Our verdict
Pros
- One of the most breathable tennis shoes
- Lively and propulsive cushioning
- Excellent impact protection
- Very secure foot containment
- Оригинал new balance 754 мужские ботинки утепленные мехом
- Comfortable preto-in feel
- Reliable grip
- Wide option available
Cons
- New balance 237 womens black bleach blue low casual lifestyle sneakers shoes
- Heavier than average
Audience verdict
Comparison
The most similar tennis shoes compared
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++ Add a shoe
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audience score |
63
Bad!
|
89
Great!
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77
Good!
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83
Good!
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| Price |
$135
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$120
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$200
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$160
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| Shoe type |
Hard Court
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All CourtHard Court
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Hard Court
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All CourtHard Court
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| Construction |
Speed
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Stability
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Speed
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Stability
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|
| Breathability |
Breathable
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Moderate
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Breathable
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Moderate
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| Weight lab | 13.8 oz / 390g | 14 oz / 397g | 14.4 oz / 407g | 14.7 oz / 417g | |
| Drop lab | 8.4 mm | 6.3 mm | 9.1 mm | 7.5 mm | |
| Width / fit |
Wide
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Medium
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Medium
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Wide
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| Toebox width |
Wide
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Narrow
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Medium
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Medium
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| Size |
Slightly small
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Slightly small
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Slightly small
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Half size small
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| Midsole softness |
Balanced
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Firm
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Firm
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Firm
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| Stiffness |
Stiff
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Stiff
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Stiff
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Moderate
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| Torsional rigidity |
Stiff
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Moderate
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Stiff
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Stiff
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| Heel counter stiffness |
Moderate
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Moderate
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Moderate
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Moderate
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| Midsole width - forefoot |
Wide
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Wide
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Wide
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Average
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| Midsole width - heel |
Average
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Wide
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Average
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Average
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| Outsole durability |
Decent
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Good
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Decent
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Good
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| Heel padding durability |
Bad
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Decent
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Decent
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Decent
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| Collaboration |
-
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-
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Roger Federer
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-
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| Heel stack lab | 29.8 mm | 29.7 mm | 29.2 mm | 30.0 mm | |
| Forefoot | 21.4 mm | 23.4 mm | 20.1 mm | 22.5 mm | |
| Insole thickness |
Average
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Average
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Average
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Average
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| Removable insole | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Heel tab |
None
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None
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None
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None
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| Toebox durability |
Decent
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Decent
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Bad
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Decent
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| Outsole hardness |
Hard
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Average
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Average
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Average
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| Outsole thickness |
Average
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Thin
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Average
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Average
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| Ranking |
#39 Bottom 1%
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#8 Top 21%
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#35 Bottom 10%
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#25 Bottom 35%
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| Popularity |
#36 Bottom 7%
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#15 Top 39%
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#22 Bottom 43%
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#10 Top 26%
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Who should buy
The 996 v6 should be on your radar if:
- зимние женские кроссовки на меху new balance 574
- zapatillas de running New Balance hombre amortiguación media verdes

Who should NOT buy
The lack of durability in the shoe's upper and toe drag guard was a major turnoff for us. If you are an aggressive slider, we recommend investing in a better-reinforced shoe. The zapatillas de running New Balance asfalto 10k, for example, has a similar price and parameters but shows better signs of longevity.
On the other hand, if you are bothered by the above-average weight of the 996 v6, the ASICS Solution Speed FF 3 is one of the best lightweight tennis shoes out there. It is also exceptionally durable and breathable.

Мужские шапки New Balance | Cushioning
Мужские шапки New Balance | Heel stack
We never lacked cushioning or impact protection in the New Balance 996 v6.

With a caliper reading of 29.8 mm, the shoe's heel stack proved to be on par with the average.
| Chaqueta New Balance Velocity azul | 29.8 mm |
| Average | 29.2 mm |
Forefoot stack
Our forefoot also received a nice buffer upon landings thanks to the shoe's 21.4 mm forefoot stack.

We felt confident choosing the 996 v6 for long sessions as it took good care of the balls of our feet and didn't leave them beaten up afterward.
| Chaqueta New Balance Velocity azul | 21.4 mm |
| Average | 19.5 mm |
Drop
New Balance Unisex Collegiate Shorts.

It is a very safe offset for most players because it's neither too low to strain the Achilles nor too high to push the toes forward.
| Chaqueta New Balance Velocity azul | 8.4 mm |
| Average | 9.7 mm |
Midsole softness
One notable change we noticed in the 6th version of the 996 is that the cushioning got softer and livelier compared to v5!
Our Shore A durometer confirmed this experience showing a lower reading of 26.4 HA. The previous iteration came in at 33.5 HA which is 27% firmer.

