2018 what a damn year. I wasn’t able to get on any type of real schedule to write or review shoes all year and I although I like to keep up with release dates, it’s really hard to do given the number of shoes released along with the limited quantities made for initial releases which are then subsequently rereleased in bigger quantities a few weeks later. It’s amazing how much FOMO drives demand in the sneaker biz even if it’s artificial. Don’t believe FOMO works ? Watch this on Netflix or Hulu
A few things I’m going to touch on before my actual awards and rankings. Feel free to scroll down and skip ahead, I know a lot of “readers” do this based on the questions I get.
The Canvas is changing..slowly but it’s changing
I love the movies and I could write about movies all day just like shoes but maybe I’ll save that for another time. Black Panther, Crazy Rich Asians etc..it’s nice to see some color up on the screen. 25 years since Joy Luck Club was entirely too long. Keep trending this way Hollywood!
I ❤️ 🇯🇵
I got to go to Japan with my wife and it was as amazing as I had expected. They love their sneakers as much as anybody and the Harajuku district is where it’s at.
Can you get me the pair right in the middle ? Kicks Lounge Tokyo
Kicks Lab in Tokyo
I think I visited every sneaker shop in the area while I was there. I also visited a ton of street vendors there as well. Food was ridiculously good and the people were so friendly, polite and most of all orderly.
App of the Year: HomeCourt ai
I haven’t gotten around to writing a review yet but it’s freaking free so download it and you decide for yourself. Do you keep buying $150 shoes hoping your jump shot or you have more energy at the end of a pickup session? It ain’t the shoes kids get in the gym and practice.
I like McDonald’s. HomeCourt just added the arcs..pretty cool.
Although I downloaded it for the shooting drills, I really love the dribbling drills even more because it isn’t a pattern of movements, you actually have to react. It also gives you a calories burned count which is awesome because I hate sitting on a stationary bike or treadmill. Ten-twelve calories per minute with fun dribbling drills?! Sign me up!
Best traction
Not often do I have to split hairs with traction so I’m kind of just lumping them together because these are all great. I did not have time this year to really compare them all as throughly but I did put my overall top shoes through the laces before I wrote this. These are somewhat in order especially the top few.
I haven’t had any major issues with the Harden V2 but the V3 is slightly better so I just left the V3 by itself.
Best cushioning
I prefer a very balanced cushioning set up, one that isn’t too squishy and soft but is still fun and responsive. Sometimes I will go with firmer set ups and other times I like a little more softness. Cue Michael Scott …
This year, I found almost every shoe to be very balanced. I think the Tmac was the most “plush” even though it barely fits that description. Per usual Nike and Adidas dominate this category. I somewhat sorted them softest to firmest by brand
Adidas
Nike
I left out the Why not bc it just didn’t feel very Zoomy and fun. Yes I will get a N3XT review out soon. The cushioning is the highlight of the shoe and feels like a mix of MicroG and Lunarlon. It doesn’t have the density of Boost or Bounce and the shoe itself only weighs 13.5 ounces so the cushioning itself must be pretty light. I do question how durable it will be in the long term though because it doesn’t feel like it’s meant to last but with sneaker life cycles shortening these days who cares right ?
Best Fit
The HDX fit so damn well for me as well as the Kobe NXT360. Fit isn’t ultra important to me but I do need a certain level of fit to be achieved especially in lows. Nike almost always does lows right while Adidas and UA can be hit or miss a lot of times. The N3xt fits well while stationary but I don’t just stand around so it doesn’t qualify for the fit award.
Most comfortable
Comfort does not equal performance but I will say some shoes are more comfy than others
The Kd is a sock with a sole but lacks the support I want. It doesn’t hinder Kd though so comfort is what you seek, be like KD. The N3XT is also a sock with a sole but it is lacking in a few important aspects for me as well.
