New Balance 480 review

We recommend the New Balance 480 as a great choice for: 

• Those in the market for a well-padded shoe that’s superbly comfortable for all-day wear
• Sneakerheads looking for a shoe that has a sleek retro vibe
• Anyone with wider feet in need of an accommodating toebox with extra toe room

The 480’s toebox might feel a little too roomy for those with narrow feet looking for a snug-fitting shoe. We recommend the NB 327 as a more suitable alternative. 

The 480 might feel a little too cheap for some people. The Adidas Spezial offers a much more high-quality and durable construction made almost entirely of genuine suede, making it a much better bang for the buck.

Using our caliper, we measured the 480’s stack to be 26.8 mm thick at the heel which is a little shorter than our current lab average.

However, this is still an adequate amount of protective rubber underfoot, with the cutout sections allowing the shoe to compress under our weight and provide excellent impact dampening as we go about our day. 

Moving up to the forefoot, we found that the 480’s stack is also shorter than average at only 15.3 mm thick.

Having such a low stack not only feels quite natural underfoot but also means that we felt incredibly stable in this shoe. This not only makes the 480 a good walking-around kick but also means that we were comfortably able to take on mild fitness activities or do some lifting in this shoe. 

The difference in our stack measurements leaves the 480 with a heel drop of 11.8 mm, which is right on par with our current lab average. This offset means that we have a good amount of material at the heel to dampen our landings while providing a lot of ground feel at the forefoot. 

There is no right or wrong with drop heights when it comes to sneakers, only a matter of preference. While some are used to having an elevated heel to their shoes, others prefer the barefoot feeling of low or zero-drop shoes like those offered by Altra.

Despite being less padded than our current lab average at only 5.3 mm thick, the 480’s insole still provides a soft surface within the shoe that complements the cushioning quite well. 

Using our caliper, we measured the 480’s toebox to be 96.9 mm wide at its widest point. While this is a little narrower than our current lab average, we found the 480 to be quite roomy internally. However, this doesn’t tell the whole story regarding the shoe’s accommodating nature. 

This roominess can be attributed to the 480’s toebox not tapering as drastically as the average sneaker does, measuring 77 mm wide at the big toe according to our caliper. This more natural silhouette gives us plenty of room to splay out without rubbing against the shoe’s stiff upper. 

Thanks to the shoe’s low profile, it’s no surprise that the 480 feels incredibly well-planted and stable as we shift our weight from side to side. Additionally, the well-structured leatherette upper provides an excellent foothold that feels incredibly supportive. As such, the shoe focuses more on delivering comfort rather than any rigid stability features. 

We were faced with less-than-average resistance as we bent and twisted the 480 in our hands, leading us to give it a torsional rigidity score of 2 out of 5 on our subjective scale.

This greatly contributes to the 480’s comfy and natural feel underfoot as the shoe is able to conform with the natural contortions of our foot throughout our stride with relative ease.

We found the 480’s heel counter to be similarly pliable as we probed at it, earning it another score of 2 out of 5. This allows us to achieve a secure lockdown that doesn’t put too much pressure on our heels or tendons, making the shoe a great choice for those with sensitivities in those areas. 

Using our caliper, we measured the 480’s platform to be 103.8 mm wide at the forefoot. Despite this being slightly narrower than average, it’s still a broad enough base to keep us feeling stable throughout day-to-day use. 

The 480’s platform is slightly wider than average at the heel, measuring 79.3 mm.

We secured the 480 to our workbench a used a force gauge to measure the amount of force needed to bend it 90 degrees. With a reading of 13.7N, the 480 is as flexible as our current lab average. 

This level of flexibility means that the 480 is able to bend along with our foot with ease throughout our stride and greatly contributes to the comfortable nature of this shoe. As a result, it’s definitely forgiving enough on the foot for all-day use.

While the 480 does sport a chunky old-school look, we found that it actually feels quite light and easy on the foot and never weighed us down as we moseyed around. 

