First Look: Brandblack Rare Metal
Written by schwollo
So I was on the fence about these, not because of the shoe, but because I was tired of Brandblack’s fake sellout marketing. But being the curious guy I am, I bought them anyways to see if I’d like them at all and if not I’d just return them.. so far so good!
Weight: 12.5 oz in a size 11. Not ultra light for a low but still on the light side. For reference, the Curry 2 and 3 are 14 ounces. The lower cut usually accounts for 1 to 1.5 ounces FYI
Traction:
Wiper blades with added texture. I think these will perform well although the rubber is harder than I expected.
Cushioning:
Jetlon EVL feels better than the original Jetlon upon try on. Feels almost like Micro G but not quite. Definitely sits lower than the JC3 which I like.
Fit:
These fit long length wise but fit my wide feet perfectly. I’d say it is as long length wise as the Crazylight Boost 2016. I have a thumb width from toe to the front of the shoe. I typically want a finger width. I could size down but the width is too perfect for me. I think regular and narrow footers will want to size down half a size.
There is a little deadspace bubble in the forefoot but not as pronounced as the Rose 7. Will have pics up for this on the review.
The rest of the shoe fits great though and I’m liking the “hybrid” higher cut in the front.
Materials
Although it is a jacquard upper, there are synthetic underlays around the midfoot and toe box. It isn’t soft like the CLB or Lillard 2 but it shouldn’t be an issue because there is no underlay where the forefoot flexes.
Support and Stability
I’m not worried aabout support and stability. Nice flat outsole and a sturdy heel counter plus and outrigger.
Containment
Much improved over the JC 2/3..
A physical barrier to keep the foot in place.. who would have thunk it? Oh yea, me
Overall thoughts
I think I’m going to like these just based on initial try on but things change once you get on a court so we’ll see. I like everything about the shoe and BB addressed the issues I had with the JC 2 and 3 including dropping the price.
schwollo.com 
Can’t wait for the performance review schwollo! Hope to see how these compare to Blackfoam.
Cheers!
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From the PH too! hahaha hope these turn out great 😀 i have the titan crossover 3s, and honestly, i didn’t feel them that much (they look cool tho). Blackfoam impact protection was amazing, but it felt clunky and like it didn’t compress (for me anyways). Hoping i’ll like these better
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Yeah man the blackfoam just felt inconsistent from trying it on twice. First time felt bouncy and the second felt dead.
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Firmer and less plush in feel but much lower to the ground. I like it better than the original Jetlon
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Great to hear! Thanks man 😀
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being lower to the ground helps in stability and support but does it sacrifice impact protection?
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Haven’t played enough in them to say
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Really interested in your on court take on the cushion.
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Looks to upset the Clb 16 for best low.
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Maybe? Clb isn’t the greatest low for me but I like wearing them off court. This shoe feels a lot more balanced and the fit is better thus far
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Looks to upset the clb 16 for best low.
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Have you ever tried on JC2 low? Could you compare it to JC2 low? Because I think everything is very similar to that shoe. Thanks.
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No I did not buy the jc2 low but yes it definitely looks similar. I only tried the mid.
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Does anyone know the name of that one Instagram user that always gets bball shoes before they release and posts them? I can’t remember the account name.
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“Thebasketballshoes”
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Hey there, maybe you could do a review on more budget friendly shoe, such as Adidas Crazy Bounce or Rose 773 V ? (The tractions on those seems like it would perform beastly)
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By they time budget friendly shoes hit a price I like $40 bucks, a new model is already out. I’d rather spend that $75-95 dollars on a discounted top tier model. I’m sure someone has a review out for those though. Thanks for the suggestion regardless
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Salutations bro. Just wanted to see if these bad boys were up to par. For some reason they kind of give off this Kobe 4 vibe. Hope all is well.
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What’s up Sc! They are good overall I like them a lot but wish traction was better. They don’t bite very hard like the Kobe or Rose line and this was on a clean court. Fit is great no heel
slip. Need more time to test on dustier floors.
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