The Second Coming
Written: Aug 24 '07
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Superb cushioning, great fit and support, excellent detailing, lush inner of the shoe
Cons: Excessive weight, clear outsole gets trashed fast
The Bottom Line: Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the AF25 never seemed so luxurious; pick this one up if you fancy great styling and cushioning in one package
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| nikefreak's Full Review: Nike Air Force 25 |
I'm sure that everyone has seen the ubiquitous Air Force 25 commercial in which prominent Nike athletes such as Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Amare Stoudamire, Steve Nash, Rasheed Wallace, Shawn Marion, Chris Paul, Jermaine O'Neal, Tony Parker, and Paul Pierce wage a high-stakes basketball game, in the end, they are brought together outside a hangar, their white Nike jumpsuits billowing in the wind. Very cool and I can't imagine how much money that must of cost to bring that many high-profile athletes together! (Also odd, since LeBron, Kobe, and Nash have their own signature shoes; to be pubbing this particular one). It has been a rebirth for Nike to celebrate the 25th anniversary of one of the most celebrated shoes in history, the Air Force 1. This shoe has always been a trademark basketball shoe, but Nike has re-hashed it and made it into one of the best performance shoes that you can buy with updated materials and cushioning. Does it meet that challenge of staying true to its heritage while still updating the technology?
Depending on what colorway you choose, since their are at least 56 colorways out there (yes, I did say 56!), the upper is made of a seamless full-grain leather upper or a patent leather upper. I chose to go with the flashy choice and grabbed the black/white-chrome colorway, which has the black patent leather on it. Think of the Air Jordan XI's patent leather rand, save for this shoe has a lot more of the flash on it. There is are double-stitched molded panels running along the arch to the lateral side of the shoe for durability and fit. The shoe is set up pretty high, with my ankle being fully covered, as well as an ankle strap that keeps everything locked-down quite well. It's a very simple strap, with one side of it coming across the tongue which has the metal loop on it, while it meets with the Velcro strap on the lateral side to lock it down. I really like the strap because as a guard, I don't really like a restrictive feel and this shoe provides good enough support without me feeling like I'm wearing a brace. Also, the modified cupwall in the back of the shoe, as well as the molded Phylon foot bucket cradles your foot in support while still allowing flexibility.
Moving on to the inner of the shoe is absolute heaven. There is a full-length inner sleeve construction that coddles the foot in comfort. It also helps that the inner is lined with Nike's Sphere Dry material, in which it wicks away moisture from the foot while keeping the material from clinging to your foot, a nice little trick and oh does it feel so sumptuous on my feet! I'm almost tempted to wear no socks with this shoe, but I won't go that far; that's never good on a shoe to have my stinky feet directly in there; lol! The internal dual-pull lacing system is easy to handle and a great touch are the metal lace tips that are engraved with 25 stars. Can you guess what that stands for?
Now we go to the best part of the shoe, in my opinion. The full-length Phylon midsole has encased a full-length Zoom Air unit for maximum, responsive cushioning. But to make it even better, Nike placed a Max Air heel unit on the bottom of the Zoom Air unit to really cushion your foot. This amount of cushioning is insane and feels really good in your court battles. Of course, my foot loved the Zoom Air, as its perfection of impact protection, responsiveness, and court feel is unmatched, but I had the added benefit of the Max Air-Sole unit to stabilize my heel on hard landings. To say the least, the cushioning is really unmatched in any shoe, save for the Air Jordan's implementation of the I.P.S. system.
To deal with support and torsional rigidity in your arch, a midfoot carbon fiber shank is placed there. It gives very good support without allowing the twisting in the midfoot which is a very bad thing to have in a shoe. It's also very light and even better than say a TPU shank. It goes along with the overall theme of luxury in this shoe, placing premium materials where it is necessary.
The bottom of the shoe is a beautiful sight, with the clear rubber outsole intersecting the midsole at the heel and forefoot, while waving down at the arch. It covers over the heel Max Air unit so you can see the Air bubble, while it is stitched along the toebox and heel so it is reinforced. It's really beautiful to look at, the clear sole encasing the midsole, in a beautiful design. It wraps around the entire rim of the shoe, while an inset herringbone pattern is placed in the heel and forefoot, as well as solid rubber pivot circles for those ankle-breaking turns. I'm always a bit wary of clear outsoles; the look great yes, but to my experience, the traction isn't always the greatest. However, the rubber compound is very sticky, and if you are sticking to an indoor court, the traction is more than sufficient.
The detailing on this shoe is what really gets me. The construction is superb, you can tell how the designers wanted every bit of this shoe looked after and dissected so it was perfect. The lushness of the upper is evident in its stitching, the metal lace tips, the chrome AF25 symbol placed on the laces at the tip of the toebox, the "25" engraved on the heel, the perfect Swoosh encased in the clear rubber outsole, the carbon fiber being seen through the outsole, the 25 stars on the inside of the tongue, representing the 25 years of the Air Force One, the 52 stars engraved on the outsole to represent the next evolution of this shoe, and the sockliner with the words " 25 Years of Domination, personified by the Baddest & Best in the Game." The nice touch is that the words aren't screenprinted where they can rub off easily; they are built into the actual sockliner so it will stay for a long time.
The cons to this shoe? Well, yet again, as a guard, weight is a concern and this shoe is just a tad lighter than the brick that is known as the Zoom LeBron IV; at 19.6 ounces. It is a heavy shoe and this may hamper some of the guards who want a rocket for a court shoe. The court feel is good with the full-length Zoom Air unit, but it may not feel as low-to-the ground as some may want it to be, with the high midsole. This shoe is appropriate for centers and power forwards especially, but bigger shooting guards and small forwards can find virtues in it as well. I bought it because I wanted to see what all the hype was about, plus I just downright liked the look. I'm a sucker for patent leather and when those colorways came out, I just had to have one. The price though, may deter some people, as the Supreme Editions are priced at $175, while the rest of the general releases are $150, quite steep for a basketball shoe that isn't even a signature product. As I mentioned before, there are so many colorways that it is almost impossible to find one that you don't like. But if you can swallow the price, the shoe is truly quite good on the court, save for the excessive weight. Nike did a great job on this rebirth of one of the most popular shoes ever in history; let's just see how they can improve on the 50th edition of this fabled shoe.
I would give it 5 stars, but the excessive weight and steep price tag in a non-sig shoe make me give it four. 4.5 if Eps would let me........
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 81
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