u/Chaos_V11

Preface/Introduction:

The Nike Sabrina 4 has just come out, which means that the 3 is on sale. If you ever wanted a light guard shoe that can do most things pretty well, I’d definitely vouch for this shoe especially if you can find it on a really good discount.

Design:

The Sabrina 3 looks like a mixture of the first two shoes with less stand out design features. The colour blocking is really cool and if you really want to spend the extra money, the “what the” colour-way is really good looking.

Fit and support:

Absolutely no issues with the fit of this shoe. It should accommodate most foot types well due to its wider forefoot in comparison to the 2s. The containment is also really good as the outsole hugs on the side of the shoe, meaning that your foot won’t push out the side when stopping laterally.

I didn’t feel any lace irritation and the laces do make my foot feel secure, due to the fly wire cables on the side doing a great job of keeping my feet locked down. The heel doesn’t slip and nothing digs into my Achilles tendon, making it a great feeling shoe overall.

Cushioning/Bounce:

The Sabrina 3 uses cushlon with a small, low volume zoom air unit in the forefoot. This is very low profile, meaning that if you’re someone who is looking for court feel, lightness or speed that this ticks all of the boxes for you. Because if it’s low profile, it means that it has very minimal impact protection, so if you’re looking for that, buy the KD17 as they’re around the same price on discount. the KDs have better impact protection and bounce whilst still feeling somewhat light.

Traction:

These have pretty good traction. I play on dusty courts and have never really had to wipe these as they seem to eject the dust well. Don’t expect GCU performance, but as far as regular rubber compounds go, these will do the job nicely.

Summary:

If you really want to get introduced into the Sabrina line, like Kobe’s or want lightweight shoes that look decent for a budget buy these on sale.

Preface:

I am aware that the Air Jordan 35 is about 4 or 5 years old at this point and that the 41 should be coming out soon, but I really feel like this shoe deserves a mention in the hoop shoe rotation.

I’m not a foot doctor nor am I someone who looks into Nike/Jordan tech, but what I am is someone who has played in these long enough to give a recommendation.

Design:

This shoe, like almost every Jordan shoe that has the number 5 next to it, shares a very similar design philosophy to the Air Jordan 5. Although I will say that these don’t look as street wear compatible. I own the Luka Doncic pair and although they’re ugly in my opinion, the performance outweighs the looks.

Support/Fit:

These fit TTS. I always go half a size up in any basketball shoe I own aside from the Harden Vol 4., but these do fit quite snug. There’s no pinching, and the shoe does a great job of keeping you from sliding out of the side when going for lateral cuts or slides.

In regard to arch support, these shoes might just be the best basketball shoes I’ve ever owned. The eclipse plate elevates my arch, allowing me to feel closer to the ground when landing and moving at higher speeds. The laces are supportive enough and I’ve never felt like my heels were slipping out due to the heel cup having decent padding.

Cushioning/Bounce:

The shoe appears to use phylon and two massive exposed zoom air pods in the forefoot and heel. This provides you with a lot of force transfer and makes you feel springy. The cushioning when landing is decent due to the phylon midsole being somewhat plush. However, I will say that there have been multiple cases of the zoom air units popping either due to constant use, or a sharp object piercing the pod. This has not happened to me due to the fact that I don’t play enough basketball (only playing 3-4 times a week), play outdoors at least once a week and have different shoes in my rotation.

Feel:

I don’t think Jordans were ever meant to feel lightweight. This shoe is no exception. Even though it doesn’t feel as heavy as most LeBron shoes, it definitely has some weight to it and you’ll feel it when playing.

The upper materials are very soft and plush due to the use of leather, so there aren’t any real concerns in that aspect. Breathability is below average and I have found my feet feeling quite hot in them after playing for a while but it isn’t a major cause of concern.

Overall:

I can vouch for this shoe as it is a really great perfomer. Can I say it’s worth its resale value? probably not. You may have better luck buying the Air Jordan 40 if you can find it on discount as they’re both low tops with great cushioning setups.

The more I’ve been sinking into the basketball shoe/sneaker rabbit hole, the more I’ve noticed a trend in shoe reviews and that is the obsession with impact protection. As someone who is quite athletic, I used to be hung up on that myself until I realised that the more protective shoes often times felt clunky and heavier, giving me the feeling like it’s slowing down the way I play.

So, I looked for shoes with more “minimalist” setups and they themselves had a new issue. Either the foams were too stiff, or there wasn’t enough impact protection to make the trade off worth it.

