New Balance Formatori 997HV1 Higher | New Balance 574 review

In our opinion, it's hard to go wrong with the New Balance 574 if you are after the following:

• an affordable classic sneaker
• a very comfortable pair that can get you through the day
• a highly versatile kick that's available in numerous colour combinations

The NB 574 comes with a thick wedge EVA midsole that feels rigid and inflexible. Thus, this kick might feel unforgiving for those who prefer soft and flexible trainers. As an alternative, you may want to consider the 997H or the more expensive 2002R.

The 574 may also be a disappointment if you are looking for a summer kick. We recommend going for a more breathable option like the PUMA RS-X.

Aside from platform trainers, the New Balance 574 makes for one of the tallest stacks in our catalogue.

Using a calliper, we measured the shoe's heel height at an impressive 38.2 mm. This is taller than other popular kicks like the Reebok Classic Leather (35.7 mm) or the Adidas Superstar (26.8 mm).

In the forefoot, the 574 also proved to be taller than average. We measured the stack height here at 25.2 mm.

The funny thing is that this NB shoe is thicker in the forefoot than some trainers are in the heel (like the Adidas Samba New Balance ML2002R Olive 26.5cm).

Given the stack difference, we get a 13.0 mm drop in the 574. That's neither good nor bad as it is totally up to the wearer's preference. Some people like to feel their heels elevated while others prefer a more grounded, parallel-to-the-ground experience.

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The 574 sneaker is a perfect example of a thick sole that does not equate to a cushioned sole.

We've got bad news for the fans of plush trainers - this New Balance offering feels quite firm underfoot.

Using a durometer, we measured the primary foam of the 574 at 44.0 HA.

This is among the firmest we've seen in our lab so far. For comparison, the PUMA RS-X is a whopping 182% softer!

You probably noticed that the midsole of the 574 consists of two layers of foam. Thus, we also measured the softness of the top layer (the one closer to the foot).

This foam turned out to be slightly softer than the lower layer. At 29.5 HA, it is actually 49% softer! Although still firm, this top foam at least helps to make landings more pleasurable.

Completing the shoe's cushioning ensemble is a fairly padded insole. Being 4.7 mm thick, it is within the normal range for trainers.

A classic NB sneaker with a classic NB fit, the 574 offers a super comfortabe and accommodating experience as well as alternative widths to treat all foot shapes.

Having made a replica of the shoe's interiors, we were able to measure its dimensions precisely and compare them to other lifestyle trainers.

In the widest part, between the big toe and the pinkie, our calliper returned a standard reading of 90.9 mm. And while that's just an average width, the difference lies in the tip of the shoe's toebox.

The 574 offers plenty of wiggle room with its rounded (almost square) toebox shape. At 74.1 mm near the big toe, it is so wide that it exceed the average by more than 5 mm!

On the downside, some people may find the shoe's vertical space restricting. That's because its toebox height is only 25.4 mm.

New Balance was founded by an arch support specialist for a good reason. Stability or support is never an issue in trainers from this brand.

As you can see in the video, our heel remains firmly planted on the ground as we attempt to shift the foot side-to-side. Let's have a look at the factors contributing to this in the sections below.

First and foremost, there is a lot of stiffness in the shoe's platform. Twisting it sideways in our manual test, we could feel a great deal of resistance from the firm sole.

This led us to give this NB shoe a solid 4 out of 5 for torsional rigidity.

Stiffer shoes like this have a much smaller chance of letting your ankle roll over to the side. An extreme opposite case would be the Adidas 4DFWD 2.

The NB 574 takes really good care of your ankles. With double overlays and a plastic ENCAP at the bottom of the heel, we felt very securely held at the rearfoot.

Between 1 and 5, we rated the 574's heel counter stiffness as 3. It is not the stiffest but structured enough for sure.

A stable platform wouldn't be complete without a nice and wide base. And the 574 scores high here too!

At the widest part of the forefoot, our calliper measured 114.3 mm, which is a whole centimetre wider than other classic trainers like the Reebok Classic Leather (103.3 mm).

This NB shoe also proves to be fairly wide in the heel. We got 80.2 mm in the widest part of the sole, which is also on the wide side of the sneaker spectrum.

The New Balance 574 is not the kind of sneaker that bends to your will so easily. The shoe feels notably stiffer than minimalist trainers like the Adidas Gazelle.

