Now that things have finally slowed down, it’s time to get back to business…
Traction – Definitely surprised with their grip. I wouldn’t rank them as an elite performer when it comes to traction but they are still one of the better options available. The sectioned herringbone grips the court well while the SuperFlexi outsole allows the outsole to move while keeping as much traction in contact with the ground as possible. They worked well on most court conditions, only when a good amount of debris were present did clogging the pattern up become an issue.
Cushion – Don’t let the little strip of gel fool you… the cushion source is strictly foam. Yes, there is a strip of gel but it only covers that small outrigger section and thats pretty much it. Now, with that out of the way, the RR1 was actually really comfortable. Definitely not the most cushioned rides but fluid nonetheless. No aches or pains after long runs on-court and at my age, thats a good sign.
Materials – They tried… sort of. The synthetic leather is pretty cheap and doesn’t support much of anything. Then there is the Fuse. It’s just as soft as the leather but has the ability to withstand abrasion. On the positive side, they require zero break-in time. Downside… there is such a thing as having materials that are too soft and these are a good example of that.
Fit – They fit nicely length wise once you figure out their weird US sizing. Best advice would be to email whoever you are buying from and get their recommendation – my usual size 9 was actually a size 8 in their ‘US’ sizing. In terms of lockdown, thats where they lack heavily. The midfoot and heel area are great but the forefoot is extremely sloppy. When you mix a sloppy fitting forefoot with really soft/ cheap materials then you’ll lose a bit of support laterally. You want to feel contained when wearing your shoe so you know you’re supported… they missed the mark with these when it comes to that type of containment and fit. Wide footers may not experience this issue and the shoe may fit them perfectly.
Ventilation – Not great but not horrible. I’ve totally had worse.
Support – Had the forefoot fit properly then they would have done quite a bit better. As stated earlier, the midfoot and heel were really nice and locked you in well but the sloppiness of the forefoot wasn’t something you’d typically want when playing basketball… at least not for Guards. Create a better fit for the forefoot that actually contains the foot and that should solve the issue… again, wide footers may not encounter such problems and may prefer these over most of todays shoes.
Overall – They were fun but they also played like a lower end performance model. For the price they’d cost someone overseas, it’s worthy of a purchase but if you had to pay a premium to get the shoe to your door and on your foot then you might want to reconsider… unless you have wide feet and you have issues with a lot of shoes available today, since they tend to run narrow. Traction was a highlight and their surprisingly fluid cushion were favored, however, their sloppy fit is something that would take them off of my list for top performers of the year. Looking at things in a positive way… ANTA has plenty of room to improve upon the areas in which they lacked. If their signing of NBA athletes is eventually followed up with a push within the US market then they’ll need to really consider making these improvements if they truly wish to compete with the other brands.
I purchased my pair from HiBasketballShoes.com if you were interested in trying them out for yourself.
I see the new little change-up with score sheet. Not to nitpick just some feedback. Pro: More legible. Clean. Con: Seems to just not take enough space. Still great review as always and more power. Also I do not know if it is possible since i’m not super good with graphic design, but couldn’t you make a silhouette of the sneaker with a chalk texture? either filled in or not? and maybe with the number inside? Somewhat like the old style just with a chalk style texture? Maybe just chalk line the outline of the shoe and number inside? I don’t know, just a suggestion. Again more power. Love what you do man
NW – you said you weren’t sure what type of foam was being used but what would it be comparable to in terms of something in the North American market.
Felt a little firmer than Cushlon which is a high rubber content foam that provides a slight bounce. No bounce with these but they felt similar.
I personally like the fit and do not have the forefoot issue, because the shoe last ANTA uses is designed for yellow people(what you guys call “Asians”). The average yellow people foot width is 2E~3E, whereas other races have narrower foot. People who have narrow feet would have troubles when they want to try play in most Chinese basketball shoes. PEAK and Li-Ning generally don’t have this problem because they keep fixing their shoe lasts in order to fit in the global market.
I strongly agree with the fact that the material is too soft, especially the fuse part, it doesn’t support anything at all.
I like the traction a lot though, and mine is the white-green colorway which has solid rubber outsole. With their low-profile cushion, nice fit(I do not have the forefoot issue and the lockdown is perfect) and great traction, I actually enjoy playing in these. It would be much better if the material is more supportive.
And the new design of the grade card looks weird… The right side is too empty, it ruins the visual balance
I thought the same thing
Hey Wuke,
I just wanted to say thanks for recommending I try out Asics Basketball shoes. I ended up ordering a couple of pairs from Japan, and I must say they are awesome. I ended up getting the wrong size though, so both pairs are a bigger than I would have liked. One store gave me the wrong information and I based sizing off of that :(.
Now that I have a better idea of Asics’ sizing, I might order another pair and see how they perform with a better fit.