I’d rock the Kobe Exodus if the outsole were a little flatter and stable like I prefer. Nothing wrong with the shoe at all aside from that for me. It’s no name cushioning feels really good underfoot from heel to toe and is a great balanced set up. One of my first readers ever, S0lechild posted his first blog post so if you don’t believe my review, read his. I like to say I helped him but it’s all him. Give his blog a follow!
Best Value (see best budget)
Most Underrated
Best tennis
Zoom Zero
This is such a great shoe for tennis or b-ball. Full length Zoom is rare for a Nike so I jumped on these. I was about to review the Adidas Ubersonic 3 but I don’t have time to right now and I saw them at the outlets so I’m waiting for more discounts.
Best Budget Shoe
Once again, Adidas takes this spot. Adidas pricing is down and I don’t even think we’ve seen the bottom for prices. Adidas hype has died and while that sucks for Adidas, I’m not going to complain. If you wait a few weeks to a few months you can save some serious cash.
I really like the budget category because it shows you don’t have to pay more for performance. More importantly, if you wait a month or two you can get great deals.
Least value
These are definite don’t buy at retail shoes. Unless they are limited I’d wait for Curry’s if you unless you really really want to have a Steph shoe. Anything other than a Curry, UA kicks are “heading to the outlet for sure” kind of shoes.
Best Retro
I couldn’t pick one sorry, I think both were done really well. People slept on the Cement 3 for some reason which is fine by me. Lebron retros were executed well too.
Best Protro
Pic courtesy of the Big Lead
Best Low
Adidas is slowly getting their sh*t together with lows. The Tmac is a high low so I got a perfect lockdown. The Harden V2 and V3 are very different but they are both great. Doesn’t really seem to matter to the Beard what he’s playing so why should it matter to you?
2018 Rankings
I didn’t review that many shoes in 2018 and I haven’t even published a few of them but for the sake of not getting into Feb 2019 here are my rankings for 2018. Most are based on actual performance aspects, some are based on my personal preference and some of it is based on “damn I played fking great these are keepers”. *not sure what’s up with the formatting sorry*
Damn I still reviewed 25 shoes? Still need to get a few reviews done. I had a few people message me about the Puma Disrupt and I used my friend’s pair and it’s an easy pass for me. Poor traction on dusty floors and slightly clunky (although cushioning and fit were good) Why bother paying $120 for a shoe when I can get a more well rounded shoe for less ? That being said, it you like how the shoe looks, go get it.
WTF happened UA
The standout at the bottom is Under Armour. A few years ago I loaded up on the Curry 2 and I’m glad I did because nowadays UA has gone marketing first, performance second. At least they got Embiid? I threw the Curry 4 low in there for fun and even though I didn’t love it. After number 15 they all kind of jumble together but the Curry 5 and 6 were pretty disappointing. I kept the 6 above the five because the traction was much better. Don’t let this footage fool you, it was caused by a wet spot from the LA Kings’ game before
Oh to see potential go out the window 😞. I spent a good percentage of my sneaker buying collecting everything Curry because I loved the looks and performance but now not so much.
Good luck finding these PE’s. New Spawns look like meh but I’ll try them out anyways.
Top 5 of the year
For me 2018 was the best year of b-ball shoes I’ve ever seen. Adidas and Nike really stepped up this year while UA lagged behind even though they introduced HOVR to their basketball line. Almost every shoe I tried this year was at least a second team and I think I gave out more first teams than usual because almost every shoe had all their bases covered. Because of how good they all were I had to go with what I reached for without hesitation. I rearranged my list a few times before posting this so keep in mind the difference between 1-5 isn’t very much at all if anything.
Kobe Protro
The Kobe I was already in my top 10 all time and to get a fresh pair nearly identical to it? Great at everything plus I have years and years of great memories and games in these. Nike made enough that of these so they really don’t cost $175. They are popping up on secondary markets for under retail in the $120-140 range. Not really any performance benefit vs the OG just a bunch of marketing and a different Zoom set up but it’s nice to grab colorways like the 81 points since it’s been a grail since ..well the 81 point game.
