u/realityryan

I finally unboxed Ink, completing the pack alongside Ocean Fog and Camper Green. Ink is easily the most vibrant of the three in hand. Gorgeous? Absolutely. My favorite? I still can’t pick one.

When I started buying this pack, I figured I’d finish with a clear winner and enough critiques to bring those insane resale prices back down to earth. Instead, I’m sitting here with three pairs, no winner, and very little to complain about.

These are the best quality Nike SBs I’ve ever had in hand, and it’s not even close. Materials, construction, execution, attention to detail — it’s all there.

I’ve owned plenty of SBs with REALLY nice materials. What separates these is how carefully those materials are put together. On my pairs, I couldn’t find a single glue stain where the upper meets the sole. There's extra stitching where sock liner meets the eyelets. The material cuts are straight and clean. The little finishing details that get overlooked on otherwise premium sneakers actually feel finished here.

You don’t need to have opened hundreds of sneaker boxes to appreciate them, but doing that makes you notice how many opportunities there are to fuck something up.

The colors and blocking do the heavy lifting here. Each pair is striking, but there’s a quiet confidence to them. They remind me of a sleeper dad SUV pushing 600 horsepower at the wheels. No giant spoiler, no spinning rims. Then you get close, hear the exhaust, and realize somebody put serious work into that thing.

That’s this pack. Understated from a distance. Ridiculous up close.

There’s no elaborate concept carrying the shoe, and the Supreme branding doesn’t overpower it. Beautiful colors, incredible materials, and construction that lets both shine. Give me those things first, art and storytelling are just a bonus.

Supreme surprised me here. I associate the brand with flash, but these feel like all substance.

We all have that one shoe that got us into the game. This was mine.

I was buying plenty of sneakers at the time, but I wasn’t really collecting yet. I just kinda bought stuff and watched influencers on youtube.

Then I saw the Rayssa Leal SB Dunks.

At the time I had no idea how to even get something like this retail, it wasn't on Nike.com. Shit, I think at the time, no Dunk Low SBs stayed in stock there. So naturally, I did like any noob and I paid waaaayyyy too much resale.

They were also the first openly feminine, playful sneaker I remember buying. When I wore these, I got compliments and questions from strangers. I like the backstory, of Rayssa and her personal touches throughout the design—it was just fucking cool to have art on my feet. That feeling hooked me, and a few years—and far too many SBs—later, here we are.

Coming back to them now, they don’t survive on nostalgia alone. The soft leather, nubuck overlays, beaded dubraes and debossed smiley faces make them feel every bit as premium as they are head-turning. They’re playful without feeling cheap or gimmicky.

I gave the mismatched lace swap another whirl for old times’ sake tonight, but I think the white laces with the beads probably look best. I thought about grey too... but then I figured I was way over thinking it.

These are the ones that started it all for me with SBs and really with collecting (it was this or the fear 3s).

What was yours?

It’s a clean, simple and yet gorgeous colorway. I can’t think of an easier sneaker to fit. They’re even borderline boring until you reach the heel and see the brown and pink detailing. I liked every lace option with these—the brown, the white and, obviously, the signature pink. And yet I was kinda let down by this shoe after already having the Matchas.

What disappointed me wasn’t the simplicity of the colorway, I knew exactly what I was getting there... it was the quality of the white leather across the upper.

This is bonded leather—the mother fucking particle board of leathers. Scraps and shit pieces are cut up, glued together, pressed into sheets, and coated in polyurethane. It feels like cardboard to the touch and looks synthetic. It’s technically real leather; it’s just cheap, and thin. Push hard enough with your finger and you'll see some grain.

I understand why Nike used it. They wanted those white panels to remain perfectly smooth, without movement or imperfections. Finding large, flawless cuts of genuinely good smooth leather would have been much more expensive.

Anyways, the rest of the shoe is very nice quality. The grey nubuck around the mudguard is extremely premium, as are the Swoosh and materials around the heel. The sock liner is a suede like feeling material and super soft to the touch.

