WoW is right…
Traction – They fixed the hell out of the traction. The Way of Wade 1 had okay traction, Way of Wade 2 had okay traction… but the Way of Wade 3… awesome traction. Half of me wants to credit the traditional herringbone pattern to the great traction, but the other half of me wants to credit the rubber compound. It’s probably both that attributed to the increased traction, so maybe my 50/50 thing is pretty spot on. Whether I was at the disgusting 24 Hour Fitness court or the pristine High School courts, I was pretty much covered. I was unable to play in these outdoors because of the weather, so I apologize about that. Just based on an assumption, the rubber feels strong enough to last outdoors, but I can’t tell you if they gripped the blacktop well.
Cushion – Li-Ning utilized a 4 layered cushion system. The rubber outsole, The Cloud midsole, Carbon Fiber plate and the Phylon midsole with Bounse & Cushion in the heel and forefoot. As for how they felt or played… meh…
I’m not a fan of Li-Ning’s Cloud cushion. It feels nice in hand, but there is no rebound or bounce to it. It just feels lackluster and firm. I do like their Bounse and Cushion systems, but they were super thin due to the 4 layered construction. If they would have layered both midsoles together in a normal midsole height, I’d have gained about an inch or two in height… which I wouldn’t have minded too much, but it would have caused some instability.
Materials – No real surprise here, the materials are fantastic. Poor execution when it comes to overall design, but the craftsmanship and material quality are top notch.
Fit – The fit was excruciating… every time. Some areas broke-in, but other areas did not. Pinky toes… I’m so, so, sorry. Arches… I know you hate me right now… but I promise, I’ll never put you through that again… at least not in this particular shoe. After all… the fight to find out how performance shoes perform must go on. For the greater good…
Seriously though… what the hell?!? Did anyone wear-test these things before they went into production? I highly doubt it. The lacing system made for a very sloppy fit, and the midsole/ Carbon Fiber peaks really killed my feet. I don’t know how Wade is wearing these things comfortably on-court. Maybe from a linear standpoint, they were decent, but moving laterally at all was a not so fun experience.
Support – There are your typical support features in place. The outrigger & the Carbon Fiber plate worked as they are supposed to, but the fit is what will allow it all to work together. You can’t have pieces like this and not have them work in tandem. The greatest thing about support features on footwear is when you don’t ever notice them. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case here.
Overall – I was initially excited, then quickly disappointed… then in a lot of pain. The fit was really bad, and they hurt like hell. Traction was a definite upgrade while the cushion was a downgrade. Materials are great, as they usually are, but that won’t save these from being a poor performer. I haven’t played in a shoe that I would consider a truly bad performance model since the Reebok ZigTech… until now.
However, if you were interested in purchasing a pair, for on-court or off-court usage, you can now at SunlightStation.com & WayofWade.com.
Some Images Via
G*d damn. LOL! First shoe to use the new system and it turned out like this. Ouch. Sorry to hear that bro. This really makes me think about being patient and waiting until these are around the price of the 2 currently. Then I’ll get them just to get them for casual use and because I can appreciate the materials, I have the previous 2 models, I’m a Heat fan (from Miami/before and after Lebron), and I am a bigger Wade fan.
Ouch 3 “Benched” badges! Well we all know for sure now that the WoW 3 was the pair he loathed to put on again out of the 3 on IG. I knew it couldn’t have been the M11 and the Crossover 2 is sort of like a brainchild.
This is really unfortunate as the WoW line has ran on the strength of being performance and quality driven for it’s first 2 generations. I say wait for the price to drop and rock casually. They have the series that we all love like the Gold Rush and Veteran’s Day models coming.
Yeah bruh. I saw that IG pic and was really hoping that it wasn’t so but I knew the truth in the back of my mind. It couldn’t have been the Crossover 2 and I doubted that it was the M11. This is disappointing.
Instead of benched should be waived or fined lol
Really disappointing. Thank you for saving my money, NW. I can go ahead and pull the trigger on some WOW 1s. Unacceptable to charge 150 for such a poor shoe. Fit and cushion are basics, god knows how companies screw that up.
The materials alone make it worth $150. IMO, based on the materials, I think they’re justified charging $150. Too bad about the performance though.
In the end, a basketball shoe needs to at least be playable or comfortable to wear. Materials are great to be sure, but that alone wouldn’t push me to cop the 3s. I just went ahead and got the 1.5 encore announcements. Better materials and decent performance and comfort. It’s a shame their earlier models would cannibalize their current model. I’m disappointed because they took more than 2 years to build up the market and then they bomb it with bad performance. This was the model to really punch their way through, instead they fall flat on their face.
