the_faceless_player
Professional
Late 2019 probably. My playtest pair was marked as Spring 2020.
NB Freshfoam Lav ? Anyone have them? Thoughts?
- Thread starter SneakyPenguin23
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- lav new balance
Late 2019 probably. My playtest pair was marked as Spring 2020.
mpournaras
Hall of Fame
Amazon has the teal ones for 86 bucks today only. Thats an absolute steal from a premium 6-month shoe
R
red rook
Guest
edited: found it. Not a bad deal...
The Big Kahuna
Hall of Fame
The FF2 and the Zoom Zeros are the best two shoes out there right now IMO. You are right on the money. Two excellent shoes with a superb balance of stability and cushioning.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
mpournaras
Hall of Fame
the_faceless_player
Professional
v4?
That looks more like a custom Lav. It has the heel pull tab and the crinkle in the midsole matches the Lav. My 996 V4 test pair from earlier in the year didn't look like that. Be surprised if Milos moved off the shoe line they made for him (but stranger things have happened I guess) My V4 said Spring 2020 so maybe an AO release? It is a huge upgrade over the existing 996 IMO.
mpournaras
Hall of Fame
You got pics of the test pair?
arthurli22
New User
Anyone know the colorways for 2020?
hoodjem
G.O.A.T.
I cannot order shoes online, particularly New Balance.
For years I used to wear New Balance 10.5 EE in various iterations. (I do have a wide foot.) I always loved them because they gave me the room I needed and fit great. But then about two years ago I ordered this size in NB 1296. The fit was terrible: way too narrow (barely a D width) and probably too short. Because I got these just before moving overseas, I did not find this out till I was abroad a few months later--too late and too far away to return.
After playing in these shoes for over a year, I decided this June I couldn't take it any more and maybe these ill-fitting shoes were squeezing and damaging my feet. Hoping that a different brand shoe would be more true to fit, I ordered some Adidas CourtJam Bounce 10.5 EE. These were a good length but slightly too narrow where the instep meets the heel area. So I sent them back.
In early August I was still trying trying to find other tennis shoes that would fit. I moved on to looking at cross-training shoes and sizes all over the place: 10.5 EE, 10.5 EEEE, 11 EE, 11 EEEE, 11.5 EE, and 11.5 EEEE.
Should I order four sizes and plan to return the three that fit least well?
What should I do? I read lots of customer reviews about poorly fitting shoes.
Everything I could order online seemed like an irrational gamble with no guarantee of success.
For years I used to wear New Balance 10.5 EE in various iterations. (I do have a wide foot.) I always loved them because they gave me the room I needed and fit great. But then about two years ago I ordered this size in NB 1296. The fit was terrible: way too narrow (barely a D width) and probably too short. Because I got these just before moving overseas, I did not find this out till I was abroad a few months later--too late and too far away to return.
After playing in these shoes for over a year, I decided this June I couldn't take it any more and maybe these ill-fitting shoes were squeezing and damaging my feet. Hoping that a different brand shoe would be more true to fit, I ordered some Adidas CourtJam Bounce 10.5 EE. These were a good length but slightly too narrow where the instep meets the heel area. So I sent them back.
In early August I was still trying trying to find other tennis shoes that would fit. I moved on to looking at cross-training shoes and sizes all over the place: 10.5 EE, 10.5 EEEE, 11 EE, 11 EEEE, 11.5 EE, and 11.5 EEEE.
Should I order four sizes and plan to return the three that fit least well?
What should I do? I read lots of customer reviews about poorly fitting shoes.
Everything I could order online seemed like an irrational gamble with no guarantee of success.
mpournaras
Hall of Fame
I think you just need to order flippers and learn to play in those
hoodjem
G.O.A.T.
And snorkeling gear.
Ι have the same question also. Unfortunately not too many reviews talking about width. Check what I wrote and TW wrote back:
Hello team,
I started off with the Asics Gel Resolution 7s all court. (size 29cm, 46). I found them very fast and very stable (after i started lacing them up to the top shoelace holes) when i wanted to move fast around the court and especially when i changed lateral direction. The grip was excellent in carpet and a little too much on the hard court. Also, I felt that on the hard court they were not bouncy enough which hurt my knees. My biggest problem was they were too tight on the toes which made my post game experience very bad on the toes and nails. I also developed achilles tendonitis for the 1st time in my life although i m guessing this is not necessarily because of the shoes.
I switched to the babolat SFX3 (size 29cm, 45). I am really enjoying the toe room, it is very important for me. The grip is fine on carpet but I feel like I cannot run around the court as fast and change lateral direction as fast. I also lace these up to the top shoelace hole otherwise they feel very unstable even when i wear two socks. I have yet to try them on a hard court.
Between the two, I definitely prefer the babaolat, as i said i really enjoy the toe room. But i am missing the asics stability and speed.
Are there any shoes you can recommend for me?
Based on reviews, could the Adidas solecourt boost be my shoes? Maybe the Nike Vapor X? The K Swiss light?The Lav foam?
I need toe room with heel protection for my health and lateral stability for my game
REPLY
I think the New Balance Lav would be your best option out of the three you listed. Our playtesters found them to offer a great combination of support/stability without weighing them down. Our playtester with a wider foot had no issues with the toe box in the Lavs.
I think based on that reply you prob only need D width in Lav, I will need 2E. I can't really wear Gel Res 7 as they stopped making a wide version, Gel Res 6 wide was good but a bit lacking in cushioning.
the_faceless_player
Professional
yup that’s the grey version of the 996v4 I tested this year. Nice upgrade over the current model!
!<-_->!
Hall of Fame
Which outlet? I've never seen performance models at the nb outlet, only the lower end models.
!<-_->!