This is still obviously a fire shoe—but compared with the Matchas, I’m taking the Matchas without hesitation. They have better overall materials, more depth and some real creativity.

This r/NikeSB sub turned me on to the Yutos—and specifically the Matchas earlier this summer; I’m glad it did. You guys were right and I'm happy to admit I under estimated this pack.

Questionable leather panels aside, these are another great addition to the collection.

I like it when sneakers blend art, story and quality. That’s my holy trinity—the fucking perfect trifecta.

I’ll accept merely good quality when the art and story are exceptional. I’m much less willing to accept great art and storytelling when the actual shoe feels cheap. The Crenshaw Skate Club SB Dunk Low delivers all three in an almost perfect balance.

These have a slight Doernbecher feel to them. The painted leather panels resemble the kind of finger-painted artwork a kid might create, the translucent outsoles feature cartoon children, and the insoles carry messages about confidence and self-belief.

Even as an adult, reading “We’re the ones we’ve been waiting for” on the inside of the tongue, made me stop and think about some of my own recent hardships—and how much of overcoming them came down to believing in myself. That’s when storytelling on a sneaker becomes more than decorative bullshit. It actually connects.

The quality backs it all up. The upper combines soft suede with cracked leather, the translucent outsoles look fantastic, and even the insoles have this soft, suede-like finish. This is the level of material quality I associate with Nike SB, and these certainly don’t disappoint.

Apparently, this was a fairly polarizing release. I wasn’t back in the game in 2023, so I missed the original conversation—but looking at them now, I don’t really understand the hate. These are fucking fire and deserve to be mentioned among the better SB releases of the past three or four years.

They come with three lace options, with grey installed by default. The maroon was okay, but the shoe already has a slightly sleepy color palette. The yellow?

Fuck that.

It was like choosing the temperature in a hotel shower: freezing cold, vaguely lukewarm or scalding fucking hot. No reasonable option anywhere.

Luckily, I had a pair of baby-blue laces that matched the accents almost perfectly. That gave me the Goldilocks option I was looking for—enough contrast to wake the shoe up without overwhelming everything else happening on the upper.

Art, story and quality—these hit my holy trinity, and the baby-blue laces just helped them find God.

I've never really been a Jordan 13 guy but I'm warming up to them.

Higher-numbered Jordans are tough to love at times, and 13s in particular have always felt like a women's release to me. Maybe that's just my anecdotal experience based on who I've seen wearing them. Compared to the harder, sharper shapes of the earlier Jordans, the 13 is less aggressive, curvier, and more contoured.

So these sat on my “I don't know about those…” list for a while.

In hand though, this is one of those collabs that actually feels special. Not just a collaborator logo slapped onto a colorway Jordan Brand has been saving for a rainy day. There are little touches fucking everywhere: premium suede across the upper, creamy ripstop, reflective rope laces, plush quilted sockliner, holograms, watery wax paper and that clear box lid.

I wish more collabs were like this, an actual fully executed concept. For being so pricey though, they should come with some additional laces. The default set is great, super premium and reflective but I could go for another color or two. Also, is it just me or is it hard to find decent after market rope laces for these?

The suede/ nubuck is really high quality and the grey portion easily passed my smiley face test. The blue quilted areas are a bit roughed up giving some texture and depth.

The whole shoe captures this lazy summer day in the South vibe. Pale blues, creams, soft suede, ripstop, reflective laces—it all feels light.

With one last gasp of summer here in the Carolinas before autumn brings the earth tones and warmth, I found a deal on some 13s I actually like, at just the right time.

"These cut a fine line between clean and boring, and they couldn’t have walked that path any better..."

Having these in hand next to the sport royals is when it finally clicked for me: the other two sneakers in the pack are a Union Fragment collab. This is a Fragment shoe with a Union logo on it.

Full disclosure: I like the Sport Royals better as a shoe. The sneakerhead in me loves all that complexity—the interplay between colors, materials and textures, the long-haired suede around the upper, the raw leather peeking through the edges.

