Women's Fresh Foam Arishi v4 Shoes vs Men's Fast-Trac NITRO 3 GTX: which is safer?
New Balance Women's Fresh Foam Arishi v4 Shoes is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.
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
Puma
Men's Fast-Trac NITRO 3 GTX
PFAS grade
Bad 20/100
Overall grade
Bad 0/100
Verdict
Skip
Hazard flags
⚑ 4
Material
Synthetic textile with GTX waterproof membrane
Confidence
42%
LikelyPFAS in waterproof membrane and water-repellent coating coatings
PossibleAzo dyes in synthetic fabric upper
PossibleFormaldehyde resins in fabric finishing
Where these two actually differ
- We flag Azo dyes and color-based toxins and Antimony in polyester on the New Balance and not on the Puma.
- We flag PFAS in waterproof membrane and DWR coatings, Azo dyes in synthetic fabric upper, Formaldehyde resins in fabric finishing and Adhesive and glue off-gassing on the Puma and not on the New Balance.
- The New Balance is Mesh upper, Fresh Foam midsole, rubber outsole where the Puma is Synthetic textile with GTX waterproof membrane, 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 Puma grade, at 42% 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