New Balance Hesi Low review

We believe that the New Balance Hesi Low is going to click with the following players:

• beginner athletes in search of an affordable but solid option
• nimble players who prefer light, flexible, and minimal hoop shoes
• lighter folks who prefer court feel over impact protection

If you are a heavier player who needs a lot of underfoot cushion, we highly recommend that you opt for the New Balance Fresh Foam BB instead. Another solid alternative is the NB TWO WXY v4.

Both of these options also proved to be ready for outdoor courts.

Although the NB Hesi Low uses a great deal of mesh in the upper, its ventilation capacity is close to zero.

Pumping smoke into the shoe's upper, we expected at least some of it to come out on the other side. But there was no airflow whatsoever! It's like the shoe's upper is entirely made of thick synthetics.

Even though our transparency test showed that the toebox material was rather thin and transparent, it had nothing to do with its breathability.

The puzzle pieces started to come together when we looked at the mesh through our microscope.

With multiple mesh layers overlapping each other, it is clear why the air has a hard time passing through the pores.

We had no choice but to give this New Balance shoe the lowest breathability score of 1.

But there is an upside to this multi-layered mesh - it proved to be much more resistant to abrasion than most mesh uppers in our durability test!

The shoe's toebox was exposed to the sandpaper tip of our Dremel for 12 seconds at a consistent speed (5K RPM) and pressure (3.2N).

As you can see, we touched both protected and unprotected areas of the toebox and both did a good job resisting the wear and tear.

Considering the moderate nature of the damage, we rated the shoe's toebox durability with an average score - 3 out of 5. We consider it a rather good result for a shoe at this price point.

The shoe's inner lining also surprised us with a high level of resilience.

After a 4-second encounter with sandpaper, the signs of wear were very minimal. On a 1-5 scale where 5 is the most durable, we rated the shoe's heel lining with a solid 4.

The Hesi Low features two types of rubber in the outsole - softer translucent rubber for the center and lateral side and harder rubber for the medial side and the logo.

Pressing our Shore C durometer against the translucent rubber (most of the outsole) returned 75.6 HC. As expected, it is a bit softer than average.

The hard rubber, on the other hand, showed a higher reading of 82.0 HC. It indicates a firmer and tougher compound.

We applied our Dremel to the softer rubber to check the shoe's weakest spot.

The drilling lasted 22 seconds and the speed was set to the higher 10K RPM. The pressure remained consistent at 3.2N.

To our surprise, the translucent rubber didn't do so badly! The damage was only 1.4 mm deep which is not much worse than the average.

This New Balance shoe also boasts a pretty thick outsole. With a caliper measurement of 5.6 mm, it is about 1.5 mm thicker than average.

Does this mean that the Hesi Low can be used on outdoor courts? Well, we don't 100% recommend it because the treading made of softer rubber will wear out faster on concrete.

Even though the outsole can take a beating, it will lose its grip prematurely.

For an outdoor-ready basketball shoe from New Balance, try the TWO WXY v4.

One of the reasons why the New Balance Hesi Low is a fantastic option for quick players is, of course, its weight.

Tipping the scale at only 12.9 oz (366g), it is more than an ounce lighter than the average hoop shoe.

We discovered that ground feel definitely prevails over impact protection in the New Balance Hesi Low.

Measuring its heel stack with a caliper, we got a lower-than-average measurement of 26.1 mm.

We are convinced that a bigger player will not enjoy the ride of the Hesi Low due to the lack of shock absorption. But to be fair, it is not the target audience of this shoe either.

For more abundant cushioning, look into the brand's Fresh Foam BB (32.6 mm of stack in the heel).

The Hesi Low also felt pretty low to the court under the balls of our feet.

With a forefoot stack of 21.4 mm, it offers an essential amount of cushioning but nothing to write home about.

However, this setup has its own benefits such as enhanced flexibility and freedom of movement for the foot. This is exactly what a quick-footed, shifty player would appreciate.

The New Balance Hesi Low also feels grounded and stable thanks to its low heel-to-toe drop.

