Any Sneakerheads In The House?

[Ventruck]

Kobe AD (2018-2019)

I really like these. This colorway is up my alley since black is as reliable as colors get, but the white toe band is just so appropriate to break up the look a bit. Materials aren't premium. You get the weird felt that kinda comes from the previous 2017-2018 AD, but it seems softer here. But I mean going down the list:

-Flexible upper
-reinforced mesh toe with fuse on the medial side
-padded tongue (and a dedicated pad where the knot sits)
- wide dynamic lacing system (and there's only 4 loops)
- wide front base
- typical heel lockdown from a Kobe
- flexible outsole

A lot of smart and no-nonsense elements from the Kobe line. Reviewers were saying maybe go half size down, but for this colorway I'm not willing to cut anymore length and it's not too easy to put on either. Even with my narrow fit the lacing system doesn't bunch up the upper. I do like how there's reasonable space at the forefoot so your toes articulate naturally. Overall forefoot flexibility is great.

The tooling/platform is what may underwhelm some people. Runs a bit higher than expected for a Kobe. Bottom-loaded heel Zoom, which makes sense imo to maintain the response/court feel that is expected of a Kobe. Carrier foam is a question mark, which I'm just going to deduce as basic Phylon. It does the job. The Kyrie 4 at similar price point is better in this aspect with Cushlon, but the setup here works.

Nike resorts to using tacky rubber. I was breaking these in a bit on concrete and I'm not sure the traction pattern really grabs. I tend to rely on the edges a lot, and it doesn't seem to be the focus of this design. That slight hit of crimson is just a flex groove.

Compared to the 360 this shoe is feels much more predictable. With that shoe pretty much everyone gets wary of the traction pattern burning out, and if the 360 Flyknit can hold you in (imo it can). Drop-in's aren't everyone's cup of tea either.

The previous AD models sounded underwhelming (albeit looked good per typical Kobe standards), so I never touched those. The 2017 AD NXT was probably the true Kobe 12, but I felt that moved a little too flat with outriggers on front and back. The AD NXT 360 is actually a really cool shoe, but a bit over the top. This 2018-2019 AD is probably at the top of no one's lists, but so far feels like a very practical pair to live with. The Kyrie 4 and PG2 can be considered better for the money, but for all that is Kobe, this can be a good buy.

 

[Chris A Hardaway]

I'm on the fence with this one, I did go ahead and order the xxxii yesterday.. Happy with that.

I do think this is a shoe that will be made or broken by the comfort. Love the look of the sole... Remind me of a Kobe IV/VI which were classics in my opinion.

How do you like the 4 eyelets? @Ventruck would you say you get pressure points on top of foot or nah, padding is sufficient.

 

[Ventruck]

I'm on the fence with this one, I did go ahead and order the xxxii yesterday.. Happy with that.

I do think this is a shoe that will be made or broken by the comfort. Love the look of the sole... Remind me of a Kobe IV/VI which were classics in my opinion.

How do you like the 4 eyelets? @Ventruck would you say you get pressure points on top of foot or nah, padding is sufficient.

The tongue seems to be padded sufficiently. I can tie to feel a legit squeezing pressure if I wanted, with no concentrated "bite" from the laces themselves.

I'm usually mindful of that top bone of the midfoot when tying, and to be honest no issues right now. Last time I had 4 eyelets was the Adidas Crazy Explosive 2016, and they did the same thing with padding the tongue to make it work.

The materials otherwise move really well out the box. I'd also note that the collar also has a bit of a free moving structure. I like that because I hate when my ankle chafes on some lows. The heel sculpting and lacing seems to provide the support.

 

[Pospaintballer]

A few new pick ups.

 

[Pospaintballer]

Cp3

 

[Chris A Hardaway]

@Pospaintballer Just a grand or two in shoes... No biggie. LOL!!!!!

I love the Oilers colors on the Cactus Jacks.

Those levi's were a clean pickup too.

@Ventruck my bad, I went half size up from 11 to 11.5 on the Jordan XXXII, big mistake. The way the knit bootie works with the collar was ugly, even though I could lace up to fit. No bueno. I don't think I would have liked those like my M10 (XX8) or my jordan XX9 for hoops anyway.

 

[Jontoad]

might be a shade too light on the blue, but close enough i think. the burnt orange is spot on.

 

[Dallas O Hog]

I need those

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

 

["TRUMP"]

All of you have very pretty shoes. Just remember the important things in life too

 

[Ventruck]

Got the LA Bron 16 today. Best player on the best team, which happens to be my team...of course I grabbed these immediately.

Wears similar to the 15, but you do feel more planted. Traction is like the Soldier 12, so you at least know it's more reliable and predictable. The upper is a mixed bag. Stupid-easy to put on, and yet despite all the lacing options, I'm not getting the exact feeling I want out of them. I mean they don't slip or have serious dead space, but it's not like putting on a Kyrie or Kobe. I couldn't size down though. Really didn't feel like there was any length to spare.

It's not mind-blowing overall with that price tag, and I think that comes from mainly being an updated 15 — like, a more functional 15. It's good in that sense, especially if fit works for you.

I'm showing them here in a more casual arrangement to showcase the numbers. Right now I switched over to making use of all the eyelets above the numbers.