Welcome To The Stealth Experience
Written: Sep 10 '07
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Incredible luxury, sumptuous liner, great cushioning, lightweight and breathable, excellent traction
Cons: Weird feeling under the heel, price tag
The Bottom Line: If you want a luxury whip for the court, this is your ride.
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| nikefreak's Full Review: Nike Air Jordan XX2 |
Does it really seem like there has been 22 Air Jordans to date now? This release has been somewhat overlooked, considering that the next shoe to be launched in this line is the vaunted XX3, corresponding with the great one's famous uniform number, so a lot of people are looking past this one. But I beseech you not to, since this is one of the better Air Jordans released in awhile.
Just holding this Air Jordan in your hand, you will immediately notice something entirely different: No straps, ankle leashes, bells, or whistles on the upper, just sleek premium leather. This is a far cry from of the last Jordans released, in which there was a bit too much going on in the shoe. It's nice that Jordan Brand decided to go with a sleek, streamlined look that really emulates the fighter plane it's modeled after, the F-22 Raptor. The beautiful, tumbled full-grain leather upper lends to a great fit and support. A second piece of synthetic leather is wrapped up at the heel and has double-stitching for added durability. Right above this piece, sandwiching the full-grain and synthetic leather, are two vents, one on the medial and lateral side that has metal mesh encased for a little more breathability. The stitching is made to look like radar waves, in which the Raptor does a great job of flying under these, in relation to the shoe being a stealth weapon for the court. The tongue has a tremendously detailed design called a tensegrity pattern, that is also used on the shank plate and inner lining (more on that later). It looks like miniature diamonds cut into it and provides a good measure of breathability. That, combined with the luxurious quilted inner lining that is raised in order to create a Sphere Dry stand-off effect, helps my foot breathe during long games.
The Sphere Dry effect is made possible by raising the fabric off of the foot, thus preventing cling when your foot starts to get sweaty; the sensation is unmatched and is a really nice feeling to have. The tongue (which has the radar wave stitching on it as well) also wraps around the foot for a locked-down feel in a partial-bootie construction that coddles my feet in comfort. It's not full-length, thus the partial (duh!) moniker, but it doesn't matter, as the inner lining more than makes up for that with its comfort. The sockliner raises all the way up at the heel, folding into a notch made of a higher density foam than the quilted lining that comforts the heel and feels great on the Achilles tendon.
The speed lacing system is very simple with a nice lace lock feature that you can move anywhere on the laces and lock them down effectively. The only disappointment I had was that the lacetips aren't metal for once; the majority of the Air Jordans released since the XIV have had this feature; alas, there is just a Jumpman and XX2 moniker on them in the good ol' plastic tips. The laces do go through two titanium-coated eyelets for durability's sake, but are modeled after the Raptor's missiles it uses. If you look at it, that's exactly what they resemble.
After all that work in the upper, move to the back of the shoe and you see a unique TPU (thermoplastic urethane) heel counter that stabilizes the foot on hard cuts. It's transparent and made of a a little harder density than usual, then coated it with a mirror effect. This resembles a cockpit and how when light reflects it, depending where, you get a rainbow effect. Same way with this heel counter, because the Jumpman logo is only visible under specific lighting and can be seen at different angles, a neat effect. It comes covered with a removable plastic shield to protect it from scratches. Above this, is the camo print that has "Jordan" written all over it, if you look closely enough. Again, this ties in with the overall theme of stealth. Overall, when moving laterally and lineally, the counter did its job wonderfully, locking down my foot and keeping it stable on the footbed.
The cushioning is where it gets interesting. The multi-density sockliner is perfed and has a raised metatarsal pad for support and comfort. The multi-density Phylon midsole is where the cushioning is at though. The shoe uses a cupsole construction, wrapping around the heel to work in conjunction with the heel counter to provide a stable base. My foot felt really natural in the hard cuts of basketball and this combination really did wonders for stabilizing my body. This Air Jordan uses the same setup for cushioning as the two previous ones, with some minor changes. The Independent Podular Suspension system (IPS) utilizes two different interchangeable Air systems. One is the vaunted double-stacked Zoom Air bag, the other being a regular encapsulated Air bag. The density has been changed to give each one a different feel, one being a smoother ride, the other increasing the cushioning. If you are wondering how one can possible change out the cushioning, here's how.
