New Balance Plate Shoes

[drog008]

After this year looking to buy the 450 plate shoes do you guys have any advice about these shoes? If you own these shoes what do you guys use if you to dy the N on the sides? Thanks

[wadeintothem]

I love these shoes. If I needed a new pair of plate shoes, I would buy them again. I use the regular shoe dye that comes in the same type of bottle as shoe polish that you get at wally world or wherever. Many just use a sharpie but that didnt keep.

I dyed them be4 nats last year and they were still dyed this year, through numerous cleanings with rag, water, brush, rain, must dirt, etc.

Great shoes.

[robbie]

My son uses them and loves them. For me, they are pretty heavy (although I have never worn them)
I wear the Tanels. They are great. Comfortable, light, no steel toe rubbing, and easy to maintain. Could wear on the base. (Wouldn't of course...............)

[Angler]

Love these shoes. Light, supportive, athletic. I use rubbing alcohol on the N's then a black sharpie, then shoe dye and polish. Sounds like a lot of work, but you only have to do it once or maybe twice a year.

[NDblue]

I also love these shoes but only after I got them broke in. They're kind of difficult to get on at first. I just used a Sharpie on the "N" and haven't had to redo it yet.

[kcg NC2Ablu]

I have these shoes. You can use a q tip and alcohol and some elbow grease and this will take off the finish ontop of the N and then underneath is easy to dye and will not fade (this is what I did). I also know someone who paints it with nail polish... yes it is a female umpire. I have heard that model paint works well too.

[drog008]

thanks guys for all of this information...one last question about these shoes, are they true to new balances running shoes size or any other shoes that new balance makes?

[NDblue]

Originally Posted by drog008

thanks guys for all of this information...one last question about these shoes, are they true to new balances running shoes size or any other shoes that new balance makes?

Yep. I've been wearing NB shoes for quite a few years and not just for umpiring and they all seem to fit my normal shoe size.

[ukumpire]

I wear what is the most comfortable, at the moment I have a pair of Honig's own brand and they are one of the best I have ever had in 16 years.
Protection wise they all do the same job, so comfort is Priority!

[PtotheB]

Originally Posted by drog008

thanks guys for all of this information...one last question about these shoes, are they true to new balances running shoes size or any other shoes that new balance makes?

The only athletic shoes that I own are New Balance and that includes my plate and base shoes. They do run true to size for me (13EE), heck every time I need a new pair of shoes a cow and a calf have to give their lives.

[NYBLUE]

I've been wearing the 450's for about 14 months now and love 'em.
It's true, they need to be broken in a bit but not much.

The only problem I had was the laces broke after wearing them for approximately 25 games or so. I thought the laces that came with the shoe were short to begin with. Get yourself a backup pair of laces.

I used a black sharpie, then shoe dye and polish to blacken the "N"'s and other white markings. One umpire who has these shoes took them to a shoe repair shop and had the "N"'s removed. Looks nice!