New Balance Men's MX1012 Cross-Training Shoe

The MX1012 has been out for some time now. I have the MX1011 (i.e. last year's model) and would rate them a 7 (or maybe an 8) out of 10. But of course, I'd rather have a 9 or a 10. Months ago when I first saw that the 1012's were released, I almost ordered them without thinking about it, hoping for a little improvement over the already-good 1011. But I haven't liked New Balance's running shoes lately so I thought I'd wait for a review before buying. Months went by and no reviews for the 1012 could be found anywhere on the internet. I found it uncanny considering how popular New Balance is, and how this is their flagship cross-trainer. So I took a leap of faith and ordered these.These are the most comfortable shoes I've ever worn. Not just athletic shoes, but any shoe. These make me want to walk. Even though NB is known for their wide assortment of running shoes, I haven't liked their running shoes for at least a couple years now. They feel hard and knobby inside and I don't feel sure-footed when jogging on a treadmill. So one day I thought I'd try my 1011's for treadmill jogging and it was great. But they're getting worn and they feel a quarter-size too small. So I ordered the 1012 a half size bigger than my 1011's. Doing so makes them feel a quarter-size too big, but not really in a bad way. They are SO comfortable. They feel light and cushiony. I jogged 3 miles on a treadmill at the gym in these shoes and it was so easy, I didn't even notice that I passed the 3 mile mark. Usually, I'm staring at the mileage counter just waiting for the 3 mile mark to hit so I can slow to a walk. I haven't tried these on an elliptical yet, but based on how wonderful they are for walking and jogging, I can't imagine any reason why they wouldn't rule for the elliptical as well.As with the 1011, these are conservatively styled. I'm good with that. I really just wanted a basic looking black shoe that would do everything, and this one hits it out of the ballpark.I love this shoe and may buy a second pair to put in the closet in case I don't like the 1013's when they come out.I used to think that a do-it-all cross-trainer couldn't be very good at any one thing, and that dedicated shoes were needed. I was wrong. This shoe is great for everything.

I've been wearing Nike Air for many years, mostly because I know where their stores are. A few years ago I purchased a pair of New Balance, and I liked them, but the store where I bought them is hard to get to. Which is why I ordered this pair online. Upon receipt I was very pleasantly surprised to find that these shoes fit much better than any of the Nike Air's that I've purchased. The lace design makes it very easy to adjust for pressure points on the foot, and unlike Nike the laces were ready to wear - which made the purchase even easier. I've been wearing them ever since. Very satisfied.

I had previously bought the 1010 model and i was completely happy with it in all aspects, When I needed new pair it was no longer made so i was into the hassle of trying to find a comparable model and ended up with this one. The main issue i have with it is the the toe box is narrower and not as high.I begin with a unique problem since my feet are two different sizes and i have to size for the largest and the other foot then ends up a half size smaller.Then i have to size up again for my orthiotic insertsand this gets complictaed since width in NB shoes can become a real issue. With their walking shoe models i have to go with 4e and on this model 2e is slightly smaller than the old model.NB could do two things to make their sales easier and more consistent. First leave a good shoe alone and don't change it around every year with a couple of different features and size adjustments. if it's a decent seller people will come back to it.Second ; if you don't do this then put a page on your website that traces the different models so people can at least follow the yearly changes.I don't give a rip about all the fancy letters if they don't match the previous shoe.I found Canadian website that did a comparative guide which was very helpfull but that shoe store did it on their own.If NB had a clue they would have done this ages ago. After walking around Spokane for a week in very hilly terrain I am happy overall with the shoe. The last pair endured but for some strange reason the rubber in one just completely disintegrated while the other held up great. hopefully this pair will do better.

So I am coming from the mx1011 (another AWESOME NB shoe that has been discontinued) and after having them for over a year it was time to replace them because the support was wearing down and the bottom of the shoe was beginning to rip.During my search for a new shoe I went through a couple pairs including: NB minimus mx20v3, and the 997v2 trainers. These shoes did NOT fit the bill for my intended use. I was looking for a shoe with good lateral support, lightweight, flexible, and a soft well cushioned sole just like my mx1011's and my intended use for these shoes would be to use for the insanity and p90x2 workouts. I finally nailed it with the MX1012's. I had avoided these shoes because of the reviews saying if you had the mx1011 you WILL NOT like these..well those negative reviews were innacurate as these shoes are great. Everything I wanted in a shoe, this model has (although the sole is not as soft as the mx1011) and ive used it with insanity and it performs just great!..try out the shoe you will like it. And if you don't, well you can just return it and try another.

This is an update from my earlier review. I was initially pleased with the shoe, but over the past months, the shoe became simply unwearable. Note that I have purchased many shoes in my days, and although I'm not much of a runner anymore, at one time I was very picky about my shoes. I have had shoes I loved, and shoes that were just ok, but I have to say that this is the first pair that I had to stop wearing because of what it was doing to my feet. This shoe has NO support whatsoever. Maybe if you are flat-footed, this shoe is right for you. I've never had a New Balance shoe before .... so maybe that manufacturer is just a bad match for me. I have written many reviews here on Amazon, and 99% of them are positive, but I can't recommend this shoe.