Pretty amazing how the Kobe V made the IV look antiquated in one year.
I loved the performance of the Kobe IV and was eagerly anticipating the V when I read that Zoom would be replacing Lunar Foam in the forefoot. I loved everything that Nike did to improve on the IV but they forgot one important aspect : Traction
Pros: fit, heel Zoom, containment, just plain sexy
Cons: small meta Zoom in forefoot, traction, prone to ripping
Best for: quick guards.
Weight
Holy schnikes that’s light. These came out when everyone was trying to be the lightest shoe in the world. For reference:
Lebron XIII: 16 oz
Rose 6: 17 oz
Curry Two: 14 oz
Traction
So close yet so far.
Heartbeat story telling pattern.
I can’t really remember a shoe that featured a story telling pattern prior to the Kobe V so I guess we can all thank the V for this stupid trend .. Ok the AJ XX3 can also take some of the blame.
It isn’t ice skate slippery by any means but it doesn’t grab the floor like we all want at all especially on dusty floors. The rubber is plenty soft but not sticky so it must be a combo of the pattern and the compound. Even after substantial break in it just never bit the floor the way I wanted. My other non translucent pairs that still gave me the same problems. If traction isn’t good on semi dusty floors I don’t even bother so these got sent to the closet.
Cushioning
A meta Zoom bag replaced Lunarfoam in the V. What’s a meta Zoom bag ? It’s a very small Zoom bag that pretty much covers half a forefoot.
Photo courtesy of Sole Collector
I could feel the Zoom in the forefoot but because of the thinness and size it isn’t great. I know Kobe wanted a low to the ground feel so maybe he got exactly what he wanted.
One thing that I noticed in the heel is how the midsole flexed especially around the heel due to this groove
It softens up the midsole a lot which some people may like. I felt like it flexed too much and lost a split second but it does make the cushioning more comfortable.
Fit
Simply put, the V is one of the best fitting lows I’ve ever worn. No heel slip at all thanks to a perfectly shaped heel collar. They took what worked on the IV and put it on the V. (Not sure why they changed it on the VI)
I bought my normal size 11 and these gave me a finger width at the toe box which is my ideal amount of space. No movement side to side and no real deadspace on top of the forefoot.
The Flyskin material sits very closely to the foot which also helps create the excellent fit. It feels thinner and a lot less plasticky than the IV’s set up. It also helped launched the crazy colors we see today. The upper isn’t the latest and greatest woven/ textile upper but it still feels good on foot even today.
I really think the Chaos V colorway is one of the most beautiful colorways of any shoe ever made. Iridescent purple and green mixed with just the right amount of purple red and white. Just perfect
Support and stability
Support comes from the fit and the heel counter while stability comes from the outrigger and flat outsole
I never felt like I’d turn my ankle in these and I never have. I wish the midsole was firmer like the IV but it’s still great.
Also the Y Bar is back to help stabilize the heel on impact. I really love this feature because it is simple yet effective
Oh forgot the carbon fiber shank plate. If this shoe were made today, it would probably be made of plastic
Containment
Containment is very good but not great like the Rose 6 or Soldier VI. I didn’t feel my foot coming out of the shoe but I could feel the forefoot upper flex on hard cuts. As you can see below the midsole is raised a little bit above the footbed and there is an extra layer (grey) of fuse.
Nike basically set a frame of extra fuse around the high pressure areas to keep the foot contained (grey areas) to keep the shoe lightweight but strong. Pretty awesome idea to reinforce only the necessary areas.
Conclusion
Why tease us with near perfection Nike ? If the traction was even somewhat close to as good as the IV, I probably could have stopped buying shoes for a few years. I really wanted to love these back then but the traction just didn’t work on public indoor courts that get lots of foot traffic. The few games I played on pristine courts, these worked very well and were extremely fun to play in. Since these never made it into my rotation, I never had a dreaded blow out where the upper tore from the midsole. I remember hearing a lot about that back when these released.
Regardless of performance these are just beautiful to look at and really propelled the trend of 20 colorways per shoe. With new synthetics, Nike created colorways that were never seen before on athletic shoes. Despite not making my rotation I still love collecting these just on aesthetics alone. Nike has tried to duplicate the beauty of the Bruce Lee, Duke, and Chaos colorway in subsequent models but you just can’t recreate art by just using the same color palette; it takes the perfect blend of a silhouette, materials, and a shoe’s place in history to truly make it meaningful.
