The Air Penny IV might be my favorite model next to the Penny II. Here’s hoping I don’t ruin these too badly.
Traction – The spirals have continued to carry over to the next Air Penny since the 2 and this time it doesn’t look to promising. Since flex grooves are throughout the forefoot they may do just fine but from a visual perspective… they just look bulky. Good thing herringbone is placed along the rest of the outsole.
Cushion – Same setup as every other Penny. Heel Air unit – original releases had a heel Air Max unit – along with forefoot Zoom.
Material – Look at that tumbled leather. It’s beautiful… and all over the upper. The leather is really soft so break-in time will not be required. Hopefully it’ll hold up.
Fit – The fit is one aspect that does concern me. With the simple one-piece upper and traditional hidden lacing system, they may not provide the best fit long term.
Luckily there is this giant strap that wraps itself around your heel and across the ankle… just like the Zoom Soldier VI.
Ventilation – The tongue is all you get which is another reason to worry about the leathers overall ability to retain its shape.
Support – Carbon Fiber, a wide base at the forefoot and a huge strap… they should offer enough support where you usually find it. However, the leather is still worrisome and could ruin everything else the shoe has going for it.
At this point the leather that I love so much is the one thing that scares me. Hopefully these will surprise me… in a good way. I’ll still think these are beautiful shoes whether or not they are awesome on-court performers.
When I used to play in these (grey pair) in the early 2000s, I remember angling my foot towards the lateral side just so I could make use of the herringbone. Not very safe but it’s what I did to get the grip I wanted.
I remember having these back in the day! Love these shoes.
I had the originals but destroyed them playing ball in them. They’re still some of my favorite looking Pennys. I don’t remember how they performed so I’ll enjoy reading your first impressions and review.
I remember playing with the all grey pair too, I was the only guy in the locker room sweating like crazy with out even putting a foot on the gym floor. These were such a pain to put on.
Definitely one of my favorite balling shoes. I never had the chance to play in the originals but the retro were good enough for me 3 years ago .
About the midfoot support on that shoe i am not sure that the retros have carbon fiber in it. I tried bending the shoe at the middle to see how much pressure these could take and i ended up breaking (without too much effort ) that piece of material with the chess like pattern. I know that real carbon fiber is a lot harder to break.
I can imagine that they changed the material in the retro to save the cost which is too bad.
Had these back in the daisy age. Now thbere like some of wifeys friends. Bald old and in the closet.
should i get a half a size bigger? half size smaller? or same size?