You raise up the sockliner from the shoe and the cushioning Air bag is removable, with a slot cut into each heel that fits each component perfectly. You just push up on the outsole a bit and the Air bag pops up easily and then you can change it out. This is a really cool concept and allows a person to tune their cushioning the way they prefer. Guards and forwards usually prefer the Zoom Air as it's incredible responsiveness is a boon on the court, while big men prefer the more stable, cushioned base of the encapsulated Air bag. I actually preferred the Air-Sole when just walking around because the Zoom Air made for an unnatural feeling because of it being double-stacked and also where it's placed on the heel. Because the designers wanted you to be able to tell what cushioning component you had in your shoe, there is a neat window cut-out in the heel that shows you which one is which, via the Air moniker on the white one, and the Zm (Zoom) moniker on the red component. But because of this window, the pod is not placed directly above the heel, making for a bit awkward transition and feel, especially with the Zoom Air unit. This is just a slight complaint in the whole cushioning aspect of the shoe; the concept is really quite cool and gives my feet great cushioning. Just so you know, there is also an encapsulated Air-Sole unit under the metatarsal head in the forefoot, so your entire foot is cushioned.
Of course all this cushioning goes for naught if your arch and foot aren't protected and this is where the famous titanium shank comes into play. Most of the other Air Jordans used carbon fiber, but this one goes for broke. It is much more ductile, flexing instead of cracking under heavy loads, very strong, very light, able to withstand extreme temperatures, has the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any metal on Earth, and is highly resistant to corrosion. Unfortunately, it's not all titanium, which the designers played around with but found out that 100% titanium and titanium alloy shanks did not provide the rebound characteristics the shoe needed; once the material bent or folded, it tended to say that way forever, not something that is needed in a basketball shoe. The majority of the shank is actually made of injection nylon, the equivalent of being TPU. But it is coated with real titanium and it does it's job very well. It's so large that it makes sure that the shoe does not flex under the midfoot and it also reduces weight by cutting the amount of foam used in the midsole. It uses the same pattern called tensegrity that the inner lining and tongue utilizes. I have a bad left arch and this baby really protects it well.
Even after all that technology, the outsole is a wonder as well. It has five modified herringbone pods inset in the clear rubber that wraps around the entire shoe. The traction pattern is modeled after a sergeant's stripes to visualize the honor of being at a high level, a nod to Jordan and the Raptor plane. The cut lines on the outsole also mirror the radar wave reflection that the Raptor utilizes. This stabilizes the outsole and helps the foot to flex naturally, which mine did perfectly. There are no flex grooves cut into the outsole, but the way it is constructed makes for a perfectly flexible shoe where you want it to be. The materials are also switched around as the IPS pods (the herringbone insets) are made of rubber while the rest of the outsole is clear; this was the exact opposite in the Air Jordan XXI. On the heel, flexible outriggers point out for a stable base, which does take some time getting used to, but once that is done, this becomes a sleek weapon on the court.
The low-profile box is even a marvel, with a camo print all over and has two compartments cut into the right side for your extra cushioning pods. It opens up from the top, like a burger box. It also has a peel-away serial number so you can authenticate your pair on jumpman23.com. This is to help combat the ever-present threat of counterfeit Air Jordans floating around there.
So, this is an incredible incarnation of the Air Jordan line and there are few drawbacks. The main one is the weird feeling you get in the heel when not using the Air component and the inherent nature of the clear outsole to wear away faster than usual. But if you play indoors a lot, this shoe is guaranteed to last a long time. It comes in four colorways, a white/black-red, black/red-silver, a limited edition "basketball" print one in which the entire upper looks like a pebbled basketball (for $5 more), and a white/red-black one that has Jordan himself screenprinted on the upper. This is a great basketball shoe, but you have to ask yourself if this is worth $175, especially with so many other great basketball shoes out there for much less. If your a Jordan fan, it's a no-brainer. For others, it's if your wallet can handle it. But be assured of this, this shoe is a luxurious ride for your feet and can stand up to anything that you put it through on the court.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 80
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