Comments: I am a true 6.5 shoe size. I was a big fan of Adidas Barricade II. But they stopped making them so I tried the NB 804. They felt great when I tried them on but not when I played tennis. The toe box is all wrong. It feels as though the shoe is too short. And that is compounded by the lousy inner sole that NB uses. It has no arch support so my foot slides forward in the shoe when I play which amplifies the poorly designed toe box or too short last. I will not buy another pair.
From: Grace, 4/13

Comments: Please bring back the 802 New Balance. Mine are completely worn out and the other 800 series shoes don't have enough back to stay on my feet.
From: Nancy, 12/12

Comments: I wish I had read the comments before purchasing the 804's. I also have been wearing the 800 series usually with good results. Stocked up on the 803's awhile ago but finally had to purchase new shoes so purchased the 804's. First of all they don't fit. I've worn 8.5's forever and these are too short. Shipping them back today but don't know what to buy now. Very disappointed with New Balance right now!
From: Pam, 6/12

Comments: Amazing, reading these positive/negative reviews. This one's a positive. Just goes to show everyone is different. For me, these were comfortable out of the box. This is my third pair of 804's for that reason. I, too have had plantar fasciitis and use orthotics. I play 4.0 doubles 3x weekly, hard and clay courts. These last about 8 months before breaking down in support and loss of tread. The main plus - for me- is that there is no "getting used to them".
From: Anon, 4/12

Comments: I have worn New Balance for a long time. I always liked them even though they wear out quickly. My feet are narrow. I bought these in 8.5 instead of my usual 8. Like others who have commented, I loved them for one or two matches. Now they hurt my feet so much.
From: Mary, 3/12

Comments: These shoes are comfortable and provide good stability. I've had 2 pairs that didn't last more than 3 months-the outer soles wore through at the toes. The inner soles felt flat also. That can be corrected with cushioning, but the outer soles cannot be fixed.
From: Cynthia, 2/12

Comments: The New B 804 has definitely changed to me. I've been wearing the 800 series for years, beginning with 801, then 802, and 803. I've always been able to wear them right out of the box onto the courts with no pains. Swapped off wearing two pair every year. The 804 are disappointing. My routine is to change the New Balance insole to a good sport insole and wear Thorlo socks. Immediately after trying on the 804 I could tell the shoe was too tight, and short (about a half size). I tried adjusting the laces, wearing thinner socks, putting back in the New Balance cardboard insole, but to no avail. They hurt my feet just wearing them around the house. So my only recourse is to return them and find another shoe.
From: Mary, 11/11

Comments: I was very happy with the 802"s when I started playing tennis again 5 years ago. They provided great support and helped eliminate my plantar faciitis. The 803's were pretty good as well, but I cannot wear the 804's. They definitely changed the shape of the toe box which has gone from comfortable to much too narrow. I have reverted to my old 803's and hoping NB drops this model quickly and gets back to their successful 802/803 styles.
From: Barbara. 6/11

Comments: I used to love New Balance also. The 802s were perfect, 803s rubbed my ankles and the 804s did not fit at all. They took a GREAT shoe and ruined. I have been looking around and found a new shoe that I think is much like the 802. Prince Scream. Just played with them today....great!
From: Clare. 5/11

Comments: I, too, used to LOVE New Balance, but the last couple of 800 series shoes have been terrible. The 802 was amazing; no breaking, light, great support. The 803 rubbed terribly around my ankles, so much that if I took a week off from tennis it took me a while to get over the 'bruised' feeling they left me with. I tried on the 804's and could not get either the 8 or the 8.5 to fit. I usually wear an 8 but it was too tight in the toe, went to an 8.5 and it was too big. The crease that is created when you stand on your toe dug into my foot. I have no idea what New Balance is doing. They should just bring back the 802...EVERYONE loved it.
From: Anon. 4/11

Comments: I have always worn NB, love the 800 series only. For NB shoes, most of them I feel are the best all around very durable shoes for wear & tear. They have a great tread pattern on the outside bottom to cut through the clay court. Nice wide toe box, for advanced players, won't take your toenail out. The shoe is made the way a foot is. I believe I started with the 801, 802's were ok & I love the 803's. The 803, I have been wearing for a few years. I rotate wearing 3 pairs of them. I wear a size 8, take out their sole & put in my own sport insole. Unfortunately they have been discontinued. Ugh! I have tried the 804, not happy with it. Got it in a size 8, again took their sole out & put in my own sports insole. All that is good. But it has an Oval shape to it. Wider fit in the middle - mid foot area, so no side-to-side movement support, too wide feeling. Oval is not the way a foot is shaped. It goes like into a pointed toe box, again not the way toes are situated on your foot, they go across, not into a point, like on fancy dress shoes. I've tried to wear them several times, do not like them. Ugh! The manufacturer's try to keep up with the trends, but have we changed the shape of the Wheel? No, it's still round to keep our Cars moving. Just the rubber has been perfected.
From: Joanne, Ft Lauderdale, FL, USA, 01/11

Comments: I am very disappointed in this shoe, it is way too hard and way too wide, I get awful blisters. I would NOT recommend this shoe 0 stability! Do not do it.
From: Samantha, USA, 11/10

Comments: I LOVED the 802s--started losing a little faith in New Balance with the 803s--and absolutely detest the 804s. Come ON, New Balance, what is happening to you guys? These shoes are too wide in the toe box, no support anywhere, smaller than in the past (as I say, I have been using NB tennis shoes for at least 6 years), and the insole is a JOKE. First rattle out of the box, you need to replace that little flimsy piece of cardboard with an insole that has some padding as well as some heel and arch support. These are awful shoes--and when I told that to my chiropractor, who had originally recommended NB years ago, he didn't even argue--that alone spoke volumes. So caveat emptor... hope I can find some other shoes elsewhere that live up to their claims like NB used to.
From: Vicki, Las Cruces, NM, USA, 07/10

Comments: I have plantar faciitis. These shoes have allowed me to continue hard playing games of singles. They have good support and good traction. They are definitely more durable than other shoes. I was fitted to a narrow size and this has kept my feet from moving around in the shoes. I like them very much despite the fact that my left shoe squeaks when I walk.
From: Jan, Strafford, NH, USA, 07/10

Comments: I have recently been diagnosed with plantar faciitis so these were recommended as a good choice. I have worn New Balance shoes forever and initially loved these shoes. I have always worn size 8 in NB but had to get 8.5. After the first couple of days, they just didn't feel right. I had to start tying them so tightly that the top of my foot hurt or my heel would slip. I ended up with blisters on both of my big toes. For whatever reason, these shoes seem sized differently from other New Balance shoes I've worn. I'm sure they're great shoes, but they're not for me.
From: Julie, Avon, CT. 5/10

Comments: I have recently developed plantar faciitis (heel pain) and these shoes provide fantastic arch support. My only complaint is that after a few days, the left shoe developed an odd squeaking/squishing sound when I walk. I took them back to the New Balance store and they ordered me a new pair. The new pair was perfect for 2 days and now the left shoe is squeaking/squishing just like the first pair. I don't know if it's something with how my left foot is when I walk, but I've never had a problem with any other shoe before.
From: Lisa, Raleigh, NC. 5/10