New Balance 993 review

Don't let the 993 sleep forever on your wishlist if you're looking for:

• A premium New Balance pair full of high-quality materials.
• A new companion to walk or stand for hours and hours.
• A former runner that hasn't lost its retro aesthetics and grip.
• Sneakers that focus on being comfortable (and very trendy).

We're going straight to the point: forget about the 993 if you're looking for a lightweight shoe. It's on the heavier side, and your feet will definitely notice after some use, as they might get more tired than usual. As an alternative, the NB 530 has very similar running aesthetics but they come in a lighter design.

The other drawback of this shoe is its steep price. Even though we do believe its high-quality build and materials make it a very worthwhile investment, we can totally see how some people don't want (or can't) spend that much on a pair of sneakers. We believe they might find what they're looking for among other New Balance affordable pairs that we have analyzed in our lab.

At a solid 33.2 mm, our caliper indicated the 993's heel stack is higher than average. This translated into a comfortable and protected ride during our walks, which is something we always appreciate when we walk around town.

Even though there are other New Balance models with a higher heel stack, this doesn't necessarily mean the 993 doesn't feel nice on foot. We verified this during our wear tests, as we run errands all day long wearing this pair... and our feet didn't even complain once!

Following its rearfoot counterpart, this casual pal's forefoot stack is also higher than average at 22.0 mm. Once again, we felt shielded from the harsh urban surfaces and any obstacle we accidentally stepped on.

From the very first moment we put on this shoe, we felt our heel was pretty elevated in comparison with the toe area. Even though you might not see it in the picture below, there's a substantial difference between both stack heights.

We calculated the drop in our lab, and it goes all the way up to 11.2 mm, which is higher than average. But there's no such thing as a good or bad drop, and the 993 doesn't feel steep or uncomfortable at all!

This New Balance pair features a dual-density design. On the forefoot and midfoot, we found EVA foam that offered our feet great impact protection and shock absorption. We can't say it felt soft on foot, but that does not mean it felt uncomfortable!

Our durometer returned 37.0 HA, which states this cushioning is on the firmer side. Even though this pair doesn't feel like a couple of clouds underfoot (if that's what you're looking for, the NB 9060 might be a better option), our feet felt comfortable all day long.

As we had already hinted, there's a secondary foam. It's located at the heel, and the brand makes sure we don't miss out on it. Look! This is just one of the many fine details these premium sneakers show off.

When we pressed our durometer against it, it returned 40.0 HA, which is also higher than average. Thanks to our year-long experience analyzing shoes, we can say that we were grateful this New Balance is on the firmer side. Even if we had to walk for hours, our feet didn't get too tired thanks to its supportive composition!

Even though the 993 features an insole with a standard width (at 5.0 mm according to our caliper), we can't say there's nothing special about it.

When we put it right in front of our light, we could see all the ventilation holes it features! As expected from New Balance, you won't catch them lacking regarding their insoles!

During our wear tests, we didn't feel this shoe too tight on our toe area. To turn our experience into numbers, we performed our new gel test, where we create a mold of the shoe to obtain the most precise measurements.

Once we took it out, our calipers marked 94.3 mm. Even though our standard-width feet were okay with this, we can see sneakerheads with big toes wishing this pair was more spacious.

At 69.1 mm in the big toe area, this New Balance undeniably tapers. That's why we think taking more than one measurement when we analyze shoes is very important!

If you want a comfortable New Balance pair suitable for all-day wear and with a spacious toebox for people with wide feet, the NB 1000 might be just what you need!

At 28.3 mm, we can't complain about the vertical space we enjoyed when we wore this pair to run errands around town.

Even though the 993 doesn't have a crazy spacious fit, the mesh it features at its toebox is stretchy enough to give your toes some extra room.

We were pretty happy with the lateral stability this casual pair offered us.

As a former runner, it didn't let our feet overextend themselves. But hey, when we say former, we really mean it. Just don't play sports in this shoe! If you're looking for a running pal, please click here.

The stability we were just talking about also comes from the solid midsole of this New Balance. The EVA might need a quick warm-up initially, but nothing too bad. To us, the break-in period was barely noticeable!

As you can see, the underfoot materials are the ones making sure our fingers struggle trying to twist the 993. We decided to give it a well-deserved 4/5 on our torsional rigidity test, which is a pretty high score!

On the other hand, the heel counter decided not to toughen up and break our thumbs. As you can see in the video, the materials bent agreeably alongside our moves, which translated into a more comfortable fit. We didn't experience any kind of rub on the ankle area, and there was no trace of heel slippage either!

Just one more key point that illustrates this New Balance's overall stability: its wide midsole at the forefoot. Our caliper returned 112.1 mm, which is way higher than average. This meant our feet could enjoy a spacious landing platform in every step.

Its heel counterpart can proudly say the same. At 88.8 mm, it's also wider than average, which makes it even better! Our standard-width feet had plenty of space to walk comfortably for hours, yet not too much to make the ride unpleasant.

Even though the 993's midsole was a tough rival on our torsional rigidity test, it was way more agreeable regarding longitudinal give. Our force marked 23.1N, which means this shoe is just as flexible as average.