But the WBs have something the Sport Royal doesn't.

When you wear these, normal fucking people are going to say, "...Damn, those are nice sneakers!!"

It's your classic Velma vs. Daphne scenario.

We can argue all night about which one we'd rather date, but one of those girls is getting free drinks and "right this way, ma'am" and the other one isn't. And the Varsity Reds are fucking Scrappy-Doo. Somehow I just managed to offend Scooby-Doo fans and the sneaker community simultaneously.

And the laces, I don't hate them despite them not being cotton or waxed, they're substantially better than the cheap polyester crap you get on a lot of Jordans. These have a thicker weave, and much heavier feel.

And holy shit do they give you lace options.

All black: maximum boring.
All white: kinda better.
Yellow: not a fucking chance in hell.
Black and blue: the only laces you'll ever need in these.

These are a great addition to the collection. I recently sold my black-and-white AMM Air Ships specifically to make room for them; so they already have a job on the days I'm feeling more Daphne than Velma.

Unique storytelling and inspired design are what make a collaboration worth remembering. With the Guava Ice and Desert Moss arriving tonight, I finally completed the Union 4 pack.

The four came across two releases: “Tent and Trail” in 2020 and the 30th Anniversary collection in 2021. The 2020 pairs have the better colorways. Off Noir is easily the cleanest and most wearable; Guava Ice is the loudest fire shit of the bunch.

But the 2021 pairs are better built. Thicker cuts of nubuck, more substantial materials, better cotton speckled laces — even the alternates feel intentionally chosen to change the personality of the shoe rather than just give you another color.

What really impresses me, though, is that these haven't aged out. Plenty of collaborations were groundbreaking for their moment — Off-White, CLOT, Sacai — but some of that shit looks very gimmicky now. These still work. Union fucked with the Jordan 4 enough to make it unmistakably theirs and somehow anachronistically timeless.

Ironically, these releases were also absolutely murdered by bots and resellers. Years later, those same resellers are why I can find pristine DS and VNDS pairs to complete the set. Ain't life a bitch? I guess someone has to get paid to hold the dead stock.

And now Chris Gibbs is teasing unreleased Union 4 samples again.

C'mon, motherfucker... do it!

The Jordan 4 has seen more retreading than a fucking Discount Tire, and Union figured out how to make it interesting again in 2020.

Run this shit back.

Unboxing Thread With Misprinted Rare Air

Already available on most resell platforms for well above retail.

• Release Date: September 25, 2026
• Retail Price: $215

These things are absolutely fucking diabolical. 😈

I completely slept on these last holiday season. I liked the naughty-list/Krampus concept, but in photos? Meh.

In hand, these are a devious little creature.

The cracked leather genuinely feels like some kind of creature skin, with these orange undertones that almost glow through the upper. And the leather smells AMAZING. I stuck my nose in the shoe for a solid 10 seconds, then shoved my wife’s face in it. That's what she gets for buying me these for our 11th anniversary.

The details are killer too: the mischievous Krampus character, coal/naughty-list artwork hidden under the insoles, holiday hangtag, and even the pinkish Nike SB tissue paper. The whole unboxing was way better than I expected.

My only miss is the alternate laces. I would've loved a matching orange set, so I threw my own in and holy shit, there it is. Black looks great, but orange completely changes the shoe.

And honestly? Forget Christmas. These are a Halloween sneaker. 🎃

With all the gimmicky, half-baked themed releases we've been getting lately, this is how you actually execute a concept.

Absolutely love these. Nike SB cooked.

When I first saw these online, my reaction was basically: tacky, cheap and gimmicky. These aren't normally my thing. Give me premium leather, silky suede, quilted sock liners and waxed laces. These look like 1990 threw up on a Jordan 4.

I couldn't have been more wrong.

First, the nubuck is excellent — about as good as you'll find on a Jordan collab. But that's not what changed my mind. These are inspired, not tacky.

