THE OFFICIAL KOBE 9 THREAD ****** WHAT THE KOBE RELEASED ******** BHM RELEASE 1/19

[mou5pad]

I

Think he's referring to the ATFL, or anterior tibiofibular ligament, which is located at the ankle. All the ones you mentioned are at the knee.

i have been a rehab director for 5 years now never did i heard someone said atfl.. Lol we have different abbreviation buy not that. I might use it

 

[sneakerfree]

I
i have been a rehab director for 5 years now never did i heard someone said atfl.. Lol we have different abbreviation buy not that. I might use it

The more confusing letter combinations you can come up with the smarter you sound! Lol

 

[lewi1913]

Influences will be a pass, way too much going on for me.

 

[eightfivefresh]

 
If you buy basketball shoes to play basketball then this could be helpful. If you buy basketball shoes for casual wear then you probably will not care:

My performance test comparing the Kobe 8 against the Kobe 9 Low: Most people have said the 9 Low is better than the Kobe 8. I have repeated that I believe the Kobe 9 is a step backwards. I have balled in both, obviously in the 8 way more however I have played in the 9 Low EM for a total of 12 hours since I received them and that is enough time to break them in and get a good impression of the shoe. I tested them on a clean indoor court double socked because the 9 Lows still have a slight dead space in the toe box similar to the 9 Elite, though not as bad. I went with the same size for the sneakers (both size 9.5). In some of the pictures the length might look different but that's just the angle of the photo; I assure you, they are both the same size. 

As far as COMFORT, many say the 9 Low is the most comfortable shoe and more so than the 8. They are some of the most comfortable basketball sneakers but they do not hold a candle to some of the Nike Running sneakers especially those with Fly Knit. In my opinion the Kobe 9 Low does not beat the 8 in this category. They are the same if anything. Nothing changed in the cushioning of the midsole. It is still a Lunarlon Midsole surrounded with an engineered mesh upper. The only thing that did change to the upper was the addition of flywire, which in theory would create pressure points across the foot wherever they traverse. So basically the Kobe 9 Low should be slightly more uncomfortable than the Kobe 8 based on that. That being said, I did NOT notice any pressure points, whether or not it was because of the double socks or something else. The extra padding in the tongue of the 9 Low was noticeable and more comfortable than the 8. The comfort was negatively affected by how Nike decided to shape the upper around the ankle. *FYI: Lunarlon will bottom out fairly quickly, resulting in horrible cushioning.

With the FIT I went TTS. Length wise the 8 and 9 are the same but there is way more dead space in the Kobe 9 toe box. Rather surprising was how Nike got rid of the flex points and collar on the Kobe 9 Low. In the pictures, you can see what I am referring to with the areas circled in neon green. I took a couple photos to show how it affects “bowing” of the engineered mesh between the lowest and 2[sup]nd[/sup] lowest lace eyelets. You can also see that the collar at the top of the shoe wraps around the lower ankle of the foot across the Talus bone much more on the Kobe 8 than the Kobe 9 Low. When looking at the 9 from a superior view (superior end) the upper is now a clean straight edge without any slits or lateral cuts around the tongue. It is clear to see that Nike did this from a manufacturing aspect to cut costs. As stated before, this did affect the comfort slightly. Also, containment was not as good in the Kobe 9 Low. The collar on the Kobe 8 produced somewhat of a down force to cumulatively help the heel clip provide a secure heel lockdown. The 9’s did have great lockdown but even laced extremely tight, they did not have as secure a feel as the Kobe 8. The upper on the 9 Low does not wrap around the arch of the foot as much as 8. I tried to show this in the first picture with two green horizontal lines. Because of this, containment was not the same and I found greater comfort in the 8 since it provided more of a 1 to 1 feeling.

SUPPORT was interesting. Nike decided to remove the glass carbon fiber shank in the Kobe 8 and did not replace it with anything in the Kobe 9 outsole. I did notice some torsional instability but not as much as I thought there would be. I noticed because I had some pain radiate from the arch of my foot after long games (even after breaking in of the Lunarlon midsole). I am curious why they did this. Most relevant, premium basketball sneakers on the market retain some sort of mid-foot stability technology. If you thought the addition of the Flywire to the Kobe 9 would help with support and/or lockdown, you were wrong. It does not feel one bit different than the Kobe 8. There was no advantage to having flywire in the newer model. You do not feel the flywire functioning and the EM would have been more than enough for lockdown and containment as it was in the Kobe 8. I would venture to guess that it is mostly for looks and to provide some sort of pseudo-justification for the price increase.

