Cut in half: New Balance CT302 Review (2023) (2024)

We recommend the New Balance CT302 to:

• Anyone who enjoys the comfort of New Balance sneakers, but wants a change from their usual “dad-shoe” aesthetic
• Fans of platform sneakers looking for a chunky, height-boosting, tennis-inspired kick
• Those in the market for a simple yet versatile shoe that will complement most outfits
• Thrifty folks looking for a wallet-friendly sneaker that looks and feels high-end

The CT302 is as chunky on the scale as it looks. With a combined weight of over 2 lbs, this shoe definitely isn’t suited for all-day wear.

We recommend the Reebok Club C 85 as another tennis-inspired sneaker that’s much lighter on the foot.

Leather shoes tend not to be very breathable, a fact that is borne out when putting the CT302 through our smoke test. The smoke has almost no room to escape, with only thin wisps making their way through the shoe’s tongue. This poor ventilation isn't the worst we've seen, therefore earning the CT302 a below-average breathability score of 2 out of 5. This subpar airflow means that we don’t recommend going sockless in this shoe as they’ll start to stink in no time.

Conversely, the Puma RS-X is a true smoke-show that earns a perfect breathability score

Looking at a backlit cross-section of the CT302’s upper, light only manages to shine through the shoe’s somewhat porous tongue, thus explaining its performance in our previous test.

inspecting the toebox under our microscope feels like looking at the surface of the moon; it appears smooth and soft from a distance but is actually quite textured and striking. Besides that, there are obviously no holes or perforations to support airflow through the shoe.

The CT302’s toebox is heavily fortified with rubber, thus making it the best prepared to contend with our Dremel test. Our usually mighty tool was only able to grind off little flecks of material, with only a minor dent in the aftermath of the four-second test.

This stellar performance earns the CT302 a perfect 5 out of 5 for toebox durability.

We turn our attention to the heel counter and the Dremel seems to have little effect over the course of the four-second test. However, upon removing the grinding element, we were surprised to find that the tool had steadily eaten away a good chunk of the padding.

This scratchy and unsightly hole leads us to give the CT302 a heel padding durability score of 1 out of 5.

To test the durability of the outsole, we fired up the Dremel for a third and final time. The grinding element, this time spinning at 10K RPM, sends up a snowstorm of rubber as soon as it makes contact with the CT302’s outsole, with a pile of powder growing as the test wears on.

Once the twenty seconds were up, we assessed the damage with our tire tread gauge and found that, despite the visually dramatic nature of the test, we had only ground off 1.06 mm of material. This is less than the average sneaker loses in this same test and means that the CT302’s outsole should last 500 miles before any major signs of wear and tear.

The CT302’s stack is also more substantial than average at the forefoot, measuring 24.6 mm high according to our caliper.

This robust stack almost entirely erases any sensation of the ground below as we walk around, leaving us feeling well-protected from any underfoot hazards.

For those who prefer a more grounded feeling from their sneakers, we recommend the more low-profile Adidas Gazelle instead.

We pressed our durometer against the narrow strip of foam that makes up the CT302’s midsole and got a rather firm reading of 33.3 HA.

However, as is clear from looking at a cross-section of the shoe in the previous section, the midsole isn’t the only factor in the shoe’s cushioning. The outsole at the heel features many cutout sections that allow it to compress as we apply weight onto the shoe.

As a result, CT302's cushioning feels much softer than our durometer implies.

With its robust stack of dense foam and rubber, we weren’t surprised to find that we could barely get the shoe to budge as we attempted to bend and twist it in our hands. We therefore give the CT302 the maximum torsional rigidity score of 5 out of 5.

Being this inflexible is a key factor in the shoe’s stable feeling underfoot as it maintains a steady and level base that mitigates any natural pronation of our foot as we walk around.

We faced an average level of resistance as we squeezed and prodded the CT302’s heel counter, earning it a middle-of-the-road score of 3 out of 5.

This in conjunction with the shape of the heel cup means that we’re able to achieve a secure rearfoot lockdown that holds the heel in place without uncomfortable squeezing our Achilles tendon.

To test the longitudinal stiffness of the CT302, we secured it to our workbench and measured the amount of force required to torque it 90 degrees.With a whopping 51.8N of force needed to bend the shoe to the desired point, the CT302 is much stiffer than the average sneaker.

While this does also factor into how steady the shoe feels underfoot, it does come at the expense of comfort as the shoe resists the natural flexion of our foot during our stride. This shouldn't be an issue for normal day-to-day use, but it certainly precludes the CT302 from being a comfy all-day shoe.

The subtle double zig-zag line pattern on the CT302’s outsole provided us with solid traction when walking around the city. We recommend avoiding grassy spots not only because it feels a little slippery when wet, but the CT302 really is a stain magnet.