Too many collaborations take an existing shoe, throw a logo on it and call it a day. Union actually reimagined the Jordan 4. The translucent wings, altered eyelets, heel, colors and especially that folded tongue make this feel like its own sneaker while still unmistakably being a 4.

And that tongue might be my favorite part. For years I've looked at Jordan 4s and wondered: does anyone actually flip the tongue down? Why the fuck is the Jordan branding even printed inside there? Apparently Union wondered the same thing and built an entire design around it. I love it.

Even more shocking: I didn't swap the laces.

I usually swap because the stock polyester laces are garbage, or because the shoe needs another color to tie everything together. Neither applies here. The installed cotton laces are excellent and already pull the teal throughout the shoe. The blue alternates would look good, but honestly? They might be doing too much. These are staying exactly as they came.

And despite how wild they look on their own, they're surprisingly wearable. Jeans, chinos, office, night out — you don't have to build an entire outfit around them.

Quality control was also excellent. No glue splotches, paint problems, ugly cuts or missed stitching.

So congratulations Nike and Jordan Brand: you're approximately 1-for-30 on my recent reviews without a significant defect. 😂

With so many lackluster releases lately, going backwards and finding something this creative was refreshing. This is also my first pair from the Union Jordan 4 pack, and if this is the starting point, I understand the hype now.

These are exactly the kind of sneakers I've been missing from my collection.

"Surprisingly good GR, with one annoying problem..."

Got the Tour Yellows in yesterday and honestly, the materials are pretty damn good for a GR.

The leather is soft and thick, and I really like the suede/nubuck wings. They feel substantially better than the usual plastic wings, which can cheapen the look of certain AJ4 colorways.

My biggest complaint is the leather finish. There’s a heavy printed pebble texture and thicker polyurethane coating that makes what feels like legitimately good leather look cheaper and more synthetic than it actually is. It’s a shame because underneath that finish, this is a surprisingly well-made shoe. I wish they’d gone with a more natural tumble like the Flight Nostalgia 4.

The colorway itself is ridiculously clean in hand. White, black and Tour Yellow is easy to wear without being boring, and the speckled yellow midsole gives it just enough personality.

I also love the removable Flight patches revealing the “RARE AIR” underneath. That’s one Jordan Brand gimmick that hasn’t been beaten completely to death yet.

Unfortunately, mine came with a misprint on the RARE AIR lettering on the left shoe. I asked the sub earlier whether you guys would keep them and the overwhelming answer was yes. I’m still torn between exchanging them for a correct pair or just selling them, because that pebbled leather bothers me more than the quality issue does.

Overall though? These are clean, surprisingly well made, and probably better quality than I expected from a GR Jordan 4. I just wish Jordan Brand would let good leather actually look like good leather more often.

I’m gonna start with the part that’ll probably piss some people off: I don’t love this colorway.

And generally, when people tell me “you’ve gotta get them in hand,” I take that to mean the design or colorway isn’t completely selling the shoe on its own.

Well... you’ve gotta get these in hand.

Because holy shit, the materials and construction are good. This is sneaker-nerd porn. Thick leather, buttery suede around the ankle, really rich long-haired nubuck on the toe box and a ridiculous mix of textures throughout the upper. This might legitimately be one of the best-made SBs I’ve ever handled.

The side panels actually confused me at first. They felt unusually rough — almost like the fibers had been glued into place. Then I read about the Matcha inspiration and learned that bamboo fiber was mixed into the construction.

AHA! There it fucking is.

That’s the kind of storytelling I love. Don't just tell me a shoe is inspired by Japanese matcha culture — actually work that idea into the damn shoe.

There are also little green speckles throughout the overlays that play into the Matcha theme. I understand the idea. I just don't particularly like the execution because they make the shoe look dirty. If I have to explain “No, no, somebody didn't splash coffee on my shoes, those spots are supposed to be there...” we've got a problem. 😂

And ultimately I keep coming back to the colorway.

They're asparagus.

Very, very premium asparagus.

The pink laces are an absolute must for me. They break up all that green and finally give the shoe some personality and a little head-turning ability. With the stock green laces these were way too monotone for me. Pink completely changes them.