I grouped VENTILATION and TRACTION together because there is not much to say about it. Ventilation is crap in either shoe when double socked. Normally it is adequate but ventilation is not really important for me either way since my feet do not sweat abnormally. When comparing the ventilation of the 8 and 9 Low, I did not notice a difference even though the tongue on the 9 should help more with extracting heat from the shoe. Traction on the 9 Low was probably the only aspect of the sneaker that outperformed its predecessor. From Jordan’s to Adidas to other Nike shoes, I have not experienced better traction that the outsole of the Kobe 9. The outsole on the 9 is different both in pattern and the composition of the material and Nike has got it right this time (not that the 8 was not already great). Unfortunately, both models would be murdered on outdoor courts: the thin design of the outsole caters to indoor hooping.

Overall, it is easy to see why the 9 Low is a rip off. There is a $20 price increase when the shoe has been designed to cut costs for Nike and provide a greater profit margin. Proof of this exists in the removal of the mid-foot shank, changing the upper to a simpler design and altering the collar to be pretty much non-existent. The support, comfort, fit and cushioning are the same if not worse in the 9 Low but with the cost of a worse anatomically designed shoe. There is no way to justify the increased price when the shoe is the same, if not worse in my eyes. Obviously everything I said is my opinion and everything I am discussing is from a performance standpoint, so take it for what it’s worth. Just calling it as I see it. PICTURES:

Best Review I've seen so far.

Feel the same way on most of your points. Just an Under-Designed Underwhelming Shoe... still looks like the Unfinished Version of the Kobe 9.

Was so Disappointed when I tried these boys on after inspecting them for 5 mins and being pissed just by how cheap they looked.

And it's all about Profit Margin... that's with any corporation, but especially with the Swoosh as of the past 5 years.

They still produce Gems at times, but Turrible & Horrifically Overpriced Product is Way More Common.

 

[frankw]

^in regards to the no mid-foot shank plate; i think the reason is Nike made the 9's with these "side panels" that is stiff and supports all the way to the mid-foot as a cage, so the mid-foot plate like the ones on the 8 is not needed as the side panels act as the same thing. i haven't tried to play in mine so i don't know how will they perform, but as a drop-in midsole shoe a mid-foot plate is needed.

 

[Deleted member 37467]

Influences have grown on me... But IMO, bright colors like that look best with shorts, and those are too bright to be that high.

If they were lows in that same colorway, I'd probably be on em.

I'm w/ you on this.

Basically the reason I was never too big on the Perspectives.

I may even pass on the Showtimes even tho I love purple.

 

[frankw]

I'm w/ you on this.

Basically the reason I was never too big on the Perspectives.

I may even pass on the Showtimes even tho I love purple.

awesome for me tho

i love my Perspectives and I really like these or the Showtime. gonna see if i can pick up one of the two.

and i will wear mine on court only, so i love these bright contrasting colors.

 

[gothmog]

 
Time to raid the Laker's locker room.

 

UK faints as Randle shows off the Details.

Randle could've gone for the steal, but decided instead to blind

Wisconsin with the heat on his feet.

Dudes...check out my new Kobe's!

 

[earldagoat]

 
Earl are those your shoes?

Regardless of comments they looked good. I dont mind crazy colors and clown or not they look good.

Nah brother man; they're not mine.  I was looking around for some photos of the Easter IXs and stumbled across that picture.  Figured the NT fam might appreciate a different shot of them.  I feel like they'd be pretty dope to own if I was a California hooper.  Right now I only have the Details, but I'm keeping an eye on the Showtimes and crossing my fingers for a colorway similar to the white/gold/crimson KD Elites.

 

[chowda]

Ah ok. I still have to find a place to try some on. I like the Kobe's in the video that Nick young debuted. BUT whatever color I can get I dont really care.

 

[airballllllllll]

 
Ah ok. I still have to find a place to try some on. I like the Kobe's in the video that Nick young debuted. BUT whatever color I can get I dont really care.

