My favorite 1906R colorway vs my favorite 860 v2 colorway, I think they should be a bit more popular.
Anyway, here's my favorite NB 1906R vs my favorite NB 860 v2 comp, which one looks better?
I think I prefer these with some real shiny synthetic uppers over those all-leather or suede shoes like the 991 v2. I think this 1906R colorway is stunning in person especially on feet.
I like this colorway a lot, but I like the 860XD2 even more. However, they are not very popular as the material is not genuine leather, that means those YT influencers discount them like some ancient trash shoes. They are really partial to so-called genuine leather or suede, but I wonder if they really know anything about shoes, they do not really understand synthetic upper is sometimes more practical for those shoes designed for the beater market.
If the upper is suede, then they are not breathable and not water resistant. Thus, useless as a pair of beaters for me or many people living in Asia or any humid wet climate like Seattle.
So, those online genuine leather or suede cult members are super annoying to me, as they damage the reputation of my favorite NB, Saucony, Nike and Reebok shoes. The genuine leather influencers must get that many people actually wearing their shoes actually prefer high-end synthetic leather over suede for the upper material for their everyday beaters for obvious practicality related reasons.
And I must admit I am a big fan of the shiny silver-based shoes like the 1906R, the 860v2 and the Nike P6000. To me, the shiny shoes look really stunning, and they are actually very practical for my lifestyle. I used to love the shoes like the 550's, the AF1, the AJ1 Low, etc., but I realized that they do not fit well into my lifestyle as my life requires lots of walking most of days. Also, it is important to know for what kind of climate type or weather those shoes are designed and what kind of climate we are in. So, NA, Europe, Western Asia, etc. are relatively drier than where I am in most of times in every year, so I think the people living in those places can choose almost whatever kinds of shoes they want, but for me the airmax series shoes for example are risky shoes although they are my very favorite kind of shoes. The air midsole normally go bad or completely crumble in a matter of just a few years here like 6 to 8 years, so it is really risky to buy an expensive pair of collectible airmax shoes here. I think the 97 is the riskiest shoe, the 95 and TN are also risky, but the original AM1 86 or 87' seem to last a bit longer than the 97 or the 95 even in this extremely humid part of Asia.
Those Genuine-Leather-cult YT influencers tell you genuine leathers never crumble or crack up, but it is not true. They may not crumble but crack up or become very hard and unwearable over years. So, genuine suede is not much better than the latest generation synthetic leather NB or Nike uses these days. Suede shoes cannot take any amount of water. I think suede especially the hairy ones are the most overrated shoe materials.
Anyway, I think for pure comfort level or ride, I think I prefer
the 1906R. The 1906R seems to be a bit softer, more cushioned than the 860 v2 although they both share the same midsole unit today. I think the OG 1906R did not have this midsole unit borrowed from the 860 v2, but the current retro pairs do have the same midsole unit as the 860 v2 have now.
So, the main differences between the 860v2 vs the 1906R are:
1 the 860v2 is stability shoe, with quite pronounced arch support.
2 the 860 upper is more hugging than the slightly more neutral upper of the 1906R.
3 the outsole 860v2 is designed to stabilize feet or correct overpronators.
And I have really neutral walking running gait, so for me the 1906R (which is neutral shoe) seems to work a bit better.
But design wise, I think both are stunning shoes. If I have to choose one design over the other, then I may have to go with the 860v2, though the overall comfort and fit of the 1906R seems to be a bit better than the 860v2 for me. I think the 1906R seems to be a bit more comfortable and more versatile shoe of the two at least for most neutral walkers like me.