When I compared the New Balance 928 vs 577, this is what stood out the most to me:
- These shoes are very similar because they are both leather walking shoes. A shoe that they often get compared to is the New Balance 1540, which has a more breathable design.
- Perhaps the biggest difference is rearfoot stability. Both shoes provide support, but the 928 is designed with New Balance’s ROLLBAR technology which helps prevent improper rearfoot movement (the 577 is not). If you need extra stability around the heel, the 928 will be the better option. This is where you can see how both shoes respond on a foot.
- Both the 577 and 928 have New Balance’s Walking Strike Path, which is an outsole feature that helps stabilize and guide the foot through the walking gait cycle. They also both have New Balance’s “ABZORB” midsole which helps reduce impact stress. But for under-the-foot comfort, I’m giving the slight edge to the 928 because it has the thicker, more comfortable insole. This is where you can see the difference in the insoles of these two shoes.
- The flexibility of these shoes is very similar. Because they prioritize support and stability, these won’t be New Balance’s most flexible options. I would suggest you view these videos where I test the flexibility of these shoes, and recommend a different walking shoe option if you prefer a more flexible fit.
- I did find a difference in weight. The 577 weighs less than the 928. This is where you can see the exact weights for these shoes and see how they compared to other New Balance options.
- There is a noticeable difference in the sizing length of these shoes. I found the 928 to fit longer than the 577. In my opinion, the 928 fits true to size and the 577 fits a little smaller than my normal shoe sizing regarding length. This is where you can see the sizing length comparison photos for these shoes.
- The sizing width of these shoes is very similar. They are both built using the SL-2 last, which is designed to create a wider forefoot and deeper toe box. It’s important to understand that the SL-2 won’t be enough on its own to overcome the need for wide sizing, but it does make the shoe a bit roomier than “normal” shoes. This is where you can see photos of how wide these shoes are (in standard sizing) compared to extra wide shoes.
In this article let’s take a closer look at the New Balance 928v3 and the New Balance 577v1 by using the videos and pictures I took of the shoes that I own.
New Balance 928 vs 577 Comfort
How They Respond on Foot
To give you an idea how these shoes respond on a foot, here I am wearing mine:
As you can see, the New Balance 928 has New Balance’s ROLLBAR technology, which is a medial post below the heel that helps prevent improper rearfoot movement and improve heel stability.
When comparing the under-foot comfort of the New Balance 928 vs 577, I thought the comfort was very similar. They both have New Balance’s ABZORB midsole for extra impact absorption.
For comfort under-the-foot, I’m giving the slight edge to the 928 because it has a thicker, more complex insole. The 928 insole is a dual layer insole that has a layer of foam-like material and a layer of gel-like material. The 577 just uses a more regular insole.
Here is a look at the insole of my 928 shoes:
To read more about the insoles, and see how these 928 insoles compare to the 577 insoles, click here.
It’s important to emphasize that although both of these shoes are comfortable under the foot, they are built to prioritize support and stability. They won’t be as “squishy” under the foot as certain types of modern New Balance running shoes.
For comparison, the 1080v12 is my favorite lightweight New Balance running shoe. It provides that “squishy” feeling under the foot. Although the 928 and 577 don’t have this same “squishy” softness, they offer much more support and stability, which is important for many people.
Here is how the 1080v12 responds on my foot:
New Balance 928 vs 577 Flexibility
Although the 928 has more rearfoot stability, the 577 is made with a polyurethane midsole to help improve the stability of the entire shoe. Because of this, I found the flexibility and “twistability” of these shoes to be practically the same.
In the videos below, I tried to capture how flexible these shoes are:
If you are looking for a more flexible type of leather walking shoe, I would recommend the New Balance 813 – this is where you can read more about the 813 leather walking shoe.
New Balance 928 vs 577 Padding
Both the 928 and the 577 have quality padding around the collar and tongue. Here are mine (928 first):
Insole Thickness
Yes, both the 928 and the 577 have removable insoles, so you can clean or swap them as needed. First, here is the insole of the 928:
As we discussed earlier, the 928 has the thicker insole. The 928 insole is a dual layer insole that has a layer of foam-like material and a layer of gel-like material. Here is a closer look at this insole:
And below, is the insole for the New Balance 577:
I also found a difference regarding the sizing of these shoes. To learn more, I would suggest viewing my side-by-side comparison sizing photos.
New Balance 928 vs 577 Design
Upper Material
Both the 928 and the 577 are part of New Balance’s leather walking shoe line. The upper design is very similar. Here’s the material on mine (928 first):
Sole Height
Below is the height measurements I took for the men’s size 12 New Balance 928 vs 577 (928 first):
Outsole Width
Below is the width measurements I took for the men’s New Balance 928 vs 577 (928 first):
As you can see, the height and width of these shoes is very similar.
