Having been a loyal New Balance customer for nearly 20 years, I have owned over a dozen pairs of New Balance shoes, including many cross trainers.  Historically, I have been drawn to New Balance shoes because of the extensive selection of wide width models.  In the past seven years, I have purchased basically the same model of New Balance cross trainers on the Internet because I felt there was no need to try them on given my previous success. The 855 is the first model that has been a disappointment. In short, one of the shoes experienced multiple leather tears despite being seldom worn.

Currently, I own both New Balance 622 and 855 model cross trainers.  The former is significantly less expensive (approximately $60 retail online).  Generally, I have purchased the middle-of-the line models because they performed so well.  So, when I needed a backup pair of shoes due to my workout schedule, I decided to purchase a more expensive model just to see that the difference was. Unfortunately, the shoe did not perform well.

The first thing that stood out with the 855 is the shoe lining.  It is a textured material that just feels more durable than the felt/fleece-like liner on the 622.  The heel has a clear plastic exterior support with a checkered pattern black-white material underneath.  These were all good signs as the shoe seems better constructed than any other cross trainer I have used.  Yet the right shoe experienced two tears, one on the outer right side, which propagated rapidly, and another near the big toe.  I have never had such a problem before.

While I could have nicked something, I have no recollection of such an event.  Moreover, the shoe wasn't worn that frequently as I primarily used the 622.  What struck me as being a bit odd is how quickly the split propagated.  What was a tiny " cut became a 2" tear in what seems to be less than 10-15 hours of use. Now that the split is so large I can see that is has occurred along a line where a synthetic support material is sandwiched between the leather and shoe liner.  Perhaps this is a design flaw that caused a high stress area.  While one customer experience is not a scientific study, I do find the shoe falling apart so quickly to be unusual.  My 855 purchase reinforced the idea that spending more does not always get the customer a better product.

Pros
*Aesthetics
*Nice shoe liner material

Cons
*Leather seems to tear easily