New Balance 9060 QC: which details do the photos really show, and which don't?

Sneakers QC & Legit Check
1

A question about QC on the New Balance 9060. There are plenty of guides for Jordans, hardly any for the 9060. What do you look for in the photos? And are there things you can’t judge from QC photos at all?

2

The most detailed review I’ve found on the 9060 goes through the points fairly systematically. From it, a list for the photos:

  • Overall shape, from the side;
  • Material: nubuck or suede and mesh, look for even colour and clean mesh;
  • “N” logo: position, and the same on both sides;
  • Vamp symmetrical left and right;
  • Tongue: placement of the “NB9060” logo;
  • Heel: NB embroidery clean.
3

Can you check more on the “N” than its position?

4

Yes: according to the same review, the “N” is reflective, and you can check that with a flash photo. If you can ask for extra QC, request a photo with flash. If the “N” doesn’t light up, that’s a clear sign.

5

Then the sole, which on the 9060 is the most eye-catching part:

  • Outsole: clean paint, no overlaps at the colour borders;
  • Midsole: shape of the pods and the lines the same left and right;
  • inside: insole with a clean print, and the stitching underneath, if the agent can take the insole out.

In many QC threads here, the verdict in the end comes down to a single point, often the toe. In an older 9060 thread, for example, it just said “GL, the toe is perfect”.

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For stitching, the usual applies: no gaps, no double stitching. How to read QC photos in general is in the beginner thread on QC photos.

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Now the second part of the question, what the photos don’t show. Two things:

  1. Fit: the reviewer found the pair half a size smaller than retail. You won’t see that in any photo. For the sizing question there’s the 550 vs 9060 thread.
  2. Cushioning: the ABZORB in the midsole felt good in the review, but that too can only be judged with your foot.
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And the box: according to the review it resembled the retail one, label and all. That says little about the shoe itself; it’s not a QC criterion.

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Summary for 9060 QC:

  1. Shape from the side, and both shoes the same.
  2. “N” logo: position, symmetry, and check the reflectivity with a flash photo.
  3. Material: nubuck/suede and mesh with even colour.
  4. Tongue and heel: “NB9060” logo and NB embroidery clean.
  5. Sole: paint with no overlaps, pods symmetrical, insole clean.
  6. Stitching: no gaps, no double stitching.
  7. Not in photos: fit (half a size smaller in one review) and cushioning.

Whether a top version is worth it on a relatively simple shoe is discussed in the white AF1 thread; the same reasoning applies here.

10

Thanks, I didn’t know about the flash photo for the “N”. I’ll ask for it at my next QC.