Official Review: New Balance V3 Mid-Cut Umpire Plate Shoes

[JimKirk]

Official Review: New Balance V3 Mid-Cut Umpire Plate Shoes

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[The Man in Blue]

I appreciate these, but they aren’t reviews.  Sorry, that has bugged me for a while.

[BLWizzRanger]

[grayhawk]

I don't see how they're any different from the previous version.

[834k3r]

40 minutes ago, grayhawk said:

I don't see how they're any different from the previous version.

They're V3!

[MadMax]

20 minutes ago, grayhawk said:

I don't see how they're any different from the previous version.

It may just be a marketing / inventory thing, but the MU460v3 is, at the very least, NB’s official departure from the MLB -endorsed MU460v2. 
AYMR, the 460v2 experienced a “model reset” in 2020, coinciding with Nike fully taking over the shoe aspect of the MLB endorsement contract. NB also constricted their umpire shoes (plural) models variety, eliminating color combos and low-or-mid cuts. As such, this 460v3 is completely bereft of any MLB marks. 

Without knowing the details of the 460v2 OtToMH, the midsole matrix of the v3 might be different / improved. 

3N2 could definitely take a lesson from NB on the toe box. 3N2’s composite toe cap may as well be cardboard compared to NB’s. 

What’s with this fixation on mid-cut?? I hate wearing boots for sports! Are we ever hiking on a baseball field?? 

I do have to commend & appreciate New Balance on continuing plate shoes for us (umpires). The other two shoe giants just can’t seem to bother for us, with Adidas pulling Reebok out of umpire shoes completely, and Nike not even caring enough to try. 

 

[grayhawk]

19 minutes ago, 834k3r said:

They're V3!

 

[The Man in Blue]

5 hours ago, MadMax said:

As such, this 460v3 is completely bereft of any MLB marks. 

I do have to commend & appreciate New Balance on continuing plate shoes for us (umpires). The other two shoe giants just can’t seem to bother for us, with Adidas pulling Reebok out of umpire shoes completely, and Nike not even caring enough to try. 

 

Which produces a cost savings to the consumer of . . . ?

I appreciate and commend them as well.  As a person who has never been able to wear properly fitting Nike or Reebok shoes, I have long found ASICS and New Balance to be much more accommodating of us wider footed fools.  

[834k3r]

11 hours ago, The Man in Blue said:

 

Which produces a cost savings to the consumer of . . . ?

I appreciate and commend them as well.  As a person who has never been able to wear properly fitting Nike or Reebok shoes, I have long found ASICS and New Balance to be much more accommodating of us wider footed fools.  

FWIW, the toe box on US model Mizuno plate shoes are even wider than NB. The Japanese model is wider yet.

[The Man in Blue]

The toe box has never been my issue, but thank you!  It has always been the width at the forefoot.

[Velho]

2 minutes ago, The Man in Blue said:

The toe box has never been my issue, but thank you!  It has always been the width at the forefoot.

fwiw, most Nike and Adidas don't work for me and I previously used NB wides (they were meh for me). The Japanese Mizunos fit great (and I feel they are much more mobile friendly).

[JeBa]

I have the current V3 New Balance plate shoes & they're good.

I may be in the minority here, but I still prefer the fit & instep guard design my old New Balance plate shoes provided (see snipped on-line image). They eventually split across the eyelets under the front of the guard (behind the toe box).

I found a new pair of the V3 version on Amazon for $85 this Spring, so I didn't bother to see if my old plate shoes were repairable.