Air Jordan 11 Low IE OG black red

[spoonmanofthehour]

I went to my local mall…I know, I know, don’t judge me…I needed a Wetzel’s pretzel. Anyway, these were on the shelf at Champs and Foot Locker.

 

[ogSlater]

I went to my local mall…I know, I know, don’t judge me…I needed a Wetzel’s pretzel. Anyway, these were on the shelf at Champs and Foot Locker.

I feel ya bro I'm trying to Wetzel my Pretzel every time I'm at the mall homie.

 

[rainking]

Bought these off the SNKRS drop last week
Leather on the toe is too shiny and too stiff
The toe is way too curvy and puffy
Toe on the OG was much sleeker and smoother
Tongue is a lot shorter too
Definitely one of my favorite OG 11s but a little disappointed with these

Nothing about these should be a surprise if you looked at any pictures beforehand. JB has barely done a toe box right for about 109 years now. At least these toes are better than what they continue to do with the 13s LOL
These are still a great retro and still look great on feet. Just enjoy them. The only way they were going to be more OG-like is if Nike did new "molds" for them versus every other "IE" low that has dropped in the past several years. I pretty much knew that wasn't gonna happen, so I can't be disappointed in the little differences between these the and the originals.

 

[spoonmanofthehour]

Bought these off the SNKRS drop last week
Leather on the toe is too shiny and too stiff
The toe is way too curvy and puffy
Toe on the OG was much sleeker and smoother
Tongue is a lot shorter too
Definitely one of my favorite OG 11s but a little disappointed with these

So where do we go from here?

 

[mr s j king]

So where do we go from here?

Hopefully you'll update the thread when the mall pairs go on sale and I can get them for a cheaper price

 

[greekgator]

Nothing about these should be a surprise if you looked at any pictures beforehand. JB has barely done a toe box right for about 109 years now. At least these toes are better than what they continue to do with the 13s LOL
These are still a great retro and still look great on feet. Just enjoy them. The only way they were going to be more OG-like is if Nike did new "molds" for them versus every other "IE" low that has dropped in the past several years. I pretty much knew that wasn't gonna happen, so I can't be disappointed in the little differences between these the and the originals.

Yeah anyone expecting a spot on retro to the OG is being unrealistic. The last dead on retro was the 04 blk red 13s and those weren't exact. It's just what it is. Overall these were done pretty well and I do believe as they break in and as the leather breaks in they will have more of that OG look. If anyone wants premium materials on a newer Jordan they are setting themselves up for disappointment.

 

[mr s j king]

How hard is it to get the tongue length and shape right?

 

[greekgator]

How hard is it to get the tongue length and shape right?

Idk how the process works. It prob seems easy but maybe it's not? The point is no retro is ever spot on to the OG. Never. Even the 00/01 XIs, which were amazingly done, aren't exact to the OGs. One thing people fail to realize is the OG XI mids even had a lot of QC and inconsistencies within the same colorways and specific sizes. Especially the Concords. My only gripe really is that JB doesn't put better tech into retros now. $170 for a J1 without zoom air is ******** when SB dunks that cost way less have zoom air. THAT pisses me off and is a huge reason I only own 3 J1s.

 

[rainking]

How hard is it to get the tongue length and shape right?

It shouldn't be difficult to do, and I agree with you that I wish they would get these things more right than they do. But these are a hell of a lot better than half the stuff they put out. That's not an excuse or defending them, I'm just putting this particular release into that context. And in that context, these came out pretty well. I don't remember what the tongue height was like on the OGs compared to these, but personally I like this tongue height where it is. Looks right to me on foot.

 

[spoonmanofthehour]

At least these toes are better than what they continue to do with the 13s

You just HAD to go there.

 

[rainking]

You just HAD to go there.

Consider it payback for your squeaking reference

 

[kicks2024]

Bought these off the SNKRS drop last week
Leather on the toe is too shiny and too stiff
The toe is way too curvy and puffy
Toe on the OG was much sleeker and smoother
Tongue is a lot shorter too
Definitely one of my favorite OG 11s but a little disappointed with these

If it’s a 12.5 lemme hold ‘em

I went to my local mall…I know, I know, don’t judge me…I needed a Wetzel’s pretzel. Anyway, these were on the shelf at Champs and Foot Locker.

They got a 12.5

 

[spoonmanofthehour]

They got a 12.5

You should’ve asked me that beforehand.

No size 11s, rainking has them all.

 

[rainking]

You should’ve asked me that beforehand.