Marquee Boost
I love everything about this shoe. Comfortable out of the box, it’s unique looking and it does everything I need. Plus it’s gonna be cheap very soon. (I’m trying to talk sense into everyone when I write reviews, not sell them on hype). I’ve already seen them on eBay from legit sellers for $100 shipped and have barely seen any sold.
The V3 is more flexible than the V2 so there’s that but Adidas designers took a break inspiration wise with the V3 as these are the most boring sig shoe I’ve seen in some time with poor colorways and color blocking and apparently grammar..
Tmac Millennium
look ma, no wings
I count the Adidas line as a three headed monster because it feels odd that they occupy so many top spots and they all play pretty similarly. The Tmac is overpriced at retail of $160 so these are sitting. The Tmac is a great blend all around with a little thicker plusher cushioning than the Harden V3 and Marquee which is pretty much a perfect cushioning set up for me. However, after finally getting to compare traction on the same dusty floor, these performed the worst out of the top performers so I had to bump them down
I left the Lebron XVI off my top five/six because it just felt like a shoe to me and I prefer a little lower feeling ride. I just didn’t feel like I could cut the way I wanted to. Technically its a great shoe but it just doesn’t work for me. Thus the Pg2 got the nod in front.
I know I’ll get this question, did any of these make the real Top5/10 rotation and for once yes and no. The Protro is just a replacement for the OG Kobe I and I’m actually confident enough with my Top 5 that I can’t kick any out but I can certainly add on. My rotation is full of mostly older kicks and will wear out so I have to limit my time with them as they get older. Welcome home Marquee, Tmac, Lebron and James..or is it Jame’s? Time to get #grammerly Adidas.
Heh it’s good to see you still put a nod for Michael G. Scott..
Tbh you and I are cohorts in prioritising performances first, then the budget (if my wife allows me haha). Buuuuuut I just picked up a Jobe 1 protro 81 pts after I sell some of my shoes. Guess I can share it here:
1. Soldier XII: My biggest regret. I broke in the shoe, it was great all around except It would always cutoff my blood circulation on top of the middle of my foot and the straps keep coming undone. I just had to let it go. Still pretty bummed.
2. AJXII: Sell it today, my retro pair of flu game, cuz for some weird reason, only this aj12 retro foam feels kinda stiff, totally different from other aj12 i tried on (my friends’ so they already broke in the shoe). Also i got stupid heatspot right under my toes.
3. Foamposite one: Great traction and cushioning but the way the foamposite envelop the shoe down to the outsole is a not go for me. The zoom units feel muted since they cant expand except upwards. I can say it’s bouncy, but not fun to play in.
4.AJ31: Traction
5.Soldier 10: I didn’t sell it, but passed it to my brother haha. Stiff cushioning. Yeah i guess foamposite almost feels like this. Stiff foam (phylon), Zoom units couldn’t compress enuf, stiff cushion.
New pick ups!
Why not low: Feels great, but same as you, not as fun as kobe protro. Luckily the phylon isn’t brick stiff as soldier 10. I put it same as soldier 9, 11, and 12. Once broken should be great and comfortable ride. I guess the why not just had tad bit much foam on top of the full length zoom.
AJ32 low: Well i definitely skipped the mid/high cuz waiting for a discount here is a bitch haha. But the fit and lockdown, traction, and cushioning is so good and balanced. I picked up the wing it CW so I had that going for solid outsole. Still the way the traction was designed makes it more on the soft side for durability. Also super nice knit. Definitely not playing this outdoor.
UA Anatomix Spawn 2: Bought a used pair. Traction still good and finally tasting that Micro G I have been reading all this while it feels so similar to Bounce
Adidas Crazy KB8: Old school shoe, bought from some1 who used it for casual only. Old EVA or whatever foam adidas was using back then is a responsive ride and still cushions my landing (100 KG big boi). Kinda like anatomix spawn.
Extra pair stock up!
Kobe protro 1, Soldier 9 and 11, CLB2016 (got it dirt cheap). Dame2.
