Nike Precision 6 Performance Review

The Nike Precision 6 is a nice little budget model that is all the more attractive when you take the price into consideration. The Nike Precision 5 made our list of the best budget basketball shoes, and these will probably take their place on the list. It’s a model better suited for lighter shiftier guards, but all in all, it’s a very solid budget option.

Nike Precision 6 Spanish Review

I should also mention that not much has changed from the Nike Precision 5, so if you liked that shoe you will like this one. Let’s get into it.

Traction

The traction is perhaps the best feature of the Nike Precision 6. The sole of the shoe is split down the middle and features two different traction patterns. One is an exaggerated herringbone pattern and the other is a radial pattern. The shoe offers multi-directional coverage and bites the court well.

The rubber compound is also on the harder side and the pattern is receded, so the traction should hold up well outdoors. One thing to note is that on the medial side of the traction pattern there are a series of nubs. Those probably won’t hold up too well outdoors, but the majority of the traction will.  

Indoors I only had issues on the dustiest of surfaces and even then it was just a quick wipe and I was off and running.

Cushion

The cushion was as good as you can expect from a budget foam-cushioned shoe from Nike. I liked the cushioning but that might be because my expectations going in were so low.

The cushioning is on the responsive side but there’s a bit of bounce in there, especially in the heel. The shoe was by no means slappy or stiff, and they had me playing comfortably for over 2 hours on any surface.

I think bigger, heavier players might not enjoy the setup too much, but lighter guards may really love these. Especially as a secondary, “beater” shoe.

Now if you love the looks of these, and I kinda do, you can always boost the cushioning with a pair of Move insoles.

Materials

Materials are probably the shoe’s worst feature, but to be fair, you cant really ask for much more out of a $75 shoe these days. You have a mainly textile upper, with some fuse areas and a cool iridescent swoosh. There is also a (I’m guessing) Precision 6 logo on the tongue and some basic laces as well.

The materials are as cheap as it gets but I really do appreciate the little details that Nike added. Whoever designed this shoe took the time to include some, all be it, silly design features to make the shoe feel more special and made them look like the takedown version of the GT Cut. I think that’s really cool and I will add that I love this colorway.

Fit

The shoe fits on point so you’ll be good to go with whatever size you usually wear in Nike. The soft textile upper needs no break-in time, which is good, but that softness does slightly affect the shoe’s support.

Support

The support is basic but effective. The shoe’s forefoot is wide and comes equipped with a substantial outrigger, which provides a stable base. There are also several lace cables along the upper that drive your foot into the foot bed. But there is no torsional support and on certain more aggressive moves, the upper just isn’t enough to keep your foot contained.

This only happened a couple of times when I was playing, and even then it wasn’t a huge issue, but if you tend to plant really hard when cutting or changing directions, you might want something with more support.

Overall

Overall, I enjoyed the Nike Precision 6. It’s one of the better budget basketball shoes out there right now, especially because it’s also one of the cheapest options. And that’s the thing, the price point makes them all the more attractive. There are other “budget” models you can pick up currently that might be slightly better than the Precision 6, but is it worth spending $30 extra dollars for those slight improvements? Not in my opinion.

And I will say that the team at Nike that designed these put some love into the aesthetics of the shoe and made sure they put out something attractive and different. That gets extra points in my book.

I’d say that if you’re a guard and you need a second pair of inexpensive shoes to beat up in practices or outdoors, this might be the best option available.

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