New Balance 990 v4 review

As one of New Balance’s classic silhouettes, version four of the 990 would be a great match if you:

• are into the “dad shoe” vibe
• want a more practical sneaker for daily use
• prefer a more stable platform (especially if you tend to overpronate or have flat feet)
• have wider feet

If you are not ready for a $185 dent in your wallet, there are a few excellent alternatives from New Balance to consider.

These kicks offer just as much comfort as the 990 v4 and exude that retro flair at a much more reasonable price - NB 1906R, NB 2002R, or an even more budget-friendly NB 530.

Even though the NB 990 v4 appears to be very similar to the 990 v6, we found its platform to be slightly lower.

Based on our caliper measurement, there is 32.8 mm in the shoe's stack height whereas the 990 v6 has a chunkier heel of 39.1 mm.

But even at 32.8 mm, the 990 v4 is still a few millimeters taller than the average sneaker platform. The generous helping of foam in this New Balance sneaker kept us comfortable for hours and we can confidently recommend it as an all-day beater.

The balls of our feet also felt sufficiently cushioned thanks to the shoe's taller-than-average forefoot stack of 23.6 mm.

Because the NB 990 v4 packs slightly more cushioning in its heel, it has a pretty moderate heel-to-toe drop of 9.2 mm.

We found this offset to be normal for all New Balance 990 sneakers so it's going to feel familiar if you've worn the other iterations from this series.

Because we all step on our heels first when walking, it is only natural to have more cushioning and impact protection in this area. So the 990 v4 made sure we had enough material to rely on for walking and standing all day.

To provide a fine balance of cushioning and stability, this New Balance sneaker features two types of foam - a softer one under the heel and a firmer one in the rest of the midsole. But even the latter is moderately soft and has a nice give to it.

Measuring the softer compound returned 20.6 HA on our Shore A durometer. This is, in fact, 40% plusher than average!

The firmer (white) foam, which is primarily concentrated in the forefoot, returned 25.4 HA. It's only 23% harder than the softer (grey) foam in the heel.

Overall, the shoe's ride was pleasantly cushioned and the midsole softness felt controlled.

A well-padded insole enhances the 990 v4's cushioning packing 5.1 mm of foam in the heel.

Considering that the 990 v4 fit us about half a size larger than expected, its toebox also felt quite roomy.

Showing 99.9 mm in the widest area of the forefoot, our caliper confirmed the shoe's accommodating toe room. You can most likely tell that the 990 v4 is a bit large for our men's US size 9 feet from the photo below.

The square shape of the 990 v4 is a surefire sign that it could fit a wider-shaped foot.

Our caliper measurement seems to agree with that showing 77.6 mm in the big toe area. And if you need even more toe space, we recommend looking into the 990 v6 as well. It is available in 6(!) different width options - from extra narrow to extra wide!

We hardly ever had issues with support and stability in New Balance sneakers and the 990 v4 proved to be a reliable companion in that regard. In fact, the original 990 shoe from 1982 was designed with arch support in mind!

We can even recommend this lifestyle sneaker for people with mild overpronation and those who could use extra support for long hours on their feet. And if you think you need an even more stable NB shoe, the 990 v6 is hard to beat.

One of the 990 v4's most obvious stability elements is the ENCAP shank that embraces the rearfoot stretching all the way from the midfoot.

The shank also runs through the center of the midsole offering the rigidity that's necessary to prevent the shoe, and consequently the foot, from twisting.

As you can see from our manual test, the heel of the 990 v4 is practically immobile and all of the bending occurs in the forefoot. Because of that, we rated its torsional rigidity with a high score of 4.

From the moment we got this NB shoe on, we knew that our heels and ankles would remain safe and sound. A strong heel clutch is offered by the shoe's rigid heel counter which received a high score of 4 in our manual stiffness test.

The shoe's stable platform wouldn't be complete without a sufficiently wide base.

In the widest part of the forefoot, our caliper recorded a whopping 112.5 mm. That's the kind of landing area we've come to expect from the NB 990 sneakers.

The 990 v4 also felt quite platformy in the heel showing another wider-than-average reading of 88.0 mm.

