I recently put my hands on both the New Balance 237 and the New Balance XC-72 shoes so that I could compare them on comfort, sizing, and design. When comparing New Balance 237 vs XC-72 there are some significant differences that may affect which one is right for you.
Quickly, this is what jumps out the most to me:
- These shoes are similar in that they are both inspired by retro athletic shoes.
- Despite both having a thick foam midsole, they aren’t as “squishy” under the foot as modern running shoes. If you prefer that “squishy” comfort, I would recommend the New Balance FuelCell Rebel or the New Balance Fresh Foam 1080 which are my two favorite options.
- I found the 237 and the XC-72 to respond similarly on my foot. Both are made with lightweight, flexible suede/mesh uppers, and feature a thick foam midsole for support. Click here to see the video of how these shoes respond on a foot.
- I found both the 237 and the XC-72 to have a flexible design, however, they are not as flexible as modern running shoes. This is where you can see the videos I took comparing the flexibility by bending and twisting the shoes.
- The 237 weighs less than the XC-72. The 237 weighs 0.77 pounds and the New Balance XC-72 weighs 0.93 pounds per shoe for a size 12 men’s. Although these are very lightweight, there are options by New Balance that weigh even less. Click here to read more about weight.
- Although both shoes fit within the realm of what I consider “true-to-size” and the overall fit of these shoes is very similar. Click here to jump to the sizing section where I use side-by-side photos to compare these shoes to other popular brands so you can choose the right size.
- Perhaps the biggest difference regarding design is the fact that the 237 has a traditional retro running design and the XC-72 has a futuristic “time-bending” design with an aggressive-edge and an extended midsole.
In this article let’s take a closer look at the New Balance 237 vs XC-72 by using the videos and pictures I took of the shoes that I own.
New Balance 237 vs XC-72 Design
The 237 and XC-72 are inspired, in part, by retro running shoes, which means both styles have a lightweight, flexible design. However, the 237 have the much more traditional design. The XC-72 has a modern, aggressive-edge midsole, and is what New Balance describes as a “time-bending design”.
How They Respond on Foot
To give you an idea how these shoes responds on a foot, here I am wearing mine:
As you can see above, both options are made with a lightweight suede/mesh upper, which allows the shoe to be flexible. The foam midsole on the two shoes is very similar regarding thickness, but as you can see, the design around the midsole is much different.
Although these shoes are comfortable, they aren’t as “squishy” under the foot as other types of New Balance shoes. For comparison, here is one of the most comfortable options, the New Balance 1080v12:
Flexibility
In the videos below, I tried to capture how flexible these shoes are:
I found the 237 and the XC-72 to be very similar regarding flexibility. Yes, both are flexible and easy to wear, but they aren’t as flexible (and twistable) as modern running shoes.
Padding
Both the 237 and XC-72 have quality padding around the collar and both have a retro, exposed-foam tongue. If you made me choose, I think the 237 offers a bit more padding around the tongue and ankle area. Here are mine (237 first):
Insole Thickness
Yes, both the 237 and the XC-72 have removable insoles, so you can clean or swap them as needed. First, here is the insole of the 237:
And below, is the insole for the New Balance XC-72:
By my measurements, the insole thickness was basically the exact same.
New Balance 237 vs XC-72 Design
Sole Height
Below is the height measurements I took for the New Balance 237 and XC-72 (237 first):
As you can see, the overall thickness of the midsole and the overall height of the two shoes is very similar. Of course, the design of the midsole is much different.
Outsole Width
Below is the width measurements I took for the New Balance 237 and XC-72 (237 first):
As you can see, although the widest point of the outsole has a similar measurement, the overall design of the outsole is quite different. The XC-72 has a vertically split outsole that features both a “gripper” and a “studded” pattern for extra traction.
Weight
Despite some design differences, I found these shoes to weigh almost the exact same. Here I am weighing my 237 and XC-72 shoes, which are men’s size 12 shoes (237 first):
Recently I tried over 30 different types of New Balance shoes and I found the average to be 0.89 pounds per shoe for a size 12 men’s. So, as you can see, the 237 weighed in lighter-in-weight than average, and the XC-72 was above the average weight.
Heel Drop
When I searched for New Balance 237 and XC-72 heel drop information, I couldn’t find solid data anywhere. New Balance (at the time I am publishing this article) does not list the heel drop information on the product pages for these two shoes.
