We have MOOved!

You guys made it happen. I got enough response from you, the ballers/sneakerheads, to take this blog to the next level. My new and improved blog will hopefully be an even more useful and enjoyable experience.

So I'm gonna keep this short and just say thanks for your readership, encouraging emails, and input!

Without further ado... we've officially MOOved!
sneakerlivestock.blogspot.com

Performance Review: Nike KD1

For me, there's nothing better than the smooth, responsive, springy, low profile ride of Nike's Zoom Air technology, especially if present in both the forefoot and heel. That said, Zoom Air isn't for everyone, so Nike doesn't put it in every shoe - and that's completely understandable. But explain to me why Nike likes to produce shoe after shoe with Zoom Air in the heel, but not in the forefoot?

Basketball is a sport that requires quick, drastic changes of direction at the blink of an eye. Anyone who has played any kind of sport knows that in order to make these kinds of movements, you need to stay on your toes. So if players are spending most of their court time on the balls of their feet, why do the Hyperize, Shark-A-Laid, Zoom Kobe IV, Zoom Flight Club, Zoom Phenom, Zoom FP, Hyperdunk, and Zoom Sharkley all contain Zoom Air in the heel but have nothing in the forefoot??

I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the KD1 would be one of a rare breed that has Zoom Air in the forefoot but not in the heel. This attribute combined with the very affordable price tag (on sale at footlocker.com for $59.99 + Friends & Family = $53 shipped!) made it easy to grab a pair for testing.

I actually laced these up last week and warmed up in them, but they were much too stiff to play in straight out of the box. The midsole felt great (like a Huarache without Zoom Air in the heel) but the upper was very stiff and unforgiving (constructed with leather on the lateral side and a stiffer, patent leather-like material on the medial side). On top of that, the thin mesh tongue did nothing to improve comfort. So, I went back to the Soldier III for the day and spent a full week wrestling with the shoe, bending it and manually trying to wear down the upper by hand.


The thin mesh tongue helps breathability, but does nothing to cushion the tops of your feet from the thin uppers.


Stiff patent leather-like medial side (top shoe) vs the leather lateral side (bottom shoe)

Already knowing how thin and uncomfortable the uppers of these shoes are, I came prepared this week with a double layer of socks. This time around, they felt much better after they were laced up. The double socks provided the plushness that I craved, the uppers were considerably softer thanks to my manual labor, and the Zoom Air felt terrific under my forefoot.


The outsole pattern allows great flexibility while providing excellent traction.

The best way to describe the performance of the KD1 is that they're basically a poor man's Huarache 08. Midsole cushioning and flexibility was quite good, and ankle support was decent. I thought there was a slim chance that I would miss not having Zoom Air in the heel, but it never bothered me at all. Responsiveness was surprisingly good, as the traction actually felt slightly stickier than the Huarache 08. The footprint profile isn't narrow like the 2K4, but not super-wide like the 2K5, and with a listed weight of 15 ounces, the KD1's are a fairly nimble shoe. Lockdown could improve, as the upper isn't very sculpted and there are no straps to help the shoes hug the feet (early photos of the KD2 show a strap across the top of the foot).



The Bottom Line: The KD1 is a decent performing shoe for the price. For $88 (retail), you're getting a great midsole with Zoom Air cushioning, a very sticky outsole, and a clean looking signature shoe. However, the stiff and uncushioned upper makes the shoe uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time. Its minimal construction leads me to believe that this shoe will take years of punishment without breaking down, but obviously it'll take much more testing for me to prove that. I plan to continue wearing these and will follow up with an update down the road.

Performance Review: Nike Zoom LeBron Soldier III

I already know you're thinking it. A review for a LeBron shoe? Another heavy, bulky, boot-like excuse for a basketball shoe that only LeBron James himself can wear and not become exhausted after running up and down the court once?

Well you may have heard that the Soldier III is unlike any other LeBron shoe ever released. I was very skeptical when I went to Eastbay.com and saw their listed weight of 13.4 oz. It couldn't be possible - that's damn-near Hyperdunk-light (13.2 oz)! The previous year's Soldier II's weigh in at 17.4 oz... four beefy ounces heavier.

So what gives? Was it a typo? Could a LeBron shoe actually be that light? And even if it really is, does the shoe even perform well on the court? As the performance reviews started appearing on the internet, I read as many as I could find. Most were surprisingly positive, and after reading Nick DePaula's gushing review on Sole Collector, I just had to lace up a pair and see for myself. When I walked into Champs and asked the sales rep for the Soldier III's, he asked, "You're going to ball in them??" As I explained that I had read positive reviews, another sales rep overheard and said, "You're actually gonna play in those boats? You're gonna have massive calves by the end of the night!"

After 2 outings, I'm happy to report that their assumptions were wrong.

Before I begin with performance, I'm compelled to comment on how great these shoes look. They don't look like big, heavy work boots like the other LeBron shoes; the shape is very practical and sensible, and no part of the design feels forced. The swooping, curved line from ankle to toebox combined with the two large velcro straps are dramatic, yet clean, and most of the colorways are very sharp (I could do without the black/camouflage).

Out of the box, the shoes feel amazingly light but solidly built. I contemplated cutting the straps off as Nick DePaula did, but I wanted to try the shoes out as Nike had engineered and intended them to be worn (and this particular colorway doesn't look right without the straps). After I had my feet in the shoes, I wrestled with the straps as they did indeed get in the way of lace tying, but that was easily remedied by simply stepping on the straps.

With the laces tied and straps in place, I noticed right away that the lockdown throughout the entire shoe was very good. Nike's use of a ballistic mesh upper was a great choice since it trims weight off the shoes while providing durable, consistent flexibility (leather continuously breaks in and eventually becomes too soft). I paid special attention to the upper strap, as I squeezed the area around the ankle part of the shoe before securing the strap; I found that extra step to provide amazing heel lockdown.

During play, the familiar forefoot and heel Zoom Air cushioning provided a great and responsive ride. Traction was terrific, and the straps really helped lock down the shoes. I thought the width of the straps might restrict bending of the feet, but it was never a problem. Lateral stability was very good with help from the straps and patent leather. The shoes were initially laced all the way to the top, but I found that it put unnecessary stress on the tongue, which in turn pressed on the top part of my ankle. Lacing them up to the second-to-last eyelets proved to e perfect.

These feathery-light shoes were true extensions of my feet as I never once noticed the "presence" of the shoes (except to think, "Damn, these are amazing shoes!"). Yes, I'm saying this about LeBron shoes!

The Bottom Line: The Zoom LeBron Soldier III really does prove doubters wrong with its amazing light weight, playability out of the box, forefoot and heel Zoom Air cushioning, and terrific foot lockdown. Not only did these immediately carve out a spot in my top 5 performers list, but they'll also turn heads whether worn casually or on the court. As the different colorways hit outlets and sale racks, I'll definitely be adding more pairs of the Soldier III's to my playing rotation.