World Balance Scottie 1 Review

We have an exclusive first look at the World Balance Scottie 1. This shoe is significant in many ways, not the least of which is that it is the first signature shoe for a Filipino athlete by a Filipino brand in a long time – around a decade actually. That’s quite a feat for a basketball crazy nation like the Philippines. The brand was kind enough to let us get an early look at this historic sneaker.

Scottie Thompson is a Filipino professional basketball player for Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, the most popular team in the country’s basketball history. Scottie resonates with his countrymen because of the hustle and effort he puts out on the floor every night. He isn’t the tallest guy on the court, standing just 6’1”, but he outworks a lot of the big men in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), especially in crucial and clutch moments.

First Impressions

When I saw the silhouette of the sneaker, my immediate thought was that it resembled the Air Jordan 36 Low, one of the best performing sneakers that was released in 2020. The way the eyestays are placed as well as the overall shape give off those vibes. And I’m all here for it. What makes these different from the Jordan flagship is that these have an internal booty construction which should make for a more snug and secure fit. True to size is the sizing recommendation of the brand and we’ll test that when we get the shoes in hand.

The outsole looks typical, but interesting. There’s herringbone all over and it’s hard to go wrong with such a set up. There are segmented portions in red, which leaves us to wonder whether or not that is for foam pods in the midsole, firmer rubber, or just for design. However, as far as I’ve seen, World Balance outsoles tend to last quite a while, which is great for Filipinos who mainly play outdoors.

The cushion of the Scottie 1 has to be the feature I’m most excited and interested in. Scottie himself said this about it,

“Actually, 2 conference ko nang nagamit itong shoes and wala talaga ako masabi sa comfort and performance talaga.” (Translation: I’ve actually used these shoes for two conferences and I am left speechless with the comfort and performance.)

The brand is calling this foam compound air max 2021, which they say “provides superior and responsive cushioning that will help you outlast your opponents all season long and add explosiveness in every step.” We’ll have to give these a whirl once we get them on court.

There are also the lateral sway bars, which are plastic pieces that come up both lateral sides for containment, and a torsional shank plate that’ll help reduce overtwisting the foot. A standard external heel counter is also present with the words “hard work,” faith”, and “discipline” etched all over it. Scottie credits his success to those three attributes.

World Balance Scottie 1 Conclusion

Do I think these will perform well? I honestly think they will based on the tech specs provided. World Balance is on the come up as far as basketball sneakers are concerned and I’m hoping that these will propel them into the mainstream. Filipinos should be proud that we once again have a homegrown signature athlete with a local brand.

Nike Air Pegasus 83 Premium Review

I was honestly surprised to see the Nike Air Pegasus 83 Premium pop up on SNKRS a few weeks ago. Retro running shoes don’t catch people’s interest like retro basketball, training or Jordan product. But I’m glad someone at Nike made this happen. The shoe appeared to be a 1:1 or remastered version of the original Nike Pegasus that, you guessed it, originally released in 1983. Retro running is a look I love for casual wear so I was interested. I turned on my SNKRS notifications and hoped that these wouldn’t sell out in a millisecond.

Luckily, I managed to grab a pair. And though they’re sold out on Nike US, a brief look at other geographies such as England and Canada showed me in stock pairs of both initial colorways. I’m also betting new colorways will arrive soon. So let’s talk retro Pegasus.

Fit

The Nike Air Pegasus 83 Premium runs a little long. But I don’t recommend going up a half size because the shoe is narrow at both the midfoot and heel. Given the materials used on the Patta x Nike Air Max 1, the midfoot and heel will widen somewhat once broken in. Will they widen enough to justify going a half size down? I don’t think so. Luckily, the toe box widens nicely (as good running shoes should) so your forefoot will feel great from the first wear.

Materials

The materials of the Nike Air Pegasus 83 Premium are the star of the show. They’re more premium than I expected for $100 USD. The leather used for the Swoosh logo, heel tab and inner ankle collar is fairly thick and feels good. The suede used on the toecap, eyestays and heel is also high quality. Finally, the nylon material used on the majority of the upper feels like it’s relatively high end nylon. Again, I expected lesser materials at this price point and was glad my low expectations were easily surpassed.

Plus, in addition to the upper materials, the insole is lined with leather to offer a more premium feel. And the outsole features a very thick old school rubber with a big square waffle pattern. Again, more than I expected for the price.