We couldn't help but notice that the 990 v4 was a bit easier to bend compared to the rest of the 990 series. It just seemed to have a bit more forgiveness in the forefoot.

Our observations found proof in a force gauge test where we discovered that the v4 needed a little less force (N) than the other 990 kicks.

The shoe required 20.7N to bend to a 90-degree angle which translated into more freedom of movement on foot.

We found that the NB 990 v4 weighs just the same as the typical lifestyle sneaker - neither particularly light nor hefty. Putting it on a scale in a men's US size 9 showed a standard 14.0 oz (398g).

The 990 v4 also sits in the middle of the range for the 990 series where different versions weigh between 13 oz and 15.5 oz.

As much as suede dominates the 990v4's upper, we are glad to report that the mesh cut-outs took care of the shoe's ventilation brilliantly.

The smoke we pumped into the sneaker passed right through the toebox mesh without obstruction. We were utterly surprised because this NB sneaker doesn't seem to have any visible ventilation holes. And its mesh didn't even let any light through in our transparency test.

And yet, it proved to be porous enough to keep the airflow going with numerous tiny spaces in its chainlinking. It took a microscope zoom-in to discover them.

Thus, we give the New Balance 990 v4 a strong pass for summer use! On a breathability scale from 1 to 5, it gets a solid maximum score.

Would we question suede quality on a $185 sneaker from a brand with a longstanding reputation? We wouldn't be a shoe-testing lab if we didn't.

But luckily, we have nothing but good news about the 990v4. The shoe's pigskin suede has a very shaggy and soft texture with a distinct fragrance (smells like quality, in other words).

Subjecting it to a fire test did not result in any melting or fire spreading. The burnt area didn't stick to our scratch awl but turned into dust and crumbled easily.

Having no more reservations, we can confirm that the suede is indeed real. And it helps the shoe live up to the quality you would expect from a "Made in USA" product.

A sneaker's premium price should pay off in its decent lifespan, right? To test the durability potential of the New Balance 990 v4, we applied a Dremel with a sandpaper tip to various parts of its upper and sole.

For starters, we set the Dremel speed to 5K RPM and applied a consistent pressure of 3.2N to the shoe's toebox mesh for 12 seconds. But as you can see, the sandpaper managed to burn through the shoe's mesh within that time frame.

The inner lining saved the NB 990 v4 from a see-through hole (as in the NB 530 on the right) but it did leave significant damage.

Because of that, we had to lower the shoe's toebox durability score to 3 out of 5.

However, the textured mesh on the inner side of the shoe's collar turned out to be much better equipped for wear and tear.

The Dremel only lightly frayed the topmost threads without affecting the fabric's overall integrity. Considering how torn other shoes' mesh linings looked after only 4 seconds of sandpaper drilling, we confidently rated the 990 v4's heel padding durability as 4 out of 5.

Now it's time to check whether the rubber outsole on the 990 v4 is sturdy enough to handle months of regular wear on concrete city streets.

Pressing our Shore C durometer against the shoe's outsole returned 76.1 HC which is notably softer than the average we measured across lifestyle sneakers.

Even though its softer outsole made our landings feel cushier, we also found it alarming for durability.

From our extensive shoe testing experience, we know that softer rubbers don't handle abrasion as easily as their harder counterparts.

Unfortunately, that proved to be true for the 990 v4 as well.

The shoe's rubber did not take our 22-second drilling session very well. At 10K RPM, the Dremel left a 1.9 mm deep dent on the outsole, twice as deep as the average.

It's great that the NB 990 v4 employs a thick layer of rubber for the outsole to compensate for its softness.

Our caliper returned 5.5 mm which is on par with the average. However, it doesn't seem like this New Balance sneaker would outlast other kicks in terms of outsole durability.

Is this a sneaker or a disco ball? We found reflective elements all around it!

The logos, the heel patches...

...even some strips on top of the upper.

The in-shoe padding of the New Balance 990 v6 is pretty abundant but not excessive.

The tongue foam, for example, showed a moderate thickness of 9.3 mm, and the collar is lightly padded as well.

The shoe doesn't have any assisting loops or tabs but we found it fairly easy to slide our feet into it anyway.

If customized support is necessary, the shoe's stock insole can be replaced without an issue.