Two years ago my DH bought a pair of those for work. He’s on his feet a lot and they seemed to work well. However, this past year we bought him a new pair that have worn ok but the change in design is no longer helping him with his foot problem. Same thing happened with a name brand shoe that fit me perfectly, they changed something (probably to save money) and now they aren’t comfortable at all.

I also read that Clark's women's shoes have had the same problems..larger

rubber heals split right in the middle and fell off.

I was going to suggest looking at Skechers. My husband has several different shoes that he loves.

I also have some Skechers that I love too. I have not replaced all of the ones I lost unfortunately.

Check out Dr Comfort! They do have a white all leather. They make great shoes and they are having a sale! My foot doc suggested the brand to me.

https://www.drcomfort.com/mens-shoes

New Balance used to be a lot better than it is now. My everyday shoes are 813, which has been discontinued. I like them because they have Velcro closures, which makes it easier to adjust them. I also have some NB mules, and these were discontinued several years ago, according to the people at the New Balance store that I went to for my 813 shoes. They also said that a lot of people were upset when the mules were discontinued.

I have to buy women's NB shoes because the store does not have men's shoes smaller than size 8, which is too big for me. However, the women's shoes look like men's shoes, and so that is not a problem. Many years ago I got some NB walking shoes, and I inadvertently left them in Mexico City in 2005. They were the best shoes I've had, and of course those are no longer made either.

I agree that Skechers is a good substitute.

We'll have to check out Sketchers again. He used to always wear them but the shoe he liked was also discontinued. It has been a while since we looked at them. They just opened a Sketcher store near us, we'll have to go see what they have.

The lady at DSW (where I had to return these shoes) was saying that shoes just aren't made as well as they used to be. She told me of a customer that wanted new Timberland boots to replace his 20 year old pair! She laughed and said that shoes aren't going to last 20 years anymore. I kind of shrugged at her story and said "I don't expect a shoe to last 20 years, 3 weeks is totally unacceptable!" I do remember how shoes once lasted many years...if a shoe will last one year now, I'd be happy.

Personally, I have shoes that have lasted several years of heavy wear. I've always gotten a long wear out of my shoes though. Most of my shoes though, I only wear on occasion, so they will last many years.

The last pair of New Balance I bought were New Balance Men's M1290 Neutral Running Shoe.

The sole started peeling off within a couple months.

The last pair I bought are Skechers Sport Men's Stamina Nuovo Cutback Lace-Up Sneaker.

I've only had them about six months but so far they're holding together nicely and are comfortable.

The Skechers cost about half what the New Balance cost but have been much better shoes.

The now problem with New Balance shoe/sole construction began with Ecco shoes about ten years ago. Very pricey but very supportive shoes. I have difficult foot issues and the Ecco shoes were a wonderful solution. All my purchases had been prior to their sole structural problems but I was heartbroken to learn of their down turn.

It nearly put the Ecco shoe business out of business. All local shoe stores stopped stocking their products and the only place they could be found was through internet retailers. I never ordered any of their newer stock and the shoes I bought when they first came on the market here are still in good condition. It turned out that Ecco's problem was [supposedly] directly related to a new "build" contractor purported to be in India. I never read anything to confirm that but also never read anything denying the accusation. I now wonder if that might be New Balances problem.

Your reporting this negative issue is very timely for me. LLBean has begun stocking their walking shoes and I was considering buying a pair or two because they fit my poor ole feet so well. Guess I'll save myself some coins and shelve that thought.

I just don't think that it's a good idea the way New Balance started making the bottom portion of the sole in small pieces. It just seems problematic to me, just as this new version of the 608 is a problem.

My DD experienced a similar problem with her go-to model of NB shoes she wears for nursing. They didn’t fall apart, but they just didn’t wear as long or feel as comfortable as previously. She went to REI the other day and returned a pair she had bought to try that didn’t feel right. The sales person was very helpful and told her NB probably had redesigned the model she had been buying and suggested another model and another size. She now is very happy but it shouldnt take all this to get to this point. Yes, she has a very wide and hard to fit foot, but once you find what works, for whatever purpose, there is nothing more frustrating than to have it not work any longer.

I am very surprised Zappos didn’t stand behind their product. I would consider writing to NB directly for a refund on a shoddy product.

Outsideplaying, no, we didn't buy our shoe at Zappos, that was another person with the same problem. We actually purchased ours from DSW and they were great about the return. They have allowed up to exchange this shoe twice. I told them if the next shoe does the same thing, we will give up on that shoe and try something different. I keep hoping that New Balance may have fixed the issue and maybe their new shoes that are coming off the assembly line are made better? We are hoping.

I suggest he take a walk in Merrill, Keen or HOKA. Yes, they are pricey, but well worth it. He may feel like a new man at the end of a shift, which also benefits you. :)

arkansasgirl; I think that you have run into a corporate mouthpiece who is not listening to customer's complaints and is shedding the problem by claiming that the customer misused the product. That person may not know much about their manufacturing process other than what their management has fed them. You have the opposite experience with the product, and you have a direct user comparison of the newer version to the older one. In short, the newer version came apart with everyday use whereas the older ones did not. It is true that you hubby gives his shoes high use, but those should fail by wearing out, not by falling apart.

By the way, I had a similar failure in a winter boot. Those were very comfortable and warm, but the sole parted company with the uppers after one month of use. There was very little wear. It was a simple case of de-bonding. My belief was the the over-mold process employed was poorly understood by the manufacturer. Also, the joint design was poor. That failure could have put my foot in serious jeopardy of frost bite if I had been caught away from shelter when the sole came loose. Admittedly, it was a cheap mail order offering, but that is not an excuse for this kind of failure. There are a number of factors that must be met to successfully bond two materials. Ignore these is to invite failure.

It is sad when a great appearing product fails due to a misapplication of materials and processes. Until that is corrected, that product is doomed.

I had a pair of Clarks I rarely wore for about 6 or 7 years, and the heel DISINTEGRATED at a wedding reception, no less. Very, very embarrassing. I've sworn off Clarks forever. I mostly wear Eccos now--no problems so far. It's the constant chase for higher and higher profits that ruins so much.

I bought my first pair of Ecco shoes in Denmark in 1981 and have been wearing them ever since. I think I have 5 pairs right now. I would think they'd be expensive and a bit more stylish than needed for a warehouse job but maybe not. Same comment applies for Keens.

I personally think the traditional Merrell slip on style is unattractive. They went through a popularity run some years ago but that seems to have waned, I don't see them much anymore.

I can no longer run like I used to, but New Balance were my go-tos when I did. They accommodated my WIDE feet and my ankles and knees didn't give me as much trouble as they did with others. I've been wearing my 510s every day for 3 months without any complaints.