I understand what you mean since a lot of colorways are hard to come by, but for $225 (plus tax), you should LOVE the colorway, and not be forced to put up with it.

 

[fuzon]

How similar is the kobe 9 low to the 8??

 

[chowda]

 
I understand what you mean since a lot of colorways are hard to come by, but for $225 (plus tax), you should LOVE the colorway, and not be forced to put up with it.

I hear ya there. I know its hard to come by with some of the colors. I would use these to play in and I dont want to wait for ever just because of a color. While I may want this color I am in need of a new pair of comfortable basketball shoes. My Hyperdunks are killing my Achilles tendon on my right foot. SO while I make due with my retired old Derrick Rose shoes it would be nice to just have some new shoes. So if I can find some Kobe's local to me and they cant get any other color than so be it.  I am not buying shoes for the looks. Dont care what people think of me in clothes or shoes. As long as they make my feet comfortable they can be My little pony's favorite colors.

Either way it will be what ever I can actually get my hands on first. And if I can find a pair to try on and feel comfortable I will most likely try to buy online and find the color I want.

 

[blacklion23]

Lmao @ "under the influence"
I think they're nice though.

 

[YepYeppers]

 
I hear ya there. I know its hard to come by with some of the colors. I would use these to play in and I dont want to wait for ever just because of a color. While I may want this color I am in need of a new pair of comfortable basketball shoes. My Hyperdunks are killing my Achilles tendon on my right foot. SO while I make due with my retired old Derrick Rose shoes it would be nice to just have some new shoes. So if I can find some Kobe's local to me and they cant get any other color than so be it.  I am not buying shoes for the looks. Dont care what people think of me in clothes or shoes. As long as they make my feet comfortable they can be My little pony's favorite colors.

Either way it will be what ever I can actually get my hands on first. And if I can find a pair to try on and feel comfortable I will most likely try to buy online and find the color I want.

This! I hoop in majority of my kicks so idc the color so much. I prefer plain ones most the time tbh. Easy to match and mostly black shoes dont show as much wear from hooping

 

[chowda]

 
This! I hoop in majority of my kicks so idc the color so much. I prefer plain ones most the time tbh. Easy to match and mostly black shoes dont show as much wear from hooping

Agree there to. I prefer the dark colors. BUT there are some people who like to pop and shoot and can wear the all white shoes. Not me. I like to rough it up Randolph/Cousins style.

 

[navster]

 
Agree there to. I prefer the dark colors. BUT there are some people who like to pop and shoot and can wear the all white shoes. Not me. I like to rough it up Randolph/Cousins style.

yeah, me too. I run my shoes into the ground - until the soles are completely worn down. So dark colors are what I go for because white/light colored shoes look like sh*t after one hoop session. I still like my shoes looking somewhat fly with that wetball 

 

 

[Deleted member 107398]

How long before we see dudes posting pics holding the Influences over their head with the caption 'Under The Influence'

 

[dark steel]

^Starting......................................NOW.

 

[sneakgeek3]

How long before we see dudes posting pics holding the Influences over their head with the caption 'Under The Influence'

lol stay away from instagram

 

[retroronin]

Imo it is very similar to the 8. It is super comfortable and fits true to size. Alot of people hatin on the lows but theyre prolly the same people that were hating on the Eites until they got their hands on a pair. Then all the sudden theyre the greatest shoes in the world lol. Cant wait for the day when people just rock what they like instead of what is "hyped."

 

[retroronin]

How similar is the kobe 9 low to the 8??

 

[vcobra24]

The pics are terribly misleading...the stain is much more tragic than it looks...but there is still a clear stain on the shoe after using sofsole instant cleaner...tried the toothbrush, but it didn't get it all off. Imma go ahead and put it in the washer...any other ideas anyone? I'm new to this and thus my first time cleaning a shoe. View media item 901001View media item 901002

 

[EddieWinslow1983]

Only 9's I care for.

View media item 901000

 

[dark steel]

Try Mr Clean Magic Eraser or Jason Markk cleaner.

If you wanna try the washing machine, remove the inserts and laces and place the shoes in a pillow case. Place washer on cold and delicate.