New Balance doesn't make the style I used to wear, so I bought this one because it seemed to be the closest to what I used to have.  I'm very disappointed with the shoe.  I've been wearing them for a couple of weeks now, and I thought that would be enough time for the stiffness to work itself out.  I was wrong.  They're still as stiff as the day I took them out of the box.  Also, there's not as much room in the toe as in previous models, so my pinkie toes always hurt by the end of the day.  I won't give up on these shoes just yet though; I'm hoping they'll start to feel better soon.