So I wanted to ask if you guys value impact protection over court feel. As for me, court feel is a non negotiable , as long as the cushioning is good enough to absorb impact.

So, I’ve been hearing a lot about the Volanti Rocket Air (was previously called the 911, I believe). many ”respectable” reviewers such as FDZ and Nightwing from weartesters have reviewed the shoe, saying that it is indeed, quite good. But then, I’ve come on Reddit and seen mixed reviews, with some saying they’re overrated, have mediocre traction or inconsistent lockdown. Others are saying that they are quite close to the Gamma 1, just with slightly worse traction, and better than the Li-Ning Liren (which are supposed to be the more affordable Gamma). The reason I’m asking this question is because in they are quite affordable when converted from dollars to pounds they are approximately £118 (yes I’m from the UK), and I’m wondering if they’re worth the gamble or if I should just get the Joker 1 GT for £106, or the EQLZ NXT 360 for £97 (even this has mixed reviews, but I am trying to see perspectives here).

Hi, I’m looking for some new basketball shoes as I haven’t really had the best luck with them. maybe it’s poor choice, or defective products but I’m not sure.

Background:

I’m a 24 year old (not sure if age really matters), 6’3” SF or PF (for now, training to become an SG instead). I weigh 93.5kg or 206 lbs (also planning to lose weight to about 200 or 198).

I wear a UK size 11 in basketball shoes although I’m a size 10.5 in regular shoes. I’ve got average width feet with a mid-arch.

I’m mainly a slasher who also loves shooting mid-range shots. I do run around a lot and jump quite often, so I’m looking for a shoe with decent cushion but also some good court feel.

I play a lot of scrimmages as it’s currently the off season, meaning that I’m usually on quite dusty courts, so good traction is non-negotiable.

Shoes I’ve tried:

I’ve bought a few basketball shoes, most notably the Air Jordan 35 low which is a great shoe, but just feels way too heavy for me. I like the responsiveness of the zoom air and love the eclipse plate that balances my arches, but moving around in them feels quite clunky for me as I want a shoe that allows me to move around quicker.

I’ve also had the Adidas Dame 6 which was pretty decent, but had pretty bad traction and lightstrike wasn’t the best, bottoming out very quickly.

I have a pair of Adidas Harden Vol. 4 but I hate how they fit. The midfoot band suffocates my arches and gives me severe foot cramps. Not to mention the horrific traction.

I bought a pair of WoW AC12 Encore and they tore my right big toe open. Had to return them even though I loved the traction and cushioning.

Bought a pair of Puma All-Pro Nitro 2 but they feel like they won’t have any court feel whatsover and my heels sink into the shoe, probably giving me the same result as the AJ35 Low but worse.

As for the shoes I’ve been looking at, they’d be the Nike JA3, Nike Sabrina 3, Nike KD18, WoW 808 5 Ultra V2, Anta Kai 3, Li Ning Liren 5V2, Adidas Harden Vol. 10, Joker 1 GT and the WoW 11 (as they’re on sale).

The only issue is that I’ve been hearing a lot about the Chinese brands, but I’m not sure I trust their sizing. They’re either too short or too long and they aren’t easy to return. What do you guys think?

I recently got back into basketball and needed some new shoes.

I was looking for new basketball shoes to replace my Harden Vol.4 as they were absolutely wrecking my arches with the midfoot band and had horrible traction on every court I played on.

After searching for a while, I found out about the Way of Wade AC 12 E. Everyone I watched and even looked at on Reddit said they were fantastic shoes with no visible complaints. So I was sold. I bought it on discount for £75 or $100. I’m normally a UK size 10.5 or US 11.5 but in basketball shoes I always go half a size up, meaning I got these in an 11 which should be a US 12. They felt nice at first, I loved the cushioning, the traction and the containment around my midfoot, but after wearing it for a few hoop sessions, they started giving my right big toe severe blisters on the side of the toe and underneath (I don’t want to post photos of my feet, otherwise I’d have shown the damage it did).

I initially thought that the uppers needed time to break in, but after my hoop session today where my big toe started bleeding, I had to come on here to write this post.

I wanted to make this post to ask if anyone else has had this issue and how they solved it. I really don’t want to buy another pair of shoes when I don’t hoop professionally. If I was to get a new pair of shoes, what would you recommend? My budget is £123 or $165 max.