The Good New Days – BrandBlack Force Vector Premium Performance Review

Is it bad if I can’t stop smelling a shoe? Wait, let me explain…

Do I even need to still explain my love for all things leather? Maybe not ALL things, but shoes, yeah. Right now, no company is doing premium materials like BrandBlack. Really, not even close, from a performance standpoint.

Leather may be outdated, expensive, kills animals, and creases and wrinkles after wearing, but nothing smells as good as a new leather shoe when you open that box. Nothing feels as good, to me, as a good, broken in leather shoe that is formed to your foot and bends where it should and flexes where you want it to. The original Foamposite (not the plastic trash out now) promised that the shoe would mold to your foot during usage. Leather beat them to it. Forget it – let’s play…

MATERIALS – Did I mention thay are leather? Thought so. Upper on the black pair is leather and suede around the ankle collar, heel and tongue. The tan pair is Vachetta leather, just like what’s on the Pinnacle Air Jordan I, which costs over double what the Vector retails at. I will NOT play in the tan – can’t do it, sorry, it’s too beautiful. The black gets destroyed and sacrificed to the basketball gods. Jetlon cushion, JC2 traction pattern, and open mesh tongue. Here we go.

FIT – VERY true. Where the materials of the JC2 had give and made the shoe feel a little larger than true, the leather on the Vector, and the padding inside, keep the fit dead on. The collar is cut in a more traditional midtop rather tan the mid/low we have seen with shoes like the KD7 and JC2, but still lower than the Hyperdunks or Rose models.

The lacing system is pretty straightforward but does a great job locking the shoe with your foot. Width-wise, normal to wide footers will be happy, but you snow-ski guys will have to pull a little tighter. It can be done – muscle up!!! Movement inside the shoe? Never. However, like any old-school leather shoe, after some wear, the leather will loosen as it breaks in, so you may have to re-tighten during games.

Traction – For those with short attention spans – JC2. For those who want to read, as follows: On clean courts, it gets no better. On semi-dusty courts, you are still good. On a dirty, nasty, slimy, 24 hour Fitness court? Toast. But we all were. Only shoe that gripped that court was my CrazyQuick 1 from adidas. Is this bad? Not even. The thing I like best is the traction seems to let you move into your next motion. Some patterns are so sticky that it feels like the traction is TOO good – like it takes you a little effort to get out of the step and into the next one. Weird, I know, but think about it. The Vector pattern releases just in time to start moving again and lets the foot play free but still grabs when you need it. The blades are set wide apart so dust collection is no problem, but I would NOT recommend outdoors. First, the shoe is too pretty. Second, that bottom is gone faster than a Khardashian when the album flops. I have pieces coming off from the medial toe-off area from just indoor courts.

Cushioning –  Here is the fun part. Looking, the midsole is the same as the JC2, so this should be short. Should be. It won’t be (am I ever?). When testing the JC2 I felt some give and softness around the edges of the heel. Not so bad on straight up and down jumping, but coming off picks for jumpers, when I plant my heel to turn into the shot, I could feel the edges mush out (very technical huh?). On defense, when sliding, I could feel a little of the same.

The Vector seems to have solved the problem. The heel stability is much improved in the sense I just described but none of the cushioning and fluff is gone. Forefoot – still great; it rides low and bouncy, like the Jetlon should. With no give from the woven upper, the forefoot feels quicker. With the leather to push off of and Jetlon to rebound, you are in for a super quick ride.

SUPPORT – Most of the support is coming from the upper and the materials. The leather upper wraps the foot and fits almost perfect on the foot, and when a shoe fits this well stability and support naturally increase. There is no outrigger but the widened base in the heel and forefoot keep you upright without feeling clunky (so glad more brands are going away from the outrigger). There is a midfoot shank but it is a small TPU piece just meant to support the midfoot arch area. This allows the shoe to flex like a Dirty South rapper and move with your foot without fighting and stressing. The heel cup is a normal height – just right above the heel line of your foot – but again, it isn’t overly stiff so it holds but flexes. For a leather shoe, flexibility and playability is smooth.

OVERALL – Quality, performance, style, and durability. Four keys to a great playing shoe. What else is there to a great shoe? Design? The Force Vector Premium has that too, in spades.

If you give the shoe a couple of wears to break in, you will have a glove for your feet: a shoe that learns your every move and stays right with you. If you are looking for a leather shoe with bounce, fit, and traction, the Vector is dead on. Priced at $160 originally, I believe they can be had for under $100 on some sites now. Don’t be scared – I won’t say I told you so too loudly.