I agree with most of what you said. Li-Ning had an awesome opportunity here, but it looks like they’ve dropped the ball.
You can’t only look at performance or materials alone. You need both to be good. This shouldn’t be an issue and we shouldn’t even have to be talking about it, but unfortunately some manufacturers skimp on the materials and the durability suffers because of it.
What good is a great performing, comfortable shoe if it can tear up in a few weeks. That’s the other side that I am trying to point out.
I agree. Current market is littered with shoes with terrible materials and durability. I can appreciate li nings dedication to materials and craftmanship.
No surprises here the other 2 were trash and a waste of my money and this is the same
I guess it depends on what you buy them for. If you buy them for casual use then they aren’t bad. Performance-wise, there are better models out there. But people buy casual sneakers for all kinds of money so in comparison, these aren’t bad.
Yea I know a good amount of people buy them casually which is cool but I bought the first 2 models for performance purposes ️an when you compare the prices of these to other shoes it just doesn’t compare, I wonder how Wade plays in these cause imo the fly Wade 2 ev are better then any of his li Ning shoes.
Completely agree with that. I still put the Fly Wade 2 on the court sometimes. I even bought a pair recently on ebay because I wore through the first one’s traction and loved them so much.
Yea I have a gold pair an i wear them to shoot an sometimes to play , but I guess he getting more money with li Ning?
That’s what I’m thinking since there is so much going on with his Brand in terms of shoes, apparel, and accessories.
I would be pissed if i had to play in them every night especially with what jordan,nike, under armour and adidas have to offer, i would also throw brandblack in there.
the WoW1 is not a waste of money, have you even played in them? i still play in the pairs that i have all the time…the 2, however, i find a bit stiff, they never really broke in properly for me
Yes I’ve played in them ️an compared to the other shoes availble at the time they were garbage , that’s just my opinion though.
the traction pattern is dwade nickname “the flash”
That makes sense
Shame. I’m surprised to hear about the sloppy fit due to the lacing system. Just from pictures it looked like it would contain the foot really well. I’m also a bit surprised to hear about the arches. I thought with the grove cutouts it would allow more flexibility and limit fatigue. I think the looks are a major downgrade from last years model also. That’s too bad.
I just wish Li Ning and Under Armour could have a baby. Lin Ning’s materials combined with Under Armour’s Micro G cushion. Or Nike’s Zoom Air. Sadly the only way that’s going to happen is if you buy a size bigger and place the insole of the Nike Flightposite in there.
Damn. I really want Jordan and Nike to have as much competition as possible. This doesn’t help. Adidas really dropped the ball with their Boost shoes this year. And Reebok is totally irrelevant. AND1 seems more like a gimmick than anything else at this point. Brandblack and Peak seem OK but they aren’t easy to buy. Under Armour has a stigma still…. Nike and Jordan must really love life right now
Nike ️an Jordan love life because they constantly make the best shoes out, they have the best traction (kobe 9, jordan xx9), some of the best cushions (unlicked zoom, Lunarlon) and that’s just to name a few. Adidas I wouldn’t say “dropped the ball” people just overhyped the shoes to much the drose 5 had great traction , lockdown an materials if you get the right colorway an the boost felt awesome.
Hey JMD, so if you buy a pair of Flightposite, the insole won’t fit in the same size alternate shoe? I was going to buy a pair if I ever found them on discount just for the insole so I could use it in other shoes.
I won’t be able to do that if what you’re saying is true.
Technically they should fit. I’ve placed my Flightposite insoles in many of my shoes that are the same size. But since the insole is super thick compared to normal ones it usually makes the shoe super tight and sometimes your heel doesn’t sit correctly. The insole isn’t Kobe 8/9 lunarlon thick but its still rather large. I haven’t tried playing but I have tried my Flightposite insoles in my Rose 4’s, Rose 4.5’s, Crazy Quick 2’s, Reebok Answer IV, and a couple other shoes known for having less than stellar cushioning for casual wear. Its awesome to feel those shoes with zoom air. They just feel really tight. I think going up a size would just help with some of the tightness issue I experienced.
thanks for the review! im also initially excited about the shoes 🙁 I think i’ll pass on this.
On the side noted:
The badges are very cool! Definitely an improvement 🙂
I was totally set on buying these but waited on you review. Glad I waited and also made me think how much weight your reviews carry. Keep up the amazing work.
I had the same issue with the inner arch that carbon fiber shank is showing, but the biggest problem was the heel. It hurts like hell and can’t keep playing in it for more than 30 minutes. I was hoping to get the best WOW, but it turned out to be the worst for me. Did heel bothered you at all NW?
