Men's Cascadia 20 GTX 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.
Brooks
Men's Cascadia 20 GTX
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
LikelyTeflon-family coating (Teflon-type coating/Gore-Tex) membrane degradation
PossibleAzo dyes in textile upper and lining
PossibleAntimony in polyester fabric
Our pick
New Balance
Women's Fresh Foam Arishi v4 Shoes
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
PossibleAzo dyes and color-based toxins
PossibleAntimony in polyester
Where these two actually differ
- We flag Fluoropolymer (PTFE/Gore-Tex) membrane degradation, Azo dyes in textile upper and lining, Antimony in polyester fabric and Adhesive and glue off-gassing on the Brooks 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 Brooks.
- The Brooks is Gore-Tex waterproof membrane with textile upper 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.
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 →
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