To figure out exactly how much stiffer the 574 is, we used a shoe flexing tester to measure the amount of force it takes to bend the shoe by 30 degrees. With an above-average reading of 15.6N, this NB turned out to be a bit more rigid than a typical casual sneaker, but not by much. It still offered a fairly comfortable ride for longer walks.

From the look of it, it is only reasonable to think that the New Balance 574 is a chunky boy. And yet, and yet...

The sneaker surprises us once again, this time on a scale. We measured the shoe in a men's US size 9 and found that it weighs 13.9 oz (393g) which is within the average of low-top trainers.

It exudes a bulky vibe on foot but never drags it down.

Donning the New Balance 574 on a hot summer day is a bad-bad idea.

Trying out the 574 in warm temperatures, we couldn't wait to get it off, to be honest. Back in the lab, our experience was confirmed in a breathability test where we pumped smoke through the shoe's upper to see how much of it passed through.

As you can see from the video, ZERO smoke is passing through the shoe's seemingly mesh toebox. Only a little is able to escape through the gaps between the tongue and the shoe quarters.

For that reason, we ended up giving the 574 a lower breathability score of 3 out of 5.

Oh, and never mind the "mesh" panels. These boys are so densely woven that they don't even let the light shine through!

Lookig at the toebox through our microscope...

... there are no see-through perforations in sight.

When we take a closer look at the quality of materials on the NB 574, it actually becomes easier to forgive the lack of breathability. For a £90 shoe, we were impressed!

Equipped with a butane torch and a leather scratch awl, we tested the genuineness of materials in various parts of the upper. Our main point of interest was of course the suede. And it turned out to be real! Unlike the synthetic heel panel and the "N" logo, the suede didn't catch fire and stood up to the awl too.

The 574 did its wearers a huge favour by adding a very wide suede overlay on the toebox. It does a fantastic job of protecting the mesh layer underneath.

We can easily prove it in our durability test that involves a Dremel. Holding the tool against the suede at a consistent speed (10K RPM) and force (3.2N), we only got a small dimple!

Such amazing wear resistance earned the 574 a high score for toebox durability. On a 1-5 scale, where 5 is the most durable, we Blue it a 4.

Inside, the 574 is lined with a plush and Forti fabric lining. That one should be easy to tear, right? Right?

Well, apparently, our Dremel struggled with that! After 4 seconds of drilling the fabric, the damage was really minor compared to what we usually see in trainers.

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Great news for those of us who often develop holes in this part of a shoe!

A rugged, massive outsole is 574's signature. But is it just as sturdy as it looks? Hell, yeah!

To begin with, we measured the hardness of that rubber at 83.1 HC. This is not much harder than the average of trainers but it's a good start.

The shoe's outsole revealed its true nature in our demanding Dremel test. And it's a BEAST!

Drilling through the rubber for a good 22 seconds at a high speed of 10K RPM, it just couldn't be bothered!

According to our tread gauge, the depth of the dent is a mere 0.5 mm! For reference, most trainers end up with 1 to 1.5 mm of damage (like the Adidas Gazelle below).

But New Balance didn't stop there. The brand decided that a few millimetres of rubber was not convincing enough and packed as much as 8.2 mm into the 574!

This is one of the thickest rubber outsoles we've ever seen on a sneaker! It is also pretty aggressively lugged and is ready to outlast many other trainers on the market. Especially, in its price range!

As long as you don't try to conquer ice and slush in the NB 574, it should provide just enough grip for most occasions.

Its lugs may seem aggressive but they are definitely not deep or sharp enough for slippery conditions.

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Measuring the tongue padding, our calliper returned 4.6 mm.

Even though it is about the same as average, we felt a little bit of lace pressure through it, especially when cinched tightly.

The tongue doesn't have any gussets (attachments) on the sides. Unfortunately, this resulted in slight shifting of the tongue sideways in our case.

No heel tab at the back but we didn't find it a necessity in the 574.

Because New Balance started out as an insole company, they know how to make these inserts right. We enjoyed the 574's stock insole but if you need your own orthotic, it can be swapped easily.

In 1988, New Balance released the 574 as an advanced running shoe with a notable design. This iteration was a hybrid that blended the best details of New Balance's well-known running kicks, namely the New Balance 575 and 576 models.

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Ever since then, the 574 has undoubtedly become one of the brand's most iconic pairs in sneaker history. And even though it can be lost in the shadow of much more hyped releases like NB 550, the 9060, and the 2002R, New Balance M990V5 M990GL5 Gray 26cm.

Especially for its unbelievably affordable price tag!