Great performance, good price

Special Thanks to The Soccer Corner for providing me with the boots for review!

We have seen over the past ten years or so that New Balance has continued to invest and improve upon their football boot line up. From some rough early models, the brand has done a good job of presenting itself as a viable alternative to the Big Three. While the Furon and the Tekela have both got lots of their own fans, their 442 models have been an ever-present go to model for people wanting to solid and (relatively) inexpensive performer. The key with the 442 was also that it was the kangaroo leather model in New Balance’s lineup. But recently, like other brands, New Balance has switched to synthetic leathers for the 442 series (except in the Japanese market for the Pro models specifically) and has decided to push the 442 in a new direction by creating an Elite model that is still cheaper than other Elite models on the market, yet at the same time trying to place it as separate from being just a “budget” boot.

Fit and Feel

It is easy start off by wondering if the new New Balance 442 Elite do feel more premium, more Elite, versus their predecessors. And they do. While the synthetic leather material used on the upper will not beat out something like an ASICS X Fly Pro 3, it does feel more premium and malleable than something like the current Tiempo 10 Elite. It is a clever design decision on the part of New Balance to have the indentations that mimic the stitching pattern of the leather 442 models as this allows for the synthetic material to feel softer and less plasticky out of the box.

Praise should also be given to the choice of knit used. Again, it is not the most premium of knits that you will find, but the quality is good, and it does feel like some thought when into the material choices. It is stretchy through the middle of the laces area but still wraps around the ankle nicely in the heel.

Speaking of the heel, it is pretty good. I personally prefer slightly more cushioning but considering that so often this area of a boot is an afterthought for most brands, it is good for what it is. And again, it feels like they actually thought about the design and fit. The other positive with the heel is that they allowed it to remain soft and pliable which means it can fit multiple types of heels rather than feeling as if your heel needs to “get used to” a pre-determined shape. Which is more than can be said for some far more expensive boots.

One of the advantages of the new material that New Balance is using on the 442 Elite is that the lockdown feels very good and much more modern versus the more traditional design of the non-Elite 442 models. The lacing system is pretty good overall and the only complaints that can be made is that it would be nice to see the laces run a bit deeper down the boot and that I personally prefer a u-throat tongue versus a one piece upper. The flip side is that such a look would probably dissuade people from look at the boot as an “Elite” boot, because of current trends.

The New Balance 442 Elite cannot really be considered “wide”, and there are indeed 2E versions of this boot available but at the same time this regular last does not feel narrow and there is a slightly bit of adjustability in the fit due to the nature of the stretchy knit on the tongue.

For the sizing, I stayed with true to size and the fit is snug but good. However, I know that for most people they need to go half a size up with New Balance and that is what I would recommend for most people.

Touch

One of the things that can often be difficult when trying out a whole new upper material is getting the balance right when it comes to touch. And again, the team at New Balance deserves credit for getting a whole lot right here. The upper is soft enough to provide that more classical feel while at the same time being thing enough to feel more modern and not bulky when controlling the ball.

The upper also has a leather-like grain to it that mimics a classic leather upper, and it is another detail that makes the 442 Elite feel more premium and expensive than it is. The upper also has a matte finish that is slightly grippy to the touch and just enough to make a small difference but nothing super noticeable.

Another thing that makes a positive difference with the upper is that the synthetic leather is somewhat water repellent so even in poor conditions (say, for example, a pitch with snow melting on it) you get a nice touch on the ball. This also means that unlike natural materials there is less overall water uptake meaning that the boots do not feel bogged down by the conditions.

As with any boot that has a uniform shape to the upper, there are no surprises when it comes to dribbling with the ball at speed, no issues here.

Passing and Shooting

Another part of the boot where there are no real surprises. Just a nice, solid, all-around performer, and there is a lot to appreciate for that. So often, a lot of brands try to make things overly complicated (and New Balance has done the same before) so it is refreshing when a brand can come up with something and then take their hands off rather than trying to overengineer the product.

Passing is solid, and the boot performs well. Same with shooting, there is no pingy sensation of course but at the same time the upper is thin enough to the point that you can feel your foot putting in the power.

If there was one complaint to be made it is that I wish the soleplate anchored the foot a bit better when it comes to hitting the ball with power. It is not bad per se – but some type of ridges or rough edges on the studs would be nice.

Grip

About as basic as can be. And it is perfectly serviceable. The soleplate performs well on multiple surfaces and seems most at home on artificial or hard ground. It is also appreciated that the bottom of the studs are concave, because this allows for the rubber crumbs on AG surfaces to sit under the studs which allows the pressure to be distributed better. Not a new trick, but still a good one.

A small gripe is that the soleplate could probably due with being just a little bit stiffer overall. Sure, there were probably cost constraints that meant that the designers would have to sacrifice something to keep the cost and ultimately the price down, but surely they could’ve added some small torsion frames through the midfoot.

Still, overall a good enough soleplate

Pricing Issues

So, the New Balance 442 has never been seen as a budget option in Japan as some of the models of have even come close to the same price as the Mizuno Morelia II MiJ (around 22k yen). What’s worse is that this initial colourway of the 442 Elite launched at 33k yen which for reference is more expensive than the Predator Elite FT (31k yen). While the second colourway is at a more reasonable 24k yen, that’s still more expensive than what you can find the Morelia II MiJ at.

Aside from the Japanese price, the international prices seem fairly reasonable, about 160 US/160 UK/190 EUR for the inline colourways. And considering how expensive the market is getting, it seems like a great deal. Except, I personally feel they should be slightly cheaper, maybe ten percent cheaper. While it is understandable that this could eat into the cost, and cheaper price would make the boots far more competitive. And there is still one part of the boot that could be cut to save money: the wearable finish on the soleplate.

I really do not understand why we are still doing this on boots, like, from a presentation standpoint it makes sense but considering how quickly these finishes wear off, it’s all a bit pointless. Also, are these wearable finishes biodegradable? If not then we are creating more waste just in name of “looking good”, which is pretty stupid from my point of view.

Conclusion

But we cannot take away from the fact that the New Balance 442 Elite is a fairly premium product for not an overly premium price. The boot is a solid choice and fairly no nonsense while at the same time some clever ideas, like the choice of upper and heel design means that the boot can some more expensive boots seem too much, and it does feel like you are getting your money’s worth. There is a new “Elite” price point being created by the presence of boots like the new 442 Elites and with any luck, these will be successful enough to force brands to reevaluate their pricing strategies.

Thanks again to The Soccer Corner for providing me with the boots for review! Make sure to check them out!

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Also, please check out The Football Boot Hour, the podcast I co-host with BootWizard Boot Reviews!

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