A signature shoe sometimes can even be the intellectual impetus for its fans. Nevertheless, while there never fall short of brilliant models, some sneakers’ performances cannot always live up to their fans expectations. In other words, they don’t turn out to be the ideal ones for fans, but they still have their merits in some ways.
The protagonist of today is the Nike LeBron 17 Low. The shoe has in fact got a lot of hype ever since it was released. To tell the truth, buddy, I even listed it in my “Must-get” list. Now that I’ve played in it hooping and shooting for quite a few months, I do think it a must to talk about the shoe as comprehensively as possible.
Then you may ask questions like—How about its performance? Is its performance in accordance with its reputation or hype? Who is it born for? So in order to answer these burning questions, here is my Nike LeBron 17 Low review. Let’s break it down and test its performance from the following perspectives.
1.Vamp
Sizing guide:
What on earth is the feeling in this shoe? Well, I have to complain about this. As a matter of fact, the shoe last is rather narrow even for me who is not a wide footer and you can imagine what a terrible thing it could be for wide footers! So if you happen to be a wide footer and have got a pair of LeBron 17 Low for the wrong size, I could only wish you the best of luck my friend.
Let’s get back to the point then. While I was playing on court the first several weeks after I got the shoe, the toe part sometimes hit my toes during some quick moves or stops so that I felt uncomfortable and usually had to stop playing. Therefore, to be frank with you, the Nike LeBron 17 Low is among the shoes that could bring a slew of issues for me.
Although this may be going a bit too far or very harsh for it, this is a real problem that can not be evaded. I had even thought that maybe it had nothing to do with the shoe last, but according to my friends who have also copped the shoe, they had the same problem.
But is it hopelessly undesirable? Fortunately, the answer is no. The only way for making up for the problem is through adjusting the shoelaces. By loosening the shoelaces to a certain extent, I found that it was still bearable and the problem of toe bumps also became less serious. Therefore, the recommendation here is that for wide and regular footers, going up a size will be fine and the narrow footers can just go up 1/2 a size.
Wrapping:
On the other hand, however, there is still an advantage of the vamp despite the above problem. That is the super excellent wrapping. With the last that is narrow in the first place, the mesh and the leather materials, the vamp wrapping has reached an inconceivable level. So I should say that the vamp is quite a mixed blessing.
2.Midsole
With regard to the midsole, it is not very satisfying, either. I had thought that the forefoot changed to the React would allow a guard like me, who weighs 70 kg, to have an enjoyable experience, but it didn’t turn out to be so.
As a matter of fact, the whole white part of the forefoot is covered with rubber material, and in actual plays, I could hardly feel the React, let alone the feedback from it. Even after 40-50 hours of wearing, I still could receive much energy return from the React though it was finally felt.
Then after wearing them for a long time, I did get some feedback from it, but compared with the Nike kobe nxt ff which also use the React, I even suspected that I might have bought a fake shoe.
Nonetheless, the 270 air cushion in the rear, in contrast, is quite wonderful. I could see very visible and even exaggerated deformation when I statically stepped on it. But, man, there is always a “but”: there is a real risk that it could be punctured easily. So, as you can see, the midsole also failed me.
3.Outsole
When it comes to the outsole, there is finally a saving grace of the shoe. The grains of the outsole are similar to the original version and they also offer traction that is impressive for me. Although it doesn’t bit aggressively, I think it still can stand the test of outdoor courts, except the concrete ones. So you can just take them outdoors,even regularly.
While the outsole doesn’t squeak as much as other Nike shoes, I am now quite satisfied with it. Whatever the movement is and however fast I stop, it truly impresses me through delivering brilliant traction.
Durability:
The rubber material of the forefoot is relatively wear-resistant, and as of today, it is holding up well. For the rear part, it is made of the crystal material. Tough it is also durable, it is certainly inferior to the forefoot in durability.
4.Rollover resistance
Compared with the LeBron 17, we can see that there’s a very significant anti-rollover design on the outside of the forefoot, and when doing the anti-roll test, I could feel the resistance on either side. So do you it is perfect? Sadly it isn’t so. The root of its imperfectness lies in the same problem that the shoe line has always had. That is the center of gravity is too high, leading to poor rollover resistance.
Besides that, if you are landing unnaturally, chances are that you’ll easily sprain your ankle. Unlike the LeBron 17, which protects the ankle by tightening the LACES, the LeBron 17 Low cannot cover our ankles. That is to say our ankles are completely exposed to the air. In that case, extra protection is badly needed when you are wearing the shoe.
Anti-torsion
Different from the Rollover resistance, the anti-torsion is not wrong with the shoe. By simply pressing the shoe or bending it over, you’ll surprisingly find that its anti-torsion is probably the only thing of the shoe that can be said to be perfect.
To better show you the overall performances of Nike LeBron 17 Low, I’d present my ratings here.
Vamp wrapping: 8.5/10
Vamp support: 8/10
Forefoot feedback:7/10
Rear cushion: 10/10
Rollover resistance: 6.5/10
Anti-torsion:9/10
Traction: 8/10
Overall protection: 6.5/10
Overall support: 8/10
Overall stability: 7/10
Sum: 78.5
Overall:
Let’s recap on what have been talked about. The shoe has an excellent wrapping, but the narrow last is an opportunity cost for it. So it is not a good deal. For regular and wide footers, it is highly recommended to pick a larger size, and for narrow footers, 1/2 sizes up should be fine. For the cushion, the rear one is terrific, but the forefoot React doesn’t perform as well as it should be. As for the outsole, it is not perfect though, it still deserves praising, and its durability is also good, if not excellent. And lastly, it is a bit queer the rollover resistance and anti-torsion seem incompatible with each other.
From my point of view, this Nike LeBron 17 Low is definitely not a perfect model, neither is it an ideal one. Its performances are here and you may decide if you can take all its good with its disadvantages. So depending on what you want from it, you should also take its disadvantages if you’ve decided to have it.