The heel felt like it pushed inward, you can kinda see it shaped inward in the last pick, but it didn’t bother me like the rest of the shoe.
Thanks NW, wanted that Overtown really badly, but I can pass CONFIDENTLY, now.
How fit WOW3 is heavily depends on type and shape of your feet….
That is why he said “My feet” and “For me”
Well time to wait for the encore 3.5
no wonder D. Wade fell off
?
just quoting Tre Good’s words in the 2.0s review
NW,
First off great review like always. i am not a big fan of this new scoring system and love the old #system. Please bring it back man. Your the best shoe reviewer in my opinion (NW#1, KickGenius#2).
it doesn’t seem as though wade is even rocking these…
Damn you put these in ZigTech territory. If they are that bad they need to come with a warning label.
Hey just a suggestion for the new scores in the performance review. How about
Hall of Fame
Starting Five
6th Man
Bench
Cut from the Team (my suggestion)
Some ratings are so low that they just can’t be on the team anymore. They guys just have to be waived, amnestied,etc. For example: the calf condom should be cut and doesn’t deserve a spot on the bench.
That’s a really smart idea nightwing should use that
lol, but being benched means you get no playing time. You can’t change the fact that the shoes are ball shoes, but you can make it so they dont see playing time.
Li-Ning….haha as a Chinese, i do not like it either….especially Li-Ning always viewed itself as Air Jordan….Peaker is surely better than Li-Ning..such as Parker shoes..
I have that same problem with sprintframe
I think a ‘Dropped’ icon would be a nice addition. Some should not even make it to the game sheet. lol.
I honestly believe that Wade signing that Li Ning contract is directly related to all his knee issues over the past few years. It’s like every since he’s been wearing Li Ning he cant play two games back to back….just sayin
He had the knee issues long before Li-Ning.
He removed his meniscus in college I believe. No shoe will help his knees after that.
Which one of the wade of wade line is better on court and which one do you recommend buying? [please avoid reffering to low tops, also in Greece Li-ning shoes are very underestimated and you can find them really cheap. To give you an example I own a Li-ning Villain which I bought at 58 euros(70.88$) and there was also a WoW 1 at 49 euros(59.88$)]
Where have you found Li Ning shoes in Greece??
This shoe is a big disapointment. Wade is also not wearing the w.o.w 3. The cloud is terrible and takes away from the bounse cushion. I actually enjoyed the carbon fiber plate it helped with my arch support.my biggest issue is the cushioning
my on court opinion on the WoW3:
i have the Overtown Colorway and was going a Half size up.
In my opinion, these are not as bad as they look in nightwings review.
– Traction was ok on dusty indoor courts, but could have been better.
– Personaly i have no complains on the Cushion system…it is not a springy feel, but impact protection was good for me.
– after a breaking in time, the fit and lockdown was great for me. no pain on my arches or toes.
The heel counter is the only thing i dont like. With going a half size up it was not a major problem but it was still uncomfortable.
– Materials are great, but i think the WoW2/2.5 are slightly better here.
– i personaly had no problems with it, but can see that other may have with the shape of the carbon fiber plate.
Overall it is not Great but still a good Shoe.
I think this is a hit or miss…depending on how it fits your foot.
from the WoW line, the 2.5 and 2 (in this order) are still a better choice to play in.
you must be dumbfounded
do these fit true to size?
These will be worn for casual use only. Will pick up a few more pairs of the Brandblack J Crossover 2 for indoor courts, and rely on my Nike Air Raid (2014) for outdoor use.
i recently ordered a pair and it just arrived at work today. even before getting the shoe out i was already impressed by the box itself, sorry, too much of a visual guy. upon inspecting the shoes to make sure they’ve sent me the correct size, i fell in love with the materials used on the shoe. it reminded me of the way they used to make some jordans where most of the shoe is leather.
coming from a badminton player since i was 4, i’ve always wanted li ning footwear when they first came out with stuff a while ago. one thing that is consistent, and that’s the quality of the material used. their badminton shoes are also top notch and the rubbers they used are very tacky and i’ve never had any problems with them on badminton courts.
i am excited to use them on indoor basketball courts and see how these shoes perform.
i’ve gone thru your review of this shoe a few times before making the purchase, thank you for your review!
The 808s though, is great to ball in. Such a sad thing coz i love the cw’s of the 3s. But i dont use ball shoes casually that much so i just cant justify buying these no matter how much i idolize dwade.
I bought WOW 2.5, that’s really hit my two ball…
bad performance , at most is just a casual shoe.
I always think this is why Wade performance keep falling down..
great to see this article