tinmy 2021
i love this gametinmy 2021
i love this gameNike Zoom GT Cut 2 Performance Review
The Nike Zoom GT Cut 2 is a much-anticipated basketball shoe because of the first edition’s awesomeness. We think it will do well as a successor.
Colorway: Summit White/Metallic Summit White/White
Release Date: 2022
Price: $150
The Nike GT Cut was a hit for everyone as far as performance went and made our Best Basketball Shoes list. It was so much of a hit that people started to hoard the shoe, and resell prices skyrocketed. Some pairs now go upwards of $1000. Its successor, the Nike Zoom GT Cut 2, keeps many features people loved about the previous iteration and upgrades others. Stay tuned for the upcoming performance review.
Traction
Stan: The Nike Zoom GT Cut 2 is an upgrade over its predecessor. That ‘Smear’ traction wrapped around the forefoot area really grips the ground well along with the heel and toe nubs. However, don’t expect it to last long on outdoor courts because it’ll wear down quickly.
Cushion
Stan: Full-length React midsole cushion with a small embedded hex heel zoom air pod and full-length Zoom strobel – what a combo. Slightly different from the 1st gen model, but the amount of impact protection the shoe provided allows me to ball for a good period of time without the knee pain after. Solid implementation and upgrade even while the React felt a little firmer. I felt low to the ground, had control of my movements, and never had really to second guess my movements, minus one caveat I’ll get to later.
Materials
Stan: Um.. wish I could skip this, but I wouldn’t mind that if Nike added more neoprene padded material to the upper along the tongue and toe box again. Because of the change to a more breathable textile mesh, you want to subtract the weight. Not necessarily a bad thing, but I’d expect better materials for the Nike Zoom GT Cut 2’s high price point.
Fit
Stan: I went true to size with the Nike Zoom GT Cut 2, and lengthwise it fits great. I do prefer a thumbs length worth of room, and that’s what I got. I’d say the fit would be great, minus the lack of wrap-around material on the tongue. The lack of material allowed my foot around the ankle area to shift too much, not providing ample lockdown until I wore ankle braces to fill in the dead space. Not only was it dangerous on the initial play, but it also made me second-guess my lateral movements and foot pressure on pivots while being afraid of a potential ankle sprain. If the tongue material were wrapped around more like the original GT Cut, the problem would be solved.
Support
Stan: The support comes mainly from the fit, which, again, if you’ve read above, the lack of material /dead space really threw me off my game until I wore braces to fill in the space. The traction and the cushion of the Nike Zoom GT Cut 2 were all fantastic, so there are no questions or doubts about those parts.
Nike Zoom GT Cut 2 Overall
Stan: Is the Nike Zoom GT Cut 2 a possible successor? I’d say yes with a huge asterisk. Again, the issue I have may not affect everyone, however, when I start to second guess my moves, it’s a red flag for sure. And for those suggesting double socks, that would affect the length of the shoe with additional material as well as adding more heat retention.
Nike had a good thing going for them, if they only stuck with that wider tongue wrap-around from the first version to fill in the gap around the ankle, I’d say we’d have an absolute top 2 or 3 performance shoe of the year. It takes a lot for me to give such high praise for a shoe (I mean, take a look at the 6 pairs of the Nike GT Cut 1 that I own, that says something). Here’s to hoping Swoosh pays attention to those little details that make a world of a difference. I’m anxious to see the next iteration of the GT Cut (with proper modifications) don’t make me wait too long… I’m ready.
Nike Zoom GT Cut 2 Performance Review
The Nike Zoom GT Cut 2 is a much-anticipated basketball shoe because of the first edition’s awesomeness. We think it will do well as a successor.
Colorway: Summit White/Metallic Summit White/White
Release Date: 2022
Price: $150
The Nike GT Cut was a hit for everyone as far as performance went and made our Best Basketball Shoes list. It was so much of a hit that people started to hoard the shoe, and resell prices skyrocketed. Some pairs now go upwards of $1000. Its successor, the Nike Zoom GT Cut 2, keeps many features people loved about the previous iteration and upgrades others. Stay tuned for the upcoming performance review.
Traction
Stan: The Nike Zoom GT Cut 2 is an upgrade over its predecessor. That ‘Smear’ traction wrapped around the forefoot area really grips the ground well along with the heel and toe nubs. However, don’t expect it to last long on outdoor courts because it’ll wear down quickly.
