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Nike Hyperdunk 2013 Performance Review

The Nike Hyperdunk 2013 will release on July 20th & hopefully our performance review will help you decide whether or not you’ll make the purchase.

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Traction – The traction on the Hyperdunk 2013 is definitely the highlight of the shoe. We’ve had good traction throughout the entire series overall but this is the first time that Nike has really gone all out with such an aggressive usage of herringbone.

Front to back they were adequate but it isn’t until you begin to move laterally that the pattern really shines. We’re all so used to herringbone spanning from heel to toe that when we make lateral cuts or crosses, you expect a slight delay before the grip adheres to the court… this isn’t the case with these at all so your response and reaction time will increase slightly as the pattern can really keep up with your movements.

Something that is just a cool bonus feature of the herringbone being placed horizontally is that it ends up creating flex grooves throughout the shoe and this is the most flexible Hyperdunk so far from my experience.

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Cushion – Targeted Lunarlon is placed in the heel and forefoot once again so this aspect really feels like last year’s setup with the Hyperdunk 2012. The only real complaint I had about the setup is that it wasn’t implemented full length and that Zoom might have been a better option when using targeted sections of cushion… especially for those that thoroughly loved the previous Hyperdunk models that featured Zoom Air.

My opinion hasn’t changed at all and with shoes like the Kobe 8 featuring full length Lunarlon; why can’t the Hyperdunk?

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Material – I went over materials within the Hyperdunk 2013 Performance Teaser Pt. 2 and it pretty much sums up my overall thoughts… Hyperfuse has come a long way and I like it more and more. Sure, I’d rather have leather but if you are going to have Fuse then this is the way to go.

It’s flexible, durable and there are no hotspots… Nike has literally perfected the material’s usage on performance sneakers so there are no complaints here.

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Fit – The fit might just be my favorite part along with the traction.

I really enjoyed the close fit of last year’s model but this time around the Fuse is a bit more forgiving and much more flexible. The lacing structure utilizes what started in the Nike Zoom Hyperenforcer and enhances it tenfold. That finger lacing system fits tighter and moves better with the foot when in motion and the Dynamic Flywire does what Dynamic Flywire does… holds the foot onto the footbed.

The heel features their most notorious feature, the foam heel, and it is the shoes heel counter. It keeps your heel locked into place perfectly and I personally like the way it looks.

Lockdown in the Hyperdunk 2012 was pretty much perfect and the same goes here… these just have slightly better materials and I like the finger lacing system a bit better.

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Ventilation – The overall ventilation is pretty much on par with what we received last year. This is something that you may never notice but if you go from a shoe with little ventilation – say the Air Jordan XV – to this shoe… it’ll feel like you’ve turned on the A/C.

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Support – The overall support features are the TPU midfoot shank and the foam heel counter – both of which do their jobs perfectly fine. It’s the awesome fit and lockdown that really helps support you while it keeps your foot and the shoe feel as if they are one with each other… feel The Force, Luke.

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Overall – This is the Hyperdunk 2012 but with some improvements… improvements that a Guard will love. Larger players will enjoy these as well – if they enjoyed the Hyperdunk 2012 – but quick and speedy players will be the ones that are going to be able to really utilize the minor changes made between the two Lunar Hyperdunks.

I personally liked the increased traction and flexibility of this shoe more when directly comparing it to last year’s model and I really liked the Hyperdunk 2012. Those would be my two key factors is choosing this model over the 2012 because essentially… they are the same shoe.

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130 comments
        1. Of course you would never replace the carbon fiber panels in a performance car with plastic panels, but as far as functionality of a “sneaker” is concerned, there really is no difference between the two. Starting from the Air Jordan XI, carbon fiber was more of a marketing ploy than a functional material in shoes. TPU gets the job done just as well as carbon fiber, and I detest how sneaker companies use certain marketing gimmicks to raise the price tag of sneakers for the uninformed consumer (e.g. Nike elite series). Word of advice to everyone: don’t be so quick to believe in new sneaker technologies just because there is “some kind” of scientific explanation for them.

    1. nw

      are the nike hyperfuse 2012 usable on outdoor court?,i have this dude who selllin em for 50 bucks,what do you think?

  1. I watched ur game videos and you play exactly like me! Because of this, I would figure we have the same personal needs. Which would you personally prefer, the adidas crazy quicks or the hyperdunk 2013?

  2. NW does the lunarfoam sink into shoe creating unevenness where the mid sits higher like the HD2012?

  3. I just don’t know about these shoes. I haven’t had a shoe with Lunarlon before, apart from the cushioning, this is a shoe that I would like to try.