To end this sharing moment haha I’m really looking forward to Drose 10 and Soldier 13. Hopefully they fix the issue I had with soldier 12 so I can put aside some cash for stocking up soldier 12 haha 😀
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Whoops a spelling error up there (smirk at adidas) *Kobe
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That’s a lot of pickups for 2018! Yea the soldier xii strap and Velcro can be tricky depending on your foot and ankle shape. Not a fan of the foamposite either but the last time I used them was around 2003 and it was the OG..just too shoey for me. Soldier 10 was sorry altogether haha
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THE GOAT IS HERE WITH THE REVIEW!
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I’m really glad to see Adidas bringing it this past year. Too bad about UA as I was very interested in playing in the Curry’s and the Havoc. Still might give the Havoc a run. Really surprised to read about Soldiers. I see them on sale everywhere so that’s great news. Great post bro. Always been a fan of your site and your reviews. Looking forward to what 2019 brings. I’ll split the cost on the Adapt BB with you! Lol
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Ha soldier traction sold me . Havoc really underwhelming for me . Look forward to seeing more of your reviews!
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We are here at the annual schwollo awar- WAIT WHAT IS THIS? BY GAWD ITS THE SOILDER 12 OUT OF NOWHERE WITH A STEEL CHAIR! Lol no one saw that coming
I’m surprised that the hyperdunk x , kobe exodus and the clb 18 are all worse than aj 33. I thought you roasted the seLf laCing iS tHe fuTUre part of the aj 33 in a different review before.
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Traction was too good on the Soldier xii and the only gripe was the straps really. Aj 33 , I used my friend’s pair during Xmas and worked well all around so no complaints . I don’t think it will be around long personally bc it doesn’t work any better than a regular lace set up. Exodus I wish had a less rounded heel, HdX needed better traction CLB18 fit still needed some work.
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And yea I think all the companies ran out of ideas or what to market next and laces are it. Everyone has some premium name cushioning so everyone is trying to top each other with “innovative lacing”
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I love the idea of quick lacing / no lacing at all. I just hate tying them due to my wanky ankles and the fact that you have to adjust your laces multiple times during games in some shoes with softer uppers. However, I think the BOA fit system is already the GOAT when it comes to lacing solutions. I’d take BOA over fastfit or adapt fit or N3XT L3V3L any day of the week.
Smart companies like NB, Asics, and Yonex use BOA because they know they don’t have to re-invent the wheels for some BS marketing; they can just buy the best thing there is and use it.
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Yep boa works just has no cool factor haha
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Awesome read! I agree with you on the curry 6.. wasted potential imo.. i love everything about it except the fit. The lace loops ruin the shoe imo… you cant pull them taught, they just come loose. I dunno if nike has a patent on flywire but the curry 6 could have benefited so much from something like that. Or at least run the laces through the actual upper! The fit is getting a little better as i break it in but still, it could have been a near perfect shoe to me if the shoe didnt feel like it was just sitting on my foot. My outsole has held up fine so i cant speak on that.
One shoe i got this year that im really enjoying is the hyperrev 2014… such a nice shoe. With a micro g insole they are just so much fun.. theyre very similar to the curry 6 i feel with the exception that the fit is perfect. Flywire with a minimal upper actually works?? Wow, what a concept! Take notes UA!
I kinda hope UA comes out with a curry 6.5 with a better upper and more durable traction… doubt it tho. Heres hope for the curry 7s!
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Only way to tie them taught is to hold the laces in place and work your fingers around so you can knot them quickly..pain in the butt
Hr2014 wasn’t for me but it is comfy ! Good to see you found something you like !
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Thanks for a great post. Couldn’t agree more on the movies and Japan.
Really enjoy your shoe reviews. It’s nice to get perspective from another dad who likes to ball while living a fulfilling life. Thanks keeping this site going.
