Sizing: The New Balance 440 skate shoe fits true to size. I suggest you to buy it in your normal shoe size.
Boardfeel/Grip: The New Balance Numeric 440 is a cupsole construction shoe. In the beginning the shoe might feel a bit ‘flat’ and stiff. After having tried the NB# 913 which is probably my best skate shoe ever, my expectations of course where not the highest for the 440. The 440 doesn’t have all the tech specs like the 913 does but on the other hand it is not of the same cost as well. Now, in terms of boardfeel i can say that this shoe isn’t as flexible as other cupsole shoes but you can still feel your board pretty well. Grip is super good and the outsole’s pattern work out perfect.
Shape: The shape of the New Balance Numeric 440 shoe is something in between to the shape of the stratford 533v2 and the 913. Of course it is obvious that is a low profile skate shoe, and moving from the tongue to your forefoot it start to get a bit wide and then it narrows till you reach to the end of your toes. If you have tried a pair of New Balance Numeric cupsole shoes then you will be bale to understand what i am saying but if not then it might be difficult and you need to get one to understand the exact shape as it differs from any other skate shoe brand. In my personal opinion i find their shape the best and it works out great for me and for anyone else who gave them a try.
Durability: In this model there is a triple stitching and believe me this helps a lot with the life of this shoe. I have experienced plenty of pair featuring triple stitching which was useless as the side panels were completely worn out but this is not the case with New Balance 440 shoes. The outsole is also pretty durable and despite the fact that i was skating a brand new board i can’t see any flatspot coming soon.
Cushioning: As previously said, having tried the 913’s which offers a full length cushion, could’t expect a lot from the 440’s. First of all, the insoles are attached/glued to the sole of the shoe and i can say they are just some standard insoles- not cushy at all. So, you can understand that all the impact has to be absorbed from the midsole while at the same time this model doesn’t feature the RevLite cushion technology. So yes, impact support is not a plus for this shoe.
Style: The New Balance Numeric 440 shoe is definitely a good looking skate shoe. There are plenty of stylish colorways and it is a pretty nice shoe to wear and skate with.It has good grip, it’s durable, it has a nice flick and last but not least, a good price!Give it a try!
Ps: Special thanks to Mark Baines for sending me this pair to test it out. Cheers!🙌
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