Cushion

The Nike Air Pegasus 83 Premium features an EVA midsole with an Air-Wedge in the heel. Well, I don’t really know if it looks the same as the original Air-Wedge, but I do know there’s encapsulated Nike Air in the heel. And again, knowing the cushioning tech specs going in, I didn’t expect it to be that comfortable. But surprisingly, wearing the Pegasus 83 all day is 100% possible. The EVA is softer than I expected and the heel has the tell tale squish of an encapsulated air unit. One of my go to casual shoes right now is the remastered Nike Air Max 2021. Nike did a great job making the new Air Max 3 truly comfortable and they’ve done it again with the Nike Air Pegasus 83. I wish I could high five whoever at Nike is taking the time and care to make these retro runners and trainers as comfortable as possible. It makes a huge difference in the usefulness of the end product.

Overall

Comfort and high end materials make it easy to recommend buying the Nike Air Pegasus 83 Premium. At $100, you get more than you pay for (a rarity in today’s sneaker industry). You also get to rock the Mark Parker designed original Nike Pegasus in all it’s glory. And that’s just freaking cool.

If you’re interested in the storied history of the air jordan line, you should read a great in-depth article on the origins of the Nike Pegasus on the Mr Porter website.

Vivobarefoot Magna FG: Training in Zero Drop

Recently, I tore my Achilles tendon. I’ve played basketball my whole life and have always been very physically active. Needless to say, it was a big blow. Going from dunking one day, to not being able to walk the next, was tough.

Once I was back home post-op, I began planning my rehab to get back to playing basketball and testing shoes as soon as possible. One of the things I wanted to make sure of was that this wouldn’t happen to me again. One thing trainers and physiotherapists brought up several times was to train with flat shoes. The theory being that with a flat shoe, the achilles tendon is completely extended while training. Shoes with a lift in the heel or heel drop (the majority of athletic shoes) shorten the tendon slightly causing the tendon to be less prepared to hyperextend when beginning to sprint. I didn’t know if I believed this theory 100%, but it was enough to pique my interest.

So, I started looking into barefoot sneakers. The brand I chose was Vivobarefoot. I was particularly interested in the The Magna FG model. It seemed to be their most versatile model and sort of resembled a hoop shoe.

It’s been seven months since my injury and I have been training with the Magna FG for just over a month. Here’s the performance review, based on my personal experience.

1. Vivobarefoot Magna FG: Training in Zero Drop
2. Traction
3. Cushion
4. Materials
5. Fit
6. Support
7. Overall

Traction

The traction on these shoes is aggressive.. They feature what Vivobarefoot calls their Firm Ground Sole, which includes an effective and durable t-shaped traction pattern meant for a variety of different surfaces.

The sole is primarily a semi-translucent gum rubber that sits on a 2.5mm base with a 4mm lug height. It’s designed to maximize ground feel and grip on everything from wet, dry, to rocky and firm terrain. The textured arch also provides zonal grip for technical trail movement.

I’ve used these shoes everywhere: on grass, over rocks, in the gym, and even on the outdoor courts near my house with zero performance issues. If I continue playing basketball outdoors, I might grind down the traction pattern. I don’t think the rubber compound was designed to withstand the sandpaper-like surface of the blacktop for long.

Cushion

This answer is simple. The shoe does not provide cushion and that’s the point. I can’t say I missed the cushion terribly. They take a little getting used to. But once you get accustomed, at least in my experience, you are not begging to have a slab of Boost underfoot.

The little (and I mean little) cushion you do get comes from the Outlast Thermal Insole inside. I really liked this feature. The temperature regulating insole helps keep your feet cool as you train by absorbing, storing and releasing heat. I haven’t had any blistering or overheating issues during the blazing hot summer months in Spain. So, I assume these guys are doing their job.

Materials

I really love the materials. They are functional, designed to take a beating and still look good. The Kyrie 8 is made from naturally scarred leather from

free-roaming cattle sourced from small-scale farmers (so not vegan friendly) with a water-resistant treatment so you can use them cross country without getting your feet wet.

The shoe’s body is made with Woolmark certified Merino wool. Wool is naturally breathable, temperature-regulating and sweat-wicking. Merino sheep are originally from Spain, so that was also a plus for me. The attention to detail and care with which the materials were selected made me feel good about the product.

I have only one bone to pick with the materials. The metal eyelets and the laces affected the long-term usability of the product. In general, l I like metal eyelets, but the laces that come with the Magna FG are TERRIBLE. The metal eyelets cut through them with only two lace-ups. Not good.

Fit

The shoe fits true to size, but the shoe is purposely roomy. The forefoot area is wider than normal to allow your toes to spread out naturally, instead of being pushed together by a more traditional pointy shoe shape. So, they feel loose in the forefoot. In this case, that’s a good thing.

