Aaawwww yyeeeeaaaahhhh!!!
Traction – The CP3.VI & AE had some of the best traction ever available on a performance model. While the CP3.VII isn’t quite as good overall, it still performed vastly better than one would give it credit for upon first look. Jordan Brand used a pretty nice rubber and it was able to perform perfectly on multiple court surfaces and conditions. Outdoors, they weren’t as good as they were indoors but they still got the job done and they will hold up better than last years model on an outdoor setting. Better than the CP3.VI’s traction? No… but its as close as you can get especially when you consider that it doesn’t look ‘special’ upon first glance.
Cushion – Podulite and a Zoom unit are in place in pod form, similar to the IPS system from the Air Jordan 20-23. You’ve got to give them some time to break-in but once that happens you’ll receive low, responsive cushion that takes care of each step in all of your strike zones. This is one area that was great than the CP3.VI by a long shot.
Material – This will vary by colorway. Some colors feature synthetics while others feature leathers. This particular colorway featured leather and I loved it. Not only was leather in place but the side panels were coated with what felt like rubber. This adds durability and support. We all know how much I love a shoe made of proper raw materials… they did just that and I enjoyed the heck out of them.
Fit – They run true to size and lockdown is perfect. Period. Last year had some issues present but this time around there were no such issues… something I was extremely happy about.
Ventilation – For a sneaker styled and designed similar to a 90’s era shoe, they are very well ventilated. Anything outstanding? Not really, but the perforated side panels allow for enough air to flow to be comfortable while allowing heat to escape. Can’t ask for much more when you consider the materials in place.
Support – With the enhanced fit and lockdown, the support is increased greatly. There is a TPU shank in place for torsional support – as with most shoes nowadays – so you aren’t really lacking anything at all when you look at the entire $125 package… not bad. Great fit and lockdown which add support and you still have free range of motion for the ankle… awesome.
Overall – I personally find these to be better from an overall standpoint when directly comparing them to the CP3.VI & AE but score wise, they were pretty much identical. It really comes down to personal preference as far as the materials are concerned – at least to me personally. There are a few models that I hold high on my personal favorites for 2013… these are definitely one of them.
Air Jordan XX8, Nike Kobe 8, Under Armour Anatomix Spawn and the Jordan CP3.VII… those are my top shoes right now – no particular order… just based on my personal likes/ wants/ needs.
Great video
It’s a great shoe but I’m looking for full length ventilated areas,foam that’s firm but comfortable and the only shoe close enough is the crazy light 2
ua anatomix spawn
I’m actualy stickin with adidas because they are a good brand and their products are comfortable and lightweight which is why I buy shoes that are in the crazy light line
The US Anatomix Spawn seems like it has all those attributes and is a better shoe overall. Why stick to one brand only?
I’ve been wearing adidas since is like seven and because I feel like sticking to one brand sometime ill buy a couple pairs of nikes I seriously don’t wanna argue I got a new email so still the same person
It’s about what shoe works for someone
Yeah, that is fair enough, was just saying that you should give Under Armour a go. I always used to wear Nike, so I guess I am still partial towards them, but these days I am more willing to try different brands out.
I just ordered a pair of UA MicroG Torch 2s from Eastbay along with some Adidas Real Deals, so I will see how both those shoes go.
Really keen to check out their MicroG cushioning as I’ve never had a pair of their shoes before. I will also probably get a pair of UA Spawns at some point too.
First one to Leave a comment and view the video! This shoe looks great! I have been watching your stuff for a while and since I just got into shoes your site has been great! Maybe I missed this i the video, but does it fit true to size?
Scratch that about being the first one!
Great review as always! And since I can’t really find the answer elsewhere,Do you happen to know if the black and red colorway features a leather or synthetic material?
Agreed, I like that you chopped off some fat, got to the points and still had your personality expressed in it, damn I am gonna pick these up too, same colorway
Great vid man. So many choices, not enough money. LOL!
Just got these in black and red the materials are so versatile in feel and durability and not too bad on wide feet my foot slipped right in i have yet to find a problem with cp3 vi vi ae and vii i think these shoes are made more for people with normal to wider feet however shoe by shoe they are being produced for the general crowd although i did not experience it in the vi i can see how a narrow foot can slip out easy but overall i like the versatility given the low price point
The nike crusaders seems like narrow ?
i got tthe same CW in the mail today and like a *&^%#@ i f’d up and bought the wrong size. I also saw the BRED version and damn those are nice!! By the way, any one watch the New season Open Court last night? they had the Red Metal Lebron 11’s in a glass case – they looked nice
Do you guys feel that the VII is more stylish than the VI AE?
