Men's GEL-VENTURE 11 WATERPROOF vs Women's Fresh Foam Arishi v4 Shoes: which is safer?
New Balance Women's Fresh Foam Arishi v4 Shoes is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.
ASICS
Men's GEL-VENTURE 11 WATERPROOF
PFAS grade
Bad 20/100
Overall grade
Bad 16/100
Verdict
Skip
Hazard flags
⚑ 1
Material
Textile upper with unspecified waterproof coating/water-repellent coating treatment
Confidence
45%
PossibleCoating degradation and leachates from water-repellent coating
Our pick
New Balance
Women's Fresh Foam Arishi v4 Shoes
PFAS grade
Good 65/100
Overall grade
Good 57/100
Verdict
Skip
Hazard flags
⚑ 2
Material
Mesh upper, Fresh Foam midsole, rubber outsole
Confidence
72%
PossibleAzo dyes and color-based toxins
PossibleAntimony in polyester
Where these two actually differ
- We flag Coating degradation and leachates from DWR on the ASICS and not on the New Balance.
- We flag Azo dyes and color-based toxins and Antimony in polyester on the New Balance and not on the ASICS.
- The ASICS is Textile upper with unspecified waterproof coating/DWR treatment where the New Balance is Mesh upper, Fresh Foam midsole, rubber outsole, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
- The gap is 45 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the New Balance is the one to buy.
- We are less certain about the ASICS grade, at 45% confidence against 72%, because it discloses less.
Both products run through the same public rubric: materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls, plus a beyond-PFAS hazard analysis. Grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests. How grades work →
More running & athletic shoes: see the full ranking