I feel like an idiot, buying NB 450s, instead of those Earth shoe-looking Dunhams. And I already have the throat guards!

Things like that are why I'm not a millionaire from umpiring.

Instead of a shoe made by a company New Balance owns, you could buy a shoe that is made by New Balance, and made just for working the plate.

As for a quality shoe at a good price, I don't think you can do better than the NB 450.

Frankly, I'm surprised you didn't just suggest putting the lacrosse helmet on your feet.

$70 affordable?
 

At $70 plus shipping, its a cheaper alternative to those NB plate shoes with that big WHITE letter on the side of both shoes. YMMV.
Plate : Discount Umpire Gear
The Protector Hi-top leather plate shoe - $69.90 : Discount Umpire Gear
The Protector Hi-top leather plate shoe : Discount Umpire Gear
Doesen't beat $30-$40 steel toe shoes with metatarsal protection from quality leg guards.

Edited to add:
Wearing combo plate/base shoes wasn't "a bad" idea for saving money.
"Them boys sure do look purdee in their high-dollar uniforms." ;)

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...dL._AA280_.jpg

I went this route during my rookie season. Got 'em from Sears, and actually put throat protectors on them.

Then I fell on my @ss, because the slippery soles weren't designed to deal with wet turf. An additional bonus was those throat protectors clacking like castenettes when I ran. I looked like the rookie dork I was. But I didn't know any better, and had no one to steer me in the right direction. But you no longer have this excuse.

Buy pro gear. You'll never, ever regret it.

Plus, looking good is half the battle. Well, not really half, but it really does make a difference.

p.s. Some guys are rookie dorks year after year. It's a shame no one tells them.

Oh, wow. It wasn't a joke.

You know, we get PAID to umpire. Some of that money should be used to buy quality stuff. The leg guards and steel toe will not provide proper protection to the top of the foot no matter how many times you say it.

I wouldn't step out onto any field without proper plate shoes. My current ones are the NB450. My first and best were the +POS shoes which I had to abandon after 6 years when I broke my ankle -- the shoes were just too heavy to lug around while I was rehabbing my ankle.

Here's a good story about buying pro gear.

My first real plate shoes were +POS, that got for $45 off of eBay. They were used, but in great shape. I wore them for five years, and they were built like a Checker cab. When I got my Gerry Davis patent leather shoes, I sold my 5+ year old +POS shoes on eBay for $65.

Even if I broke even on the deal, I wore professional level gear, that looked good and protected me well, for five YEARS, and it cost me nothing. ZERO! I paid $90 for my NB450s, and could sell them for $60 easily. So, I could wear these pro level shoes for three years, and it would cost me $10 per year to do so.

So how good of a deal are those steel toed athletic shoes sounding now?

Oh, and feel free to print this out to justify the expense to the War Department. She'll now understand that it's an investment in your protection, and not just some new toys.

Tell her how hard it is to do home repair and store errands with a shattered instep.

Shoebuy.com is running a 20% off sale with the checkout code BLOWOUT and free shipping.

I got a pair of NB 450's for 79.56 delivered. Stores got a long and successful track record although I hadn't heard of them before.

Less than 80 bucks is a steal for these!

The +pos would last forever!

Agreed. One of my Junior umpires has a pair of hand-me-down +POS that are about to expire though. They've got to 12 years old, and been through many wars. Stout boots, those. I'm going to replace them for him with 450s.

But the NB are FAR more comfortable. It's not even close.

Plate Shoes
 

If you are looking for $ deals, there was a company who hadd a special last year for a Pair of plate shoes and pair of base shoes for $100. I think he's up by about $5 a pr this year. Not that I would deviate from my Gerry Davis shoes, but you asked.............

Official Call - Baseball/Softball

I recently also purchased the new reebok plate shoes in the low top version. I don't really care for the look or that of the new balance either, but didn't see NB in a low version. The shoes seem a little narrow. I am hoping that they will break in nicely, but only time will tell, will probably wear them around the house, inside the house that is, and see if they lossen up a little, as they are just a hair snug.

Man, if you got them from NB, you could have exchanged them for a wider size, or a half a size bigger or both and they would have paid for the shipping.