It’s time for one last Performance Teaser on the Air Jordan 2012 prior to the full review.
Hit the jump for more…
In my initial First Impression, I assumed the traction would do well based on the fact that the design was similar to herringbone and the rubber was very soft and pliable. My assumption was correct and the traction has been nothing short of awesome.
The grooves are nicely spaced apart allowing for greater ground coverage along with helping keep debris and dust out from in between your soles and the floor. With the smaller squares place in specific high wear areas of the outsole, this allowed for even greater ground cover along with some additional strength to the soft rubber used.
One area of concern for some consumers will come from the durability factor in the rubber itself. While being very pliable makes for an increased amount of friction between your foot and the floor, it also means that with above average wear and tear the rubber may not last too long. This isn’t an area of concern as far as indoor basketball is concerned but more so with those who play outdoors. In an outdoor setting, it’s safe to assume that the rubber will not last very long so if you play predominantly outdoor you will want to look elsewhere.
The uppers are wonderful; I truly mean this 100%. They are flexible and non-restrictive which allows you to maneuver freely. With the Flywire being exposed you would typically have durability issues being that it’s so thin.
However, the leather panels are placed in high wear areas to protect the Flywire base without restricting movement or creating hotspots within the virtually one piece shell. The leather is nowhere near as brittle as what we had seen last year with the Air Jordan 2011 and it can take a beating without sacrificing the original structure.
The side panels can end up getting their fair share of bumps and bruises, especially if you drive into the lane often. Again, the leather panels are in place for a specific reason and have a purpose… while most have complained about aesthetic design, in my personal opinion, the functionality of the design in place is what makes the shoe such a great performer and in turn you end up truly appreciating the design featured on the silhouette… that is if you are a Sneakerhead that understands that these sneakers are manufactured to do far more than look good with a pair of Levi 501’s.
I absolutely love this shoe, far more than I could have imagined. Jordan Brand is very much underrated as a performance brand due to the fact that they have essentially whored out the Retro aspect of the culture which in turn has saturated the market with trendy sneaker enthusiasts rather than those of us who remember that elephant print once flew from the free throw line to the rim in effortless fashion.
The full review will be made available soon but until then I will tell you this… these are one of the best performance shoes to come from the Air Jordan Legacy series since the Air Jordan XIII & Air Jordan 2010… period.
the nike id site featured these 2 days ago when they were having problems displaying the kd4 id. i guess they will be replacing the aj2011. they could have an outdoor outsole option. i hope they would have but i also hope to have some cash too. haha. wade 2 and these would be good for the ID.
If they go to nikeid they will prob have the XDR option which would help out with a lot of consumers.
Great tidbits of information my man! Cannot wait until the official review! Sounds like they are a great shoe, and i’m highly anticipating some more colors to release, as i’m not a big fan of the YOTD or “Dunkman” if you will…as always man, great stuff!
Thanks bro!
i just hope the whole system comes out in black/white. i can’t imagine balling in gray/limes or gray/carolina blues.
Those grey/ carolina blues are sick!!! Lol
aye if u liked the d rose 2 then are u gonna review the d rose 2.5s
I will, first impression will be up next week.
So do these beat the Fly Wade 2’s? Also, how is the breathability?
Ill get into more on the full review. The wades are great but their fit limits the amount of players who may want to wear them. The 2012s should fit most foot shapes a lot better.
so which insole/fit do you think is best for an attacking guard? sorry if you were planning on going through this on the full review
also… kinda going a little off topic but how do you like the kobe viis traction? i got a pair but the grip is taking absolutely forever to break in
I went over the cushion system in the previous performance teaser.
looking forward to the full review. well done with the teaser, and i agree with you that JB is being underrated in the performance department coz of the retro thing.
Thanks man! Review will be very soon.
I agree with you, Jordan Brand, when it comes to the Air Jordan line, is focused on making performance shoes, PERFORMANCE, that’s what all the kids going out and saying “they need to retro, they should do only retros” actually need to shut up, because most of them didn’t even see MJ play. But other than that point, it’s all about performance, I don’t see Ray Allen or Joe Johnson playing in levi jeans. It’s performance, if you don’t play ball then don’t buy them. Also, great reviews man!!!! I really like your performance review videos, they are excellent!! keep up the good work.
Thanks for the input and compliment!
Nightwing are u still wearing ur hyperdunk 2011? If not can u do a give away please because hyperdunks in new Zealand cost 250 NZD are 200 USD and it’s way other price and the Blake griffin hyperdunks are the ones I am dying for but I cat find any. Please
I keep my past performance models to use as references with the newer models released.