Support

The support is as good as it can be with such a minimal set up. The shoe features a rubber cup in the heel and two wings on either side that pull your foot into the shoe bed and hold it in place.

Aside from that, you are depending on the lacing system to keep your foot stable.

There is nothing in the midsole, and I mean nothing. You could practically roll these shoes up and put them in your pocket. Again the lack of support is purposely designed so the shoe moves naturally with your foot.

One thing to note is that if you like to really cinch up your laces, you won’t like this shoe. If you tighten the shoe too much, it will begin cramping your foot.

Overall

I was pleasantly surprised. I was initially excited to get these shoes as a sort of novelty item that might possibly get me back on my feet again. I thought it  would be similar to getting a brace when I injured my knee. A brace helped me play and exercise again, but I really didn’t care too much about the brace itself. That’s what I thought max 2021 would be. Just the pair I would grab when I went out the door to do my rehab. But I find myself reaching for these shoes way more often than I expected. I look forward to training with them. If the lacing system were better, these would be in my permanent pantheon of training shoes.

The Nike Infinity Run 2 and the ZoomX Invincible Run:Keeping You Strong and Carrying On

The Nike React Infinity Run 2 in the lead women's colorway.

The Nike ZoomX Invincible Run in the lead men's colorway.

A goal as ambitious as reducing running injuries can be approached in two ways. One is to refine an existing silhouette to make it even more effective. The other is to introduce a fresh solution. To that end, the Nike React Infinity Run 2 and Nike ZoomX Invincible Run continue the mission from Nike Running to crack the injury-prevention code, serving everyday runners by creating a new relationship among cushioning, stability and rocker geometry.

The iterative step is the Nike React Infinity Run 2, which features an updated Flyknit upper to help promote more strength and support in the toe, eye-stay and foxing, and with more breathability in areas like the vamp and the midfoot (Nike Flywire cables have also been added throughout the upper to help increase support). The collar is also updated to feel more plush without adding weight or bulk.

“Two things come to mind,” says distance runner Vanessa Fraser about the Nike React Infinity Run 2. “One, I feel secure in the shoe. Both the upper and the heel feel great and, for me, were an improvement from the first version. Second: the sole. While familiar, it's so soft yet reactive, and really responsive with a spring-like feeling.”

A new step altogether in the search for harmony among cushioning, stability and rocker geometry is the Nike ZoomX Invincible Run. The midsole is made with responsive air max 2021 foam, which returns more energy underfoot than any other Nike foam.

Created for long training runs, the Invincible silhouette includes more foam in the midsole than React foam in the Infinity, creating a soft ride while returning more energy for improved running economy. The rocker geometry and the wider nets in the forefoot help create a more stable ride and fluid stride transition (compared with the more springy transition of plated running footwear), making the Invincible ideal for higher mileage runs.

“When I first put on the ZoomX Invincible, the sensation was crazy,” says middle-distance runner Air Jordan. “I was like, ‘Oh wow! You can really feel this.’ But I wasn’t even sure what ‘this’ was. It was just a new sensation.”

The Nike React Infinity Run 2 and the Nike ZoomX Invincible Run release globally beginning January 7.

Nike Kobe Protro 4 Review – We Got it!

So if the Kobe Protro 1 didn’t make you feel old, this one will… Here’s is my detailed Nike Kobe Protro 4 performance review.

MAIN SPECS

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WEIGHT: 363 g. / 12.81 oz

TECH: ZOOM AIR

TYPE: LOW-TOP

COLORWAYS: 3+

FIT: TRUE TO SIZE

RETAIL PRICE: $180

BD RATING: 7.6/10

BEST PLACE TO BUY: NIKE.COM

PERFORMANCE

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MATERIALS

Being a youngblood who got into the sneaker game when textiles were already ruling the world, I got used to having something lightweight & form-fitting, instead of something probably more premium but less dynamic. However, I feel like even the old heads won‘t appreciate this full-length synthetic upper featured on the Protro 4 since it isn‘t real leather. Therefore, that makes this tooling sit in that weird spot where it‘s not premium, but not good as far as performance goes either.

Straight from the get-go, the upper did feel really firm, didn‘t form-fit my foot at all. It just was minding its own business. And although things got on the right track after giving it some solid break-in time (about 3-4 days), still, that restriction coming out of those synthetics had never gone away, unfortunately.

The only few upsides I see of having this type of tooling is really solid support properties and, of course, tank-like durability to withstand some outdoor beating. So overall, the materials used on the upper did remind me more of a lifestyle sneaker, which the Protro is definitely isn‘t.

