Crossover Culture Sniper LP Low Performance Review

One new brand, three new performance models. The Crossover Culture Sniper LP Low performance review is up next.

You can find the Crossover Culture Sniper LP Low available at Eastbay.com

“Surprise” is the best way to describe my experience with the Sniper LP Low’s traction.

Despite having solid rubber and a multi-directional pattern, I found myself wishing for a bit more bite. There were sections of the outsole that provided that bite for me, but they were in areas of the outsole that I rarely use. This experience was only present for the solid rubber version of the tooling — again, major surprise; I’ve also been playing in Crossover Culture’s other two basketball shoes, both of which feature the brand’s translucent rubber options, which have been very consistent for me on every floor I’ve taken them on.

It’s rare, and always surprising, when a solid rubber outsole is lackluster compared to its translucent counterpart. However, there is a bright side: when I took the Sniper LP low outdoors it gripped the asphalt better than most of the shoes I own. Not sure why, but for whatever reason, these gripped the outdoor surface like glue.

My take: If you’re playing indoors and wanted to try these guys out then go for the models featuring translucent rubber. If you’re playing outdoors go for the solid rubber option.

Crossover Culture is introducing its LP cushioning system, a system that the company claims will provide the same type of cushion for the life of the shoe.

I’ve been playing in these models for a couple of months now and I can attest that the cushion feels the same throughout the experience. However, if you’re looking for that super plush bouncy/springy type of cushion then you won’t receive that here.

Yes, there is a nice Ortholite insole with an additional heel EVA crash pad for added step-in comfort but that isn’t the main cushion source. This is a dual-layered system featuring a thin proprietary top layer housed within the CMEVA carrier. The carrier midsole is manufactured in a way to promote stability and durability so it rides firmer than something like Boost/Lunar. I never found it to be too firm and wound up feeling like I was wearing something similar to an adiPrene+ or modern day Micro G (OG Micro G was super bouncy).

If you wanted a bit more of that cushion that you can feel underfoot vs the dense absorbent cushion then an insole swap would be a viable option. I recommend going up 1/2 size in the shoe if you plan on swapping the insole out.

A TPU-coated knit is used throughout the upper of the Sniper LP Low and this is probably my favorite aspect of each model in Crossover Culture’s lineup. The materials were done properly from the jump, which is rare for a new brand — especially when it’s easier and cheaper to go with a heat-welded TPU upper (fuse) rather than a material that has multiple steps of manufacturing to go through.

The knit is just like what was used on the adidas Dame 3 so if you enjoyed that shoe then you’ll likely enjoy this shoe as well. I will say that I wish the brand hadn’t heat pressed as much of the material as it did; this caused the knit to melt into itself and seem more like a fuse upper rather than a true knitted upper with added strength to each strand.

Doing this also limited the material’s ability to breathe. That wasn’t a deal breaker for me, but I just found it interesting that the brand went with a knit and decided to turn it into a fuse rather than just using fuse and keeping the Fortune LP — another performance model in its lineup — as the brand’s true knit sneaker.

One major plus to using this type of knit, even with it being heat pressed on most of the upper, is that it still moves like a knit. While it seems like a fuse, and contains like a fuse, it moves like a softer knit — especially once you start to play in it with your body heat, which I thought was pretty cool. The final plus is that this build is durable. Indoors or outdoors, the upper will serve you well.

The fit is a bit tricky. The Sniper LP Low definitely runs a little small, but all of my pairs are my true size and they’ve all given me a great one-to-one fit. However, if you’re a wide footer, prefer a bit of wiggle room, or wish to swap insoles then going up 1/2 size is what I recommend.

Lockdown was decent in the Sniper LP Low, but not great around the ankle. The main throat of the lacing structure works well all the way until you get to the top eyelet. I never had any heel issues, but I think that was due to the snug fit. Upon certain lateral movements I felt that the collar’s cut could have been more at a traditional slope rather than the shape that it’s in now — which looks awesome, but would have contained a bit more had it more more traditional. It’s something the Sniper LP Low’s higher cut counterpart had no issues with, but I’ll get into that in its performance review.

Overall, the fit and lockdown were adequate, and get the job done, but they could have been more refined.

The typical support features you expect in today’s footwear are all present on the Sniper LP Low with the exception of a more pronounced outrigger.

Crossover Culture’s “wishbone suspension” plate worked well for torsional support and allowed for fluid movements. The internal heel counter could have been a bit stronger, but what’s in place works well enough. My main issue was the lack of an outrigger — it’s a feature I’ve gotten accustomed to over the years. While they originally started out clunky and cumbersome, I’ve really grown fond of lateral outriggers — even smaller ones are better than not having one at all.

While the Sniper LP Low never had stability issues, there were times when I’d put a bit too much weight at the lateral forefoot and wish there was something there to backup the movement so that I could quickly recover and continue the play. This issue is really me complaining about my own poor footwork, but I’d still would have liked to have seen a bit of an outrigger. Maybe on the next model.

For a new brand, Crossover Culture did nearly everything right. The Sniper LP Low doesn’t do any one thing exceptionally well, but it takes care of nearly everything you’d need on-court without any frills or gimmicks involved. It’s a very well-rounded model with nothing to hide.

If you enjoy the feeling of being light on your feet and having a shoe that compliments a quick first step then you’ll enjoy lacing the Sniper LP Low up and taking it for a spin.