Lots of good to very good shoes this year. My top 3 were the V3s, V2s, and Protro 1s – all excellent performers. I’m looking forward to what 2019 brings us. Zoom Freak 1 sounds intriguing with forefoot zoom and heel double stacked zoom. Protro 4s should be awesome if they do minor tweaks to the upper and give us cushioning like the Protro 1s or KD 11s. Will there be a CLB19 and will it be the awesome budget boost shoe of 2019? Hoping for a KD12 that has cushioning like the 11s but a wider base and a supportive upper. Wondering how adidas continues to roll out Lightning foam cushioning and if it will be good enough for me to replace boost. Almost forgot about the Hyperdunk, err Alphadunk. Big forefoot and heel zoom in a solid team model could get a lot of my money – especially when they eventually get marked down. Should be a fun year of trying out shoes and playing ball…
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I like your top 3 sounds familiar hahah. I think 2019 will be pretty good shoes have been trending the right way. I think lightning/light strike is very comfy but it isn’t Boost or Zoom. The N3xt is only 13.5 ounces so at least the foam seems light. It’s one of those foams you have to try to try out for yourself I think depending on your needs. And yea if I didn’t have sports, b-ball golf tennis I’d go insane lol
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How the Harden Vol 3 cushion durability going to be? Boost has the best durability out of foams but it is still super uncaged while being super low in volume.
Also, that tall heel tab is hideous.
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It should be ok. Boost is pretty resilient but it does die eventually. Can’t say for sure since I rotate so often
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Only retros I copped in 2018 were concords and black cements, my favorites.
I’m going to not buy any shoes in 2019 until the bred 11s. Will ride with the lebron 16 and harden 3 until the very end
I will try the basketball app after I return from an acl sprain
Nice review!
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You’ll be perfectly fine with those two in the lineup! Stay strong and get healthy!
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Great yearly wrap up Schwollo!
I agree, 2018 was a great year for performance basketball shoes. I didn’t test out as many different pairs of shoes that I normally do in an average year but I really stocked up on the shoes that I did like more than ever. My 2018 rotation included PG 2/2.5, LBJ 16, Harden 2/3, Kobe AD mid and Protro. Tried out the Soldier 12’s, really wanted to like them but I have a pretty narrow foot and while the straps contain my foot I was never able to get the feel that I prefer in my basketball shoes. Everything about them were MONEY!
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That’s a great line up . Everyone slept on the AD mid even though it does everything well..and it was 50 bucks at the outlet! Yea if Nike put regular laces in the Soldier XII you’d hear a lot more praise for the shoe. Unadaptable shoes that only fit certain feet are annoying even though I got lucky w the Soldier XII. 2019 should be interesting and pretty good if sneakers just evolve off 2018!
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Love these annual awards, thanks Schwollo!
I picked up the Protros (haven’t played in them yet) and the Concords in 2018. I’ve been playing in the 31 Low’s and I’ve been loving them and the unlocked zoom is awesome. But do you ever get an uneven feeling between the 2 shoes? I feel the zoom more in the left shoe and the right one feels “flatter”. I’m just worried about popping the zoom bag like I did in my KD7’s a few years ago lol. My only complaint with the 31 Low’s is that the traction (solid outsole) is a little bit iffy but then again I play on pretty dusty courts.
On another note, I’ll be visiting Hong Kong soon and I’m thinking about picking up a pair of the Why Not Chaos (the ones without the shroud). You mentioned they’re not as zoomy but everything else seems pretty good and I wasn’t feeling the shroud in the normal version. I’m also kind of tempted since they seem to be Asia-exclusive for some reason haha
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I haven’t had that issue with the 31s. Pick up the why not chaos if you like them they play great just not aj 31 feeling underfoot .im sure there are plenty of good pickups in HK btw lol
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Does zoom ever bottom out/feel worse over time? Or is it always perfect besides the exception of popping? Just getting into basketball haha.