This is confirmed on the scale with the 480 coming in ever-so-slightly lighter than the average sneaker at 14 oz (395g). We wouldn’t call it a barely-there shoe, but it certainly doesn’t need a diet.

To test the breathability of the 480, we pump the shoe full of smoke to get a visual idea of how well-ventilated it is. Leather shoes (even fake leather) generally don’t fare too well in this test however, thanks to the mesh portion of the toebox and perforated tongue, we can see a slow but steady stream of wispy smoke emanating from the shoe. While somewhat better than expected, this run-of-the-mill performance leads us to give the 480 a middle-of-the-road breathability score of 3 out of 5. This means that the shoe should be comfortable enough to wear all year round, except on exceptionally hot days when it might feel a little toasty. 

For comparison, check out how well-insulated the Reebok Classic Leather is

When examining a backlit cross-section of the 480, we can clearly see that the only parts of the shoe that allow any light to shine through are the unreinforced mesh portions of the upper.

Inspecting the mesh portion of the toebox under our microscope, we can see that it is made of braided fibers that form a pattern to reveal a less dense underlayer of mesh, all with lots of gaps that promote good airflow through the shoe. Without this section, the 480 would definitely be a toasty foot sauna of a shoe.

Using our butane torch, we can confirm that the 480’s upper is made almost entirely out of synthetic materials. This is clear as the white sections of the shoe burst into flames and melt away from our awl when we scrape it. On the other hand, the suede overlays are the real McCoy, with the material only becoming scorched upon contact with the flame. 

We applied our Dremel to the unreinforced mesh section of the 480’s toebox to see just how durable it is. After withstanding 3.2N of grinding force spinning at 5K RPM for four seconds, the 480 was left with a massive and unsightly crater in its toebox.

However, since our tool didn’t manage to punch a hole clean through all the layers of material, we have to give the 480 a respectable 2 out of 5 for toebox durability. 

Next, we turn our attention to the 480’s heel collar and unleash our merciless Dremel once more. The tool makes quick work of the lining material and starts flinging bits of padding material all over the place. 

The white material makes it hard to visually assess the damage in the aftermath of the test, but we can confirm that the shoe had lost a good chunk of padding in those short four seconds. However, the generously padded collar still had some to spare, so this didn’t compromise the shoe’s rearfoot lockdown too much; thus earning it a durability score of 2 out of 5.

With a durometer reading of 79.8 HC, the 480’s outsole is slightly softer than our current lab average. This means that the shoe should be soft enough to bite into and grip most surfaces with relative ease while still being hardy enough to withstand repeated impact and abrasions. We’ll be testing the latter with our Dremel in the next section. 

This time spinning at 10K RPM, we pressed our Dremel onto a section of the 480’s outsole and immediately kicked up a virtual snowstorm of debris. 

Once the dust had settled after the twenty-second, we measured the damage with our tire tread gauge and found that only 0.94 mm of material was lost. This is better than the average sneaker performs in this test and means that we don’t expect to see any major wear and tear within the first 400 to 500 miles of normal use. 

We used our caliper to measure the 480’s outsole up to the cutout sections and found it to be just shy of our current lab average at 5.2 mm thick. However, as our previous test demonstrates, this still gives us plenty of material to wear through before the shoe becomes unwearable. 

The wavy tread pattern on the 480’s outsole provided us with excellent traction over a variety of surfaces while testing the shoe. Even wet pavements were no match for the 480, though we have to note that getting the suede overlays wet will turn them into an unsightly mess. 

The 480 doesn’t feature any reflective elements. 

At 8.8 mm thick according to our caliper measurements, the 480’s tongue is plumper than average. This allows us to lock the shoe in securely while still feeling extremely comfortable around the instep and without the faintest hint of lace bite. 

The 480’s tongue is non-gusseted, though we didn’t face any issues with slippage thanks to its width and how generously padded it is. 

The 480’s insole isn’t glued in, so those in need of added support in the form of custom orthotics can use them with this shoe.