Do you guys think that the VII is more stylish than the VI AE?
I wouldnt say its more stylish the ae pops more but that depends on the colorway i love the vii that i have but the ae is still my favorite
I want to buy a low top, the last low top i had was the kobe V and caused me plantar fascitis to both feet…after kobe V ,i played in jordan retroes (11,12,13) ,under armours and kd v. I like the kobe 8 but i believe it has minimal support and it is to flexible for a basketball shoe…i am afraid of buying kobe 8’s.. whats your thoughts??? kobe 8, kd vi or cp3.vii???
Dude i developed PF on my left foot when i played Kobe.8’s. i had to switch to Bron’s which helped a bit. But after getting Sidas semi custom orthotics, im now enjoying my Kobe 8’s on league games again. I just place the orthos on top of the Lunarlon and readjusted the laces. Thought this my help you.
My cuz who bought the Kd VI’s had his foot pains increase, he prefers his Kobe 8’s more. He’s almost 200 lbs and just 5’8″
man it has gr8 suppor
i would say its better than a lebron shoe
just bc is low top doesnt men its not supportive
it has gr8 support
i am afraid of them because they are very flexible and may cause me plantar fascitis again, i am 1.90m (6′ 3”+) 85kg (187 lbs) and i am playing guard…lebrons to heavy but kobes to lightweight hahaha… i cant even use my custom orthotics in the kobe 8’s but love how they look , so it would be stupid to spend 140 usd and having a problem…i dont know what to do though…Thanks NoQ for your help.
Yes the 8’s do have awesome support, My doctor explained my situation well. My PF is not because of the Kobe 8 and how flexible it is, but because i have weak lower body muscles and got back to intense balling immediately. He said i should work out my muscles first so i can take full advantage of the shoe.
Btw, aside from orthotics ( i had a video analysis of my gait, i was a severe pronator apparently), lower body workout and FOAM ROLLING (most especially), relieved my PF it’s now around 10% painful in just two weeks. I also took anti inflammatories for 1 week.
Get the SKLZ TrainerRoller foam roller, it’s got instructions printed on it and they are great.
Also the Sidas Semi Custom Flashfit orthotics, especially the running specific are thin enough to sit inside the Kobe 8 flush. And the Lunarlon will mold to it after some time. Happy sneakerhunting!
Thanks for the infos.. i ll check them out…
in short…they suck. smh at cp3 shoes
Hey Nightwing2303 great job with reviews, thanks! But same very important question “Nightwing, would you say this shoe performs better than the kobe 8? I’m thinking of grabbing a pair if it is.” Or do you think we should wait for Kobes 9? Main issues that I have with CP3 VI durability as mentioned below, and the feel that I’am riding quite high so the court feel and stability is not perfect It looks that you ride lower and the court feel is better in kobes 8 although I haven’t tried them. I will definately have to change my shoes the latest next spring but if you could put some clarity here I would like to change sooner.
P.S Now I play in CP3 VI and they are really great shoes as you reviewed, although as you mentioned heel lockdown not perfect. Also I have durability issues (same with Jordan 26) I played in them for 6 month straight aproximattely 4 times a week and in the places where shoe laces go they ripped so it would be nice if you if possible include durability section.
Thank you in advance.
There is no ‘better’ shoe, just what works best for you. The CP3.VI rides very low, the 7s sit slightly higher. What I personally prefer was gone over within this review and I can’t properly test durability since I have to keep reviews moving. I can only give my opinion on how durable the shoe might be – I usually only mention this if I think durability might be an issue – plus each person wears shoes out faster/slower than the next person.
Good you got the solid color rubber outsole Nw, i think kicksgenius was ice skating with his Bel-Air’s outdoors lol. Great review man, i love this shoe but it’s 50 bucks above my budget right now.. Sticking to HD Lows as my beaters for now. Thanks again!
Did you get the orthotics fitted as well?
Nightwing i think it would be really cool if you did a 50 best basketball shoes of all time….based on your charts and your opinion.
if these dont require the insole i may consider these so i can use my ortho for flat feet..
havent heard anyone mention these colorways called bel air.. anyone else thinking of fresh prince like i do.. this would be a plus for me wanting to buy them for that reason though if you dont like the show than you would not buy that colorway.. or for that reason.
I was wondering the same thing myself. Every time I hear them say Bel-Air colorway, I think of the Fresh Price of Bel-Air.
CP3 said he lives in Bel-Air, so not sure if it’s just because of that, or also because of the TV show. I used to watch that show all the time when I was a kid. I gotta get the last couple of seasons on DVD as they stopped televising it here.
