New Balance #440 V2 Shoes
New Balance launches their new version (V2) of the #440 shoes. They made a few subtle changes that we think people will really love. We'll talk about a few of the changes to style and tech on these, as well as answer some frequently asked questions about the shoes.
See our full video review and wear test on the shoes below.
SHOP NEW BALANCE #440V2 SHOES
New Balance #440 V2 Video: We talk about the differences in styling and tech of the V2 to the original version of these shoes.
All skating was filmed at the Compound YYC in Calgary, Alberta by Brian Heinrich.
Check out the Compound Here: https://thecompoundyyc.com/
The New Balance #440 shoes came out in 2018 and have been a staple in the New Balance Numeric line ever since. The #440 is designed using retro catalogs and using the styling of retro running shoes and classic New Balance court shoes from the 70's. Over the last few years, NB has released lots of new stuff and felt that the #440 was getting lost in the mix, so they redesinged it to a version 2, and the V1 will be discontinued. The V2 took around 12 months from the original idea to being on the shelves at skateshops. Along the way there was a lot of team feedback and input that went into this new design. This shoe has personally been my go-to skate shoe for the last 5 years, so I was excited and nervous for the changes.
Team Feedback: When asking Mikut about the redesign, I was super interested by the team imput on these shoes, speciafially with guys that had been riding the #440's alot over the years (Ronnie Kessner, Ryan Lay, Justin Henry). I know Reynolds seemed to be skating this shoe a which seemed like an odd choice for someone who usually skates #1010 and #808.
Ryan Lay was one of the first team riders to test a pair and he said something along the lines of “It is absolutely criminal to have us skate the v2, feel all these improvements and then have to skate the v1 for a whole year.”
TECH & DURABILITY:
After years on the market, there was a lot of amazing customer and team rider feedback on the shoes. The biggest piece of feedback on the shoes seems to be that they were a little on the thin side, and once breaking them in, felt a little too soft.
THE SOLE:
The #440 V1 shoe used a CCAP material in the midsole, which is very high durometer, which means it's a pretty stiff material. After testing it in a bunch of other shoes, the design team at NB decided to use Abzorb foam in the midsole instead because it keeps it's shape like CCAP but absorbs a lot more impact, making your feet feel better after a long day of skating.
STYLING:
If you look at comments on the internet, the most polarizing part of these new shoes is the change in the N side logo. Even at the shop here, there's been lots of discussion on the different end, and people are split pretty evenly. When talking to head shoe designer Jeff Mikut about the changes, he said they changed up the N because there are 4 other cupsole models from NB with a similar size and placed N on the side. The new N in more in line with some of the sporty non-skate shoes that New Balance is making and does really differentiate the #440 from other New Balance shoes on the wall.
The other big styling changes come to the toe box. The toe box on the original New Balance #440 shoes was very squared off, and the V2 will be a much rounder toe, which when talking to team riders about the shoe was the first thing Ronnie Kessner brought up, saying it feels much nicer for kickflips and flip tricks, to have a less square toe. With that change they also brought up the toe cap and pulled it back slightly to protect the high wear areas. Lastly, the shoe was also flattened out on the V2, meaning the shoe looks much better on the wall (less toebock).
I asked if the V2 was built on the same last as the original #440 and they are not, the new last is a few mm's wider in the midfoot and rounder at the toe down. The heel fit and heel lock has also been improved, with a slightly higher collar on the low version of the V2.
Lastly, New Balance is adding a wide version to some of their most popular skate shoes. This is exciting because one of the most commonly asked questions we get is "What's a good wide fitting skate shoe?", now New Balance is making the #440V2, 272, & 574 in a wide version.
Ask any questions below and I will try to get you answers!
New Balance launches their new version (V2) of the #440 shoes. They made a few subtle changes that we think people will really love. We'll talk about a few of the changes to style and tech on these, as well as answer some frequently asked questions about the shoes.
See our full video review and wear test on the shoes below.
SHOP NEW BALANCE #440V2 SHOES
New Balance #440 V2 Video: We talk about the differences in styling and tech of the V2 to the original version of these shoes.
All skating was filmed at the Compound YYC in Calgary, Alberta by Brian Heinrich.
Check out the Compound Here: https://thecompoundyyc.com/
The New Balance #440 shoes came out in 2018 and have been a staple in the New Balance Numeric line ever since. The #440 is designed using retro catalogs and using the styling of retro running shoes and classic New Balance court shoes from the 70's. Over the last few years, NB has released lots of new stuff and felt that the #440 was getting lost in the mix, so they redesinged it to a version 2, and the V1 will be discontinued. The V2 took around 12 months from the original idea to being on the shelves at skateshops. Along the way there was a lot of team feedback and input that went into this new design. This shoe has personally been my go-to skate shoe for the last 5 years, so I was excited and nervous for the changes.
Team Feedback: When asking Mikut about the redesign, I was super interested by the team imput on these shoes, speciafially with guys that had been riding the #440's alot over the years (Ronnie Kessner, Ryan Lay, Justin Henry). I know Reynolds seemed to be skating this shoe a which seemed like an odd choice for someone who usually skates #1010 and #808.
Ryan Lay was one of the first team riders to test a pair and he said something along the lines of “It is absolutely criminal to have us skate the v2, feel all these improvements and then have to skate the v1 for a whole year.”
TECH & DURABILITY:
After years on the market, there was a lot of amazing customer and team rider feedback on the shoes. The biggest piece of feedback on the shoes seems to be that they were a little on the thin side, and once breaking them in, felt a little too soft.
THE SOLE:
The #440 V1 shoe used a CCAP material in the midsole, which is very high durometer, which means it's a pretty stiff material. After testing it in a bunch of other shoes, the design team at NB decided to use Abzorb foam in the midsole instead because it keeps it's shape like CCAP but absorbs a lot more impact, making your feet feel better after a long day of skating.
STYLING:
If you look at comments on the internet, the most polarizing part of these new shoes is the change in the N side logo. Even at the shop here, there's been lots of discussion on the different end, and people are split pretty evenly. When talking to head shoe designer Jeff Mikut about the changes, he said they changed up the N because there are 4 other cupsole models from NB with a similar size and placed N on the side. The new N in more in line with some of the sporty non-skate shoes that New Balance is making and does really differentiate the #440 from other New Balance shoes on the wall.
The other big styling changes come to the toe box. The toe box on the original New Balance #440 shoes was very squared off, and the V2 will be a much rounder toe, which when talking to team riders about the shoe was the first thing Ronnie Kessner brought up, saying it feels much nicer for kickflips and flip tricks, to have a less square toe. With that change they also brought up the toe cap and pulled it back slightly to protect the high wear areas. Lastly, the shoe was also flattened out on the V2, meaning the shoe looks much better on the wall (less toebock).
I asked if the V2 was built on the same last as the original #440 and they are not, the new last is a few mm's wider in the midfoot and rounder at the toe down. The heel fit and heel lock has also been improved, with a slightly higher collar on the low version of the V2.
Lastly, New Balance is adding a wide version to some of their most popular skate shoes. This is exciting because one of the most commonly asked questions we get is "What's a good wide fitting skate shoe?", now New Balance is making the #440V2, 272, & 574 in a wide version.
Ask any questions below and I will try to get you answers!
Sebas
Is the New balance 440 WIDE version available now? Or should we wait some time until the release.