Thank You 1520!

There is not a single doubt that the New Balance 1520 trail shoe is one of the best footwear that I had ever wore.
It went to many place places including my North America tour in 2009. 
The 1520 protected my feet in Arizona's Grand Canyon and the arid desert of Nevada.
I wore this footwear to many places around the country.
Although it didn't come with an affordable pricetag, I must say that the 1520 had lived up to its expectations. 
Unlike the crappy Nikes and Adidas trail shoes, the New Balance 1520 is comfortable and best of all, if you have wide feet, it's available in 4EE sizes.
Since I don't want to buy back the same shoe, I landed myself with the much more simplistic cousin of the 1520, the 1320.

This show is as comfortable and rugged as the leather skinned 1520, but it has a sophisticated lacing system.
Both shoes are lined with a Goretex membrane making it water resistant. The other attractive aspect is the Vibram soles. 
These are found in premium priced shoes -- hence its hefty pricetag.

 With the 1520 as a benchmark, it would be hard to find a worthy replacement. 
That said, enter the New Balance 851. 
This is an affordable incarnation of the 1520 which has since, long gone from NB's line-up of trail shoes. 
Minus the Goretex lining and Vibram sole, the minimalistic 851 takes the same appearance as its predecessors, in fact, I love the colour combination.
Its subtle appearance and rugged construction made it a good choice.
As to how long this shoe would last, well, it'll have to live up to the 1520's lifespan of 3 years...