I've worn 99x series New Balance shoes for going on 15 years.  They are great shoes and I never shop around for anything else.  The last few sets haven't lasted as long with daily wearing to work: usually less than 12 months.  Most notably, a 1"x. 5" chunk of my sole recently tore off at the 9 month mark.  The past few sets have developed a terrible smell after 9 months but that seems fixed with my latest 993s.

So why 4 stars instead of 1 or 2?

I love 99xs because they are comfortable, fit great, look great, come in a great number of widths, have plenty of room for custom orthopedic inserts under the insole, and are (mostly) made in America.

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I now own the 990v3 (2013) model and find it to be well constructed and comfortable, just like every other 99x I've worn.  There are subtle changes including the larger "N" logo and new materials, but unless you look closely, you can't tell these apart from past 99xs.  That's just the way I like it!