Hall of Fame
Ah, ok. It was clearance wall and not their usual stock. That said, how was the size run if you happened to notice. Was it just one-offs or did they have a sizable stock on the wall? Might have to go check out my local NB outlet.
!<-_->!
Hall of Fame
Went to 2 different NB Outlets. Sadly didn't find any. One had no tennis shoes and the other only had the 696.
WillGinRVA
Rookie
Just wanted to say that I also love the Fresh Foam Lav. To help others I'll mention my FF Lav size and also my foot measurements.
I had my feet scanned at a running store, and my feet are E width, size 9.3 in my left foot and 8.9 in my right. High instep compared to average male. Wider heel.
If you're really curious: https://my.volumental.com/en/fleet_feet/a4d20369-c102-49fe-8aa6-7b68d4c0eba9/
I wear the FF Lav in an 8.5 2E and it feels great. Single sock. My feet never hurt after taking them off like they did with the normal width Vapor X.
I had my feet scanned at a running store, and my feet are E width, size 9.3 in my left foot and 8.9 in my right. High instep compared to average male. Wider heel.
If you're really curious: https://my.volumental.com/en/fleet_feet/a4d20369-c102-49fe-8aa6-7b68d4c0eba9/
I wear the FF Lav in an 8.5 2E and it feels great. Single sock. My feet never hurt after taking them off like they did with the normal width Vapor X.
sp1derman
Professional
I just got my LAVs yesterday and played a two setter in them last night. I'm usually a Nike guy and I still have some zoom vapor 10s and cage 3s. I was pumped for the the new cage but after seeing it decided not for.me so I ordered the FF without ever trying them on. I am a size 10.5 or 11. I have pretty flat arches, a narrow heal and average width forefoot. Here are some cons and pros
+More plush than cage 3 or vapor X, especially in heel
+Good lacing system
+Traction and predictability
+No heel slip
-Half hour break in required
-Clunkier than the Nike's above
-Toe box a little wide for my foot
-Run longer than the Nike's which I think run small
They're good enough that I'll make them .y match shoe until I wear them out and then reassess my options. Hope this helps
Sp1dy
+More plush than cage 3 or vapor X, especially in heel
+Good lacing system
+Traction and predictability
+No heel slip
-Half hour break in required
-Clunkier than the Nike's above
-Toe box a little wide for my foot
-Run longer than the Nike's which I think run small
They're good enough that I'll make them .y match shoe until I wear them out and then reassess my options. Hope this helps
Sp1dy
I have the NB Fresh Foam Lav in 10.5 2EE and the K-Swiss Hypercourt Express. in 10.5 The Lav 2E is longer than the K-Swiss and just borderline on a half-size too long for me. The Lav has nice durable, rubbery insoles versus the throwaways in the K-Swiss. The Lav insoles are fairly flat so I threw them away too and use Cadence insoles. The forefoot width of the Lav 2E is quite nice for me and is just a tiny bit wider than the K-Swiss. The Lav has a thin, flexible, sock-type sewn-in tongue which seems to allow the shoe strings to be felt more by my foot in an unpleasant way. The Lav is heavier than the K-Swiss. However, the K-Swiss has a reputation for wearing out quickly. Of the two I prefer the K-Swiss Hypercourt Express.
P
Pavlo
Guest
I have wide feet, but previously I have been able to wear size 11 in the regular D width for the Adidas barricade and the Asics Gel resolution. But when my pair of these shoes arrived in the mail, it was instantly obvious that I had to exchange them for the EE width. I expect that a lot of people are going to be taking a hard look at these shoes with how cheap they are right now, and my advice to anyone who thinks they might be on the fence for the width would be to try wider first.
Corey Klein
Rookie
I played with the lav in 9.5D for the past 6 months. Really held up well playability wise and outlasted my prior gel res 7 and kswiss ultrashot.
Although the labs were very stable and were by far the most cushioned shoe I ever used, I really felt slower and clunkier moving about.
I just switched to a pair of Kswiss Ultrashot 2's and the cushioning is almost as good, but I'm much faster. Still has a 6 month durability guarantee.
Although the labs were very stable and were by far the most cushioned shoe I ever used, I really felt slower and clunkier moving about.
I just switched to a pair of Kswiss Ultrashot 2's and the cushioning is almost as good, but I'm much faster. Still has a 6 month durability guarantee.
Subway Tennis
Legend
That's exactly what they do. And you'll notice in the outsole warranty for this particular shoe that the outsole needs to be worn completely through.
It's quite a sneaky practice.
Even though the tread of the shoe has gone, and for traction purposes it is no longer functional, if the rubber is still not worn completely through, the warranty doesn't have to be honoured.
The Lav is a great shoe, and New Balance is to be admired for not changing the shoe in years (why mess around with a great product), but the way they are doing the outsole warranty is pretty dodgy.
d-quik
Hall of Fame
sadly, new balance has forgotten about 4E
Znak
Hall of Fame
Just checking in and seeing where you landed for your next pair?
sp1derman
Professional
I went with another pair of the LAVs after trying the GP turbos and not liking how they felt. I haven't put as much wear on them as I like because of the pandemic and weather in the northeast..
Znak
Hall of Fame
Cheers, what was it about the GPs you didn't like?
Nollid
Professional
I liked mine until I suffered a bad ankle sprain in these. Maybe not the shoes fault but I couldn’t bring myself to wear them again when I recovered. Since recovering I have switched to ASICS and have no complaints. The Gel Res 8 fits my foot great and offers a locked in feel for me. Too bad because I really like NB as a company.
sp1derman
Professional
I didn't find the cushioning as initially plush as I expected and I thought they were a bit tight in the forefoot. Maybe they would have broken in but then I couldn't send them back for refund...I knew what I was getting with LAVs..cheers!
the_faceless_player
Professional
Think TW said June at the earliest.