Even though both shoes use the brand's famous FuelCell foam, the brand confirms that this compound can be modified between models.
We welcome this change in the 996 v6 because its updated FuelCell midsole made the underfoot experience a bit more fun and springy.
| Chaqueta New Balance Velocity azul | 26.4 HA |
| Average | 28.1 HA |
Size and fit
Size
New Balance Chaqueta New Balance Velocity azul fits slightly small (38 votes).
Width / Fit
On its official product page, New Balance states that the 996 v6 runs narrow. But our gel mold of the shoe's interiors shows the opposite!
Contrary to the brand's statement, our caliper returned an above-average reading of 95.1 mm in the widest part of the mold (between the big toe and the pinkie). Our medium-width feet felt very nicely accommodated in this New Balance shoe!

| Chaqueta New Balance Velocity azul | 95.1 mm |
| Average | 92.9 mm |
Toebox width
The shoe also offered more wiggle room in the big toe area. With a width of 74.3 mm, it's a few solid millimeters wider than some of the other D-medium shoes we measured in a men's US size 9!
On top of that, the NB 996 v6 is also available in wide options (2E for men and D for women).

| Chaqueta New Balance Velocity azul | 74.3 mm |
| Average | 69.2 mm |
Toebox height
With a toebox height of 24.1 mm, the shoe also provides ample space above the toes. That way, we didn't find anything narrow about this NB shoe.

| Chaqueta New Balance Velocity azul | 24.1 mm |
| Average | 25.1 mm |
Мужские шапки New Balance
Its funky chicken shank loaded the 996 v6 with a great deal of stiffness.
Using a force gauge, we discovered that it takes 44.6N which is about 40% more force than average to bend this New Balance shoe to a 90-degree angle.
We believe that this is what helped the 996 v6 feel so ready to go! The shoe has a propulsive nature to it which made our sprints to the net feel nice and charged. Paired with its stable platform, it creates a pretty speedy experience, just as the brand promised.
This shoe follows methodology 1.8. It has been replaced with methodology 1.8 (the 'gel test') on more recently updated shoes. Results from the two methodologies cannot be directly compared, which is why you don't see recently tested shoes in the chart below.
| Chaqueta New Balance Velocity azul | 44.6N |
| Average | 30.7N |
Weight
New Balance positions the 996 v6 as a tennis shoe for a "speedier type of play," also mentioning that its design is inspired by racing cars. Unfortunately, we didn't see that reflected in the shoe's weight.

Our scale returned 13.8 oz (390g) in a men's US size 9 which is a whole ounce heavier than average. What's more, the v6 gained some serious weight over its previous version - the 996 v5 came in at only 11.9 oz (336g)!

But on the bright side, the shoe doesn't feel heavy on foot thanks to its propulsive midsole and a shank (more on that below).
| Chaqueta New Balance Velocity azul | 13.8 oz (390g) |
| Average | 12.8 oz (362g) |
Breathability
New Balance promised "breathability during long matches on hot days" and the 996 v6 delivered it!
Look how incredibly fast the smoke passed through the shoe's toebox! We rarely see this level of ventilation in tennis shoes because it is usually a trade-off with durability (unfortunately, that's the case for the 996 v6 too but more on that below).

The secret lies in the shoe's highly porous net mesh where thousands of ventilation holes let the air in and out without any obstruction.

Without a doubt, this is one of the most breathable tennis shoes we've tested earning the highest score of 5.
| Chaqueta New Balance Velocity azul | 5 |
| Average | 3.2 |
Stability
Lateral stability test
Trainers NEW BALANCE IV574CTP White.
We could feel the difference in foot containment and side-to-side support as we performed more forceful lateral movements and rapid direction changes.
Torsional rigidity
One major stability component that remained unchanged from the v5 is the chicken-foot shank that runs through the bottom of the shoe.

Together with the firm raised midsole sidewalls, it helps to create a rather rigid platform to prevent the shoe from twisting and wobbling during agile movements on the court.
After the unsuccessful attempts to twist the NB 996 v6 in our manual test, we rated its torsional rigidity with the highest stiffness score of 5.
| Chaqueta New Balance Velocity azul | 5 |
| Average | 4.4 |
Heel counter stiffness
New Balance CM997HZH Nimbus.

In a side-by-side comparison, the difference in collar height appears to be very minor. But we can subscribe to better heel lockdown as we could feel a notable upgrade in the v6!
The shoe's heel counter got stiffer and more structured and refused to yield in our manual test. On a stiffness scale from 1 to 5, we gave it a high score of 4.
The 996 v6 gives a very secure slip-free experience in the rearfoot.
| Chaqueta New Balance Velocity azul | 4 |
| Average | 4.1 |
Midsole width - forefoot
The shoe also provided a very steady and planted experience thanks to its wide platform.