No size 11s, rainking has them all.

Do you have any idea how difficult it is for me to not just keep buying pairs of these while they’re plentiful at retail pricing? It’s awful

 

[rainking]

How hard is it to get the tongue length and shape right?

I went back and looked. When I wear these, the tongue seems reasonably accurate to me. Not too high when on foot, but maybe they’re slightly higher than the OG? I assume that’s what you mean because surely they shouldn’t be any higher, looking at MJ’s pair here. I don’t mind if these retros are a bit higher, I like being able to see the whole Jumpman when I skip using the top lace hole. But they don’t look too high like, for example, I find retro 13 tongues to be.

 

[greekgator]

I went back and looked. When I wear these, the tongue seems reasonably accurate to me. Not too high, on foot, but maybe they’re slightly higher than the OG? I assume that’s what you mean because surely they shouldn’t be any higher, looking at MJ’s pair here:

I think people are just complaining to complain

 

[rainking]

I think people are just complaining to complain

I get it because I’ve done my fair share of complaining about plenty of retros, especially the old 11s and all the 3s up till the AMMs, and the 4s continue to suck. I wish they would’ve made these exactly like the originals but I knew it wasn’t gonna happen. They still look regardless. And the materials are actually better than I expected. The leather isn’t buttery soft but it’s also not hard plastic. For a retro J that clearly has a limited audience, I’m basically thrilled with them. Especially after having to wait more than 25 years LOL

 

[greekgator]

I get it because I’ve done my fair share of complaining about plenty of retros, especially the old 11s and all the 3s up till the AMMs, and the 4s continue to suck. I wish they would’ve made these exactly like the originals but I knew it wasn’t gonna happen. They still look regardless. And the materials are actually better than I expected. The leather isn’t buttery soft but it’s also not hard plastic. For a retro J that clearly has a limited audience, I’m basically thrilled with them. Especially after having to wait more than 25 years LOL

Yeah and that's the point, overall it was a well done retro, especially considering this is a niche shoe that a certain audience likes. They could've gotten really sloppy on these but they didn't. The days of 99-04 retros are over. We won't see that era again. Having said all this I can't wait for the animal XIs hahaha.

 

[wizards23brown]

I don’t understand why I’ve enjoyed wearing these as much as I have, but they just look/feel right on foot. Idk I think it’s something about the red sockliner tho?

 

[rainking]

I don’t understand why I’ve enjoyed wearing these as much as I have, but they just look/feel right on foot. Idk I think it’s something about the red sockliner tho?

It’s the shape, the contrasting materials, the height, the hits of red, and the tinted sole. Just a perfect combination that makes it pop and look great on foot.

 

[spoonmanofthehour]

It’s the shape, the contrasting materials, the height, the hits of red, and the tinted sole. Just a perfect combination that makes it pop and look great on foot.

Jordan Brand needs to send this guy a check for promotion.

 

[rainking]

Jordan Brand needs to send this guy a check for promotion.

On this shoe, damn right

 

[mr s j king]

I think people are just complaining to complain

Nope... I rarely give an unfavorable review
But this is the OG 11 low
The only 11 low MJ wore in game
This shoe is OG Jordan head royalty
Don't give me an inflated toe with shiny stiff leather

If it’s a 12.5 lemme hold ‘em

Yeah they're a 12.5 but I'm most likely going to keep them

 

[bence23]

Had to cop a pair. these dropped when i was in the hospital getting my gallbladder removed . My last 3 jordan purchases are all some form of 11s. 9-6in forever (Jay-z voice)

 

[rainking]

Nope... I rarely give an unfavorable review
But this is the OG 11 low
The only 11 low MJ wore in game
This shoe is OG Jordan head royalty
Don't give me an inflated toe with shiny stiff leather

Yeah they're a 12.5 but I'm most likely going to keep them

I wish they were exactly like the OGs, especially the toes, but they butcher almost every toe box and other retros overall that everyone considers way more important than these. These are easily a better retro than the 2019 black/cement 4s, for instance. And they actually have better toe and tongue leather than the OG 13 retros. When you push on these toes, they’re actually somewhat pliable. Try the same thing on a pair of 13s lol.
I bag on plenty of retros for bad toes and details overall, so like I said before, I get it. But in the big picture compared to a lot of what we get, I’m happy as hell with these.
PS I read your earlier post again. The tongues on these are too short? As I pointed out before after looking at Mike’s pairs, from what I see that’s not true at all. I wouldn’t want a higher tongue on these, no way.