Is the 991 V2 the New Must-Have Sneaker from New Balance?
If you have been paying attention to the brand lately, you might have noticed that the one model that seems to be having the best looking releases lately is the 991 V2. And now I got the latest pair and these might be the cleanest ones yet. In this article, I’ll be reviewing the New Balance 991 V2 in the light gray colorway.
New Balance’s Focus on the 991 V2 in 2024
So one thing seems to be really clear in 2024, New Balance is really pushing the 991 V2. It was introduced for the first time last year with this pair, this collaboration between Stone Island and New Balance. And the sneaker is an updated version of the classic 991s. And the funny thing is we got the V2s nearly 20 years after the originals came out.
The Unexpected Arrival of the 991 V2
So it really just came from nowhere. New Balance fans weren’t really expecting it. But it has come out to mostly positive reviews from New Balance fans. I recently did a pickups video talking about some recent New Balance pairs, and I did highlight three different pairs of 991s that I got recently, including the dazzling blue, the very popular blue silver colorway, as well as the rosewood pair. And these shoes have been flying off the shelves. In fact, the blue silver colorway sold out instantly and even has some resale value. And when was the last time we saw general release New Balances selling out instantly? The last time I could remember that happening was maybe the season one of Made in USA and also maybe when the 550s came out and they were super hot, but it’s been a while.
Positive Reception and Familiar Design
So it is pretty clear that fans really like this model and why wouldn’t they? It’s a very familiar looking design, very classic looking. However, it has been infused with modern day technology, which you can really feel on feet. Now the pair I have in my hand right here is the light gray colorway.
Release and Availability
From what I can tell, it seems like the wider release for this will be on April the 18th. I was able to get these early because they randomly dropped on one German retailer. They did sell out pretty fast and it seemed like they did drop them by mistake because These didn’t drop anywhere else. I was editing because I actually managed to find the shoes on this one Belgian website.
Official Name and Colorway
They actually do have some sizes for sale. As of the time of me filming this article they still have some of the bigger sizes on sale as well but who knows they might sell out pretty quick. Also what I noticed on this website is that the official name for the shoe actually seems to be the Nimbus Cloud colorway. Not what I said earlier which is the light So the next part of this article might seem a bit odd, but hey, at least you know what the real name of these shoes are. And I was really drawn to this colorway because it reminded me so much of one of the cleanest pairs of 992s, if you guys remember the Nimbus Cloud colorway. I mean, it’s a pretty identical looking pair if you ask me.
Design Comparison and Quality
The 991 V2 and the 992 are already pretty identical looking models. And when you compare the Nimbus Cloud with this light gray colorway, there’s not a whole lot of differences there. This one is also pretty close to that pair paperboy colorway minus the yellow bits of course. So the majority of this upper is done in this very light gray color. And New Balance of course using some really nice suede here on the upper. I mean this is really really soft. These made in UK pairs just seem to be a step up in terms of quality compared to most other New Balances. And it really should be considering the retail price on these is $250, which is a lot more than you’re used to paying on New Balance, which is around $200 or $210 for most pairs in the 900 series.
Price and Manufacturing Details
But I’m sure that has something to do with the importing fees of getting these from the UK to the US. Unlike the other pairs in the 900 series, these aren’t manufactured in the United States. You get some white leather panel on the shoe as well and also some dark gray mesh panels to give you that contrast lots of gray tones on the shoe you got the N logo done in a silver color with a white outline and your 991 logo can be seen on the heel as well as this v2 symbol that is embroidered on the back some more embroidery can be seen on the tongue as well it’s done in silver here i almost forgot to mention this. You also get white laces with this pair.
Midsole Design and Comfort
And the midsole does match the light gray color on the upper. And you also have different tones of gray on the outsole. And this midsole here is one of the defining characteristics of the 991 V2. New Balance has used their fuel cell technology on the shoe here, which typically they have only used on running sneakers in the past until they finally used it for the first time on the 990 V6, which was the first lifestyle model that they use fuel cell on. And I find the 991 V2 very comfortable to walk in. Now I will say that the fuel cell doesn’t feel as soft as the compound used on the 990 V6. So overall for me, the V6 still wins out in terms of comfort.
Fit and Sizing
I also find the 991 V2 to fit slightly narrower compared to other 900 series models. And maybe this is just me, but I have this elevated feeling in my heel area when I wear this shoe, which I guess is a good thing for those of you who are hoping to get some height when wearing your shoes. And for sizing on this model, I always just go true to size, but that is the same size I wear on basically every single pair of New Balance that I own, including everything from the 900 series, as well as the 2002R, the 1906R. True to size for me is what fits best on New Balance. However, I know from a lot of you guys that you guys find it more comfortable to go down half a size in most New Balance. So I would suggest if you are one of those people, then just go half a size down in this one as well. So my suggestion is just go with your normal New Balance size.
How to Style
So I wanted to include a how to style segment as well because I asked you guys on Instagram what would you like to see more of on the site and overwhelmingly you guys were asking for more styling content. So I’m gonna try to include an outfit with pretty much all of my sneaker reviews going forward. Now, this is not necessarily how you’re supposed to wear these sneakers. It’s just how I chose to wear them. So for this fit, we’re getting into the springtime now, and I love wearing cardigans in the spring. So here I have this white boxy cardigan. It’s from a brand called Osh FC. I’ll link them in the description. And underneath, I just have a gray t-shirt there. You can wear any gray t-shirt, but this one is from Supreme. And the jeans are from Levi’s. They are the silver tab baggy fit jeans. And yeah, this is just a nice little spring outfit that I think looks great with the light gray 991 V2s.
Popularity and Final Thoughts
Overall, for me, these are a really clean pair of kicks. Judging by how fast the V2s have been selling out in the good colorways, I think you can probably expect these to sell out as well. I can’t lie, I didn’t really expect the 991 V2s to become as popular as they have been, but it does kind of make sense also because when the 990 V6 came out, a common critique was the shoe was just too modern looking. It was missing that classic New Balance aesthetic. Even though those shoes, I swear by the comfort, it is my go-to everyday sneaker. I feel like when New New Balance did with this shoe, which has not changed too much about its classic looks, but simply just changed the midsole. I think the longtime New Balance fans probably appreciated that a bit more. But do let me know in the comments, what do you guys think about this pair? Are you planning on picking these up? And let me know your thoughts in general about the article. Thank you guys so much for stopping by. Make sure you are following me on Instagram. That is where I am the most active. And also do not forget to check out my sneaker podcast. The links to all of that can be, of course, found in the description.