I did, however, find a significant difference in sizing. If you are concerned about fit, I would highly suggest you view these side-by-side sizing photos I took of each shoe to get a better idea how both the 928 and the 577 fit.
New Balance 928 vs 577 Weight
The 928 weighs 1.08 pounds and the 577 weighs 1.01 pounds per shoe for a size 12 men’s.
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. Because these are both leather walking shoes, they weigh a bit more than average.
To view the full list of weights (in a chart) I took for over 30 New Balance shoes, click here.
New Balance 928 vs 577 Sizing
Length: The sizing length of these shoes is different. I found the 928 to fit longer than the 577. If you made me choose, I thought the 928 fit true to size and the 577 fit a little bit smaller than my normal shoe sizing.
Width: The sizing width of these shoes is similar. They are both built using the SL-2 last, which is designed to create a wider forefoot and deeper toe box. It’s important to understand that the SL-2 likely won’t be enough on its own to overcome the need for wide sizing, but it does make the shoe a bit roomier than “normal” shoes.
Here is a look at both of my shoes on my foot (928 on left):
One thing I do want to call attention to is the 577 (on the right above) has a sort of “V” shape to the eyestay (laces) area that feeds up to what I feel like is a wider collar opening. This made it a bit easier to slide the foot in and out of the 577.
In the sections below, I compare both of these shoes to other popular shoes so you can get a better feel for sizing. To read more about sizing, visit my sizing article.
New Balance 928 Sizing Photos
These photos below all use a size 12 men’s shoe. To see women’s 928 sizing photos, click here. If you would like to skip ahead to 577 sizing, click here.
New Balance 928 (right) vs Skechers Afterburn Sizing
New Balance 928 vs Nike Air Max Excee Sizing
New Balance 928 vs Adidas 2k Boost Sizing
New Balance 928 vs Skechers Go Walk Slip On Sizing
New Balance 928 (right) vs 990 Sizing
New Balance 928 vs Skechers Go Walk Sizing
New Balance 928 (right) vs 1540 Sizing
New Balance 928 vs Nike Air Force 1 Sizing
New Balance 928 vs Keen Sizing
New Balance 928 vs Converse Chucks Sizing
New Balance 928 (right) vs 813 Sizing
New Balance 928 (right) vs 574 Sizing
New Balance 928 (right) vs 847 Sizing
New Balance 928 vs 880 Sizing
To read more, visit my article that talks about the sizing of New Balance 928.
New Balance 577 Sizing Photos
New Balance 577 (right) vs Adidas 2k Boost Sizing
New Balance 577 vs Reebok Classics Sizing
New Balance 577 vs Skechers Go Walk Sizing
New Balance 577 vs Vans UltraRange Sizing
New Balance 577 vs Vans Slip On Sizing
New Balance 577 vs Saucony Shadow 6000 Sizing
New Balance 577 (right) vs 1540 Sizing
New Balance 577 (right) vs 860 Sizing
New Balance 577 vs Keen Sizing
New Balance 577 vs Nike Air Max Excee Sizing
New Balance 577 vs Crocs Sizing
New Balance 577 vs Nike Air Force 1 Sizing
New Balance 577 vs Under Armour HOVR Sizing
New Balance 577 (right) vs 624 Sizing
New Balance 577 (right) vs 574 Sizing
New Balance 577 (right) vs 997 Sizing
To read more, visit my article that discusses the sizing of New Balance 577.
New Balance 928 vs 577 Conclusion
These shoes are very similar. One of the biggest difference is rearfoot stability. Both shoes provide support, but the 928 is designed with New Balance’s ROLLBAR technology which helps prevent improper rearfoot movement (the 577 is not). If you need extra stability around the heel, the 928 will be the better option.
Although the shoes I own have laces, you can buy the 577 and the 928 in a hook-and-loop strap version (New Balance shoes with straps).
Because they prioritize support and stability, these won’t be New Balance’s most flexible options. I would suggest you view these videos where I test the flexibility of these shoes, and recommend a different walking shoe option if you prefer a more flexible fit.
Both the 577 and 928 have New Balance’s “ABZORB” midsole which helps reduce impact stress. But for under-the-foot comfort, I’m giving the slight edge to the 928 because it has the thicker, more comfortable insole.
These shoes have a similar roomy design regarding width (they are both made using the SL-2 last). But I did find a noticeable difference in the sizing length (928 fits longer). In my opinion, the 928 fits true to size and the 577 fits a little smaller than my normal shoe sizing regarding length. This is where you can see sizing comparison photos for each shoe.
These shoes are both part of New Balance’s leather walking shoe line. To see other options, visit my article that lists the different types of New Balance leather walking shoes.