    How long does Lunarlon usually last for? Does it loose it’s cushioning ability quickly and sink in like CNE wrote above?

    Does it get better with time or worse?

    1. @ice09 My hyperdunks 2012 lasted a good 6 months before the foam stopped becoming responsive. i’m 6’3 and 220LBS. I played in mine 4 hrs a week for 6 months straight as time went on i could feel the midfoot more than the lunarfoam making it uncomfortable as i played. the Kobe 8 is better cause its full length lunarfoam so when it bottoms out, it bottoms out evenly.

      1. after reading what you wrote about HD2012, i wonder how long the foam will last for NBA Centers who wears HD2012(many of them do )they play pretty much everyday plus they weight more than 220lbs, let say it last a week ? i am just guessing..

        1. Maybe but some can buy the shoes through the teams Nike connect if they have not been signed by Nike. I’m from Dallas and I know a Nike sales rep who deals with the mavericks and they sell discounted Nike shoes to the players. There’s a website called Nike elite.com where players can purchase shoes at discount. So if they feel their shoes are not performing up to par they can just purchase some new ones easily. For me my discretionary income is not that large so when I buy some kicks to hoop in I’m invested a bit longer in them.

          1. I read an article about JJ Redick where he said he would change shoes every 8-10 games. He also said he always kept a backup pair in case he needed to change mid game. He had a different set of shoes for practices and kept a similar cycle for replacing them.
            That means Redick goes through about 18-24 pairs per year.

      2. Hi CNE, thanks for the reply. I’m shorter than you and weigh under 200lbs, so I guess the Lunarlon should last a while for me. Like another poster mentioned, I wonder how long it lasts Centers.

  4. might feel weird at first when coming from full length lunarlon of a Kobe 8. but heck imma give it a go, I’m a recent believer in lunarlon.

  5. Great Review as always Nightwing! Appreciate all your efforts and totally looking forward to a full length lunalon sole…
    hope to see the boost system in the drose4 but from what i’ve heard does not look like it… what would you prefer, full length lunalon or boost in a bball shoe… i know it’s difficult to compare that, since you mentioned that the boost setup might not be compatiable for bball, yet. who knows, but just in theory.
    btw, if the white part of the hd 2013 would have been dark grey or something like that, then the shoe could have been one of the bats family shoe.
    Servus and greetings from Munich

  6. near perfct shoe. just wished it was full lenght lunarlon. nw i ryt, y cant nike just do it full lenght?? lets see if superfly 2 can beat hd2013 🙂

    1. What cushioning is the Super.fly 2 supposed to have?

      I don’t understand why Nike doesn’t use full length Lunarlon and also full length Zoom a lot more.

      Correct me if I am wrong, but I assume full length would be much better for both Lunarlon and Zoom cushioned shoes?

      I also doubt it costs much more to do that. Any shoe that is $140 or more should be using full length units. I understand them not using it for shoes that are $120 or under, but I think, as a starting point, they should be using full length for all their shoes that retail at, or over $140. It’s pathetic how they are always so stingy.

      Unless you guys think that having non full length units helps the performance or certain shoes, I don’t get it.

      1. in my opinion. zoom is better targeted or articulated or sectioned. lunarlon is better full length. having zoom full length as per my experience with the bb2, it was less responsive and feels like every step was compensating a portion of the other. i cant explain it very well, it feels like stepping on my heel first would push the air in the zoom to the front and vice versa, so it kind of sinks. making them independently will be better as no section of the zoom compensates for pressure where the strike comes from. a full length lunarlon will be better as a force will disperse in a much larger area than having it in an independent/targeted/sectioned. full length zoom is great too but a double stacked heel then full length would be better. hehe. if it was full length

        1. yes, nice observation.. i wonder why nike keeps doing targeted lunarlon, when they had already the experiment on the lunar hypergamer, which features full length lunarlon (correct me if im wrong).

          1. yes lunar hypergamer is full length, wade 2 also is full length. does have a high arch though. but the arch will sink in time making the shoe kind of a one to one fit with your arch and has great transitions.

          2. and the hypergamer just needed some tweaks and it was in the $110 to $115 price point. even w/o the flywire and it was still just fuse done right it would have been a very good shoe.

        2. Did you mean in that last sentence that full length Lunarlon with double stacked Zoom would be best?

          Also, that is interesting what you’re saying about full length Zoom and it being pushed from the impact point to the opposite end of the shoe.

          What is the BB2 that you referred to? Maybe it wasn’t implemented that great in that shoe, or maybe that is the drawback with full length Zoom?

