The adidas T-Mac 1 has been released in numerous colorways and is heralded as one of the best performance models to come from adidas Basketball.
I guess we’ll see how true that is pretty soon…
Traction – To be quite frank… traction looks and feels straight beastly. Herringbone isn’t a guarantee of great traction – it is an indicator – but when you feel the rubber, its very pliable which makes one believe it’ll perform great. My only concern with the outsole is its overall flexibility.
Cushion – Much like the model itself, adidas’ adiPRENE+ is said to be their best source of cushion… that is until they recently unveiled BOOST. I don’t feel much cushion from a try on so I’m not too impressed initially but it should break-in and begin to soften up with use… like most foams do.
Material – Synthetics are used along the upper along with a huge piece of rubber. Again, concerned with their overall ability to flex but we’ll see how it goes. The materials themselves, for being synthetic, are really nice so I have no real complaints right now.
Fit – They fit a bit awkward. I went down 1/2 size because the toe is a bit wide. I’d rather have no wiggle room than dead space. Would I suggest this to someone else? It’s hard to say… its safer to try them on in-store if possible. Other than that, they felt pretty secure once laced fully. No noticeable lockdown issues or slippage at this point.
Ventilation – The perforated upper is deceiving as most of the perforations are located where the double last midsole is placed… basically rendering the perforations useless. The few that are along the upper will provide some ventilation which is fine by me… with the rubber in place I don’t see ventilation causing a problem with the materials ability to support the wearer.
Support – TORSION support is located as the arch of the shoe and I feel no issues with it right now. I don’t think I will run into a problem with it either since I never have had an issue with adidas’ TORSION system… its pretty darn consistent. The rest of the support will come from the fit and it’ll be provided mostly by that double last midsole (internal midsole) as it will keep your foot closer to the midsole giving you a slightly better lockdown fit… while sacrificing flex of course.
I will admit, I’m much more fond of adidas’ early performance models compared to their most recent – their most recent are excellent performers though, don’t get me wrong – as they just feel like home for me. Ever since the SPRINTFRAME was introduced I feel that most of their models have become redundant and repetitive… their early stuff was always fresh and exciting. They need to get back to that… back to basics.
Nice finaly we can see which proforms better the adidas Kobes or the Tmacs
Can’t wait, already one of my favorite shoes. I might start hoopin in them.
I owned the 2nd edition of the T-Macs which was the T-Mac2. I’d say that the older Adidas were great as far as traction and cushion is concerned although I’m not aware if the older ones were already using Adiprene+ or the conventional EVA foam? I don’t see the re-release would be any different as far as flex is concerned. the T-Macs were sturdy back then similar to the Reeboks.
“I will admit, I’m much more fond of adidas’ early performance models compared to their most recent”
I feel you here man. During my High School days i loved the fit and cushion of Adidas shoes. But the models that came out the past years are to narrow for me. I love the crazy light 1&2 and the Drose3 but they hurt as hell with my wide foot.
Looking forward to the review!
Adidas shoes in the past had a wider mid base even with the torsion system. that’s what made them comfortable especially with the Puremotion tech. I’m not sure what made Adidas turn the shoes too narrow. even the Howard 2’s were narrow. I had to virtually break the shoes-in literally by hand just to widen and soften up the tight midfoot base area and the constricting overall fit of the shoe which was killing my feet initially. it was bearable after that and now that it has undergone some lengthy use and constant pounding and presses, it is one heck of a comfortable shoe which felt almost like Lunarlon (no joke). the weird part though is that I’m feeling and hearing some squeakiness on the shoe which I suspect is the foam.
hey chris, i google adiprene and boost after reading this post and found very little info abt them. cud u may b post sum details abt both the cushion systems?? im fimiliar with neither :/ thanks man B)
Finally! Thanks for doing these, NW! I bought a pair of these back in December, just hooped in them last Sunday. Man, I wish I waited for your first impression… You are right, these fit really wide! And that’s coming from a WIDE footer like myself. They are quite long, too. I’m having heel slippage issues (maybe I’m not lacing them tight enough). I should’ve gone a half size smaller on these. Next game I’ll try to put in an extra insole/lacing up tightly/double my socks and hope that it solves my problem.
Suggestion….A Top 10 Video on the worst performing/made basketball shoes ever made. The Tmac IV is the top of my list. Still have them. Steel and hard plastic for cushioning. 🙂
need a little help i have been looking for a pair of adidas that t-mac use to wear before his own, line they were low cut but cant remember the name anyone has a idea
I have found adidas’ recent shoes to be ridiculously narrow (my foot is on the wide side)….damn shame since the drose3 is such a beautiful shoe.
One of my favourite shoes to play in of all time is the adidas masterpiece low. amazing shoe. rode that to the ground and very underrated.