The Air Jordan XV was to many, myself included, a disappointing shoe. The first shoe to be released since MJ’s retirement, the XV’s design was derivative (it was a clear Prada wannabe) and seemed to embody the uncertainty surrounding the Air Jordan line in the post Jordan-era. The shoe was also a disappointment from a performance perspective due to its poor fit, shifting forefoot Zoom Air-sole Units, and poor ankle support. Given my love for MJ and my disappointment with the Air Jordan XV and many of the recent products from the Jordan Brand, it was with some trepidation that I approached our review of the nike air jordan XVI.
The spare upper makes use of what feels like memory foam around the ankle area to provide a good, supportive fit, but the area that makes direct contact with the large bulge of the ankle joint is left unpadded to provide added comfort and mobility at the joint. This is really smart design. The shoe also has a very large, squared off toe box, which provides plenty of room in the toe area and makes that part of the shoe very comfortable. Moving inside, the inner employs a unique seamless inner-bootie design that is similiar to the bootie used in the Jumpman Team Showcase, except that the inner of the XVI is truly seamless where it matters most, the forefoot flex area. The overall result is a very comfortable shoe from tip of the toe to the base of the foot up through the ankle. Finally, the standard Nike hidden eye-stay lacing system does a great job of locking the foot in place. Things were looking up and they only got better when we put the Air Jordan XVI nike shoes to the test on the court.
The Air Jordan XVI makes use of Zoom Air in the forefoot and a new, low-profile version of something Nike calls Blow-molded Air to provide cushioning in the heel. The low-profile Blow-molded Air along with the combination PU/Phylon midsole provides the Air Jordan XVI with a unique feel. The shoe has the low, down on the court feel of a shoe employing Zoom Air in the heel but with the solid, supportive cushioning feel of a shoe employing Tuned Air in the heel. This is really interesting and something new, at least in my experience. The Air Jordan XVI should allow bigger/heavier players who need the firm cushioning of a heel Tuned Air-based shoe to enjoy the low-profile benefits of a heel Zoom Air-based shoe for the first time. For all players, the firm cushioning in the heel allows the Air Jordan XVI to provide a solid and stable base for quick cuts to the hoop, even though the shoe is relatively narrow at the heel. Adding to the overall stability of the shoe is a full-length carbon fiber shank plate.
The one thing that disappointed me on the court was the Air Jordan XVI’s poor traction. A lot of the stuff mentioned above doesn’t matter much if the outsole of the shoe doesn’t stick to the court. On my first wearing I was very surprised by how poor the traction was. I could feel myself sliding about an inch on quick lateral cuts. Keeping the outsoles clean with a damp towel helped, but I had to make sure to clean the outsoles often. Strangely, I noticed that on my second wearing the traction provided by the XVIs seemed to improve. I thought that it was simply because I was keeping the outsoles clean, but by the third wearing I could tell that the traction provided by the shoe had improved dramatically, even without the damp towel treatment. At this point the disocunt nike shoes Air Jordan XVI provided very good traction — not the excellent, stick like glue traction of the Reebok Answer IV DMX, but very good nonetheless. Subsequent wearings were on par with the third wearing in terms of traction. I’m not really sure why the traction improved. It could be that there was some sort of film on the clear portion of the outsole or perhaps the clear rubber needed to be worn down a bit. Either way, the improvement was a good thing.
The upper with and without the Shroud. A nice detail of note is that the new ‘jordan’ logo is actually made up of exactly 16 dashes. In my opinion the XVI reflects the best of Air Jordans past, while looking forward with the completely new magnetic gaiter concept.
Unlike the other hoops shoes from the Jordan Brand, the Air Jordan XVI does not have any glaring deficiencies and has a lot of positives to recommend it. Overall, the XVI is very comfortable, fits very well, provides good ankle support, and excellent cushioning combined with excellent court feel. The traction is poor at first, but improves dramatically after one to two wearings. cheap nike shoesThe only major downside to me is the high price of the Air Jordan XVI and, from a visual perspective, the surprisingly poor finish of the midsole.
The spare upper makes use of what feels like memory foam around the ankle area to provide a good, supportive fit, but the area that makes direct contact with the large bulge of the ankle joint is left unpadded to provide added comfort and mobility at the joint. This is really smart design. The shoe also has a very large, squared off toe box, which provides plenty of room in the toe area and makes that part of the shoe very comfortable. Moving inside, the inner employs a unique seamless inner-bootie design that is similiar to the bootie used in the Jumpman Team Showcase, except that the inner of the XVI is truly seamless where it matters most, the forefoot flex area. The overall result is a very comfortable shoe from tip of the toe to the base of the foot up through the ankle. Finally, the standard Nike hidden eye-stay lacing system does a great job of locking the foot in place. Things were looking up and they only got better when we put the Air Jordan XVI nike shoes to the test on the court.
The Air Jordan XVI makes use of Zoom Air in the forefoot and a new, low-profile version of something Nike calls Blow-molded Air to provide cushioning in the heel. The low-profile Blow-molded Air along with the combination PU/Phylon midsole provides the Air Jordan XVI with a unique feel. The shoe has the low, down on the court feel of a shoe employing Zoom Air in the heel but with the solid, supportive cushioning feel of a shoe employing Tuned Air in the heel. This is really interesting and something new, at least in my experience. The Air Jordan XVI should allow bigger/heavier players who need the firm cushioning of a heel Tuned Air-based shoe to enjoy the low-profile benefits of a heel Zoom Air-based shoe for the first time. For all players, the firm cushioning in the heel allows the Air Jordan XVI to provide a solid and stable base for quick cuts to the hoop, even though the shoe is relatively narrow at the heel. Adding to the overall stability of the shoe is a full-length carbon fiber shank plate.
The one thing that disappointed me on the court was the Air Jordan XVI’s poor traction. A lot of the stuff mentioned above doesn’t matter much if the outsole of the shoe doesn’t stick to the court. On my first wearing I was very surprised by how poor the traction was. I could feel myself sliding about an inch on quick lateral cuts. Keeping the outsoles clean with a damp towel helped, but I had to make sure to clean the outsoles often. Strangely, I noticed that on my second wearing the traction provided by the XVIs seemed to improve. I thought that it was simply because I was keeping the outsoles clean, but by the third wearing I could tell that the traction provided by the shoe had improved dramatically, even without the damp towel treatment. At this point the disocunt nike shoes Air Jordan XVI provided very good traction — not the excellent, stick like glue traction of the Reebok Answer IV DMX, but very good nonetheless. Subsequent wearings were on par with the third wearing in terms of traction. I’m not really sure why the traction improved. It could be that there was some sort of film on the clear portion of the outsole or perhaps the clear rubber needed to be worn down a bit. Either way, the improvement was a good thing.
The upper with and without the Shroud. A nice detail of note is that the new ‘jordan’ logo is actually made up of exactly 16 dashes. In my opinion the XVI reflects the best of Air Jordans past, while looking forward with the completely new magnetic gaiter concept.
Unlike the other hoops shoes from the Jordan Brand, the Air Jordan XVI does not have any glaring deficiencies and has a lot of positives to recommend it. Overall, the XVI is very comfortable, fits very well, provides good ankle support, and excellent cushioning combined with excellent court feel. The traction is poor at first, but improves dramatically after one to two wearings. cheap nike shoesThe only major downside to me is the high price of the Air Jordan XVI and, from a visual perspective, the surprisingly poor finish of the midsole.