What inspired this review was my Hayley Wilson post a few weeks ago. I called the Hayleys the best SB of the last two years, and while some people agreed, a pretty significant portion of the comments basically said:

“YUTOS, BRAH.”

So... I listened.

Would I take these over the Hayleys?

No.

But the gap is WAY smaller than I expected.

The Hayleys still win for me on colorway, creativity and just being more fun to wear. But materials and craftsmanship? These absolutely murder them — and the Hayleys aren't exactly cheaply made shoes.

So I'll give you guys this one. The Yuto Matchas absolutely belong in the conversation for one of the best SBs of the last couple years, even if they're not personally my #1.

In fact, you bastards got me so good that after handling these tonight, I ordered the original Yutos.

I love this sub.

Keep the recommendations coming.

I feel like I should be the easiest person on earth for Nike to sell this US Open tennis collection to.

I’m a huge tennis fan. I play regularly. I grew up loving Agassi. I collect Jordans. I love weird crossovers and sneakers with an actual story behind them.

Nike basically assembled my sneaker Bat-Signal.

And somehow…I don’t want any of these fucking shoes. 😂

The Agassi-inspired Jordan 7 should have been awesome. Instead, the massive sections of cheap-looking mesh make them look like kids’ Jordans. Give me premium leather, suede, something worthy of the crossover. Why make an Agassi-inspired Jordan that looks cheaper than an actual Air Tech Challenge II?

Then there’s the “Back to the Future” ATC II. Now you have the actual Agassi silhouette and one of the coolest themes imaginable…and that’s it? Grey leather, a white swoosh and some turquoise splatter? They're not terrible. They're just unbelievably underwhelming considering what Nike had to work with.

And then somehow the Vapor 12 is the coolest shoe of the bunch. The grid upper, icy blue, speckling and little details actually make it look futuristic and interesting.

You know…the performance shoe I’d buy specifically to beat the absolute shit out of playing tennis.

How did THAT shoe get the most interesting execution?

Nike had Agassi nostalgia, Jordan, the ATC II, Back to the Future and the US Open all sitting on the table.

I should be trying to convince myself I don't need three pairs.

Instead I'm trying to convince myself I need one.

You blew it, Nike. 🎾

Okay, I get it. I’m a fucking purist.

These are gorgeous.

I don't remember what the exact silhouette looked like when Jordan wore the 5. I was alive, sure, but I was also in first grade. I wasn't sitting there studying MJ's toe box geometry between episodes of Ninja Turtles.

But I do know what looks good.

And sitting these next to the 2026 White Metallic makes it obvious to me: I prefer the 2020 silhouette. The longer, more gradual slope into the toe and fuller collar just make the shoe look better proportioned. The 2026 is probably the better built shoe — nicer leather, better materials and a little more refinement — but purely on shape? Give me 2020.

Speaking of the leather, it's actually pretty damn good. Not A Ma Maniére/collab-level stuff, but absolutely on par with or better than most Jordans I review. The polyurethane coating isn't slathered on so thick that the leather looks like rubber, and press into it and you can actually see the grain underneath.

And I love this colorway. Much more than the black tongue pair. White, black, Fire Red and that silver tongue — just clean and crispy as hell. I think enjoying the True Blues so much recently is actually what pushed me toward finally grabbing these.

The unboxing is classic Jordan. Jumpman, elephant print, black box. Nothing elaborate, but it immediately feels right.

Then you open it and...

What the fuck is this black plastic garbage bag?

Seriously, what were we going for here? Darth Vader gift-wrap? 😂 That shit has got to go.

Quality wasn't perfect either. I've got some glue staining and a weird little red paint drip around the shark teeth. Oh Nike. These are the shoes that helped build your fucking house. If we can put a man on the moon, Nike, you can make a Jordan without glue stains.

One thing I don't want pristine forever is the netting. It's already started yellowing slightly after six years in the box and I think it's going to look fantastic with more age. That's part of the charm of a 5 to me. Yellowed netting and soles, some creasing in the leather, a little wear — these actually get better looking when they stop looking brand new.

