- 934
- 14
- Joined
- Oct 26, 2007
First of all, let me say this is a beautiful looking shoe. I actually bought this completely randomly, usually I have a pair in mind from Eastbay or thisthread or wherever, and when I try on a shoe or purchase it I've already made up my mind to get them. This time, however, I was walking through NikeTown SFand saw these on the BB wall and had to stop. I love the light blue/black color combination, and tried these on. They were comfy as hell, so I grabbed a pairfor casual use. Then I took them to the gym this last week and was happily surprised.
COMFORT: 9/10
The upper is seamless, and though for the life of me I can't figure out the material, it's breathable and soft. The shoe is great underfoot, with anice heel-toe transition. Usually when breaking in a basketball shoe I get a bruise or a bloody toe or a scuff on my ankle or something - most of you know thatannoyance - but every time I've worn these my feet have been fine.
VENTILATION: 8/10
These are very airy. They don't necessarily look like it, but the leather material gives it sufficient natural flow, and the air holes throughout (picturedabove) help a lot. I didn't give these a 9 or a 10, because that should be reserved for ClimaCools and the Kobe 3s, but my feet were never swealtering ortoo hot at any time. I had plenty of air and my feet were never soaked with sweat. I'd recommend wearing moisture wicking socks as I have, too.
Traction: 8.8/10
Very nice traction. Simple herringbone pattern with a very nice looking clear outsole, too. It works well, no complaints at all. I have not slipped or slid atall when wearing them, so it's doing its job. They're not quite as great as, say, the Answer XI (which squeak to a complete stop everytime), butthey're very good.
CUSHIONING: 10/10
Best part of the shoe, hands down. Wearing them in the store they felt smooth, but breaking them out on the court and breaking them in they've gotten muchbetter. They've got max air in the heel, full length air zoom and it's basically the best of both worlds. Heel landing is wonderful, my knees feelfreat. Forefoot cushioning is impeccable, responsive and natural at the same time. I love the way these feel underfoot, and they've only gotten betterafter a solid week (6 days of playing, at least one hour every day) of balling
LOCKDOWN/FIT: 10/10
It might be surprsing to those of you used to mids to hear a low rated so high, but it's true. I don't believe mids help you more than lows do withregards to ankle injuries (last I looked, Dirk, Bron and countless others had hurt themselves wearing mids, while Nash and Gilby wear lows and seem to dofine), and that fit is more imporant than locking your ankle into a prison. Anyway, the straightforward lacing system - no straps, no asymetrical nonsense -belies its use. There are a lot of laceholes for a low cut shoe, and that helped customize the fit. I rolled my ankle severely a few years ago (playing inmids, thank you) and my left foot is now slightly bigger than my right. These shoes, with a little lacing adjustments, accommodated both my feet perfectly andlocked them down. The shoe was comfy without being tight/cutting off circulation. Heel fit was superb, toe box had room but not too much. There was no side toside movement, no sliding, nothing. Great fit.
WEIGHT 10/10
Since this is a low, it's already a step ahead of the mids. It might seem like cheating, but the Kobe 3, light and responsive as a basketball shoe has everbeen, is listed at the same 16.4 ounces as this one. The Zoom BB 2 is also listed at 16.4, so these are as light as balling shoes are.
OVERALL - 95/100
I like these shoes a great deal. I should mention too they're available at retailers for less than 100 bucks - $90 is official retail - so they're alsoa great value. These also have a nice feel to them, with great detailing and and effort. They look like they'll hold up great for months and months tocome. I'm glad I stopped by NikeTown and randomly copped these, because they've moved to the front of my ball rotation (bumping the Bron 3 lows, theAnswer 11s and a few others) and my feet are happy. I'd definitely recommend them to anyone. However, hyper fast players who stop on a dime might need abit more lockdown and traction - I'm not saying these have ever steered my wrong, but they don't quite have the "second foot" feeling theAZK1s do, for instance. This shoe would especiallty be better for heavier players, or anyone with knee or shin splint issues, as the cushioning is first rate.
Hope it helps.
