LeBron’s Soldier line has been pretty successful and to be perfectly honest, most of them offer you more bang for your buck on the basketball court when compared to say the LeBron 9… something built to the exact specifications of LeBron James.
Traction – Overall, the traction looks and feels great. The rubber is pliable and we have exaggerated herringbone throughout.
This type of herringbone is wonderful no matter the court. Whether you play indoor or outdoor, these should do just fine.
Post players even get some extra attention with the implementation on herringbone on the heel.
Cushion – Forefoot Zoom Air and bottom loaded heel Zoom Air is used along with a lightweight Phylon midsole. Everything feels good from a try-on standpoint & I’m no stranger to Zoom Air so I assume the cushion will be one of this shoes best features.
Material – Fuse is used along the entire upper in very similar fashion as the LeBron 9 Elite sans Flywire. It’s not restrictive like it was in the multi-layered LeBron 9… if you have tried on a pair of LeBron 9 Elite’s or worn a pair on or off- court then that is the feeling the materials bring. Simply put… it’s good and I like it.
Fit – These fit true to size. No noticeable hotspots are felt and the collar lining is nice and soft without stitching knots along the tongue so a variety of socks can be worn easily without any chaffing.
Ventilation – This area is nearly identical to the LeBron 9 Elite. The more I think about it… these are a stripped down and much more affordable version of the Elite. Ventilation in the LeBron 9 Elite was perfectly fine… much more air flow and ventilation than what you would receive from the Hyperdunk Elite and almost the same as what you would get from the Hyperdunk 2012.
Support – This is the area that is good and bad. The materials fit and strap will offer you the most support overall but they are lacking midfoot support.
The rubber outsole is full length without any shank in between the heel and forefoot. The two white sections are Phylon.
And this is what happens… I can fold the shoe in half. No torsional rigidity whatsoever so you may feel some overextending in the arch and may have some slight lateral stability issues with increased weight and torque.
Overall, I think the Soldier VI will be a better bang for your buck sneaker. They come in at $120 which is something I don’t quite understand… we have shoes from the same brand featuring less cushion and ‘tech’ that retail for the same price or more in some cases… not sure where Nike is pulling their numbers but to me, this was a steal at $120.
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in terms of cushioning tech i would say the lebron ambasador 3 and 4 would have the best bang for your buck. they also feel like the soldier 4 and 5 but was $85 only. they had the same midsole construction. i tried the amb 3 and soldier 5 the amb 3 was just fitting smaller and a bit higher of the ground. but cushion was the same. i still bought the soldier 5, the iguana cw looked cooler. hehe.
I’ve never had the chance to get the Ambasador being in the States but the tooling is the same which is great for those who prefer Max/Zoom combo. The LeBron line in general is a best bang for your buck lineup not including his overpriced signature.
Looks and sounds good on court to me. No demand on them so I’ll just wait for them to hit outlets.
They will be outlet bound sadly.
def. looks like a well rounded team shoe. not too bulky, its sleek and sturdy
exactly
may be an arch support insole could fix the problem?
Just bc there is no arch support doesnt always mean there will be an issue, so far they have been outstanding.
I don’t believe the other shoes in the soldier line had a mid foot shank either. At least the iiis dont and those are some of the best shoes I’ve balled in. I don’t think the lack of support should hurt the performance too much.
I think you are right. The lack of midfoot support hasnt been a negative at all.
Looking forward to this review. This looks like a nice performer on the court.
Nice preview….do these fit like Lebrons 8, 9 or my favorite Soldier III?
how about trying to experiment something.. taking the CF palte from the AJ2010, and trying to place it with a thicker insole than this shoe’s insole, making sure it wont move? haha anyway, nice 1st impression. at first i thought i should’ve waited for this upon buying my HD2012 and HF2012. well, i bought the better ones than this! nice job NW!
$120 im not complaining
do you know anything about this shoe
cuz I cant for fucks sake find any more inf than this
http://www.zappos.com/adidas-pro-model-zero-ii-white-smooth-black
i their legit. i saw these in an adidas store in our area. its micoach compatible too.
Nice preview,
Are you planning on reviewing the jordan super fly ? i was hoping for a comparison between the two because i will probably cop one of them.
Really excited you picked these up for review. I tried them on at Niketown a few weeks ago and had very similar thoughts. The midfoot support was my only concern. I can’t wait to see how these work for you.
Also, have want echo the above request for a Jordan super fly review. Those are intriguing too.