I got these to replace my 696's which I loved, but I shredded them apart playing tennis. The 996 adds a good extra layer of stability on the outer edge which will help prevent blow out from cuts and direction changes (like happened to my 696). So that's good.BUT, the strange rubber lattice webbing around the toe/front half of the upper makes the toe box really tight. I'm hoping it stretches out over time. It's not so much that the shoe is too narrow for me, but rather than the toe box does not have enough height to it. The 696 were all synthetic/mesh in the toe box which allowed for much more flexibility. These are much more rigid with the rubber cage, and I needed to let the laces out as loose as they would go, and reuse the insoles from my old shoes in order to fit comfortably. Otherwise it's just too snug a fit.Hopefully, again, they will loosen over time, but if you don't have that luxury then these may not work for you.I have a hard time finding athletic shoes. I almost always wear Brooks running shoes, but Brooks doesn't make tennis sneakers. Every other brand of tennis shoes I tried fit poorly. Too much arch, too little arch, too short, too long, too wide. I was very frstrated until I found the New Balance. Now I'm a happy guy, and so are my feet. Highly recommended. They are light, stable and breathable. My only complaint is that the toe box is a little stiff with the weird plastic web cage they've designed over the front of the shoe, and it doesn't seem to be breaking in all that well. Regular old leather would have been better material. New Balance has several other models made out of leather that I'm going to look at. They are probably a little heavier and less breathable, but good for second pair. But I'm generally happy with this shoe.These shoes are great. They fit snug, but not too tight. One issue with one shoe is that the tongue keeps sliding to the side, exposing the sock underneath. The other issue is that it is bad in the rain, and acts like a sponge. Aside from that, it looks cool, and is really light.Overall I really like the shoes. I usually wear 9.5 4E shoes and for the most part they are ugly boats. I was pleased to see NewBalance finally come up with a more stylish wide shoe.These are lightweight and well made, but if I could do it over I would get them 1/2 size bigger.My preference was the MC851 by New Balance because it was durable, low to ground, lightweight and stable. This shoe is a little heavier and not so low to the ground as the older series, because of this I found that there are other shoes that offer better features. the lotto raptor iv speed is a good shoe if yoru looking for the above......I have been wearing New Balance for years, because I have wide feet and they make many shoes in wide. I loved my New Balance MC 1005s. They were comfortable and really lasted. When I needed a new pair, however, I found the price had gone up significantly. I wasn't willing to spend over $120 for a pair of tennis shoes. These shoes, MC 996, were slightly cheaper, so I bought them. They were narrower right off the bat, but I thought they would stretch some. They never did. More disappointing, they don't have anywhere near the same amount of cushion or support. When I was playing yesterday, the other player came over and said, "Is this yours?" It was a large piece of the sole that had fallen out of the shoe. My point is they are badly made as well. I was very disappointed by these shoes and will look to another brand next time.I found them to be more narrow than my other New Balance shoes. I normally wear a 10 and they were too tight for me. They are very nice looking but I need a more comfortable fit. I tried the MC 696 and found them to be more comfortable.The only thing I don't like about these is the colored part is plastic which makes them a bit more inflexible in my opinion. Otherwise a good shoe.They are a close fit but acceptableGreat Value!Not suitable for hard courts.The soles wore through after 3 months occasional use.Going back to Nike /adidas /asics etc etcscarpa davvero comoda (non la uso per lo sport ma solo per "tutti i giorni") ma nella parte davanti c'è un reticolo di gomma nera che tende a diventare grigia e formare delle venature. non la ricomprereisono rimasto molto soddisfatto del prodotto in quanto:- l'articolo non è in vendita nei negozi della mia zona;- sono già un fruitore di scarpe New Balance, quindi non ho avuto problemi con la taglia;- il prezzo è eccellente.Se devo essere pignolo ho un solo appunto da fare, in quanto avevo scritto che prima della consegna volevo essere avvisato, ma questo non è successo, fortunatamente mi trovavo in casa quanto è venuto il corriere.