Li-Ning has to be the best kept performance secret I’ve ever come across. For those of you who hadn’t been aware of the brand until recently, they’ve actually been around for quite some time in China and decided to branch out into the U.S. market roughly a year ago. I know it can be difficult to try out something new when Nike, Jordan & adidas saturate the U.S. footwear department but if you have any faith in what I say then you will be satisfied with a purchase.
Hit the jump for more…
The Turningpoint’s traction didn’t look to be impressive. Yes, there is herringbone in place – which is great – but with it being utilized in such small spaces I had thought there would be some grip issues. Fortunately, that is far from what I had experienced.
Li-Ning uses a very soft rubber compound (may not hold up outdoors) which allows the design to stick to the floor perfectly. At this point, some of the best traction I’ve come across this year has come from the Air Jordan 2012 & the Ektio Post Up… these beat both of them. During a fast break I needed to stop – quickly – and I was able to do just that… I actually stopped so quickly that I wasn’t ready for it and nearly wound up on the floor. Sharp cuts, crossovers and quick aggressive stops are a breeze and turned out to be a welcomed surprise.
The foam cushion is like nothing I’ve ever felt. When you try them on it feels like any other foam based shoe & you can’t feel how impressive the cushion is until you are in action. They weigh in at just over a pound but you wouldn’t know the difference between a lightweight shoe and these since the midsole is able to take all the pressure off of your body unlike anything I’ve felt before.
Trying to describe the feeling they bring isn’t an easy task. I ended up thinking about how I could describe the cushion most of the night and the only thing I could come up with… absorbent.
I’m not only impressed with their overall performance but I’m surprised that they have their products listed at a mere $99.99. I would honestly pay more for them if I had to. There are things I would tweak a bit but they’re mostly cosmetic changes with a couple of performance tweaks.
Are these a candidate for performer of the year?? If so i’ll definitely get a pair.
Id wait a bit longer before Id answer that. They are one of my favs to play in right now.
how are you liking the cut of the shoe? does lacing them all the way up there restrict too much of your range of motion?
Its not as bad as it looks. I lace them up to the second to last eyelet and theyre good to go.
I would love to own a pair of Chinese shoes that perform great like these. But damn are they ugly.
Could you compare the cushioning to one of Nike’s cushioning?
Air max – protective cushion
Zoom – springy cushion
Lunarlon – bouncy cushion
Cushlon – a bit mushy once broken in
Li-Ning – absorbent
Does the BD Conquer and Defend have the same cushioning set up cuz found it on ebay and it looks pretty awesome.
Nit sure to be honest
*not
Whaaaatt?? this beat the ektios (a perfect 10) AND the jordan 2012 grip wise? What kind of godlike traction is this??
Its that super soft pliable rubber lol
Interesting performance teaser, very much surprised that it is this good so far. Looking forward to the full review.
Try Peak if you can. The Chinese brands are all in.
Id love to but the only model they have avail in the US is Kidd’s old model.
at least these are better than anything reebok has to offer
Yes they are
Are these any good for wide flat feet???? cause i bought the rose 2.0 (bad mistake) and it kills my feet…
Haha, i had stated the 2.0 were narrow. The Turningpoint may be a good fit after theyre broken in and same goes for the Villain.
hey nightwing just wondering will you be doing a comparing article for the hyperdunk 2011 elite like you did for the kobe 7 elite? THX
I was thinking about it. Not sure at this point but ill try.
will the traction hold up on a dusty court too?
Yes, depends on just how much dust but theyve been good to me so far.
Which are better the villain or the turning point? for a point guard.
Personally, i prefer the Turningpoint
DAMN!! These are UGLYYYY!!!!! O.o
where can I buy these, when I go to the li-ning website, it just shows a picture of Dwayne Wade