in the NFL have ten boxes in their locker. They are not made to last but to be replaced. 

[BrianC14]

Uh oh. ...  paying more, getting less.    Order hasn't even arrived and already buyer's remorse is setting in.

[dl1340]

See my post, I had mine for less than two weeks and a spot on the finish has came off. I too posted on here about the meta plate protection and several chimed in that it had more protection designed inside the shoe. It is a very comfortable shoe

[BrianC14]

18 minutes ago, dl1340 said:

See my post, I had mine for less than two weeks and a spot on the finish has came off. I too posted on here about the meta plate protection and several chimed in that it had more protection designed inside the shoe. It is a very comfortable shoe

I will remain cautiously optimistic.   Saw the post about the 'spot'.    Did you attempt to fix that with shoe polish and buffing?

[dl1340]

No I contacted Ump-Attire and waiting for a response before i do anything

[umpstu]

15 hours ago, kylejt said:

Been wearing the low tops since February. They're okay, but I'm not really ga-ga over them.

 

Ups

I do like the soles, as they seem to release mud pretty easily. Plenty of mucky fields in San Diego this year, and they've got good grip, and don't clog up.

Easy to wipe off the plastic parts.

Comfortable fit. They ran pretty true to size for me, at 10.5E. Nice insole.

 

Downs

Plastic. Plastic toes. Plastic uppers. We deserve a quality shoe. I'd pay more for leather, and a real hard toe cap. This one I can flex with my two thumbs.

The mesh is nice, but a bitch to clean. It will only get worse over the years. You can spray what ever chemical you want on it, but it won't make the dirt disappear. They'll need to be scrubbed and rinsed. I take a brush in my utility sink after games.

 

I'm not sure how long they'll last, as I'm not convinced on the quality of the build. And the black finish is starting to turn a tad gray, too.

So I'll wear them this season, and probably next. I don't see NB coming up with a replacement anytime soon. But perhaps Under Armour, when it takes over the uniforms, may not wish to have a competing brand on the feet of the umpires on TV, and will come up with something new. One can hope.

My wish: The soles of the v3, the leather of the 450, and looks of the +POS low top. Something classy, yet athletic. Something I can go over with Parade Gloss and a Zippo, and see myself in the shine.

 

They are great shoes to wear doing ball in desert areas as they basically just rinse off in the sink.  You are correct in the comment about needing a scrubbing to get the mesh clean. Do that once every two weeks or so and set them out in the sun for them to dry in a couple hours.  Had to replace the shoe strings as I basically have had to replace all of the New Balance shoe strings.  Still, love that the shoes actually fit.  And, I sure wish that Reebok would make the field magistrate plate shoes again.  Great shoes.

[kylejt]

14 hours ago, mbkcoach said:

Those days seem to be gone for good. Shoes like these are not made to last for years anymore. A New pair every year or two max. Very similar to football cleats. Those guys in the NFL have ten boxes in their locker. They are not made to last but to be replaced. 

It helps whey you get them for free.