Air Jordan XVIII (18) Retro Performance Review

18 down… 5 more to go.

Traction – When you played on a clean floor then it was some of the best traction featured on an Air Jordan. Dusty on the other hand had a pretty nasty affect as it tended to stick to the rubber like glue. Wiping consistently is needed and playing outdoors wasn’t the best. You had either one extreme or the other with the Air Jordan 18… either the traction was great or it wasn’t… there really wasn’t an in between.

 

 

 

 

Cushion – Their cushion was amazing and like my experience with the more recent LeBron 11… there was almost too much cushion. Not only do you have a full length Zoom unit running under foot but its also double stacked in the heel. Like pillows. Yes, I would have personally preferred something a little firmer but if you’re after cushion… these will take care of that and then some.

 

 

 

 

Materials – The materials depend on the colorway. You have two options… leather or suede. Both are great and high quality but the leather will likely provide you with a tad bit more support than the suede did.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fit – They fit true to size and lockdown was decent but awkward to lace up. The little plastic lace loops for heel lockdown were needed but if you use those… they’ll break. If you don’t use them then you have a sloppy fitting heel. I chose not to lace them up as they’d have broken then I would’ve had a sloppy fitting heel and broken parts on my shoes. I guess you just have to pick your poison.

 

 

 

 

Ventilation – Well… they tried putting ventilation into the design but it really just seemed like an afterthought. The ventilated tongue was actually laughable. When I was done playing I’d fold down the little overlapping enclosure and it would be soaked… the vented tongue worked but was rendered completely useless with the flap.

 

 

 

 

 

Support – Like the Air Jordan 17, the Air Jordan 18 was designed with an aging MJ in mind. The upper itself wrapped the foot well but some of the softness that comes with the suede would lack a bit of support – leather uppers would be a better option to resolve this issue. However, the underfoot and torsional support was great. You have a full length Carbon Fiber torsion/ spring plate built into the sole plus they reinforced the insole itself with additional Carbon Fiber. This additional support coupled with the increased cushion was to aid MJ with his Plantar issues.

Overall – Another fun shoe to play in, and probably one of the better models to play in when it comes to Jordan Brand’s later signature models. If you can find a pair to play in, I’d recommend it just so you can have the experience. But if you’re looking for higher end performance then you might want to look for a pair of 19’s… spoiler alert.