We found that the difference in stack heights comes in at only 4.7 mm in this basketball shoe. The lowest one we ever recorded in a hoop shoe was 4.0 mm whereas the highest reaches 14.8 mm!

Even though lower drops provide less support for the player's heels and Achilles tendons, it creates a more surefooted experience that helps you feel more in control.

The Hesi Low relies on a full-length FuelCell foam for cushioning.

We found it to be moderately soft but very pleasantly responsive. Measuring its softness with a durometer, we got 25.0 HA which is on par with the average midsole softness of basketball shoes.

A well-cushioned insole adds a touch of underfoot comfort to the Hesi Low. We measured its thickness in the heel at 4.8 mm - slightly thicker than average.

Even though the NB Hesi Low is not a heavily layered and super structured basketball shoe, it kept us sufficiently supported on the court.

Compared to its counterpart, the NB TWO WXY V4, the Hesi Low has a much lower midsole topline, no additional supportive elements, and a notably lower collar.

But the Hesi Low does pack the most essential elements to provide stability to an entry-level player whose playing style is not too forceful and aggressive.

The shoe features a small but stiff shank on top of the FuelCell foam in the midfoot.

It adds a good deal of rigidity to the shoe's platform along with the firm carrier foam and thick rubber outsole.

When combined, these features create a sufficiently rigid platform that doesn't let the foot buckle so easily.

On a 1-5 scale, where 5 is the stiffest, we rated this shoe's torsional rigidity as 4 in our manual test.

The New Balance Hesi Low loses a couple of stability points in the rearfoot where its heel counter proved to be more forgiving than we expected.

Don't be misled by the rubber overlay around the heel - it is actually rather pliable.

In our manual test, we assessed the shoe's heel counter stiffness with a lower-than-average score - 3 out of 5. It's not the strongest heel hold to expect in a basketball shoe.

Thanks to the shoe's forefoot outrigger, we experienced a pretty solid footing on forceful side-to-side movements.

Using a caliper, we measured its widest part at 118.1 mm which is about 4 mm wider than average!

We were able to lean on the outer edge of the foot and spring back effortlessly thanks to the shoe's extended contact point.

We also measured the widest area of the shoe's heel but it happened to be just as wide as the average.

Still solid width though!

The Hesi Low's nimble nature is also reflected in its rather flexible build.

We measured the shoe's level of flexibility using a force gauge - the less force it takes to bend a shoe to a 90-degree angle, the more flexible it is.

Turns out, it only required 29.5N which is 37% less than it takes a basketball shoe on average.

It felt relieving to play in a more forgiving hoop shoe after testing so many rigid options.

The gripping capacity of the New Balance Hesi Low is not bad but it's not impressive either.

It also takes some warming up of the rubber before the shoe's traction pattern reveals its full potential.

Overall, the grip was fine and we didn't experience any major slippage or missteps.

The New Balance Hesi Low felt pretty snug around the balls of our feet but opened up around the toes.

Measuring the widest part of the shoe's forefoot, our caliper showed some of the narrowest readings among basketball shoes - 97.3 mm.

Because it is on the verge of running narrow, we recommend that wide-footed players size up or opt for a different shoe altogether.

The rest of the toebox, however, has a pretty spacious rounded shape with a lot of breathing room.

Measuring it with a caliper returned 79.2 mm - a couple of millimeters wider than average.

Perhaps this extra space is the reason why we experienced slight heel slippage in the Hesi Low. Luckily, we managed that one with a runner's knot using the extra eyelet.

We appreciated the fact that the shoe's tongue is integrated into the shoe's bootie design. We believe that an attached tongue is a must if you want a secure lockdown inside your basketball shoes.

The shoe's tongue is moderately padded with a foam thickness of 7.0 mm. Just enough to keep the lace pressure at bay.

No finger loops or heel tabs are to be seen on the New Balance Hesi Low.

But it's not a problem considering the shoe's low cut and pretty easy-to-handle collar.

You can opt for a custom orthotic in the Hesi Low. It's stock insole is easily removable.