So I'm going to put some miles on them.

And naturally I couldn't leave the laces alone. Swapped the cheap polyester stock laces for wider flat cotton A Ma Maniére laces and immediately loved them more.

I might agree with the purists about the 2020 shape...

but those polyester laces aren't getting through the front door.

Not in this house, Dikembe. ☝️😂

Really fucking happy to add these. I spent a while after opening the box just looking at them, which is usually a pretty good indication that I bought the right shoe.

"Apparently the premium sneaker experience now includes arts and crafts."

Right out of the box, these have wow factor.

Premium slide-out box, individual embroidered dust bags, paisley wax paper with each shoe individually wrapped — before you even get to the sneakers, you know you're opening something special.

Then I opened them.

Glue stains. Random white paint specks. On an all-black shoe.

Goddammit Nike. 😂 Even on something this limited and elaborate, quality issue still manages to rear its ugly fucking head.

So I spent 20 minutes with a Magic Eraser, Reshoevn8r and some mink oil cleaning my brand-new shoes.

TADA! ✨ Apparently Nike included an arts-and-crafts project with the unboxing.

Thankfully, once I cleaned them up, I remembered why I wanted these. The leather is ridiculously soft — sneeze too hard and you're going to crease it soft — with detailed embroidery, Swarovski crystal Swooshes and gold hardware throughout.

The gold chain laces are completely fucking ridiculous. Amazing for display; absolutely not happening on my feet. 😂 The included wide flat black laces with gold aglets are PERFECT and let the crystals and hardware do the talking instead of turning my feet into Mr. T.

Compared to the white "Diamond District" pair, I still prefer the whites. Their leather feels a little more substantial and the embroidery absolutely pops against the white upper. There's also more storytelling there, including the LA map insoles.

The black pair is more understated. Some of that detailing disappears into the monochromatic upper, but they're also considerably easier to wear.

And together? Yeah, I'm really glad I completed the set.

Premium materials, weird details, edgy without being unwearable, and something I can actually wear to the office or out at night. These check basically every box for me.

The quality issues on a shoe like this is fucking ridiculous.

But after doing Nike's job for them?

Goddamn, these are gorgeous.

"Apparently the premium sneaker experience now includes arts and crafts."

Right out of the box, these have wow factor.

Premium slide-out box, individual embroidered dust bags, paisley wax paper with each shoe individually wrapped — before you even get to the sneakers, you know you're opening something special.

Then I opened them.

Glue stains. Random white paint specks. On an all-black shoe.

Goddammit Nike. 😂 Even on something this limited and elaborate, quality issue still manages to rear its ugly fucking head.

So I spent 20 minutes with a Magic Eraser, Reshoevn8r and some mink oil cleaning my brand-new shoes.

TADA! ✨ Apparently Nike included an arts-and-crafts project with the unboxing.

Thankfully, once I cleaned them up, I remembered why I wanted these. The leather is ridiculously soft — sneeze too hard and you're going to crease it soft — with detailed embroidery, Swarovski crystal Swooshes and gold hardware throughout.

The gold chain laces are completely fucking ridiculous. Amazing for display; absolutely not happening on my feet. 😂 The included wide flat black laces with gold aglets are PERFECT and let the crystals and hardware do the talking instead of turning my feet into Mr. T.

Compared to the white "Diamond District" pair, I still prefer the whites. Their leather feels a little more substantial and the embroidery absolutely pops against the white upper. There's also more storytelling there, including the LA map insoles.

The black pair is more understated. Some of that detailing disappears into the monochromatic upper, but they're also considerably easier to wear.

And together? Yeah, I'm really glad I completed the set.

Premium materials, weird details, edgy without being unwearable, and something I can actually wear to the office or out at night. These check basically every box for me.

The quality issues on a shoe like this is fucking ridiculous.

But after doing Nike's job for them?

Goddamn, these are gorgeous.