Comments: Toe box too roomy, looks like the upper less reinforced compared to ct802, starting to get pain at tips of toes, did you guys change the last? Any ct802 left? Jeff, while the last on this shoe was not changed, updates on the upper were made. These changes, while subtle, can affect the feel and fit of the shoe. -TW admin
From: Jeff, 11/09

Comments: I like them, but I had 2 pairs in 4 months that went defective. A tear in the right baby toe area. And I'm in my 60s and play double 2-3 imes/wk. No more of them, I had TW ship me the 654s and no problems now.
From: anon. 10/09 Orlando,FL, USA

Comments: These shoes fit great for wide feet. I normally wear size 11 4E Asics / New Balance running shoes. These shoes appear to run big as a 10.5 is plenty big for me. Didn't hve any overheating issues, either. Great value.
From: Mike, 4.5, Virginia Beach, VA, USA 09/09

Comments: If you're over 200 pounds, or anywhere close to it, you might wanna stay away from these shoes. I'm 220 6'2" and came from wearing Prince and KSwiss shoes, bought these impulsively, wish I hadn't. Not enough support, too narrow (even though I have a narrow foot), I knew by the 2nd ball I hit and ran to these were gonna be walking shoes for me. Big mistake. Back to Prince shoes for me.
From: Jay, Lawrenceville, GA 07/09

Comments: OK shoes except that the toe box was too big and the shoe seems kind of loose. I usually wear a 9.5 D width, and they would fit like gloves but theses were too loose. The other problems were poor ventilation, and heel would worn out first because it's too thin to begin with.
From: bob, sacramento, ca, us. 3/09

Comments: This is an awesome shoe. My ankle used to kill me in my previous Nike Air Max Breathe Cages 2, but now they don't. These Rule!
From: Sunny. 11/08

Comments: This is a great shoe for people with ankle and Achilles tendonitis issues. It provides the best support and it protects you from related injuries. I have used those related models since they were called the 785 back in the late 90s. Now they are on to the 803. The latter is an excellent shoe. It uses its exclusive roll-bar stabilization technology. With the 803, I have not encountered the size problem other customers experienced. For me the size was pretty much the same as ever as the recent 802 and 801. The one emerging problem I have with this series is that it is getting progressively hotter. I can't wear them around much. I wear sandals until I am on the court. Put them on, and take them off as soon as I am done playing. My feet get hot and sweaty in them. That's an issue but my Achilles tendons are still in one piece and I can play injury free. That's a lot more important than a bit of sweat:)
From: Guy, Mill Valley, CA, USA, 11/08

Comments: I think this would be a great tennis shoe if it were not for the fact that I keep wearing through the heel. I play doubles about 3 times a week and I am of average build (165 lbs) and have worn through the heel of three pairs within 4-6 weeks each. A horrible design for heel wear.
From: Pat, USA. 10/08

Comments: Just confirming earlier comments about going back to D width from EE in the 803. I always replace my insoles, am very happy with ProFoot Aeros--found them for $6/pair and have outfitted a couple of pair of 803s with them.
From: Brad, Skokie, IL, USA. 9/08

Comments: Normally wear size 9D but with these they are a bit loose for the same size. I had to wear my level 3 Thorlos just to fill up the shoe, fit it first before buying.
From: Karol B, Fremont, CA. 8/08

Comments: I'm NTRP 3.0 and play on hard courts in the Chicago area maybe twice a week, three if I'm lucky. I'm small but have a heavy frame (5'4", 157lbs.--used to run track, played football and rugby), in my mid-40s. I like to move around, a lot of starting and stopping. Overall, I like the 800 series shoe a lot. Similar to other comments made, the 803 is very stable: I switched from Nike because I tore my achilles many years ago in a pair of Airs that were low-cut--before then, had a couple of Nike mid-cuts that were great but they seemed to stop offering them. 803s offer the mid-cut support for ankles and stability, but the sizing is different vs. previous generations: I started with 8.5D 801s, they were a little snug in the forefoot. So I got the 802, 8.5EE, those were great. So I figured I'd get the EEs again in the 803, but they're pretty loose in the forefoot. I prefer not to wear two pair of socks mainly for the "hot" issue. I think I'll try another pair of 803s in the D width, that should work. But overall, a great shoe for me. Was considering a different model NB shoe but after reading the reviews from others (inconsistent experiences), I'll stick with the 803s.
From: Brad, Skokie, IL, USA. 8/08