I decided to measure the 237 and XC-72 heel drop myself. What I found was the heel-to-toe drop of these shoes is very similar, and is in that upper-mid drop to high drop range.
When I measured my New Balance XC-72 shoes using an 8-inch Digital Outside Caliper, I found the heel drop to be approximately 12-13mm. When I measured my New Balance 237 shoes using an 8-inch Digital Outside Caliper, I found the heel drop to be approximately 9mm.
It is important to understand that although I tried my best to get accurate measurements, the best way to measure heel drop is to cut the shoes in half and use an industrial caliper. Obviously, I didn’t want to destroy my shoes, but this is a convenient alternative way to measure heel drop.
The point is, think of these heel drop numbers as an approximation. For all official measurements, it would be best to reach out to New Balance directly.
Here I am measuring the heel drop of the New Balance 237 shoes:
Here I am measuring the heel drop of the New Balance XC-72 shoes:
New Balance 237 vs XC-72 Sizing
Overall, I found these two shoes to both fit within the realm of what I would describe as “true-to-size”. The overall fit of these shoes is very similar. I ordered my normal sizing for both and both the XC-72 and the 237 fit comfortably.
To read more about sizing, visit my article that discusses the sizing of New Balance shoes. Here they are side-by-side (237 on left):
New Balance 237 Sizing Photos
To read more, visit my article about the sizing of New Balance 237 Shoes.
New Balance 237 vs Adidas Superstar Sizing
New Balance 237 vs Adidas Gazelle Sizing
New Balance 237 vs Under Armour HOVR Sizing
New Balance 237 vs Converse Chucks Sizing
New Balance 237 vs Reebok Classics Sizing
New Balance 237 vs Adidas 2k Boost Sizing
New Balance 237 vs Vans UltraRange Sizing
New Balance 237 vs Vans Slip On Sizing
New Balance 237 vs Vans Old Skool Sizing
New Balance 237 vs Skechers Go Walk Sizing
New Balance 237 vs Saucony Shadow 6000 Sizing
New Balance 237 vs Numeric 272 Sizing
New Balance 237 vs Nike Cortez Sizing
New Balance 237 vs Nike Blazer Sizing
New Balance 237 vs Nike Air Max Excee Sizing
New Balance 237 vs Nike Air Force 1 Sizing
New Balance 237 vs Crocs Sizing
New Balance 237 vs Converse Pro Leather Sizing
New Balance 237 (right) vs 997 Sizing
New Balance 237 (right) vs 990 Sizing
New Balance 237 (left) vs 327 Sizing
New Balance 237 (right) vs 574 Sizing
New Balance 237 (left) vs 992 Sizing
New Balance 237 (left) vs 993 Sizing
New Balance 237 (left) vs 720 Sizing
New Balance XC-72 Sizing Photos
To read more, visit my article about the sizing of New Balance XC-72 Shoes.
New Balance XC 72 (right) vs Adidas 2k Boost Sizing
New Balance XC 72 vs Skechers Go Walk Sizing
New Balance XC 72 vs Adidas Superstar Sizing
New Balance XC 72 vs Brooks Adrenaline Sizing
New Balance XC 72 vs Converse Chucks Sizing
New Balance XC 72 vs Nike Blazer Sizing
New Balance XC 72 vs Saucony Shadow 6000 Sizing
New Balance XC 72 vs Nike Air Max Excee Sizing
New Balance XC 72 (right) vs 990 Sizing
New Balance XC 72 (right) vs 574 Sizing
New Balance XC 72 (left) vs 327 Sizing
New Balance XC 72 (right) vs 997 Sizing
New Balance XC 72 vs Converse Pro Leather Sizing
New Balance XC 72 vs Vans UltraRange Sizing
New Balance XC 72 vs Nike Air Force 1 Sizing
New Balance 237 vs XC-72 Conclusion
Both the 237 and XC-72 are inspired, in part, by retro athletic shoes. Both have a lightweight, flexible design. The 237 has a much more traditional design.
The New Balance XC-72 has a futuristic design that features an aggressive edge and an extended midsole that creates what New Balance calls a “time-bending design”. Although these features make the shoe unique, it does add weight. The XC-72 weighs more than the 237.
I found them to respond similarly on the foot. Although these shoes were inspired by retro athletic shoes, if you are looking for running shoes, a more modern style will likely be best (I like the New Balance FuelCell Rebel and the New Balance 1080 the best).
Overall, these shoes have a very similar fit. I found both to fit true to size and they provided a comfortable fit.