If you play on pristine courts, grab the Kobe V and enjoy one of the best looking, head turning lows ever made but if not I suggest looking at other models.
schwollo.com 
Lol these came out my freshman year and my cousin (a senior at the time) told me that these are the best and then he pointed at the bottom and said “looks like I won’t be slipping around”. On our super dusty unfinished court that’s exactly what happened.
LikeLike
Lol
LikeLike
I loved my 4’s, but I loved my 5’s even more. I like the low to the ground set up. Any chance you have a nice pair you want to let go for less than retail?cheers
LikeLike
Ha no I don’t .. Just have the ones in my DS collection and a few I wear
LikeLike
I don’t know man but honestly the traction work perfectly fine for me in my public indoor court.
Like you said the fit is the best ever… the weight and the fit make this shoes feel amazing, as a quick guard back in the day the cushion works great for me, nike made this shoes with a perfect ingridients, not too much in every way, from the way i said it maybe it sounds like the best shoes IMO, but it is, love this shoes so much i wish they retroed it asap so i could grab a couple while i can still playing..
btw love all of your review buddy, keep the good work.. cheers..
LikeLiked by 1 person
Traction isn’t terrible it just isn’t as good as the other Kobe’s. Great fun shoe to play in when the floor is clean though. Thanks for reading !
LikeLike
I remember playing in these during my freshmen year of high school. You and I share the same thoughts on this shoe. Comfortable and almost like the 4, but the traction is a no go (court was too dusty back in my freshmen year). The 4 is the shoe that got everything right from stability, cushoning, traction, I can go on about why the 4 is the best Kobe model to be made IMO. I had the USA colorway for the Kobe 5 and I didn’t like how the traction didn’t work like the Kobe 4. The traction on the 5 didn’t feel consistent for me, but as I grew older, I now find myself wanting to get this shoe again just so I can actually own it and review it myself and play on a pristine court. I for one like playing in older models (even though they’ll separate in time) just because Nike made some great kicks back then and the nostalgia.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yep it’s fun to play in older models. All my Kobe’s have held up fine but I don’t expect the I to hold up much longer. Newer doesn’t mean better even if it has the latest and greatest tech. But sorry traction ruins a shoe in a hurry so that’s why that’s weighted most heavily for me.
LikeLike
Traction is everything for me. I’d rather have the Kobe 5s than the Kobe 11s at this point. Even though DS pair Kobe 5s would a little more expensive, they work out better than the 11s probably. For traction I’d take the 5 in a heartbeat. Hopefully when they remaster kobes. They won’t make em worse just like they did to the 08 hyperdunk and the price will a lil bit friendly (doubt that’s going to happen).
LikeLiked by 1 person
Look for a vNDS pair for around retail and you’ll be good . Yep traction is the most important part of shoe unless you play on a perfect floor every game
LikeLike
I’ll most likely do that. 5s seem to be very expensive nowadays. I love older models but people are charging way too much for them. FTB 5 is 320 lmao. also playing in the older releases would most likely not hold up for a specific period of time
LikeLiked by 1 person
Does the zoom air in this shoe feel similar to the zoom air in the nike hyperdunk 2011?
LikeLike
It feels lower to the ground and the forefoot bag is only a met bag so it doesn’t go all the way across the forefoot.
LikeLike
is the traction on the kobe 5s worse than the traction on the kyrie 1s?
LikeLike
Hard to describe the differences. Kobe v just isn’t as grippy? Both need wiping on dusty floors
LikeLike
Thanks! so it doesnt have as much bite as the kyries right?
LikeLike
Correct but neither are great imo
LikeLike
I asked this question bc I currently wear the Kyrie 1s and was thinking about buying these from a buy and sell fb group; Thank you for your time!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Cool they fit tight btw
LikeLike
so half size up?
LikeLike
Depends on your foot and preference. I meant narrow
LikeLike
I like my shoes to fit snug at the forefoot and wear a size 8.5 in the kyrie 1s. Can I get away with wearing a size 8.5 in the kobe 5s?
LikeLike
Yes
LikeLike