Cushion
Stan: Full-length React midsole cushion with a small embedded hex heel zoom air pod and full-length Zoom strobel – what a combo. Slightly different from the 1st gen model, but the amount of impact protection the shoe provided allows me to ball for a good period of time without the knee pain after. Solid implementation and upgrade even while the React felt a little firmer. I felt low to the ground, had control of my movements, and never had really to second guess my movements, minus one caveat I’ll get to later.
Materials
Stan: Um.. wish I could skip this, but I wouldn’t mind that if Nike added more neoprene padded material to the upper along the tongue and toe box again. Because of the change to a more breathable textile mesh, you want to subtract the weight. Not necessarily a bad thing, but I’d expect better materials for the Nike Zoom GT Cut 2’s high price point.
Fit
Stan: I went true to size with the Nike Zoom GT Cut 2, and lengthwise it fits great. I do prefer a thumbs length worth of room, and that’s what I got. I’d say the fit would be great, minus the lack of wrap-around material on the tongue. The lack of material allowed my foot around the ankle area to shift too much, not providing ample lockdown until I wore ankle braces to fill in the dead space. Not only was it dangerous on the initial play, but it also made me second-guess my lateral movements and foot pressure on pivots while being afraid of a potential ankle sprain. If the tongue material were wrapped around more like the original GT Cut, the problem would be solved.
Support
Stan: The support comes mainly from the fit, which, again, if you’ve read above, the lack of material /dead space really threw me off my game until I wore braces to fill in the space. The traction and the cushion of the Nike Zoom GT Cut 2 were all fantastic, so there are no questions or doubts about those parts.
Nike Zoom GT Cut 2 Overall
Stan: Is the Nike Zoom GT Cut 2 a possible successor? I’d say yes with a huge asterisk. Again, the issue I have may not affect everyone, however, when I start to second guess my moves, it’s a red flag for sure. And for those suggesting double socks, that would affect the length of the shoe with additional material as well as adding more heat retention.
Nike had a good thing going for them, if they only stuck with that wider tongue wrap-around from the first version to fill in the gap around the ankle, I’d say we’d have an absolute top 2 or 3 performance shoe of the year. It takes a lot for me to give such high praise for a shoe (I mean, take a look at the 6 pairs of the Nike GT Cut 1 that I own, that says something). Here’s to hoping Swoosh pays attention to those little details that make a world of a difference. I’m anxious to see the next iteration of the GT Cut (with proper modifications) don’t make me wait too long… I’m ready.
Nike Air Max Impact 4 Performance Review
The Nike Air Max Impact 4 is the best budget basketball shoe on the market today, a great outdoor option, and just a great performance basketball shoe.
Release Date: 2022
Price: $90
The Nike Air Max Impact 4 is like that dorky-looking kid on the local courts that you think you can clown but who ends up dunking on you and sends you home packing. This budget model is an unassuming banger, and it gets extra points precisely because of this. I’m a sucker for a hoop shoe that looks like a plain jane and then comes in and knocks it out of the park.
The Air Jordan 3 was already an awesome performance basketball shoe, and the Air Max Impact 4 brings back everything that was great from that shoe and incorporates a couple of improvements. And it does all of that at a cheaper price than its predecessor! I live in Spain, and the Air Max Impact 4 is 6 bucks cheaper than the Air Max Impact 3. In the US, they’re the same price, but still…
In any case, let’s dive into the performance review to see why I’m so hyped about this shoe.
Traction
The traction makes you wonder why Nike ever uses a different pattern and rubber compound. We have an aggressive and deeply set full-length herringbone traction pattern that gives you really great multi-directional coverage. It’s the same exact setup as on the Impact 3, so if you had that shoe you know exactly what I am talking about. The rubber compound is grippy and tough and worked great indoors and outdoors.
This combo also makes the Air Max Impact 4 a really wonderful outdoor option as well as far as traction goes (spoiler alert, everything else on the shoe also makes it a great outdoor option). The rubber gripped very well when I played outdoors, and that strong rubber and the thickness of the pattern all added durability while playing on the blacktop.
Cushion
The cushioning setup is, again, the same as on the Impact 3, which is great news. The cushioning on that model was amazing for a budget model, and the same is true on the Air Max Impact 4.
You get a full-length phylon foam midsole, and a large Air Max Unit in the heel. But this isn’t your run-of-the-mill phylon. It feels much closer to Cushlon than in other setups. It feels bouncy and reactive underfoot, which is great for forefoot heavy moves like sprints or changes of direction.