Hey nightwing2303 very good review as usual. I only have one question for you and it’s about their size. Because in my country the retailers won’t bring the cp3 vii on the stores i would like to ask, if you know, with which shoes you can compare these size-wise. Like if your wear the same size with the cp3’s as the jordan 5s, i can try on those instead and figure it out! Thank you in advance for your help!
Anyone who can help,i’ll appreciate it!
i tried these on today,and the “ride” of them seem a bit high. i usually wear my Kobe 8s,so im not sure if its just that the kobes are so low or if these are kinda high. any thoughts anyone?
No lie, I had my Kobe 8 on when I went to the store to buy these just now. Of course I tried them on first and going from the Kobe 8 to these does feel a little higher but not too bad. I think that once it breaks in, it should be fine but I do agree with the difference that I felt going from one shoe right into the other.
nightwing do you think this shoe would be fine with orthotics/insoles?
They should be fine. The insole is removable.
You’ve done it again. Just bought these and they do not feel like they will disappoint at all. I love the fit and feel. By the way, I got the Black/Red and they look great.
How did you get the black/red colorway? Do you know someone that hooked you up?
Hey Ice. Nah, they had them at the local finish line that I went to.
Hey is the black part of the upper a leather, suede, or synthetic, etc.?
What does AE and SE mean according to basketball shoe terms?
AE means “artisan edition”
checked these out in my local nike park (philippines) and I thought the side panels were rubbery hard but it was really soft but still has that rubbery texture to it. definitely can’t hoop in them because i’m a position 3-5.
You can ball in anything. Rondo played in Hyperposites. Turiaf and Cousins played in the CP3 6. Don’t let your position be the main factor when picking shoes.
why not? fajardo of the PBA uses CP3 6 dude. as long as it is comfortable to play then you’re good. 🙂
These are a solid pair of sneaks. I was balling in kobe 8. And they fit true to my Kobe size. I got thisCw. The materials are great. Never had a leather shoe before. Cushion is fantastic. Traction was a little weird at first. But broke in fantastically. Very light shoe as well. Just my two cents
Great review nightwing!
I ussually like sticking to a certain brand for a while and nikes killing it. They are monopolizing the market with jordan brand too. Performance wise everything Nike and Jordan are releasing (signatures) are wrecking it.
nightwing do you have info about which of them has leather upper and which has synthetics?
This colorway and the black/red are leather. The black/blue/red with clear sole was synthetic I think.
I was supposed to wait for Melo’s new shoe but I decided to grab a new pair of hoop shoes since one pf the pairs that I was hooping in gave up on me.
I would like to thank nightwing for his reviews which helped me narrow down my choices, and I have to agree that the fit and materials (i got the same colorway, chose between these and the black/red pair) are great. Looking forward to hooping in these really soon.
.
Dear Nightwing,
I am a PG and usually around this time of year I get the latest hyper
dunk model. However this year the hyperdunk didn’t change much.
So I’m now deciding between the CP3.VII and the Superfly2.
Any suggestions?
Go for cp3 vii dude. SF2 is heavy
Hey nightwing do this pair have a shifter or gearbox on the front outsold of the left shoe?
nightwing i have a quesion im a shooting guard / small forward and sometimes point guard jeh pretty weird but i have a question if i am small forward most of the time should i get the cp3 vii or the ua anatomix spawns
ps: i watched the reviews well
If you are 6’3″ or under then you can wear any shoe that makes you comfortable – Guard shoes included.
oh cause im like 5.5 and i was stuck in a top 3 i made kobe 8 , UA anatomix spawn or the cp3 vii and im pretty quick what would you sudgest
is this more of a mid cut? what a shoe that has a similar cut?
Quick question; D’rose 4 or Jordan CP3VII ???
I just got mine and they look great ^_^
Hey night wing, I’ve had issues with my ankle before and was just wondering about your thoughts on the ankle support in these shoes. I wear an ankle brace for my bad ankle so it shouldn’t be too big of a problem but I just wanna know your thoughts since I don’t wanna buy a shoe that might handicap me in that department, thanks! Your reviews help inform my decisions a lot.
Hi, I’m looking for a low shoe and I’m having trouble with deciding between a pair of CP3.VI AEs for $99, a pair of CP3.VIs for $90, CP3.VIIs for $125, 2012 Hyperdunk Lows for $60 or Lebron X Lows for $135. Which would you choose for the price?
Also I have a couple other questions.
-Does the rubber coating on the VIIs make them easier to clean?
