I've been playing in the Lebron VIII's for about two weeks now, and I have to say WOW. For reference im 6'6'' 225. Straight out of the box these are some of the most comfortable shoes I've ever worn. The sock liner reminds me of the foam pro's and the max air unit has the plushness of the am 2009's. They feel snug but not tight, so I recommend staying with your normal size. My biggest problem with the 7's was the odd way the flywire panels flexed, and the overall stiffness of the shoe. Neither of these issues plague the 8's. These are truly a pleasure to have on your feet. I was a little leery about whether the soft cushioning would have a negative effect on the court, but after a few games the soft ride began to feel natural. I lace my shoes to the last hole and as tight as possible. With the 8's, this led to the outside edges of the tongue rubbing against my ankle. A quick loosening of the top laces remedied this problem without sacrificing stability. Speaking of stability, it's easy to get a nice lockdown with minimal to no foot movement within the shoe. I spent most of last year playing in the Kobe V's and to state the obvious, these shoes are night and day. The Lebrons feel like you are wearing a $160 shoe, and for some people this may be a bad thing. They aren't heavy, but they definitely don't provide the exceptional mold to your foot, lightweight quickness of the Kobes. That being said, there is nothing that I could do in the Kobes that I cant do just as well in the 8's. The Air Max Lebron VIII is one of the best baskeball shoes I've ever played in. I'd recommend them to anyone but the smallest of guards. 9/10