The World Balance Scottie 1 was a much anticipated shoe for the Philippine basketball and sneakerhead communities. We were simply proud that one of our own got a signature shoe by a local brand. It wasn’t the first time, but it had been a long while.
World Balance Scottie 1 Performance Review
Posted December 3, 2021
Based on the tech specs World Balance initially provided, I felt like this shoe would be a great on court performer. World Balance is on the come up as far as basketball sneakers are concerned, and I’m hoping that these will propel them into the mainstream. Filipinos should be proud that we have a homegrown signature athlete with a local brand.
After playing in the Scottie 1 and putting the shoe thoroughly through the paces, here is my performance review for the Scottie 1:
World Balance Scottie 1 Scorecard
Colorway: Red / White
Release Date: November 19, 2021
Style Code: –
Price: $70
The World Balance Scottie 1 is significant in many ways, not the least of which is that it is the first signature shoe for a Filipino athlete by a Filipino brand in a long time – around a decade actually. That’s quite a feat for a basketball crazy nation like the Philippines.
The shoe is Scottie Thompson’s signature shoe. Scottie plays for the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, the most popular sports team in the history of the Philippines. He is most known for his hustle (despite his size) and his clutch performances in the playoffs. Let’s take a look at his shoes’ performance. Is it the best basketball sneaker made by a Filipino brand? Find out now:
Traction
The traction pattern is made out of herringbone all the way through with red pods that feature the same pattern. I honestly feel like the pods could’ve been done away with, but they didn’t interfere with the performance. It starts out slick and slippery, but after about 15 minutes of play it bit like nobody’s business. There was no slipping anymore after the short break-in period. And, as is the norm with Asian-branded sneakers, the outsole is very durable. No signs of wear in the all the time I’ve played in them, a lot of which were on concrete. They’re definitely recommended for both indoor and outdoor hoopers.
Cushion
The shoe features a foam cushion set up. World Balance calls the foam S-Ride, which they claim will help propel the player from stride to stride and get that much needed impact protection. Personally, I feel like the cushion was on the more neutral side of things. And that’s not bad. They’re not bricks, but they weren’t bouncy or plush either. I didn’t really notice the cushion compression during play, but the compression lines are abundant so that’s one way I can tell is doing its job. The other, more important way, is that my feet didn’t hurt and my legs weren’t dead after two to three hours on court. If you’re looking for something that you’ll feel, this may not be it. But if you’re looking for a cushion setup that works without you having to worry about anything, then you’ll like these shoes.
Materials
There’s an internal booty that’s all free knit with thicker portions on both sides of the midfoot. Then, there’s a ripstop material that wraps around the whole upper to keep your foot contained. The heel counter is leather with a lot of padding inside. The materials were great and worked well together. However, much like the traction, you’d need to break these in before that crispy ripstop starts softening up. It’ll take a day or two of playing to do so. I will say that, at least for my pair, craftsmanship could’ve been better. There’s a small hint of sole separation on the right shoe and the red coloring on the knit bleeds onto the ripstop and my socks. If that doesn’t annoy you, then you should be good to go.
Fit
The Scottie 1 fits true to size. There’s no traditional tongue so customizing the fit is a bit tough. Narrow footers to regular footers will be true to size while wide footers can go up half a size. It’s easy to get your foot in and out for such a tight-fitting shoe. It isn’t suffocating, though. Just the right amount of tight.
Support
Support is the best feature of this sneaker. The lateral sway bars really keep feet on the footbed and prevent ankle sprains and twists. Torsional and arch support are also elite thanks to the shoe’s shank plate. The shoe feels rigid in hand, but it never felt that way while playing. There’s no true outrigger, but the base is wide enough to compensate for that feature. Combine that with the amazing fit and beefy heel counter and you’ve got yourself a very supportive shoe. One thing we all hate is being nervous about whether or not a shoe will accommodate our quick shifts and moves. No worrying needed with this one.
Overall
The World Balance Scottie 1 is a solid basketball sneaker with little to complain about. The traction and materials are solid after the break in period. The cushion works without being distracting. The fit is perfect and the support is just exceptional. Simply put, it is the best Philippine-made basketball shoe on the market today.
World Balance Scottie 1 “Finals MVP”
World Balance Scottie 1 “Reign”
First Impressions
Originally posted November 15 2021
When I saw the silhouette of the sneaker, my immediate thought was that it resembled the Air Jordan 34 Low, one of the best performing sneakers that was released in 2020. The way the eyestays are placed as well as the overall shape give off those vibes. And I’m all here for it. What makes these different from the Jordan flagship is that these have an internal booty construction which should make for a more snug and secure fit. True to size is the sizing recommendation of the brand and we’ll test that when we get the shoes in hand.
The outsole looks typical, but interesting. There’s herringbone all over and it’s hard to go wrong with such a set up. There are segmented portions in red, which leaves us to wonder whether or not that is for foam pods in the midsole, firmer rubber, or just for design. However, as far as I’ve seen, World Balance outsoles tend to last quite a while, which is great for Filipinos who mainly play outdoors.
The cushion of the Scottie 1 has to be the feature I’m most excited and interested in. Scottie himself said this about it,
“Actually, 2 conference ko nang nagamit itong shoes and wala talaga ako masabi sa comfort and performance talaga.” (Translation: I’ve actually used these shoes for two conferences and I am left speechless with the comfort and performance.)
The brand is calling this foam compound S-Ride, which they say “provides superior and responsive cushioning that will help you outlast your opponents all season long and add explosiveness in every step.” We’ll have to give these a whirl once we get them on court.
There are also the lateral sway bars, which are plastic pieces that come up both lateral sides for containment, and a torsional shank plate that’ll help reduce overtwisting the foot. A standard external heel counter is also present with the words “hard work,” faith”, and “discipline” etched all over it. Scottie credits his success to those three attributes.
Hi bro. Discord member here. Correct me if Im wrong, diba Accel is a Filipino owned sports apparel company and nagkaron na sila ng Caguiao and Asi signature shoes somewhere around mid to late 2000’s? Yung parang sapatos ni Shaider ang mga design lol. So hinde Scottie 1 ang first signature shoe from a local brand? Or maybe Im missing something out something? Thanks.
Story has been corrected accordingly.
As soon as these released, I went on the website to buy them. Turns out, they don’t ship to the U.S. Now I know how it feels when American companies don’t ship internationally 🙁 damn.