Take flight…
Traction – The Jordan True Flight takes the original Air Jordan 7’s tooling and redesigns it a bit for more modern performance. Herringbone was implemented onto the outsole which – in comparison – is a pretty nice upgrade. You can use these wherever you’d like… the traction is nearly perfect. Indoors, outdoors, moderately dusty courts and of course clean courts.
Cushion – Cushion is the same as the Air Jordan 7, both utilize a full length Air unit. I could have sworn that the original release of the True Flight featured heel and forefoot Zoom Air but I could be mistaken… but I’m almost positive that the Zoom was a huge plus in terms of an upgrade. As we all know, full length Air gets the job done and does so comfortably but it will lack some responsiveness. If these originally had Zoom then I wish they would have kept it that way… if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Material – The materials will vary depending on which colorway you choose. Leathers, nubucks and a combination of the two are the True Flight’s primary weapons of choice and I can’t complain about that one bit. However, each material will offer slightly different features in terms of support so if you want something that is more supportive then a leather based version is best. If you run with the nubuck models then you’ll sacrifice a little support but gain some mobility as the materials will take little to no time to break-in.
Fit – They fit true to size but I was pretty disappointed with the sloppiness of the toe. I need my forefoot contained and these didn’t offer that the way I would have liked. The Air Jordan 7 has a similar fit the but the way the lacing is structured allows for you to tie them up pretty tightly without an issue while these laced as tight as possible still didn’t resolve the issue for me. Midfoot and heel lockdown were perfectly fine and I have nothing to complain about from that aspect but my feet would likely be blister-free right now had the forefoot been more form fitting around the toe.
Ventilation – The ventilation isn’t horrible at all but when you have that sloppy fit in the forefoot then the moisture buildup is more noticeable. This in conjunction with the sloppy forefoot fit are why the forefoot of both feet are covered in blisters. Yes, I could have double socked it but I don’t like how that feels and I never wear double socks as it is and rarely experience this type of issue… unless the ventilation and sloppy fit work in tandem against me… then it becomes an issue.
Support – Again, materials will offer slightly different levels of support but the lackluster fit up front really is a drawback… especially the more I think about it while writing this all out. Luckily there is nice torsional support along with a huge outrigger for enhanced stability. Nothing horrible per say but definitely not something I’d consider an upgrade compared to their original counterpart.
Overall – They have some highlights. Traction and cushion being their greatest assets. Fit, ventilation and support on the other hand could have been improved upon a lot more than they were… or weren’t. Having played in both the Air Jordan 7 Retro and the True Flight… I’d probably choose the Retro over these unless I was playing outdoors. However, if you are looking for a Retro-styled model with solid features in key areas then these might do you well. Wide footers may end up loving them while us narrow footers will watch in silence.
If you wanted to grab a pair then you can now at Finish Line.
Thanks for the the great review Nightwing!! Like you said I will probably like the fit on these with my wide feet but the sloppy forefoot fit could also give me problems. Still a cool looking shoe for casual wear. I still thinks its nice that they have full length air those who need impact protection but I would have preferred if they had full length Zoom especially since they look good for outdoor ball while a shoe like the Hyperrev is not.
As a wide footer, you likely wouldnt have a sloppy fitting forefoot since your foot will fill up the space.
You’re right man. If only these had newer technology like dynamic fit to help accommodate more feet and give better containment.
Do you wear double socks when you do your reviews?
I go over that in the Ventilation section.
Is the dark grey thing between your socks and the shoe a brace?
I like how these were meant as a casual shoe but you reviewed them anyways…
This was meant as an updated Air Jordan 7 for on-court purposes, not casual use.
I have a pair of the originals from 5 years ago, they have full length air as well. The product descriptions were incorrect.
Oddly enough, I found the forefoot lockdown to be pretty good with the hidden eyestay lacing along the forefoot.
Interesting, thanks for sharing!
Nightwing I had a question that doesn’t really relate to your post. I,m 13 and don’t have many shoes so I have a pair of Tim Duncan foams which feature full length air which are my only shoes with air. I used to ball in those but don’t anymore since I’ve been going through growing pains. My question was that the cushion feels very uncomfortable to me and my legs hurt a lot after I play in them even before my growing pains. My question was that do all air units feel like this or is it something with the shoe that makes the air unit feel uncomfortable. I also have rose 4s which don’t help my legs either so I wanted to know what cushion system would help me because I haven’t played in zoom , lunarlon, or micro g. Anyways thanks for making great informative videos to help people like me with buying shoes for basketball.
NW, great review as usual. I just re-watched you video of performance topic #3 regarding lightweight shoes and running… you said “stats don’t lie”. I was wondering if you could talk about how your stats were with each shoe review. I know that a great performing shoe will not give you great stats, but I thought it would be nice to hear about your scoring, shooting %, points in paint, etc.
Well the stats I was referring to was the stats from the Nike+ sensors, they came back with the same ratings when I wore the heavier LeBron 10 and the lighter Hyperdunk. I don’t keep track of my shooting % in games. Never paid attention to it in regulated games and def don’t pay attention to it in pickup games. I just know when I have a good night or if I’m off.
Are you going to do a review on the Adidas Howard 4’s Nightwing?
🙂 nees
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