          1. no shoe has both full length zoom and lunarlon and of course that would be awesome. my complaint with full length zoom is its transitions. maybe it was with my pair of zoom bb2’s that it was a bit sloppy. like in a water bed when you step on one side, the other side fills up and your side sinks. and it takes time for it to fill up when pressure is released. it was top loaded 1 layer zoom.

            i have a pair of jordan 2010 it was full lenth zoom bottom loaded and top loaded heel and forefoot. it was a better experience for me. the bottom loaded zoom was kind of a secondary cushion for greater impact but the top independent ones are my main cushion every step and it was independent so transistions were ok. with the lbj 7ps, it was top loaded forefoot and large volume bottom loaded heel zoom, it was a better experience. almost like the m9 i think.

            if you are looking for a full length zoom and double stacked in the heel, the fighter jet foamposites have them. but if you are looking for other models, older lebrons if im not mistaken 5 and 6 have them. kobe 7 elite has full length bottom loaded zoom, jordan alpha 1 same set up, zoom bb1, bb2, bb3 has top full length zoom. no new shoes have full length zoom except for the retro fighter jet foamposite.

            you can look for older models on ebay used or new, just try to be careful buying there. don’t over pay and if its too low, its to good to be true. hehe.

  7. I love the HD2012. So much so that I have 5 pairs. Personally I like the feel of the lunarlon in the HD2012 than the zoom unit in the zoom soldier 6. The only complaint that I have is traction. If the HD2013 has improved traction over it predecessor I’m definitely in, despite the silly looking heel cup.

    1. Hey Tony, you think it’s worth me getting the HD 2012 to wear for outdoor play? Would the outsole handle outdoor play?

      I didn’t want to get a pair at full retail price as I wasn’t sure if I would like Lunarlon, but now that they are likely to be discounted to make way for the 2013 models, I might give them a go. What do you think?

      1. Hey Ice, I use a pair of my HD2012 for outdoor ball only, and they’re holding up pretty well. The fuse material is quite strong and the outsole has big deep grooves that are great for blacktop. For reference I’m 6’1 190 lbs, and I play hard d and box out for rebounds so my shoes take a pretty good beating from being stepped on and such. From personal experience, the foam in the HD2012 is more resilient than the Kobe 4. Like NW said, a player of any position will enjoy playing in these. I just got a 20% off coupon code from Eastbay, its EMEB3568. Hope that helps brother.

        1. Hey Tony, thanks for that coupon code. I’m in Australia, and I have just started ordering shoes from Eastbay. I’m looking to put in a second order and I am mainly looking to buy a couple of pairs for outdoor Basketball use in this one. Eastbay is the only place I have found so far that I can order from that has decent prices with these discount codes.

          btw where did you get the code from and how long does it last? Should I be signing up somewhere on the Eastbay website to be able to get those codes myself?

          1. No problem man, glad to be of help. I think if you create an account with them, and select the receive email option, they will automatically enroll you. I’m not 100% sure if you have to make a few purchases first. It is typical for Eastbay coupon codes to last about a month. Either that or it may depend on how many times that coupon code is used. By the way, in order for that coupon code to work, the order must be $99 or more prior to the discount and shipping charge. Again you will not go wrong with the HD2012 😉

  8. what about court feel? thats a huge thing for me and others and i did not see an mention of that in the review.

  9. Hey man. I’m a guard who is all about cushion. I’m fast, but was looking for a shoe that was going to be comfortable with good traction. CP3 VI AE, Nike Hyperposite, or Hyperdunk 2013?

  10. Tadatsune, not sure why I can’t reply to your or Tony’s post, but I don’t think Eastbay have the XDR version. Where would I get that from and what would it cost? There is no many online stores that I can purchase from as I am in Australia. The ones I use need to have decent shipping prices and return policy in case the shoes are defective.

    Tony, did you want me to not use that code? Should I just sign up for the email myself. Not sure if that code would be linked to you, so I wouldn’t want to waste your code if it is personalized.

    1. The code shouldn’t be personalized, that would cost Eastbay a lot of man power to track. Regardless of that, I don’t plan on buying a pair of shoes for a while so you go ahead and enjoy. The XDR version is nice, but consider this, in my experience the lunarlon will probably be worn out before the outsole of the regular version.

      1. Yep, I am definitely going to get a pair of the regular version. It’s much cheaper to buy them with the discount code. I can buy another pair of shoes with the money that I save. No point in trying to track down a pair with XDR and paying extra for them.

        btw, anyone know where would you be able to get a pair with XDR outsole that ships internationally if I ever wanted them? How much extra does the XDR usually cost?