-Which do you find to be the most durable, outsole-wise?
Thanks in advance.
I own ONLY the CP3.VII and the 2013 Hyperdunks. And I must say the CP3.VII is a my preferred shoe. Why? The more padded tongue, the leather, and not having really long ass laces. Even tho’, the Hyperdunk is a really really great shoe.
Do you prefer these or the superfly 2?
I have the two shoes. I prefer cp3 because I play guard. It’s lightweight, responsive yet comfortable. Superfly 2 on the other hand is more of a big man shoe, I’ll recommend it if you’re Blake Griffin.
Hey noq what’s your email I have some questions for you on the orthotics
this shoes cushion is better than kd 6 ?
Awesome shoe to hoop in. Lightweight, good cushion and support, and good traction make cutting on the court easy. They were comfortable wearing them the first time out of the box. Plus i found them for $80. I recommend them.
Nightwing, are these ok as big man shoes. I’m a 3-5 who puts a lot of wear on shoes, would these be a bad choice?
Hi nightwing, are these suitable for outdoor courts?
Hey Guys,
I have been playing in the same pair that Nightwing Review but I have been experiencing pains in the ball of my foot from the large hexagonal zoom bag unit. Is this a normal occurence? The fit on my shoe is pretty good with little dead space and I have been playing in the shoe almost everyday for 2 months but have experiencing discomfort as the edges of the zoom unit start digging into the ball of my foot. Thanks
I’ve had mine since February and i still get pain and blisters on the ball of my foot where the zoom bag is. Did yours ever break in or do they still hurt?
I only experienced it with the AE version and it did go away eventually. It was weird to have two different experiences with the same system though, never happened before in another shoe with the same tech.
I broke in mines after about 5 days (3hr/day) of playing outdoor with it. While new, the hex sole is higher than the other area. This mean more forces experience by the balls of your feet.
When breaked in, the soles will wear down and will be the same level as the other area of the sole.
Cp3 vii or Rose 4.5s????
Def the cp3 if you need cushion and a low with amazing support
If you play on your toes and like light and heel lock down roses.
BUT imo cp3 rocks for the price and quality
I would say Rose 4.5
Hey Nightwing,which is better … this or the Jordan CP3.7 BG ?
Anyone ???
hey guys just trying to decide which shoes to get..i’m just curious, for the Jordan CP3 7 how low ride u will get when the midsole already break-in? because upon first try at the shop it felt quite high for me n making me hesitate to buy this or the DRose 4.0..but i really love this material..someone help me?
these kicks are not low to the ground. I suggest Kobe8 if you want court feel or Adidas Crazyquick
Can anyone tell me if they will survive a moderately rough concrete outdoor court?
Dont think they will last too long because the back sole is only partial rubber(green rubber in the above pic). Once that wear down, the white part (foamish material) will be contact with the ground.
I’ve been balling 2 month of saturdays and it’s still awesome.
hi,
anyone know if these cp3.vii shoes are narrower or wider than cp3.vi?
the forefoot on the cp3.vi was just wide enough for me that I could get away with. dont want to go any narrower. im in oz and theres no stores around me that have cp3.vii (range of kicks over here is a joke not even large footlockers have them) I have to always buy online
I haven’t noticed any issues with the zoom area causing discomfort. I haven’t balled in these yet (trying to break them in first) but I’ve worn them around casually. Its weird. If I wear them for several hours my heels hurt like hell. Not a friction pain like when you get a blister. It usually just starts feeling sore and progressively gets worse. If I sit down for awhile and cool down when I try and walk again it feels like someone kicked me in the back of the foot. Its hard to describe and I don’t recall any other shoes doing this.
Wearing casually and playing is 2 different things. I wore mine around the house for 2-3 months to break them in, but it doesn’t work. This is such a strange shoe for me. I’ve played in them like 5 times, once indoors and the rest outdoors. Indoors these kicks hurt the ball of my foot, no blisters though. Then I played outdoors and the first 2 times, no pain, very smooth. Last 2 times, pain and blisters on both balls of my feet. I generally play 2 hours and it hurts by the time I’m finished. I still really like these kicks… just can ‘t play in them for extended time.
I got the CP3.VI AE also and i run those indoors… never had any pain whatsoever.
I have a same issue on bottom of my heel hurts. i dont know what it is the reason. It might be a factor defect or something else. i dont know.
this shoe is very comftorbale, but after like 30 minutes playing i have pain in my feet and alot of sorness, i feel like i step on the ground and there is no cushion,… maybe beacuse its not good for outdoor?