đ Footwear of the Year: New Balance Numeric 933 Andrew Reynolds
I dreamed last night about your face / Your star shone all night / Over the moon, it shone brighter / Star shining so bright
It was pretty much done the moment we stepped foot in them. The yearâs best shoe belongs to The Boss and the crew at New Balance Numeric. It skates great, it looks banging, and itâs backed by the one of the few people that actually deserves the âlegendâ label. Keep reading to understand what makes this thing the best shoe of 2025!
2025 FOOTWEAR OF THE YEAR
933 Andrew Reynolds by New Balance Numeric
âHow can I not? How can I not? How can I not?â We spent many years being loyal to one skate shoe, but this got unmanageable around 2019. We started poking around the market and tried our first New Balance Numeric, the 1010 by Tiago Lemos. We were an instant convert and loudly shouted our obsession on social media. When they released the 480 we said âYOU ALL GOTTA SKATE THESE THINGS NOW AND ALL THE TIME.â
Leaks were locked the fuck down and the hype really started building when the first look appeared on the cover of Thrasherâs March issue. If you were in Tempe back in February, you were treated to an inside look at the shoe and its development from NB#âs Jeff Mikut and Nick Pappas along with The Boss himself. The 2025 TWR Sneaker of the Year finally arrived to much fanfare in April, when New Balance Numeric finally dropped Andrew Reynoldsâs signature model, the 933.
Yes, weâre EXTREMELY biased for a variety of reasons (Full Disclosure: Weâre grateful to receive periodic deliveries of NB# product from the good homies in Long Beach, but weâd gladly pay the $130 MSRP for one of the best skate shoes of the past decade). But Real Soldiers do not Unnecessarily Glaze. Thereâs no benefit to the War Effort to spread false propaganda. The War Report will tell you if itâs Good or if it Sucks. The 933 is The Most Banging Shit. It might be the perfect shoe, though weâre trying to use less Hyperbole. Everyoneâs foot is unique and what works for us might not work for you. We periodically dabble in Running, and we canât overstate how much less painful that became once we did the whole silly shoe fitting process at a running store. Footwear is Really Fucking Important and Really Fucking Individual. As an aside, get more pedicures.
The best part of the NB# program is that they have something that will work for absolutely everyone and they keep expanding. Itâs the best fresh-out-the-box experience weâve ever had with a shoe. No break-in, comfortable in all parts of the foot, and an inexplicable flick. Weâve only ever skated one other silhouette that didnât pinch our foot in at least one area but now we have a second. The forefoot is the exact amount of room we need (toes can wiggle a lil) and the arch has the right shape. They say they scanned The Bossâs feet to achieve this fit - perhaps we have more in common than we even know. Even if itâs not right for your skate-taste, it doubles as a cracking chiller that offers support and comfort all day long.
We skated em at the Esplanade in Portland after a week off the board and hobbling around on both legs. Our son berated us into climbing a tree on vacation and we slipped off and rolled our left ankle. We were already nursing a mysterious niggle on the right foot. We laced these up and felt like that mf Verbal Kint. First try crook fakie. Nice long back 50. Tested em on some slappies, a manny, stairs. A little bit of everything, as is our style. A real gnarly ATV just like Andrew Himself. The most surprising feeling was a supernatural flick. We have a decent kickflip, but they are Extra Wet and Confident in these. Maybe itâs the runner toe? Maybe they could look into a runner heel on the second iteration. We could really, REALLY use some help there.
Apart from the comfort and skateability of the 933, theyâre an exquisite design. Itâs no small feat to take New Balanceâs iconic running style and make it skateable, but they did exactly that. The 993 was the first New Balance we ever owned and, after many years as a âdad shoeâ Holdout, we saw The Light. The influence of this model on the upper is obvious, and thereâs certainly some hints of Lynx and maybe some Project BA, but the Tiago 1010 introduced a lil baby runner toe into NB#âs modern skate shoe design and the 808 raised it slightly. What matters most in a sneaker is what you see when you look down, and itâs always a banging view. The paneling and detailing provide for a lot of colorway options, so the future line built around the shoe could be Big Business for NB# outside of skateboarding.
After 8 months of consistent skating in the 933, weâre unequivocally backing it as the best shoe of the year. Itâs got all the features we love and works on all terrains. Itâs a beautiful amalgamation of New Balanceâs footwear heritage, Andrew Reynoldsâ style, and the technology that currently has them on a tear through the skateboarding landscape. Weâve seen many well-known enthusiasts of other shoes and brands that have experimented or switched to the 933, which speaks to the power of Good Design and Boss Backing. Itâs a sneaker truly worthy of Andrew Reynolds and we hope they keep coming in more of the tasteful colorways theyâve been producing. Congrats, yâall!
Youâre now up to speed on the latest from the battlefield. Use this intel wisely and pass it on to others who may need our guidance. We canât win the war unless weâre in it together.
Absolutely brilliant breakdown of what makes a skate shoe actually work. The runner toe insight is fascinating becuase most people dunno that's where the flick magic comes from. I switched from Nike SBs a few years back and that instant comfort outof the box is real, no more skating thru painful break-in periods. That foot-scanning tech for Andrew's arch might be the future of how signature models should get designed.