The Air Max Unit in the heel feels great if you make it work, but I personally don’t use my heel much when I play, so I really didn’t feel it too much. But I’m happy that it’s there just in case I need that extra bit of cushion I might not be 100% aware of most of the time.
Materials
In my reviews, I’m normally negative when brands overuse cheaper synthetic materials. I always try to be fair and say that performance wise it worked well yada, yada, yada…but in this case, I’m not even going to do that.
The Air Max Impact 4 is a budget model, so it has budget-appropriate materials that worked very well. Nike even improved the materials from the Impact 3 to the Impact 4. They used a tighter weaved textile along the upper that improves lockdown and added some fuse overlays on the lateral side of the forefoot to boost lateral containment.
Support
Support on the Air Max Impact 4 is also on point. You have 4 rubber lateral containment pieces: 2 in the heel and 2 in the forefoot. Also, you have an internal web (that is visible through the outer mesh of the shoe on the more colorful colorways) that keeps your foot securely on the footbed. For a little added support and containment there are two lace cables, as well as two outriggers.
Everything about the support is enhanced by the use and placement of the materials as well as the fit.
Fit
This is one of the better-fitting shoes I have tested recently. The Nike Air Max Impact 4 offers a great 1-to-1 fit and requires little to no break-in time.
Overall
The Nike Air Max Impact 4 is just a great performance basketball shoe, and it improves on an already great shoe, the Nike Air Max 3. It’s definitely my favorite budget basketball shoe so far this season as well as my go-to outdoor option. I’m having a hard time at the moment keeping it out of my current top 5.
I personally enjoy the fact that the shoe is so plain and “under the radar” and packs such a performance punch, and it does have the “what are those?” factor.
If you are looking for a great performance basketball shoe that won’t break the bank, there’s no better option.
Asics Superblast Performance Review
The new max stack running shoe category is growing like crazy, and with the Asics Superblast, Asics enters the category like the Kool-Aid man busting through a wall. At WearTesters, we love both the Asics Metaspeed Sky+ and the Asics Novablast 3. So when Asics told us the Superblast is a hybrid forged from both those high-performance (and highly-rated) running shoes, we were all in.
Of course, that also upped our expectations to possibly unreachable levels. Can the Asics Superblast deliver performance that matches or exceeds its high-performing parents? That, my friends, is what we’re here to find out.
Asics Superblast
Release Date: December 1, 2022
Price: $220
Weight: Men’s 8.4 oz., Women’s 7.5 oz.
Drop: 8mm (37.5mm forefoot, 45.5mm heel)
Sizing: True to size
- Rundown: The Asics Superblast is a fun, versatile, and lightweight shoe with a price that will make you hesitate even though it’s a great shoe.
Pros
Drew: When I first saw this shoe in August at Asics America HQ, my jaw dropped. The Asics Superblast is a fast (and cool) looking shoe. And all that stack looked heavenly.
I’m glad to report that it just doesn’t look heavenly. It feels awesome underfoot. Asics took two great foams, FF Blast+ and FF Blast Turbo, and created a soft midsole that’s not too squishy nor unstable. It’s got a nice bounce and speeds up nicely. The rocker shape, looking very similar to the Metaspeed Sky+, feels smooth from the moment you touch down to when you toe off the ground.
I know some people are bemoaning the lack of a carbon fiber plate, but honestly, it’s nice to have a non-plated option in the market. The running shoe industry is plate crazy these days, but sometimes the stiffness of a plate is just too much. A shoe packing a mountain of soft foam and no plate fills a need for runners who just don’t need or love carbon fiber plates.
Above that glorious midsole is an upper that looks like a Metaspeed but is better. It’s still light and plenty breathable, but it’s more comfortable. The gusseted and well-padded, almost neoprene tongue has a lot to do with it. It’s luxurious compared to the tongues on the Novablast 3 and Metaspeed Sky+. It’s a small tweak that pays dividends on long runs. The upper also has plenty of room for feet to expand…making it pretty wide-foot-friendly. It’s always nice when a shoe accommodates lots of foot types without the upper flexing weirdly when the shoe is laced up tight. It’s just great upper construction all around.
Even with the great midsole and upper, the Nike Lebron 20 feels really light. It’s light enough, protective enough, and bouncy enough that I can see people using it as their marathon racing shoe. I even think friend of WearTesters and running shoe reviewer, Kofuzi, is planning to use the Asics Superblast when he runs the California International Marathon (CIM) in December. If someone who has all the super shoes chooses the Asics Superblast as his marathon shoe, that’s a huge endorsement of its abilities.
