Houston, we have a problem…
That was an Allen Houston reference in case you missed it.
Traction – The traction was surprising, in a good way. I wasn’t expecting much of anything when I brought them on-court and was quickly impressed. A somewhat durable rubber is used – firm not pliable – and that wound up working really nicely on most court conditions. When you have a shoe with harder rubber, it tends to push dust out of the way instead of cling to it so that’s definitely a plus. Back in the day, these were used heavily outdoors and I assume you could do the same here without worrying too much about its durability. They played fairly well outdoor as well so its something to consider.
One change that was made between the original model (as well as the original Retro) and this 2014 edition is the missing medial rubber that wrapped up and around the forefoot. During typical linear movements you didn’t notice the missing rubber at all but once you decide to cross, push off to sprint or change direction then you quickly realize that it was probably better to keep it there. Its not something detrimental to their performance but its something that could enhance it… plus the shoe looked much cooler with the original midsole than this one… almost makes the shoe look unfinished.
Cushion – The cushion is very thin and minimal… you are closer to the ground in this shoe than any other hoop shoe I can remember playing in. However, the difference between this super low profile setup and other low profile setups comes in the form of an awesome PU insole/ midsole and Zoom Air. PU insoles are great. They are soft enough to provide comfort and protection but firm enough to keep you stable and balanced. Zoom Air on the other hand… its Zoom Air, and it feels the way its supposed to feel so you can already imagine how comfortable it is. With this setup you are sitting much lower than every other shoe around but you also receive a well-balanced ride with more than adequate protection along with some responsiveness.
The greatest part about the whole thing is that you can remove this insole/ midsole and because its thin enough, you can place it inside of other shoes. Imagine… an Air Jordan 1 with a PU insole and heel/ forefoot Zoom Air. Maybe an Air Jordan 3 or 4… hell, even a shoe from another brand altogether. The removable cushion setup is the shoes best feature and if you can grab these – or the exposed version – at a discounted rate then I’d personally do it just for the cushion setup alone.
Materials – Foamposite… durable, molding capabilities and offers superior containment/ support. Sounds like I’m talking about Batman’s latest armor upgrade and not a sneaker. I love Foamposite and everything it can do for its wearer. If used properly, it can offer some of the best containment and support around. This is one shoe that proves that it was way ahead of its time.
Fit – The fit is nothing like the Nike Air Foamposite or Foamposite Pro… thank goodness. These fit true to size and contain your foot better than most shoes on the market today, and they do so in a durable shell that we all know as Foam. You can zip up the shroud for perfect containment or you can leave it unzipped if your foot is claustrophobic. One of the strangest parts is that these aren’t restrictive at all. When I played in the LeBron 11, I felt the forefoot flex was lacking a bit and felt a bit restrictive due to Foam panel placement yet these didn’t suffer from the same issue despite the entire shoe being made of the same material. It was pretty interesting and again proved that these were way ahead of their time.
Ventilation – Ventilation sucks, its still a Foamposite after all. There are two vents on the medial side of the shoe but they don’t offer much in terms of ventilation. Not a bad thing since they contain the foot so well that you aren’t sliding around inside the shoe but for those that have feet that require a bit of air conditioning… these might not be the ideal choice.
Support – Most of the support comes from the upper and fit, both do a great job and carry most of the load. There is a TPU shank that does a decent job with torsional support but its nothing to really write home about. I do feel that there could have been or should have been an outrigger in place just for some added stability, however, its not a deal breaker.
Overall – I have to say… I really liked these on-court. I always loved how they looked but they are actually functional. If they would have just left well enough alone and kept the original outsole then I think they would have done a little better in the traction department but again, it wasn’t detrimental to their overall performance… just something that shouldn’t have been removed. Something that should be noted about the Flightposite series is that they are like the Hyperdunk… they are for all players and positions on the floor. Hopefully next year they re-release these again but the way they were before, extra rubber and all, along with some OG colorway… OG colorways were beast on this sneaker.
Dang that insole is nice, didn’t know you can pop that thing out
Love the shoe, but gonna see if I can catch it on discount, too step at $210
Def wait until they hit sale prices. Even the exposed would do.
Haha I just finished watching Apollo 13! It was a good film, and so was this performance review as well. Thanks for doing great reviews Jack Swagger.
Hey nightwing, can I add my Kobe Lunarlon inserts into the shoe? I might grab a pair if that’s possible.
I haven’t tried it so I’m not sure.
I can attest that those insoles put into the Air Jordan 1 make that shoe into a true performer.
Nice review!
Awesome, thanks!
Since you always say you love balling in leather shoes you should give it a go. Not as spongy as the Air Jordan Alpha 1 (which I think is an awesome shoe to ball in)
thats how nba players wear aj1 on court!!!!
I placed the insole in my Kobe 8’s and rose 3 and they felt so good…the Kobe 8’s ortholite lunar insole combined with these felt like a lower profile lebron 11 setup..I highly recommend it. Also I left the zipper open on these when I hooped the ventalation felt better. I agree with NW that these felt more flexible in the forefoot than the 11’s….good review homie!
