People have been asking me to review the New Balance 550 for over a year. Here’s a review on the model. Reviews of specific pairs I’ve bought are at the end of the article.
I like this model overall. The silhouette looks great, going perfectly with the vintage look this model is aiming for. These don’t tend to use the same high quality materials that the New Balance Made in USA and Made in England lines provide. However, they generally retail for about half as much as their Made line counterparts.
New Balance 550 History
The 550 is a basketball sneaker from New Balance that originally released in 1989 as a low-top counterpart to the 650. In 2020, the brand began producing retros again as casual sneakers.
Like many other brands in the 80s and 90s, New Balance wanted to capitalize on athlete endorsements for its basketball kicks. Unfortunately, they didn’t have celebrity basketball stars rallying behind the 550 or the 650.
The 550 saw some limited success outside the US before being lost to time. Eventually, Aimé Leon Dore teamed up with NB and produced four colorways of the 550 in 2020. This kickstarted the series of collabs and general release retros of the sneaker.
How Do The New Balance 550 Fit?
The NB 550’s sizing is slightly long and narrow across the bridge of the foot at true to size. A half size down will be tight widthwise, so true to size is still recommended.
The New Balance 550 are an overall comfortable sneaker, albeit snug across the bridge of the foot, even when laced loosely. Despite being a retro hoop shoe, these feel surprisingly light on feet. The Ortholite insole feels comfortable, not very cushy but definitely noticeable.
Fit and comfort of course will vary for you depending on how your foot is shaped.
Are The New Balance 550 Good Quality?
Quality on the 550 is decent overall but varies depending on the material composition of each colorway. The model is not part of New Balance’s Made lines and generally has average quality materials. The shoe is solidly constructed however.
Some collabs and limited pairs have upgraded materials. Regardless, the sneaker gives off a quality vibe when in hand due to it’s solid build.
Where To Buy The New Balance 550?
You can shop for the NB 550 at sneaker boutiques, aftermarket sites, and of course New Balance’s website.
For where to get the specific pair(s) featured in this article, see below:
New Balance 550 White / Blue Review
This is one of the first “mainline” or general release colorways New Balance dropped when the sneaker first returned in late 2020. It restocked in 2022 allowing me to get a pair for myself
Buy: eBay – StockX – Goat
Colorway: White with team royal
Style Code: BB550SN1
Year of Release: 2020
Retail: $110
I like how the blue pops against the white on this sneaker. This gives the upper a sharp, clean look. The slightly off white midsole contributes to the vintage look this sneaker is going for in a pleasing way.
The quality on this pair is pretty basic. They ship in a plain grey New Balance box similar to the Incense / Heliotrope 2002r I got the month prior. Plain white laces only and an ortholite tag. The basic quality results in the upper feeling a bit stiff right off the bat, however they seem to break in decently enough.