        Anyway, I will definitely get a pair of the HD 2012 thanks to your recommendation Tony. I’m also thinking of trying out a pair of Adidas Top Ten 2000, Hyperfranchise XD or maybe even the Adidas Real Deal. What do you guys think?

        I was also thinking of getting another pair of Melo M8 Advanced for outdoor play now that they are cheaper, but not anymore as I read someone say the outsole doesn’t last long outdoors. Someone on Eastbay used his outdoors and he said they wore out in 14 days. That doesn’t sound good at all.

        1. xdr would cost the same and its just hard to know what cw has them. the hyperfranchise is like the hyperenforcer or the hyperfuse, and will really be xdr if i am not mistaken

          1. yes. not all models are xdr. well, asia, au and euro models they say most xdr. with nikeid there is an xdr option. so i assume not all are xdr models released are xdr.

  11. if you are a guy who like ventilation this would be for you, if you are a guy who does not care abt ventilation, tape the holes up. its to ventilated for me, i play outdoors in antartica! just kidding. good review.

  12. Hey NW, good job on the review. Anyways, do you think that the traction here is (almost) as good as the CP3 VI or CP3 VI AE?

  13. do you guys think i should get these or wait for the hyperposites and fyi i play C/PF back to basket player not very athletic

  14. Oh snap these bumped the kobe 8s….I HATE YOU NW…it’s not fair 🙁 I want 2 pair of these RIGHT MEOW.

  15. Nightwing wondering what your personal opinion is when comparing these to Kobe 8’s. And also considering I’m a 6’7″ guy playing forward, any recommendations between the 2?

    1. Personally, I like aspects from each shoe but overall I felt the HD 2013 was slightly greater. Cushion went to the Kobe but materials, fit, traction etc was greater in the HD IMO.

      1. Do you feel that the Lunarlon sinking beneath the midfoot will be a problem, again? Personally, I’ve never owned the 2012 model Hyperdunk (or any Hyperdunk for that matter). It would be nice if they used a softer midsole, so that when the cushioning starts to lose height, the midsole goes with it as well. This is why its so hard for me to accept Lunarlon right now, and still put more faith in Micro G.

        1. I didn’t but that is bc the arch was a little higher than last years. Although that could have been bc I had the Nike+ version but even from other shoes Ive used these has a slightly raised arch in comparison so I did not notice it but Im sure it’ll happen eventually.

          1. Thanks for the reply Chris, and all that you do. Keep up it up, because it is greatly appreciated.

  16. Hi Chris,

    IMO. I think that the heel and forefoot lunarlon setup is better rather than the full length as it helps the shoe be more stable as lunarlon bottoms out.

    I’ve been playing with hypergamer low and the lunarlon bottomed out already on the forefoot however, it flatted out on the lateral side. So the shoe shapes like this / \ making the shoe unstable and prone to further ankle injuries.

    Kobe 8 is a different case because it’s lunarlon is independent to the overall shoe.

    Looking forward for your thoughts on this. Btw, thank you for giving us another PR. Cheers all the way from the Philippines.

  17. I love HD2012 but Lunarlon hurts my calves. It doesn’t absorb impact that much. I still prefer zoom over lunarlon. BTW great review man. Keep it up

  18. Looks like a good performance shoe, but I hate the fact that there is a giant accordion on the back heel. Just looks super dumb.

    I love using old performance shoes for casual shoes after the traction melts down a bit from all the friction and I start slippin, this way I can get the most value from dropping $100+ on a pair of shoes.

    But the accordion just makes me cringe. Not to mention the fully visible flywire looks a tadbit lamer than the 2012 (which conceals some flywire in an aesthetically pleasing way). Hopefully I can pick up a 2012 model for cheap.

    Overall though, great review as always NW, keep doing yo thang.

  19. Hey, KicksOnCourt.com. I always wanted to know what you will pick out of these two shoes. Hyperdunk 2013, or Kobe 8, any kind. Please tell me.

  20. these are going to so much better than the 2012 i actually think they are the biggest waste of money going.

  21. I wear a size 9 and I’ve had hyperdunk 2011 and 2012. I can say that they are both really good shoes but here is my problem, Why is it that everytime I sit on the bench and rest, my midfoot tends to be very sore and painful but when the coach asks me to go back and play the pain slowly goes away and I can play 100% again,its everytime I rest my feet that it hurts(midfoot only).After the game I remove my shoes straight away to avoid the pain. Any suggestions on whats happening?Try a bigger size?

    1. Hey, i had the exact same issue with my hyperfuse. Went to the store and tried on 1/2 size bigger and voila, apparently i’ve been buying in the wrong size for YEARS. Bad habit started when i was young where rhe salesfolks tell me the materials will expand (90’s), which modern synthetics dont do..