Comments: This is a nice shoe, and I liked the fit and the leather uppers. My only complaint is how hard the sole is. The bottoms of my feet felt bruised after playing in them. I had to stop wearing them. I tried them a couple of times thinking maybe I just had to break them in but that was not the case. I play mostly on hard court; they could be better on clay.
From: Steve, Harleysville, PA, USA. 8/08

Comments: Watch the size!!! With 802s (had 6 pairs) wore size 11.5 2E, tried these on and went down to 11 2E. Having worn them a month I wished I had gone down on width to D as well.
From: Frank, Landenberg, PA, USA. 8/08

Comments: They fit a bit looser than the previous three 800 series. I would've ordered a half-size smaller if I'd known. Maybe because of that, they seemed to take a long time to break in; they're now pretty well molded to my feet, so I don't slide forward in them at an abrupt direction change. On the whole, they're okay if you like the previous ones in the series. They share the same pros and cons of fantastic heel stability, being hotter than most other shoes, and not looking like castoff props from David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust tour like some other shoes do. Hopefully, NB will follow their trend of even-numbered shoes being superb (800 - great, 801 - not so great, 802 - great, 803 - not so great). Even so, I wouldn't trade that heel stability for any other shoe. It's unmatched in that department, in my experience.
From: Fritz, Knoxville, TN, USA. 7/08

Comments: I like the way this shoe feels, but it has a few design flaws that detract from the shoe. First, I wore a hole through the insole right under the ball of my foot. The shoe felt great until the insole started to fail. I am buying Superfeet inserts for $30 to replace the very cheap insole. My guess is if NB spent a couple dollars more on the insole, this would not have happened. The other curious thing about this shoe is the heel design. It is not particularly thick or canted at the rear edge like earlier 800 series shoes were. As a result, my edge is wearing through and chipping off before the rest of the sole shows much wear. The NB 1200 series is my new favorite, except for the price. Unfortunately, TW doesn't carry the 1200 series - not sure why.
From: Mike, Jacksonville, FL, USA. 7/08

Comments: It fits a little looser than other New Balance models I've tried (820, 652, 801, 1002). I'm now wearing two pairs of socks to keep them snug.
From: Dean, San Jose, CA, USA. 5/08

Comments: I tried the Prince MC4 but started getting bad shin splints. I switched about 3 months ago to the 803 at a friend's recommendation and have not had a problem since. Great shoe!
From: Kevin, Midlothian, VA, USA. 3/08

Comments: This is a great shoe for players with weak ankles. Plenty of stability. However, there is one caveat about this shoe. I wear my shoes out in the heels. This model shoe has only 1/4 inch of rubber in the heel. In a very short time you will wear through the 1/4 inch rubber onto hard plastic, while the rest of the shoe hardly show any wear. Very poor design.
From: Steve, Stockton, CA, USA. 3/08

Comments: Shoes wore very well and were comfortable except that they were hot.
From: TL, Highland, MI. 2/08

Comments: This is the best shoe on the market for someone with Plantar Faciitis. Supports the arch and heel without sacrificing cushioning. Its almost like having a built in orthotic. The key to getting the most out of the shoe is to find your perfect NB fit. Too bad TW doesn't carry the B widths, which fit similar to a Nike. This is really a great shoe!
From: Charles, Canton, GA, USA. 7/07

Comments: Tried Nike Cage and Adidas Barricade IV and I did not like them. I found they were too narrow and very tight. Both the Nike Cage and Adidas Barricade IV are very overrated! The New Balance 803 are very comfortable and offer a lot of support and traction as well as a normal, good looking shoe. My toes are a little wider so these shoes worked very well. I normally wear a size 11 but in these the 10.5 were perfect. I went with the med. width. Took 2 hours to break in. NICE SHOE! Would buy again. Great price from Tennis warehouse.
From: Wes. 6/07

Comments: I think it's the best shoe ever made for people with an arched foot. It's a great improvement from the already great 802, this time with added cushion for when on hard-court, but still the good track for clay.
From: Michael, Aurora, Ontario, Canada, 06/07