Arto Saari for New Balance Numeric

It’s still uncertain as to whether Arto Saari is going to be head of photography for New Balance Numeric or continue to shred in them for a check; either way we’re glad. Arto’s been found a number of times this year behind the lens but has shown no signs of retiring quite yet. Obviously our dreams of having him reemerge onto the Etnies roster fell through but we’re not too heartbroken over it considering we’ve been seeing more of him since his epicly later’d series. As that series unfolded, every skateboarder wondered if he was going to continue pursuing skating as a professional. With all his recent coverage, behind and in front of the lens, the future looks promising for fans (aka everyone) of Arto footage.

In the ad above, it’s definitely confirmed that Arto is skating the Logan 637, otherwise known as NB#’s most technical cupsole. Our expectations for the Logan are the same as what we expected from the DC Mike Mo considering their similarities in material but the Logan is still going through certain modifications and could reemerge even better than we last saw it. The Quincy 254 is the cheapest offering from NB# and Arto was recently found wearing those as well (below). We can only assume that if Arto has been found wearing practically the entire NB# catalog, then it looks promising for the brand that everyone is still on the fence about. The shoes look to be made with the utmost comfort in mind and if given a chance, could cause a huge hiccup within the competitive skate shoe market.

As more pro’s and am’s appear to be wearing the NB# footwear, we’re desperately waiting to hear the next announcement to their already impressive team. If we had any recommendations, it would be of some of our favorites like Rodrigo TX considering he’s still in Adidas limbo with another choice of ours, Enrique Lorenzo. We bet Etcetera insoles would look good within a pair of NB#’s with the addition of Ronnie Creager but we digress for now.

The Stratford 479 model will probably be everyone’s “I’ll give NB#’s a try” model. It’s price point is at an average $85 and was recently torn to shreds by PJ Ladd. Although the hours of how long PJ skated the Stratford 479 hasn’t surfaced, we all know PJ is no stranger to skating shoes until they’re absolutely done. As you might’ve guess, Arto’s been wearing them too while taking care of his photography duties for the potential NB#’s look book.

We’ll keep an eye out as more pro announcements surface and let you know what’s to come when we review a pair of New Balance Numerics.