Thanks bro
Cne,
Do you think you can use the flightposite insole by itself in the kobe 8? Or do you need another thin insole like the ortholite lunar insole to offset the original lunarlon insole of the Kobe 8? Another great review NW!
In my opinion you will need the ortholite insole cause for the regular lunarlon insole mixed with the flightposite insole/mid sole made it a tight fit for my feet. when I used just the flightposite insole it was too low and could feel the shank plate right up against my foot which gave me a light irritation…i’d say give it a try but the ortholite insole mixed with flightposite insole was pure heaven for me!
Kicksdeals.com has some exposed for 120
did you go back to old camera? this vid is not as clear as the prior vids you did indoors. however, great review as usual and i really want to pick these up when they go on discount.
Great Review Nightwing! I wish they would put PU and Zoom on shoes more often. Since its more stable than alot of other foams. Please make a PU and Full length Zoom combo Nike!!
Ive seen the Allen Houston PEs in person… I am drooling just thinking about them as both a Knicks fan (unfortunately) and a friend of his son
the camera still zoom too close to the shoes and makes it off focus sometimes
great review anyway
hi night wing, will the insoles fit melo m10 ?
if it fits, how will the performance be ?
will it give too much cushion ? as the m10 already have flight plate , etc ?
and does the shape of the insoles the same ?
thank you
watch the 2000 all star and see who else is wearing them
Wow, nice review I am impressed with this shoes but there is one thing which is stopping me from buying them. It is the weight when we compare these to XX8 and Melo 10 they are like bricks. Do You really feel the weight on your feet or because it is so flexible that You won’t notice it ?
NW, I’m just curious about how this zoom setup compares to the XX8. It seems that these are just as minimal or even more so than the “unlocked” zoom. When I say minimal, I mean there’s no extra layer that prevents you from feeling the zoom bag… if that makes sense.
The Zoom here sits directly under foot like the Flight Plate system but its still encased within the insole/ midsole whereas the unlocked Zoom literally is just placed inside of a cored out midsole. The unlockded Zoom also utilized large volume Zoom and the Flightposite uses ‘normal’ or typical sized/ thickness units.
thanks for the thorough explanation. really appreciate your time.
Put these in the hyperfuse 2013 and you have a superb shoe.
yeah great idea
Imagine the anatomix spawn or hyperdunk with this insole…
Just picked up the Flightposite Exposed YOTH and its a great fit. I was debating between these and hyperdunks but these feel lower to the ground. Feel a little bad hooping in them but I picked it up dirt cheap. Thanks Nightwing
Great review Nightwing!
Always wanted to try this shoe back in the day but now with this re-release I wonder about the cushioning in the shoe?… The sole does seem very thin compared to most of the current releases of the present. As a larger player that plays primarily outdoors and requires cushioning is this suitable? Also is it possible to put other soles in the Flightposite…such as the Kobe 8 or 9 or Lebron 11.
What do you suggest Nightwing?
Love the random fact! hahaha good job once again nightwing!
Chris I’m trying to decide between the LeBron 9 Elite and these. how responsive is this zoom unit compared to the Elites and the KD 6? How do the elites compare to the KD 6. and how soft is are these compared to the cushlon as well?
These are very thin, just what you see in the vid. LeBron 9 Elite is Nike’s best Elite shoe IMO.
thanks alot
I visited the Citadel Nike factory store the other day and got extremely lucky. Found a pair of these on the hash wall for $120. It was the only size of the shoe and it just happened to be my size. The store also had a full size run of the exposed volt version. I didn’t buy the exposed one and I’m regretting it now. Seeing how awesome the insole is makes me want to have a backup. And the exposed version was around $80 if I remember correctly. I’m seriously tempted to make the 1hr drive back up there and pick it up. I haven’t hooped in them yet but playing around seeing how all of my shoes feel with this insole is awesome. It makes my Reebok Answer IV’s seem playable without killing my knees.
Found a pair on my trip to Miami last week for $120 (White/Blue/Orange colorway).
Good hoop shoe…but after 2-2,5h Training i felt like i need a bit more support for my old feet…
Now i found new Love for my Lebron 11 with the Flightposite Insole + a thin ortho-insole.
(the normal lebron 11 often has a bit too much cushion for me…especially on the heel)
The Flightposite will be my new outdoor shoe.
Thanks for the handy review!
What is the material stitched on the back of the shoe dividing the foamposite material? Synthetic leather?
Thanks for the review nightwing. I’m a great fan of yours from Italy and I really appreciate the work you’ve been doing. It’s two years now since I’m following you. Being the guy who can afford just a pair of shoes a year, I always rely on your reviews. And thanks to you last week I bought the flightposite exposed for only 35€ at a nike clearance store. If it wasn’t for you reviewing them I would have passed, so thanks again.
Appreciate it!