- 563
- 32
it's sole time.
first up, HJ (china)
imo the best af1 soles to ever be produced. earliest pair i've seen was '98, latest about '01 or '02.
almost all of the co.jp's from that era have these soles. they help give the af1 their amazing shape.
next is LN* (*=1, 2, 3, or 4) (china)
second best to the HJ's with only minor differences. they seem a hair shorter height wise.
examples- linens, carolina nubucks, lots of gr's from '01-'02, etc.
IW (indonesia)
totally different textures, and more rounded and fatter teeth.
here's another white/blue le pair with these soles.
in '02 the IW factory started having quality issues and started producing things like the acorns and i believes (with tons of b-grades for both), horse #1's, black sheed highs, etc. and they all had these soles-
shape of the soles themselves were very distorted (as well as the uppers), different midsole texture.
then came the changes.
QS (china)
only a few pairs from '02 and early '03 have these soles. obsidian/carolina, white/yellow lows, some of the women's white/ice jewels, horse #2's, etc.
i remember buying the obsidian/carolina pair in champs when they released in fall of '02 and being a little confused when i saw the different soles. if i were at some mom n pop place i probably would have thought they were fakes or something.
similar teeth design to the early IW's, but with a different texture, almost smooth. bolder AIR.
VX (veitnam)
i've only seen these on 2 or 3 different pairs. i think of them as a sort of transition between the old soles and the new ones we see today. they resemble the new ones but seem to be better shaped like the old ones.
teeth are fat, and the top of the indentation between them is arched instead of square. midsole texture is unique too. bold AIR.
and finally, the new sole, generic among all the factories since '03.
next to the HJ's here. you can kind of see the taper up and outwards on the inside of the foot.
some side notes:
certain pairs were made in more than 1 factory with more than 1 type of sole, like the white/blue le's above.
the FT1 (taiwan) soles are 99.9% exactly the same as the HJ soles (example taiwans, which also were produced in the HJ factory). only difference is on the ones i've seen, the blending of rubber where the outsole meets the midsole is a little sloppy.
so there you have it. i may have missed a factory but those are all the main ones.
first up, HJ (china)
imo the best af1 soles to ever be produced. earliest pair i've seen was '98, latest about '01 or '02.
almost all of the co.jp's from that era have these soles. they help give the af1 their amazing shape.
next is LN* (*=1, 2, 3, or 4) (china)
second best to the HJ's with only minor differences. they seem a hair shorter height wise.
examples- linens, carolina nubucks, lots of gr's from '01-'02, etc.
IW (indonesia)
totally different textures, and more rounded and fatter teeth.
here's another white/blue le pair with these soles.
in '02 the IW factory started having quality issues and started producing things like the acorns and i believes (with tons of b-grades for both), horse #1's, black sheed highs, etc. and they all had these soles-
shape of the soles themselves were very distorted (as well as the uppers), different midsole texture.
then came the changes.
QS (china)
only a few pairs from '02 and early '03 have these soles. obsidian/carolina, white/yellow lows, some of the women's white/ice jewels, horse #2's, etc.
i remember buying the obsidian/carolina pair in champs when they released in fall of '02 and being a little confused when i saw the different soles. if i were at some mom n pop place i probably would have thought they were fakes or something.
similar teeth design to the early IW's, but with a different texture, almost smooth. bolder AIR.
VX (veitnam)
i've only seen these on 2 or 3 different pairs. i think of them as a sort of transition between the old soles and the new ones we see today. they resemble the new ones but seem to be better shaped like the old ones.
teeth are fat, and the top of the indentation between them is arched instead of square. midsole texture is unique too. bold AIR.
and finally, the new sole, generic among all the factories since '03.
next to the HJ's here. you can kind of see the taper up and outwards on the inside of the foot.
some side notes:
certain pairs were made in more than 1 factory with more than 1 type of sole, like the white/blue le's above.
the FT1 (taiwan) soles are 99.9% exactly the same as the HJ soles (example taiwans, which also were produced in the HJ factory). only difference is on the ones i've seen, the blending of rubber where the outsole meets the midsole is a little sloppy.
so there you have it. i may have missed a factory but those are all the main ones.
