New Balance 1110

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3.5 / 5

cmidden   7/20/2009

The 1110 is a nice shoe. When I first put it on it fit my foot in the best ways. It felt like the perfect lightweight armor I needed for the trails, but whoever thought of putting Gortex in a serious trail shoe wasn't thinking. After the first creek that was more than ankle deep it was like running in a pair of rubber boots, slosh, slosh, slosh. Sure the Gortex keeps water out, but if it pours in the top it keeps it in too. I had resisted buying Gortex in my trail shoes because I felt it was unnecessary, and that a quick drying fabric like the Lightning Dry was best. Unfortunately the NB909 has serious issues with the sock liner so I needed to try another model. The 908 was almost perfect except for traction, and I couldn't find it anywhere, so I had to try the 1110. At the sale price it is worth it. Also using a drill to make drain holes has vastly improved the shoe too. The traction is greatly improved, too, over the 900 series. Even though the pattern is similar the material for the treads seems to hold on rocks much better. I do miss the N-Lock system in the 1110 also. So overall, the 1110 is a decent shoe, it has a great fit, good protection, good traction and with the drain holes I have installed, even works well after going through creeks. As a casual hiker it will be the best shoe you have every used, but for serious trail running it has a few drawbacks. I just am patiently waiting for the 910 this August.

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frontrunner   7/7/2009

These are great off road trail sneakers. I originally bought them because I needed something that could match the traction and protection of my military boots but be more breathable and better cushioned, and they delivered fully, and better in some areas! I regularly play paintball in the deep woods of the Catskill mountains and hike along the creeks and trails. The terrain is extremely rocky and can be muddy at times, and the rocks that line the streams are wet and mossy. As far as traction is concerned, the shoes performed as well as my boots on the trails but on the wet mossy rocks they were far superior over the boots. I believe the treading, tread materials, and lighter weight all contributed to its better traction on the rocks. Breathability was FAR better than the boots. However, they are not as good as my NB track sneakers but it is a negligible difference considering that the shoes are water proof. Ive read another review where the person stated sand had gotten caught in the gore-tex mesh, which seems possible, but I would recommend track sneakers for running on the beach as sand gets quite hot in the sun so something more breathable would fit the bill better. The cushioning is amazing, but isn\'t noticeable in the running as much as it is in landing from heights. For example, there is a 10 foot cliff that I sometimes jump off of when I\'m hiking, and in the military boots the landing hurts pretty badly, occasionally I have to recover for a minute before continuing my hike, but in the shoes I barely feel anything but the wave of the impact and I don\'t even need time to recover! It was also noticeable jumping from rock to rock along the stream but definitely not as much as the high jump. The toe protect is also a great feature, it prevented me from stubbing my toes many times. The reason I\'m giving the comfort a 4 and not a 5 is because the upper heel padding felt a bit snug at times and the shoes are so tightly fit that in long term casual wear they can feel constricting, but as trail shoes theyre extraordinary. These shoes have a ton of style, but Id like to see future models with less ostentatious colors, for paintball purposes grabber orange doesnt blend well with the foliage and casually it doesnt blend well with my wardrobe either. I\'d also like to see a more reasonable pricetag.

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