UPDATE - 1/26/11: Over half way through the school year, these shoes are holding up so well. I actually just made a comment to my kids the other day about how well their school shoes are holding up. Big change from last year, as I replaced their school shoes two or three times through the year!ORIGINAL REVIEW: These shoes are part of my son's school uniform, so they are worn every day to school. They still look like new a few weeks into the school year. He always likes New Balance shoes as they are comfortable on his wide feet.They are comfortable and good looking. Can't comment on durability until I've owned them awhile. But, in general like many things, New Balance doesn't make them like they used to make them. None of their newer models compare to the old 601, 602, 608 and 609's.My family has wide feet and these shoes are great. We bought them in Sept. 2010 and my son abandoned all other shoes. After eight months, they still look good. This was a great purchase. They are well made, comfortable and come in extra-Wide. Yeah! :) Thanks New Balance for making shoes that fit.August 2011 Update: This shoe lasted an entire school year and summer. They looked great the whole time. This is definitely a better deal than having to purchase cheap shoes every three months. My son got a new pair for this school year. They did get too small. :(The reviews helped me chose this shoe for my nearly 21 year daughter who has suffered from Arthritis all her life. Yes, she is tiny and wears a size 3/youth. I was a little fearful of buying sight unseen and knowing what size to buy (I didn't want to mess with exchanges). The shoe sizing charts are correct, the size she measured for fits great. She has a job on her feet and needed a solid supportive shoe. Her therapist suggested we get out of Payless Shoe store quality. A big difference. We'll buy this one again when it wears out. :-)My son needs shoes that are ExtraWide to fit his Orthotics. New Balance is one of the few brands that works with his AFO's. Not only do they fit, but they look good, which is also important. This is the 3rd pair of XW New Balance sneakers that he's had and I hope they last as long as the rest. Well made, good fit, stylish and a price much less than in retail stores. When there are more styles to choose from, we'll be buying another pair.These are a great school shoe for kids. Our 4 year old boy doesn't want to wear his other shoes any more, so we are assuming that they must be very comfortable.He has dished out some very rough treatment to them and they still look like he will outgrow them rather then destroy them!We love New Balance brand! Their sneakers are always sturdy, great looking (we usually buy solid colors), very comfortable, true to size, and at great value! When my children stop using their New Balance sneakers, it is exclusively because they outgrow them, and is time to get them a new pair of New Balance sneakers. They use their New Balance sneakers for school, but have other pairs for other ocassions, too.I just opened the box...and wow, for the price of these shoes, and i compared online and local stores, these are fabulous. we bought them for school so i cant review on how they hold up for a 6 year old boy. but the solid color sneakers for uniform code is new, so it was hard to find a solid color... these rock. and theyre new balance. :)