Slippery as an eel…
I would say snake but snakes aren’t actually slippery.
The Lunarlon feels amazing. Definitely the most comfortable Kobe to date. However, there is a small problem with the modular setup this year… luckily its nowhere near as bad as last year.
Even with the Kobe socks, your sweat was just not meant to pool up on this foam insert. Lining is needed in order for your foot to truly stay in place and remain locked into the shoe. If it wasn’t for this then they’d have the best fitting Last since the VI and coming in just after the Kobe V which still has the best fit – in my opinion.
Just because something isn’t perfect, that doesn’t mean it cant be modified to function properly.
You actually have a few options to choose from…
1. You can leave things as is and hope that you wear the midsole in enough to stop slipping inside the sneaker… if you are lucky enough to not roll your ankle first.
2. You can wear socks that have those sticky things on the bottom… the kind that they give at the Hospital.
3. Find some sort of thin fabric and glue it to the midsole. This is not the best option by the way.
You can choose from either of the three options above or if you happen to have the Air Jordan 2012 lying around… you can have yourself a true system since the midsoles are all the exact same shape, size and thickness as what is provided with the Kobe 8. Only down side is that you are giving up the wonderful Lunarlon cushion for more traditional Air based setups… most of you may actually prefer that, I just happen to love foam.
So… these are wonderful so far. They wont be considered ‘perfect’ due to the slipping but its as close as they’ve come so far. Its almost as if they make these shoes with some sort of imperfection just so they have something to do next year.
Happy Holidays!!!
If you could measure the thickness of the foam insole please heel and forefoot? PLEASE!
I’m a a bit of a minimal fanatick and these shoes r the closest thing to minimal, as basketball permits and i am just curios about the insoles thickness. It would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for all your reviews! it saves me money and the headache!!
I dont have the measurements but they are thin and minimal. Like a Nike Free outsole.
sweet thanks. preeesh
Nike just continues to make these shoes cheaper and cheaper. There’s no way they can justify the price tag on this shoe and there isn’t even any technical or responsive cushioning. No zoom and this price tag? I’d love to see a long term test of these, that is if a player can go long term in this show without an injury
Ooooooor. U can grab the thin insole in a kobe vii (that come off anyway) and glue it on top of the lunar insole found in the viii right?
That would be the same thing as the 3rd option and as i stated, not recommended.
correct me if im wrong, but the nike+ id insole will have some sort of lining i’m assuming
It should but who knows without them being in hand. Either way, this is the version you receive via retail so this is what the review is based off of.
Are these more comfortable than the KD V’s?
I personally think so but it all depends on your preference.
Can you use the insole from the Jordan 2011 on them also?
Unfortunately not, they are a bit thicker and with the Carbon Fiber plate, they just wouldnt work too well.
If in normal shoes I use a size 11 and I have a little bit of room in the forefoot, should I get the KD V’s in size 11? or get .5 size down? Great Work man!
You should try them on if possible. I went down 1/2 sz in mine for a perfect fit.
Ah, a little disappointing to hear about the insole issue. I’ll wait for the full review to make a decision on these.
Is the cushioning going to last for a while or will they bottom out quick like the V? Would you recommend this shoe for forwards with shin splits?
Lunarlon doesnt bottom out like Lunar Foam.
Are these the best fitting Kobe shoe to date?
Did you even read the post, I swear I wrote that in there.
Feels like wearing crocs for bball?
Cant wait for the full review! About how narrow do these run? Narrower than the KD V? Any other shoes that fit similarly width-wise? I would try these out, but my local stores don’t have ANY of these new releases…
Thank you so much for what you do Nightwing!
Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Makes me really wonder if shoes do actually get wear tested. This issue should have become apparent after the first test even before players finish playing… Some shoes have such blatant issues you would think that no one wore them before they got mass produced.
it might be of concern for those who are used to basketball shoes, but being a runner at the same time makes me feel a bit more used to the idea of the insole feel for the Kobe 8’s. personally, it’s a minor issue and just getting the hang of it til you feel it’s really a non-issue. but it could be to some people.
Running shoes have fabric on the top layer of their insole, too. Not sure what you’re talking about – we must be talking about different things.
nope. I’m talking about runners. runners have different insoles and have a large variety which differs them more from the casual basketball shoes. some have fabric and some dont. some have a certain grip and some have less grip. some have certain lockdown, etc… I know this because I’m also a runner. as I have mentioned, this type of system is a new implementation for basketball shoes that has already been used for running shoes. that is why I said that the Kobe 8’s are the closest thing that are to a running shoes.
also, this is the reason why I said it’s a non-issue for me because I have tried certain types of insole and lining construct of certain running shoes, some of which have a bit of sliding as well which for me as a runner is insignificant.
