Budget friendly hoop shoes are stepping their game up…
Traction – The first version of the shoe I played in was the All-Star edition… and the traction on those was awful. Just. Plain. Awful. But, I grabbed another colorway that featured a solid rubber outsole in hopes that they’d feature better traction, and they totally did. There is multidirectional traction featured, and the pattern is weird… but everything wound up working just fine which was a big plus. I wouldn’t give them that Starting Five traction, but they definitely get the job done with the solid rubber outsole. Just try to stay on the base of the outsole when moving, the way the midsole is shaped will have you on the floor if you push off from certain parts of the outsole.
Cushion – A Polyurethane drop-in midsole is utilized, and they weren’t as bad as I initially thought they’d be. This is definitely a shoe that gets better the more you wear them, but like the traction, I wouldn’t give these that Starting Five badge. However, since the midsole is a drop-in insert, you can replace them with the Lunarlon midsole from one of the past Kobe models – including the KB Mentality – which will give you some nice cushion. One plus from the PU midsole is that isn’t a much denser foam, so they won’t bottom out the way the Lunarlon will, but they aren’t as plush so its a trade off. Again, not a bad setup, and I actually enjoyed them the more I wore them… they get the job done and its a solid option for the price.
Materials – I loved the materials used. Very similar to the HyperRev 2015, and I enjoyed those a lot as well. This micro mesh is flexible, breathable, fairly durable, and there are Fuse overlays to protect the high-wear areas. The Dynamic Flywire worked well, but when I played outside in them they bothered my toes a bit. Not sure why they did so outdoors and not indoors indoors, but I’m assuming is had to do with the heat. Other than that, I had no complains and really like the setup.
Fit – I went true to size, but they do run a tad small. Some people might want to go up 1/2 size, but trying them on before purchasing would be the best option. Lockdown wasn’t great. The heel was fine, but the lacing and material combination left the lateral support a bit on the weak side. Not horrible, but definitely noticeable.
Support – As mentioned above, the lateral support was a bit weak, and the shoe itself isn’t the best in terms of overall support. There is no torsional shank, which wasn’t needed, but something to note, and the shoe is very slender. What I mean by that is that there is no outrigger, and the shoe pretty much contours around your foot perfectly. That sounds like it’d be a good thing, but with that you need to ensure your footwork is proper. One small misstep and you’ll lose control a bit and roll over. Not bad enough for a sprain, but enough to be annoying.
Overall – They’re a budget friendly model that happen to look really cool. Probably not something that I’d consider a go-to shoe, but definitely something that I wouldn’t mind playing in… again, they get better every time you wear them so they’re a respectable shoe. If you think about it, you can buy these and the KB Mentality for $200 – interchange their cushion if desired – and it’ll cost you less than a pair of 1 LeBron 12’s, and just barely over the price of 1 Kobe X. Alternate between the two to ensure they last a while, and you’ll have a decent on-court rotation that didn’t break the bank. At this point, Nike’s lower budget options are looking better than a lot of their high end products.
great review nightwing. Ya, I totally agree that we get blinded sometimes and always go for the “best” signature shoe. Out of all my shoes, my favourite one is probably the one i got for the cheapest. Those mentalities are also coming out with some fire colour ways!
Will the durability with the mesh hold up outside
The mesh should be fine, but the outsole won’t last too long.
That makes sense, wont cop. Going for the JC2s once May 1st rolls around to add to my Kobe Xs + Kobe 9s oncourt rotation, along with t adding he Jordan 13 lows and Jordan 11 low for off court
I want the jc2 also but the woven upper durabilty scares me
What’s jc2?
Throw some Prime Hype DFs in that rotation and it would be the king of budget rotations.
Is the drop-in midsole made out of the same material as those in the GS versions of most Nike models? Those were hard as fck on the first wear, but over time they became as plush/more plush than the Spenco insoles I use.
I’m not sure, haven’t had a pair of GS sized in hand to check out.
Some footlockers have kobe ix on sale for $99 as well. If you passed on those at $160 they are definitely worth it now. Thats a bad ass rotation of shoes. I have the all star Hyperchase and today i noticed a rip in the mesh along the middle section of flywire. After playing at least 5 days a week over the last month and a half in them I cant complain too much. Doesnt hinder the performance at all but still disappointing. People always ask me about them and I recommend them to everyone. Solid bang for your buck here
Bound to happen with mesh, unfortunately. I’d still rather have the feeling it brings and give up some durability – personal preference of course. I agree with the Kobe 9, grab those while you can once they start hitting sale prices. Definitely won’t disappoint.