This New Balance bent alongside our feet pretty easily, which made our walks around town even more enjoyable. In fact, the longer we wore this pair, the easier the ride!

There's a price to pay for the comfort, the solid structure, and the premium materials of the 993: its weight. During our wear tests, this New Balance pair already felt quite hefty. It's not like we were bothered by it, but... forget about anything like the NB 530!

At 14.71 oz/417g, this shoe is heavier than average. You might not notice the difference, but after a couple of hours of walking non-stop, trust us, your feet will! Logically, they get tired faster with heavier pairs than with lighter ones.

Don't let the mesh of its upper fool you: the 993 is not the most breathable shoe out there! As our light test shows, the mesh parts on the toebox let the light shine through them, promising great ventilation.

In order to find out more about this, we turned on our smoke machine and started the show. As our previous test indicated, the toebox carries the whole weight of the breathability here! Even though the Reebok Phase Court did way worse (yeah, it got a sad 1/5 on this same test), we couldn't give this New Balance pair anything higher than a 3/5. Which is not so bad, though!

When we put this shoe under the microscope, we saw its mesh upper has a double-layered structure.

Its gaps are big enough to let the air flow, which we believe has been literally what saved the 993 from making our feet sweat. And we do appreciate it a lot!

Taking into account the steep price of these premium sneakers, we did expect its upper materials to be authentic. As you can see, our torch couldn't melt the suede part at the heel, which confirms the material isn't fake!

And we experienced exactly the same with the suede at the toebox. Our awl didn't have to fight some sticky gum-like fake suede, which indicates the material is authentic.

As the entire breathability levels of the 993 rely on its toebox, we knew it would just not be durable. We had more than a hunch, but we grabbed our Dremel to verify it.

It didn't take long for the tool to completely obliterate the mesh. Consequently, we couldn't give this New Balance more than a 1/5 on our durability test. Even though it has some protective layers made out of suede, if you mess up the mesh... the 993 is done for.

As the exception that proves the rule, this New Balance pair has a very durable heel padding in comparison with its extra fragile toebox material.

At 5K RPM and with 2N of force, our Dremel didn't even manage to scratch the material. In fact, the results were so good that we decided to give it a perfect 5/5 on this test.

We put the shoe upside-down to press our durometer against its rubber. Just like with the ABZORB midsole, New Balance made sure we noticed they used their wonderful NDurance material for the bottom of the 993. At 83.5 HC, our durometer indicated it's just as hard as average, which promises a healthy balance between durability and traction.

As expected from the NDurance material, it fought our Dremel back during the whole durability test. With a final result of 0.8 mm according to our tread gauge, the 993 fulfilled its promise and proved it's made to last.

With such a wonderful result, we were happy to walk for hours around town, as we knew this pair was a trustworthy companion that wouldn't leave our side sooner than expected. If you're looking for some sneakers to wear pretty much every day, these are a solid option.

Even though it adds up some unwanted extra weight, the 993 features a strong 5.5 mm thick outsole. Consequently, apart from being durable, the amount of material used is also pretty solid. In other words, New Balance made sure we didn't have to worry about this shoe's bottom losing its integrity.

As a former runner, we're really happy with the 993's traction.

With an outsole that reminds us of running shoes, this New Balance boasted a wonderful grip no matter where we were. It bit every urban surface strongly and hungrily, and its multidirectional pattern didn't even hesitate when the floor was wet. As you can see, it also features flex grooves in the shape of white lines, which added some (much appreciated) flexibility to our stride.

We can see how the 993 might be slightly out of some sneakerheads' reach. Its premium features come with a high price tag, and even though not everyone might be willing (or able to) spend that much, after our in-depth analysis we can tell you it's totally worth it. In our opinion, the top-tier materials, solid build, and overall durability of this New Balance pair make it a fantastic choice for anyone looking for a trendy daily beater to use every single day.

Honestly, if the 993 hadn't had any reflective elements, we would have been pretty disappointed. But that wasn't the case!

It features small yet really cool details that shine in the dark; the brand's logo getting the spotlight.

It's nothing big, but it also has one at the back, which earns this New Balance the title of 365 reflectivity.

Our caliper had to open all the way up to 13.2 mm to fit this shoe's tongue. It's definitely on the wider side, which just proves once again that this pair focuses on comfort... and that's pretty much it! Despite being a former runner, the brand didn't really pay attention to its weight or performance. It just made sure everyone's feet were comfy when wearing the shoe. And it succeeded!

But we weren't really surprised by this, as the 993 makes sure it has plenty of padding in all the key areas to keep your feet comfortable for as long as you need.

The 90s retro aesthetics are strong on this pair, so New Balance decided not to add a heel tab. But we didn't really miss it anyway, as this shoe's opening is wide enough for our feet to get in smoothly.

As a curious fact: right where the heel tab should be, the 993 features a reflective detail!

The 993 has one of our favorite features... a removable insole! Even though it's not Ortholite or anything like that, it has multiple perforations that favor air flow, giving this New Balance pair some much needed extra points on breathability.