I have had a very narrow AA shoe foot width all of my life. I'm one month short of 70 years old. I ran for about 30 years and always had to wear a narrow high-arched shoe with a curved last and stability features. With a couple of exceptions, most notably New Balance, narrow width shoes in general are near impossible to find, or cost an absurd amount($400 - 1000+.)
Only after searching a couple of manufacturer sites did I discover that most online retailers and sticks & bricks stores ever list all the manufacturer's sizes, and can't be bothered with carrying the full size range of a brand's shoes even as special order! I was especially surprised that some running shoes only sites failed to provide or even acknowledge special order sizes that were available on some models.
If you have narrow feet, what used to be difficult, has become a nightmare. Thank God for New Balance carrying a AA shoe, even if it's only one model in one color. I now have to convince them to carry the other two colors on that one model. Lookout New Balance, 🤔😈👻👽 I'm going to haunt you for those other colors as I know I'm FAR from the only person with this problem. And at $200 per pair for a 30 year old design, there should be more colors even if it's a SMALL upcharge. 😜
I've developed arthritis in my left ankle with a dropped arch and in a D width shoe leaves almost an inch gap inside my heal area and the narrow heal allows my foot to roll unsupported, aggravating the arthritis and causing stumbles and near falls.
My New Balance 14-AA 990v6 along with an arch hard orthotic have almost eliminated the issue and are allowing me accomplish exercising, yard work, and just plain walking without the subsequent pain and icing formerly needed. I'm even able to run slowly for the first time in 15 years (just don't tell my orthopedic surgeon who did bilateral knee replacements 10 years ago, he'd yell at me! 🥸😁 .

Made in USA. I try to buy made in USA every chance I get. And the 990v6 and 993 fit great and offer proper support for me with my plantar fasciitis and arthritic knees. These are 5 Star Shoes when new. I am 67, walk outdoors 5 miles per day, and have 2 pair 990v6 and one pair 993. I rotate them so each pair only gets worn every 3 days. The 3 star rating is earned because I only get about 6 months wear per pair before the inserts are worn out. I called New Balance and they would not sell me two pair of the same inserts that came with the 990v6 shoes. Tried to get an email address to write management to give NB reasons why they should make the original inserts available for a $199 shoe, but the CS rep didn’t get an email address to me. And I can not find a customer service feedback link on NB’s web site. Bought 990v6 black and gray October 2023, and 993 in November 2023. Inserts in both pair 990v6 worn out in April 2024. Gray 990v6 had a failure in the fabric at the heel at June 2024. So they are trash. July 2024 I bought 2 new pairs of 990v6 to replace them. It’s a cycle I’ve repeated many times. What’s frustrating about this is the tread and outer shoe still look almost new. If the $199 pair of shoes only came with a second set of inserts, I could rotate those, too, and greatly extend the life of these very expensive shoes. Currently I also own New Balance 877 (2 pairs for indoor exercise), 880 GTX (where’s a 2024 waterproof walker, NB?) and 928. So I’m a many-years repeat customer who is growing increasingly frustrated with NB.

The best three things of the Version 6 that standout from other versions; the sole has the best feel and support than any other version in the thirty years I have been wearing the 990's. The width, (I wear an 11.5 AA) in the forefoot area is a great fit, and the upper is extremely well built. Let's move on to the downfall of this shoe. The tongue has had great padding in past versions, this one has the inner fabric against your foot and the outer fabric that is exposed, absolutely nothing in between (I have added two layers of mole foam). Absolutely no padding at the opening against the bones of the ankle causing irritation and pain when the shoe is tied as needed. Very little padding at the collar and heal area. Last but not least for a $200.00 shoe not to have a combination last is simply unbelievable, while the forefoot my be AA the heal is a B width at best. In conclusion, the extra work New Balance put into the best sole ever applied to the 990 series shoe they left out in the other items listed above. If the Version 6 was built the way past versions were along with including the new sole/midsole this would be the best shoe ever produced by New Balance. The shoe is manufactured very well with high quality materials, just not enough of them. Instead it's only a two star shoe. This comes from a person that spent many years in the shoe business.

As a speed-walker, I am very pleased with the comfort and quality of the NB USA Made 990's. My 990v5's lasted 3-3 1/2 yrs., but are now showing supination sole wear, so it was time to replace. Even though there were several negative reviews on this site, my husband convinced me to try a pr. of v6's since he loves his. For reference: I'm 74 and walk 3-4 miles pretty much every day on mostly asphalt-paved community greenway trails, plus I would wear the v5's on most of my trouser/jeans wearing outings since they were both comfortable and fashionable.

My v5's were too large as I ordered the same size as my recent runners. So before ordering the v6's I used the NB Printable Measuring Tool (as my husband had). It showed I needed a shorter but wider shoe. The wider width gently accommodates my bunions and the shoes fit comfortably.

The v6's have been restyled, but feel very much like the v5's. They both have good arch support, good cushioning, a wide toe box and neutral support. I'm not sure what the FuelCell midsole cushioning feels like, but it's nice to have new technology. Both are a bit bulky looking, but bulky athletic shoes are very fashionable right now.

The only negative is that these v6's do not have the US flag emblem on the heel of the shoe, (but that's probably an inventory issue)..