There is a protruding flange on the lateral side of the forefoot which showed 115.3 mm in the widest part. A few millimeters wider than the average, it offered a reliable base for side-to-side landings and charged push-offs.
| Chaqueta New Balance Velocity azul | 115.3 mm |
| Average | 111.9 mm |
Midsole width - heel
The heel doesn't skimp on the landing area either. Our caliper measured 89.7 mm in its widest part which is a standard width for tennis shoe heels.

| Chaqueta New Balance Velocity azul | 89.7 mm |
| Average | 89.6 mm |
Durability
Toe guard durability
Now to the trade-offs. The other side of the shoe's impressive breathability is its catastrophic lack of wear resistance.
In less than 22 seconds of drilling it, the translucent toe guard was completely destroyed by sandpaper! We couldn't believe how weak the shoe's protection was.

Unfortunately, we don't think that the NB 996 v6 can stand up against aggressive sliding and that is reflected in the shoe's very low toe guard durability score.
| Chaqueta New Balance Velocity azul | 1 |
| Average | 3.3 |
Toebox durability
Obviously, the shoe's net mesh is not the strongest material either.
After applying sandpaper to the exposed fabric for 12 seconds, we saw some pretty notable damage.

But we should still give that mesh some credit because it resisted the Dremel long enough to prevent a glaring hole. It did even better than the $200 ROGER Pro 2 (New Balance Fuelcell Supercomp Xialing)!
That's why we upped the toebox durability score to 3 out of 5.
| Chaqueta New Balance Velocity azul | 3 |
| Average | 3.7 |
Heel padding durability
Looking at the shoe's inner lining, we also believe that New Balance could've done better.
Assessing the damage left by a 4-second Dremel test, we couldn't rate it any higher than 2 out of 5.

| Chaqueta New Balance Velocity azul | 2 |
| Average | 3.3 |
Outsole hardness
At the bottom of the NB 996 v6, we found both hard and translucent types of rubber in the shoe's outsole.

Using a Shore C durometer, we measured the hardness at 90.0 and 89.0 HC respectively. Nearly identical compounds.

| Chaqueta New Balance Velocity azul | 90.0 HC |
| Average | 86.0 HC |
Outsole durability
We applied our Dremel to the hard rubber part of the outsole for 22 seconds. The speed was set to the demanding 10K RPM.
The material fought back rather well developing only 1.0 mm of damage. This is a good result for a tennis shoe in this price range.

| Chaqueta New Balance Velocity azul | 1.0 mm |
| Average | 0.8 mm |
Outsole thickness
We were also glad to see as much as 4.5 mm of outsole thickness in the 996 v6.

Overall, we found the shoe's outsole sufficiently hard, abrasion-resistant, and thick to last as long as the average tennis shoe outsole.
But a durability warranty would've made us more reassured.
| Chaqueta New Balance Velocity azul | 4.5 mm |
| Average | 4.2 mm |
Misc
Insole thickness
The primary cushioning is complemented by a comfortable well-padded insole. We measure its thickness at 4.8 mm in the heel.

| Chaqueta New Balance Velocity azul | 4.8 mm |
| Average | 5.1 mm |
Removable insole
It takes no effort to remove the insole of the 996 v6 in case you need a pair of orthotics.

| Chaqueta New Balance Velocity azul | Yes |
Tongue padding
New Balance kept the shoe's tongue padding minimal at 4.7 mm which is a few millimeters thinner than average.

New Balance 327 Indigo Morning Fog!
| Chaqueta New Balance Velocity azul | 4.7 mm |
| Average | 8.1 mm |
Tongue: gusset type
The tongue of this New Balance shoe has gussets on both sides which we found quite helpful during forceful lateral movements.

We experienced no tongue shifting and the overall lockdown felt like a race car bucket seat.

| Chaqueta New Balance Velocity azul | Both sides (full) |
Price
The retail price of the New Balance 996 v6 sits right in the middle of tennis shoes.

For this price range, we believe that the shoe offers excellent performance with its nimble and propulsive ride.
But because it lacks in the durability department we don't think that the 996 v6 deserves the full price.
| Chaqueta New Balance Velocity azul | $135 |
| Average | $132 |
Heel tab
The NB 996 v6 is very agreeable during on-and-off despite not having any finger loops or pull tabs to hold on to.

| Chaqueta New Balance Velocity azul | None |






































