Women's Fresh Foam Arishi v4 Shoes vs Men's Velocity Nitro 4 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 Velocity Nitro 4 GTX
PFAS grade
Bad 20/100
Overall grade
Bad 0/100
Verdict
Skip
Hazard flags
⚑ 3
Material
textile upper with Gore-Tex waterproof membrane
Confidence
55%
LikelyPFAS in Gore-Tex waterproof membrane
PossibleAdhesive and glue off-gassing
ReportedMicroplastic shedding from sole and upper degradation
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 Gore-Tex waterproof membrane, Adhesive and glue off-gassing and Microplastic shedding from sole and upper degradation on the Puma and not on the New Balance.
- The New Balance is Mesh upper, Fresh Foam midsole, rubber outsole where the Puma is textile upper with Gore-Tex 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.
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