Are you going to make a performance review on the Melo M9?
Loved your review on Youtube about these…I know you stated that if purchasing these you should get your true size (10) however last year I had to go a 1/2 size up and a few sites are saying this as well..Should I risk getting the 10 or would you recommend getting a 10.5??
For guard play what is better these or the CP3s. If you had a choice what would you choose
If you had a choice would you chose these or the cp3 vi for a guard position since you ranked that shoes as number 1 for guards
So for yourself personally between the kd V and the kobe 8 which one are you liking more
Happy Holidays!
It’s a bummer that your feet are slipping inside the shoe due to the lack of lining.
Ill put a thin sports insole in these so a can get the advantage of lunarlon or crazy glue a Schools insole fabric top. Exactly…they purposely do something to screw these up each year so, they can do something different in the next model. I have to become a carpenter, astro-physicist and a grandiose designer when I work on these things.The Kobe X will finally perfect it, when he retires. By then his ankles will need more than Lunarlon 🙂 just wondering what would happen you just put a thin ortholite in it’s cup shaped mold and fitted it perfectly so it didn’t move. At least it’s not the system of the Kobe 7 :-(. I also picked up the… Sorry “copped” (industry standard) The Melo 8 Advance in Knick home colorway today. Great price…couldn’t refuse… I’m more of a guard that tries to play like a big man so, I’ll have to try them on court Thursday in 2 days. Have a Merry Christmas and a great new year! All the best…
How is the transition in this?
Hey nightwing, I’m not as rich as some people here and so I buy new basketball shoes every 2-4 years so would you recommend the KD Vs or the Kobe VIIIs for, I guess you would call it, durability and lasting? I’m on the fence with both but leaning towards the Vs from this teaser…
take the kd5, they are made with hyperfuse which is one of nikes strongest materials when upper construction is concerned. the sole might pose a problem due to the soft rubber but the design of it seems pretty sturdy, if I were you i’d nike id them with xdr rubber or just try not to use them on outdoor courts, indoors the kd5’s will last you a very long time.
For a quick guard, would you recommend these over the KD Vs?
is it realy light??
Where do you get the elite socks? And would you say the Kobe 8 is very durable
I may be wrong, Kobe 7 insole gave me an additional fit and cushioning with stability.
cuz Kobe 7 insoles are designed for Kobe.
I tried to ride on 8 with AJ 2010 insole, AJ’s are a little bigger than Kobe’s
Guys, in some early topics about this shoes, i found out your opinion or it will be better say quarrel for this insoles. I don’t understand why in this quarrel about system someone said that KD V and other shoes isn’t a good option for custom ortothics. I have my KD’s V and all i do was just removed insole from shoe pernamently and put there my customs. So why is so bad to do it? If i good see there is no one of the nike system in this insoles. Problem will be in kobe VIII, where lunaron is as a insole itself. And they version with zoom are more reasoneble for that.
I’m not sure who said that putting custom orthotics would be a problem for both KD V and Kobe 8’s, but so far the custom insoles are alright on both shoes.
now i can have a jordan 2012 lunarlon lol…
I’m not sure if you mentioned this but do u prefer Micro G foam or Lunarlon?
i guess the slipping makes it an easier pass for me.. i don’t know how you can say this is a good shoe with the slipping.. that for me would already be a deal breaker..
Hey dude…I don’t know how this even works or if it does, but you are pretty well known online and in the “community”, Have you considered contacting shoe companies for endorsments or like…wear testing? Alot of people take your reviews for consideration. Makes me think someone should be paying you for your thoughts or at least give you some shit for it. Your opinion is pretty valuable. they cold even make there shoe better with more input, maybe even yours..worse they could say is no thanks.
Same as on of the questions posted above – Is Kobe 8 better than CP3 6? Those are the two shoes I’m choosing from right now.
just got the kobe 8s – havent played in them yet – and have a pair of aj2012s that i can pull the midsoles from. would you suggest i do that? i mean is the slippage on the 8s such that its not even worth messing with if you have the aj2012 option?
I’m sorry if you commented and I missed it but do they fit true to size?
is this shoe good for forwards?
Is it possible to remove the midsole and put your own sole in the schoe? I have soles for my injuries and they look very thick in the pictures!?
i want to buy the kobe Viii,i have the free run size 12,5 Can i take the same size? Thx
Where can I get the AJ 2012 insoles?
My kobe 8 insole have gotten pretty thin and run down right under the ball of my foot. Do you know anywhere where I can get a replacement insole?
Sir, any updates of the best socks for kobe 8? Planning to buy Kobe 8. :>
Hi sir, any updates of the best sock for the kobe 8? Planning to buy kobe 8. :>