CUSHION

There’s this whole thing that Nike messed up on when they first released the Protro 4’s, claiming that they do carry a full-length Zoom Air when in reality they didn’t. Come on Nike… Do you think we that stupid to let that slip away unnoticed? Yeah, right…

So what they actually do have is a full-length Phylon midsole – It’s more on a softer side which makes me think that it’s injected Phylon. Well, at least we got a decent slab of foam that in most cases would have been an all right option, but with all of this fake hype of getting a full-length Zoom Air, it made that foam feel like a true disappointment.

Anyways, moving that anger to the side, the forefoot area does sit low to the ground by offering you tons of court feel and responsiveness, like most of the Kobe shoes do with just a tad bit of plushness to go with. Whereas in the heel, Nike actually have blessed us with a traditional Zoom Air unit which makes the back portion of the midsole feel really bouncy & impact protection heavy. It just makes me imagine how awesome it would have been having the same thing in the front. Damn it, Nike…

TRACTION

As the original Kobe 4, the Protro version features a modified herringbone traction pattern, as this particular colorway uses a solid rubber compound. So if you don’t feel like playing a Russian roulette whether the translucent rubber will grip or slip, this is the colorway you want to get. For those who are rocking that translucent rubber, how is the grip? Speak on in the comment section below.

Straight from the get-go, the traction was a little bit iffy, but after a few break-in runs the herringbone started to show its true nature of aggressive bite. Though, I couldn’t get them to work completely on that hall of fame level as I was expecting to – the main reason being the pattern itself is rather compact which made it dust-prone. It’s definitely nothing problematic or deal-breaking about it. Just make sure you do your regular wiping, and the bottoms will make sure you’re getting that pretty aggressive grip no matter on what surface you’re balling out.

Can’t say the same about the clear rubber option, but the solid rubber does feel stiff enough, actually, the whole construction feels strong enough to make the Protro 4 a solid outdoor performer.

FIT

As I mentioned before, even after a handful of runs, the Protro 4 still was nowhere near as free-flowing as most of the latest on-court performers. That consistent sensation of being held down and that overall heaviness of the shoe was bugging me all the time. Not to mention, while in the break-in process, I did receive some slight heel slippage for a few first days in them, mainly due to a lackluster fit and poor heel molding. Luckily, it all did eventually go away. But what didn’t go away is that strange pinching pain in the medial side of my ankle caused by the ankle collar that only appears on my right leg. This is actually a common issue that many other owners of the Proto experience as well. But something that can be simply sorted out by putting on socks with heavy padding around the ankle area.

As for the sizing, you want to go a bit tighter with these, which they are that way, as most of the Kobe shoes. Therefore, if you do have a regular to semi-wide foot, I recommend going true to size. While our true wide footers out there might want to go half a size up.

SUPPORT

This is probably the only area of the shoe that I didn’t have any problems with. From the very top to the very last splint of the rubber, the Kobe 10 does play like a tank– heavy & slow, but a hell of supportive.

Starting from the bottom, you do get a completely flatten out/wide platform with some help from a rather aggressive outrigger, and a carbon fiber midfoot shank to improve the shoe’s lateral containment, as well as, torsional rigidity. Whereas with the heel area, I did have some minor heel slippage at first, but it has been nothing short of solid since – strong lockdown, no slippage issue whatsoever.

Last but not least, all of that trustworthy performance does progress on to the upper as well. There are no midsole extensions overlapping the upper or other some type of additional caging found on the latest performers. Those synthetic panels are more than enough to keep your foot locked-in onto the footbed at all times.

OVERALL

So the Kobe Protro 4 comes with a $180 price tag which makes them one of the most expensive basketball sneakers right now. But are they worth buying? Well, it heavily depends on the reason you would want to get them in the first place…

If you’re wondering which Protro of the two is better performance-wise, no doubt, it’s the Kobe Protro 1. It has a full-length Zoom Air cushioning pared up with a nicer, more form-fitting upper. Obviously, if you’re a true die-hard Kobe fan or a general sneaker collector who probably end up wearing them casually or pull them out for a quick ball session here and there – buy them, you won’t regret them since that old school silhouette is so dope looking.

Now if you happen to be a general baller who is sniping for his fresh new on-court performer, the Kobe Protro 4 is not worth your attention, since there’re tons of better-performing sneakers that won’t break your bank, like the air jordan 1, Nike KD 12 or LeBron 18 ( you can grab them now for $120 which makes them a true bargain if you do prefer tons of cushion).