- 96
- 10
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2011
Just got done with my first play-through with the Zoom Kobe VII-Attack Strong. First off the fit: the bootie gives the shoe a very Huarache/Penny-esque fit and I appreciate the comfort. I've always liked basketball shoes with an inner bootie and this was no different. I've seen people saying the ankle strap is just for show and looks flimsy but rest assured, it is solid and it locks down the shoe nicely. Mostly, it helps to anchor down the overall fit of the shoe and keep you locked in so while it's definitely not as prestigious in the ankle security range as say the Hyperfuse, it is an improvement. The shoe gave a very supportive, comfortable ride and felt slightly heavier than the Zoom Kobe VI. That being said, this shoe is BULKY, in a good way. If the Zoom Kobe V and VI's were convertibles, the Zoom Kobe VII is a tank. I like the added heft, as it wasn't much heavier than the previous two models and gave the shoe a much more aggressive look. The Zoom Kobe VII is leaps and bound ahead of the last two in terms of support when coming down from jumping. I played outdoors because Glendale and Burbank, CA have almost no indoor courts, I think it's a city ordinance or something, it's ridiculous. These are definitely NOT outdoor shoes, next time I play outside I'm gonna being wearing Hyperfuses for sure. They were certainly capable of performing outdoors but considering I was playing on what must be the world's dustiest court, you do not wanna get the non-synthetic parts of this shoe very dirty. Finally, what everyone's been talking about: blistering. I come from a running background so I'm no stranger to severe blistering and I can largely ignore it at this point. I'd try to limit my time in the Zoom Kobe VII if I was worried about blistering though because when turning the corner on my right foot, I could definitely feel some rubbing in the midfoot that got gradually more noticable/painful and could see where blistering might be a problem. Despite limited time on-court (probably about an hour), I thought the shoes held up for the most part on a variety of lay-ups and cuts. Overall, I'm giving these an 8/10.