Great review as always long time reader since the nightwing2303.com days. I dont wanna rush you or anything but may i ask what shoe is next and if the next shoe is the cp3 8 ae. Continued support here thanks for the reviews man.
The CP3.VIII AE is next, followed by the Hyperposite 2.
Thanks bro forgot about the hyperposite 2. Last question what is the worst shoe youve played in out of the recent releases?
And why you dont do any performance teasers anymore, because of time age? Just wanted to know.
I put my Kobe 9 insole in them way better feel.
nightwing liked the shoe because it is his sig (hyperCHASE) haha jokes
hey nightwing, i guess the other side of how the shoe doesn’t have an outrigger and needs to play with better footwork and mostly on the toes is probably why the shoe was like that. remember the description of nike on why the swoosh was oriented that way? the shoe was meant for quicker guards who always wanted their feet and game on their toes, like even your weight and footwork is solely based on that area.
such a great looking shoe/cw. its a shame nike cuts corners on everything performance and comfort related w/ this model. would never pay for looks alone. just a waste of money when everything else about it is mediocre at best
My feelings exactly and when you consider what was said about the traction, cushioning and support it’s really baffling that these got any sort of overarching positive comments or decent scores.
Had these and pretty much agree with all of it, except the part about the traction on the AS addition… But I’m from Houston and seeing that they are JH “branded” I’m probably a little biased
Lol
Had these and pretty much agree with all of it, except the part about the traction on the AS addition… But I’m from Houston and seeing that they are JH “branded” I’m probably a little biased
wow that melokid who was commenting on the video on youtube is a complete asshole. keep doing what you’re doing chris. youre a great guy overall
It is what it is. Appreciate the support.
Just wanna say that the trolling online is getting out of hand. Across the board. The powers that be are going to have to do something about that soon, because you see it everywhere nowadays.
Hey I bought the AS when they came out and switched the insoles w a pair of kobe 9s, I must say they are fun as hell to ball in. Light, comfy, and the fit is excellent. The only problem is the traction, it really blows. I crossed a guy up the other night and I was the one who slipped and fell!!! But for the price, its a must cop, for anything else just how dope they look. I wear them w a hoodie and sweatpants when Im lounging or out and about, and there is a possibility of ballin during the day. Great casual/hooping hybrid type shoe.
lol, don’t you love when that happens? Grab a pair with the solid rubber outsoles and you’ll be better off.
hey nightwing, what would you say is the best bang for your buck performance shoe in between $100-$130?
There is a top performance picks on the site.
been playing in these for the last week, and man, are they tight, the forefoot is narrower than basically anything i can think of, common sense should have told me that going up half a size would be the best thing to do, but they felt so snug in the store…
other than that i think they’re pretty fun to play in, traction is serviceable, court feel is good, the shoe moves with your foot the way you’d want a guard shoe to…the insole does break in over time and you start to feel a very slight bounce when the foam is compressed, but i personally don’t feel like this is a shoe that you’d want to play pickup in for a few hours
lots of people have been complaining about stability issues in these, i personally have had no problems at all the four times i’ve played in ’em
I agree. I actually had some instability issues the first night, but it was my footwork, not the shoes. Was able to fix my own issues and, as you said, they become fun to play in. Not a go-to, but a good shoe for the price.
Very nice review, NW. Will definitely cop the ones with the rubber outsole. More power to you!!!
Will Hyperchase be better or the Kobe Mentality on outdoor court?
Buying a shoe soon based on durability,grip and comfort
Bro just by looking at both of them you can tell which one is better based on durability,grip and comfort. QUESTIONS like this make the review completely useless.
could you help me pick? my choices are the nike hyperchase, the nike run the one, the nike venomenon 5, the lebron st 2, and the jordan cp3 7. it’d be of great help if you would also rank those 5 in order. thanks!
Hi, I was able to use the LeBron XI insole in my Kobe IX, so would I also be able to use them in these? I like the upper of these but the soles and cushioning leave a lot to be desired. However I have a stockpile of both Kobe IX and Bron XI insoles, and I prefer the Brons. That would be a difference maker for me now that these are popping up cheap.
Thanks for a great review Nightwing. I’ve been struggling to decide whether to get these or not (they’re on sale at the moment) and your review made my mind up for me. I don’t think I can stand the flywire rubbing over my toes every time I play as I intend to use them as my main shoe. Keep up the great work!