i found out that converse whistles have been discontinued and i have orderd the new balance 609 shoe as a replacement.

anyone purchased these shoes and if so, how do you like them? also, do they polish up well?

great shoe
 

Never wore the Converse but I love the 608. I had tried the Nike Air Down Low before Christmas and my legs were hurting. Went back to the 608 and things have been fine since.

Mulk

converse is re issuing the shiny version again...check out theofficialschoice.com

I ordered the New Balance 609 before the season began. From day one, they have been the most comfortable ref shoe
I have used. NO BREAK-IN phase was needed at all. No blisters, no chaffing of my ankles, etc. They are superior (for me) to the Converse Running Ref and Whistle models I have used in the past.

I have to agree. I switched in mid season and my legs feel 100% better than they did in the beginning of the season with my Converse Whistles.

I have worn both the 608 and the 609 and like the 608 much better for cushioning. It is a discontinued model but can still be found on the internet. I occassionally get shin splints with the 609's. In both, I wear SofSole AIR insoles which are fantastic! I also bought a pair of Nike Air Max's this year but they do not take Leather Lustre very well and have quite a bit of white that has to be covered up. The 609's look great with Leather Lustre and the 608's don't hold it quite as well. I am always shopping for the perfect pair but haven't found them yet.

Love 'em
 

Great Shoes!! and since i have shin splints, these shoes were very accomodating to the Dr Scholl Dynastep Sport inserts, haven't had any leg/back problems since!!

NB 609 a good shoe.
 

I like mine quite well. They have good cushion and shine up well.

Surprisingly the are a little more narrow than I thought they would be. NewBalance is known for their wide shoes but my 609s have a relatively narrow look. They accomodate my wide foot quite well but they do have a narrow appearance.

Best shoe I have had in my short career. I kind of thought the whistles soles didnt last very long.

With the 609's, if you get a shine on them right away, yes, they shine up very well.

I'm starting to see NIKEs out there but with a silver swoosh and some silver along the bottoms. Is it cool now to have a little color on the shoe besides black?

Larks

I also love them. Getting ready to buy my second pair though the first ones are holding up after a season and a half of hard wear.

Quote:

Originally posted by donj I'm starting to see NIKEs out there but with a silver swoosh and some silver along the bottoms. Is it cool now to have a little color on the shoe besides black?

It might be cool, but not allowed in my association, nor any others in the state (that I know of). All HS and college officials here use black only.

I've been wearing the 609s for a season now and love them. I just got some Spenco inserts for them (after the recommendations from others here) and they're great too. The 609 takes a shine nicely and the EEEE width fits me well. My only issue with them is that the little panels near the toe box have torn out. Since I have not heard of that happening to anybody else, I'm assuming I just got a slightly wonky pair. But a little bit of shapie covered it just fine. I'm waiting until the season ends to buy another pair for next year.

I found some Adidas a3 leather cross trainers that are by far the best shoe I've ever worn.They have 3/4 of an inch of foam padding and shock absorbing on the heal.They shine up great,but they do have a lot of grey on them that needs to be touched up every 3-4 games.The best part is I got them on sale for 2 for $89.00!

Used to sort of be that way in my association. If 1 wore black, then all wore black. Same with white star/swoosh. For the past couple of years, I have noticed a lot of "different" shoes. Nike fits me better, but a lot of the guys use NB. Tried them on a couple of times, but could not find size. They seemed to come either "D" or "EEEE", but no "EE". Called NB (about 2 different types) and they said they didn't make them in "EE". So, it's either wide or super-wide.

Received and wore the NB 609's tonight for the first time doing a JV/Var boy's game and have to say that the shoes felt great. Both teams played up-tempo ball. Lot better feel and more cushion than the converse whistles. Put regulare block polish on them and they shined up pretty nice. So far I have to say they were a good investment.