Tyler: Over the last few months, one of my favorite running shoes has been the Asics Novablast 3, and before that, it was the Asics Glideride 3, so I’ve been a big fan of what the brand has been churning out, and aside from a few small hiccups with the sizing of the Glideride 3, I’ve put a ton of miles in Asics shoes this year. So when the Asics Superblast came in, I was optimistic. My closet is full of plated shoes and this seemed to be just what I would gravitate toward to even out my rotation.
Out of the box, the shoe is extremely light, even in my size 13, and that weight shows (or doesn’t show?) on foot. At no point in any of my runs did I ever feel like the shoe was bulky, even though, in hand, it was quite chunky. But, I was more impressed with the ride than anything and assume it’s the combination of the foams and slight rocker, as Drew alluded to. Even more enjoyable was the toe-off – while the plush cushioning in the forefoot resulted in a nice ride, it is one of the smoothest and most stable experiences when transitioning off your toes.
And I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about the upper. Oh, this fantastic upper. It’s almost like something NASA designed. It’s soft, yet structured. It’s comfortably rigid, yet pliable and giving. It’s breathable. Most of all, it’s forgiving and simple. From a design standpoint, I can’t wait to see upcoming colorways, but from a functionality standpoint, this upper may be one of the best on any running shoes I’ve slipped into over the last 2-3 years.
It’s also worth mentioning the flair that accompanied the Asics Superblast. In the box, the paper mimics a newspaper, reading “SUPERBLAST HAS ARRIVED!” with a few “stories” about the shoe. Also included were three pins. It’s the small details like this that make an unboxing experience fun and shows the Asics team knows how to surprise and delight.
Cons
Drew: There are a few things to mention here though not everyone will view each of them as true negatives. I know I don’t.
First, the laces are a bit too long. Seeing as how this shoe can be a race-day option, I’d have liked a little less length. No one likes laces flopping around like crazy when they’re trying to go fast.
Second, I know people had issues with the traction of the Asics Novablast 3, so Asics worked to improve that experience by using AHAR+ rubber on the Asics Superblast. For me, it made a difference in terms of gripping the ground. I experienced only minor slippage with the Novablast 3, likely due to my size, and none, even in wet, rainy conditions in the Superblast. However, the traction pattern itself is still the same. If you had trouble with the Novablast 3 traction, this may not be the shoe for you.
Third, the price. The Asics Superblast is $220. AJ has the unfortunate luck of being one of the first to launch a high-end shoe with post-inflation-driven cost increases. I expect a lot of shoes in 2023 to feel expensive. Is the Superblast actually expensive, though? After a lot of thought, I don’t think so. The only thing that’s missing from what would otherwise be a $250 super shoe is the carbon fiber plate. Everything else is included. Paying $30 extra for a carbon fiber plate feels about right. But I’ve always thought of the super foams being the main source of extra cost, not the plate. It may be difficult for others to reframe their thinking with that in mind.
Tyler: The elephant in the room (and across Instagram comments) is my only con: the price. $220 is STEEP. When Nike released the ZoomX Invincible Run, that $180 price point was a lot to stomach, and while I do think the Superblast is a superior shoe to the Invincible, another $40 is borderline ridiculous. I don’t care that it’s not plated, but it’s just downright expensive. I’ve wracked my brain on the pricing strategy here and still come up short.
Asics Superblast Summary
Drew: The Asics Superblast is a fun, versatile shoe that I can use for anything from easy miles to workouts to races. It’s so light it feels like a race day shoe, it’s soft but stable, and even without the plate, it has a nice pop. While you may do a double take at the price, I think it’s worth it. You’re getting a really good shoe for the money. And what’s more, you’re getting a shoe with a ride that will make you want to run more often.
Tyler: I think Drew hits on every single point that you should take into consideration here. The Superblast is such a solid, versatile, and light shoe, and continues to create a lot of enjoyment during each run, but I can’t get on board with recommending it at its price point. If you’re in the Novablast 3 (or have thought about the Novablast 3), I think that’s the route to go (I also think they underpriced the Novablast 3, so maybe that’s their pricing strategy, now that I think about it). So, while you won’t capture all of the magic of the Asics Superblast, you’ll get damn close and have one of the best shoes of 2022.