As for these Rondo shoes, I don’t think I’d ever buy a pair. I was interested when I first heard about them, but it just doesn’t sit well with me if you can’t get the same ones that Rondo wears. It’s OK if they want to have a cheaper, more affordable version, but if you are willing to pay extra, they should allow the option to get the same version as Rondo. I don’t know their market strategy though. Maybe they wouldn’t sell many, and to Anta, it might not be worth it? Personally, if I were getting these, I would still prefer to pay a bit more to get the ones with the better materials that Rondo wears.
Why Asics basketball shoes? I didn’t even know they produce basketball shoes. What is their strong point?
Well, Asics running shoes are highly regarded as some of the best running shoes around, so I figured that their Basketball shoes would be of similar quality too. I also used to own a pair of their basketball shoes when I was a kid, and have always been interested in getting a pair since.
I had no idea that that they still made performance Basketball shoes, until a couple of members here (Wuke & Alan) told me they did a few weeks ago, but you could only get them in Japan, as for some reason they don’t sell them outside of Japan. They both highly recommended them, so that pretty much made me look at getting a pair or two.
I haven’t had a chance to play in them yet, but from my initial thoughts, I think they stand up quite well against any of the regular brand’s performance shoes.
Personally, I think the original scorecard with the orange silhouettes of the shoes is the best
I remember when I was a wee littlun and was poor as hell my mom bought me the cheapest shoes ever from k mart. They were plastic and looked like matrians made them. They were about telve dollars and I think my mom still has them. What I mean is that these and alot of others from a variety of bands look as if there made from the same cheap k mart materials. Innovative…or cheap? IO cant tell anymore
I can’t wait for the performance review on that Anta team model you showed with the full length gel cushion. Those look like beasts! Didn’t you say you got some of the Kevin Love 360 shoes too? I would love to know about those and if they’re good for bigs.
Been dying to play in both of those but I’ve been tied up with these “obtainable” shoes… Nike/ Jordan etc. I’ll get to everything soon as possible.
I can’t wait for the team model performance review interested on they gel/air bag thing is but good review!
I really was interested in these, but after your review…I won’t leave nike’s short changing ass for a company that’s starting out that way. I really had high hopes for these man. NW clearly you’ve sparked a few companies to change their material. I hope they listen to you on this.
I hate that the shoe they sell is different from the shoe Rondo actually wears. Seems like false advertising especially with the faux gel cushion. But since it isn’t available anywhere in the states I probably wasn’t going to be getting it anyway.
I also agree with the new scorecard looking weird. It feels unfinished. I think having the full score (10) represented but only highlighting the number the shoe actually earned (In this case a 6) would make a bigger visual impact.
Also since it looks like you’re going for an oldschool look maybe have a bonus Gold Star for when a shoe received a score over 8 in that category. Or since you have so much room to the right of the score you could describe that categories score (example: Pathetic, Below Average, Average, Great, Perfect, Walkin’ On Sunshine, Etc….).
Almost forgot…. Thanks for the review.
Almost all player editions are different from their retail version…
I expect them to be slightly different (custom mast, air max units psi adjusted, etc…) but for the shoe to have totally different technology and materials is a bit much.
We have to understand these are marketed to a particular demographic here in asia. their pricing-materials strategy is perfect for the C-/D market (<$5 minimum day wage) where i come from, who can never afford the cheapest nike's but want a sig.
That is also the reason these are hard to obtain for US folks, because the marketing and distribution efforts are focused on Developing countries. Remember, we (well not me) even play
Thanks for the info.
We have to understand these are marketed to a particular demographic here in asia. their pricing-materials strategy is perfect for the C-/D market (<$5 minimum day wage) where i come from, who can never afford the cheapest nike's but want a sig.
That is also the reason these are hard to obtain for US folks, because the marketing and distribution efforts are focused on Developing countries. Remember, we (well not me) even play barefoot or in flipflops where i come from. Totally dofferent demographic and pricepoint. And if they put in better materials and increase the pricing, they will be deemed not affordable. These aren't designed to compete with Premium brands, but rather are targetted towards a different market not full served by Nike et al.
I know, I mentioned that in the review. For their price point they are a good option but for those of us in the US that may be looking to grab a pair bc Rondo endorses them then they may want to reconsider. They were a really fun shoe to play in IMO and really comfortable. Something you don’t usually find in the US when buying a “lower end” model from any brand.
I agree with Nightwing. The NBA is worldwide, and if you are going to sponsor a player in the NBA, people outside of China are going to want to buy his shoe. They really should be considering this.
Most of us DO NOT want some watered down version of it. We expect to get pretty much the same shoe as what Rondo wears. Of course they will have to raise the price, but they should make the option available to pay more and get the same shoe that Rondo wears.
good review and thanks. hopefully this company would strive to get better with their products and become successful. more shoes means more options means more competition means cheaper price(I hope) in the near future. getting tired of seeing brand replicas with very good quality selling for cheaps but still don’t have their own identity and stealing from another company.