This is a lot of reviews I have yet to read
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Zoom holds up well but over time (usually 6-10 years)the air will escape and go flat. The foam surrounding the zoom usually goes dead before the zoom unit though. Look up seemikedunn on Instagram and I love basketball tv on YouTube for some good fundamentals
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Im looking to get the tmacs, the protros, and the lebrons 16s at some point. Still waiting for a good price on those. Ive never spent over 120 for a shoe so thats my buy point. 100 or less would be ideal. Im sure the tmacs will get there but i dunno about the other two. Damn sig hype.
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Yea you don’t have to anymore. Lebrons prices sit higher for longer now bc of his name and he’s still on the court. Not so much for Jordan’s since it’s been two decades. Protros have been around 120-130 on eBay and stockx etc…just have to look!
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is the outsole on the marquee boost translucent rubber? i’m waiting for the knicks marquee boost to hit clearance now that kp is gone, and that version looks like solid rubber from the pics
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It’s semi. In my experience trans on adidas works better than other Trans.
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Hey schwollo, have you got the same 5 in hand yet? I think that’s gonna be my next on court shoe but I would like the goats opinion first lol. Sounds like it will be a good no frills performer:
nice medium-thick bounce, good containment, traction, and solid materials
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I do not have it yet but it’s coming next week! It should be pretty good since they just made the traction herringbone this time around .
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Got a pair of Marquee Boost lows over the weekend…whoa buddy, these are awesome! Almost perfect balance of cushion and court feel. Herringbone traction never disappoints, and in all the adidas lows I’ve ever worn for the first time ZERO heel slip! I’m glad these perform well because I think they look great and I’m definitely in for more pairs in the future.
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Sweet! I’m waiting for sales on the lows before I pull the trigger myself.
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Hi schwollo great read as always. Was wondering where on ur list like in the cushioning section in particular was the hdx? Did u forget to include it or did it simply not make it to the list? Thanks
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I left it off the list (had to draw a line somewhere) but it is one of the better ones this year. It would be in the top 10 cushioning set ups of 2018
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Thanks for another year of good reads! Is there a good succession to the Dame 4/CLB16 that you see out now a days? I tried with the Harden 3 but the heel slip for me, even half a size down, was too severe to be comfortable for some reason. The heel slip in the Harden 3 was somehow worse than the CLB16.
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Did you break it in at all? A Lot or more recent shoes need that break in to help with heel slip (harden still isn’t perfect). Dame 5 which I’m finishing up is very good . Doesn’t feel like the 4 exactly but it does everything well
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Yeah, I’d say I put in 4-6 hours in them with some hard runs.
Just saw the Dame 5 review, it looks good considering I really liked the cushion on the 4 and wouldn’t too much mind if it was a little firmer and with better traction (i had zero issues with 4 traction) it looks like a blast. There’s also the Why not zero2 and I saw the Kobe 4 protro is a thing coming soon. I haven’t tried much zoom and that interests me a little bit since of how highly i’ve heard it be praised when done right.
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Kobes and Nike’s usually do lows right with no heel slip and the Kobe iv is still in my rotation although they are on their last legs. Any of the shoes you’re looking at will play well.
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Just posted Dame 5 review btw
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Hi schwollo, I want to know where do you get Harden V2 42$ ?
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Adidas has a sale around November that brought them down to 42 bucks. Footlocker has them for $50 I believe if you give them the sku they can find them and ship to you
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Hey Schwollo,
I saw that the Adidas pro brounce was your top 6 pick of the year. My birthday is coming up soon and I was debating on getting the pro bounce low or the harden vol. 3. The pro bounce is much cheaper so I was leaning more towards it. Is it possible for you to upload your review of the pro bounce low. If not, could you get me the pros vs. Cons of the pro bounce campared to the harden vol. 3 in terms or traction on dust, cushion, fit, and support. Thanks
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Pro Bounce is a little firmer cushioning traction and fit is little better overall. No heel slip at all for me. Both are great though and if wait or check outlets you’ll probably find sone hardens for nearly the same price
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Thanks bro, I appreciate the advice!
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How’s the fit of the Pro Bounce?
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True to size very good out the box
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