      1. Thanks for the reply NoQ, is the exact same problem that you had?? If your in the court playing its no biggie, but as soon as you rest your feet then it starts to get sore in the midfoot area???? Thanks mate..

  22. I just bought the Atomic Green/Black 2012 Nike Hyperdunks and was wondering what was the best way to clean them. I mean i just played a few games indoor today and the material got all scratched up. Even the black nike swoosh on the inside got scratched up and showed green. Is this a problem with the material, because if it is persistent i would probably want a different shoe. Any help/suggestions?

  23. Cant wait to try these on Asia outdoor court. Hyperdunk 2012 does very well and some scratches on the carbon fibre. I hope the shoes be reviewed by someone in Asia because we dont have many indoor court.

  24. For a quick pg what would be the best: Kobe 8, crazy quick, hyperdunk 2013. Give me ur opinion nightwingh

  25. would the kobe 8 or hyperdunk be better for me. i am a defensive player but i can also shoot 3’s and drive to the rim.
    not so quick but not slow either.i am a pg

  26. hey nightwing,
    I’m playing as a playmaker and using Adidas Rose 3.0 now, however, I noticed that I’ve got a backache after a decent game. That’s why I’m planning to buy another shoe with better cushioning. Do you think that HD2013 is a good choice?

  27. These shoes look amazing !
    But where’s Nike+ gone ???!!! Nike’s releasing it with less shoes than last year….

  28. Hey Nightwing I was wondering if I could take the Lunarlon midsole insert from my Kobe 8 SYSTEM and put it in the Hyperdunk 2013. Would that give it the feel of having fulllength Lunarlon instead of targeted?

    1. The Kobe 8 has a removable midsole and the Hyperdunk does not. You cant stack midsoles unfortunately, if the Kobe 8 had a Lunarlon insole then that would be different.

  29. I’m a fast-paced, 5’3” PG and I’m considering getting the Hyperdunk 2013 or the Jordan Superfly 2. Which one would you recommend for a player like me?

  30. ive got these shoes but different colour. Mine for some reason aren’t that flexible. Anyone might know why?

  31. If this guys have full length lunarlon. Carbon fiber plate and is more breatheable. Would it be a perfect shoe? 🙂

    1. the supeerfly 2 has a heavy padded ankle collar but has the cp3 6 aggressive outsole. it’s a dream shoe for big men who like to slash, prob is that asthetetically its a 4/10. i dont see anyon in the NBA or even in my local gym’s rockin those and they are getting dusty on the shelf’s so wait and get them cheap. (the only colorway to sell out is the Supernova CW) theCaveliers Erving is balling out of control in the hyperdunk 13 so i dont think you can go wrong and there are a lot of players rocking those.

  32. A real issue with these shoes is the durability, especially when compared to the 2012 edition. While these are an upgrade in every other aspect the durability suffers. After playing in these maybe 10-15 times only on an indoor wood court, I notice some flywire beginning to rip, as well as parts of the traction pattern coming right off. I haven’t been using them extensively either, with only a few play throughs you may not notice, but they do start breakdown fairly quick which is unfortunate for such an otherwise great shoe

  33. I’ve had these since the end of October, and I’ve worn them probably 10 or 11 times indoors only and the midsole is already seperating from the upper and tthe herringbone near the toe has in some places been worn off. I also think that the ventilation is worse than in past hyperdunks and many other shoes because of the lining which covers most of the foot.
    PS, does anyone know if the midsole seperating or all the wear on the traction would be eligible for Nike claims? I’m balling on a budget and I might need to buy new shoes (not happy), so I’d like to try to recoup some of my losses.

  34. i got the hyperdunks recently and they’re great but my court just got resurfaced so i can’t really tell how much better the traction is lol but they fit really well i didn’t even have to break them in basically

  35. which of these two shoes will last long for my outdoor plays is it the soldier 7 or hyperdunk 2013 please reply.

    1. I have the hyperdunks and the outsole has gotten destroyed playing indoors. I would not recommend them outdoors, they probably would not last very long.

  36. Nothing about the shoe’s durability in this review. My daughter’s varsity team bought this shoe year (12 of 13 girls) and 10 have the strings all ripped out and one shoe ripped on the side. These shoes should hold up for more than 2 1/2 months. Now her AAU team is ordering and she doesn’t want the hyperdunk. Hyperfuses bought last year were much more duarble as they lasted highschool and AAU seasons.

  37. Very comfortable out of the box and for the first few months, but as with other Nike’s I’ve had in the past, these tore apart faster than I believe a “premium” basketball shoe should. Will try something other than Nike for my next shoe.

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