Okay, let me start by saying, I've had a long history with this shoe. It's one of my favorites of all time. I owned and played high school ball in the OG's, I own DS 1999 retros that I purchased at Foot Locker in 1999 and I have the 2012's also (which were a major, major disappointment, to say the least). I wanted the 2016's badly when we first heard the rumors about them releasing. It was a no-brainer to me. But after seeing "leaked" pics over the last few months, I began to doubt their quality. Then after seeing pics and vids more recently, I began to wonder if I wanted them at all.
So, I say all this, because I had a chance to see them in person today. The manager at my local House of Hoops let me check out a pair. I spent a good 5 minutes with them and my verdict is this...
Is the material better than the 2012's? Yes. I was one of those who thought the material looked the same as the 2012's, but it is not. The good news is, it is better, but don't get all excited, because there is still a cheap feeling to the material. It's not hard plastic like the 2012's were, but it still feels kind of cheap.
Plus, the shape is identical to the 2012's, so that's not great. So, they have failed at making them "as close to the OG's as possible" in that sense. The shade of grey is good, the Nike Air looks nice and the speckles are better than the 2012's also.
At the end of the day, I went there thinking I would have a definitive decision either way, but after seeing them up close and personal, I'm still not sure I want them. Up here in Canada, the retail is almost $340 after tax and they are definitely not worth that amount of money. If I lived in the U.S. and could get them for $220, I probably would, but my honest opinion is, this there is no justification for raising the price on these. There is nothing about the quality of this release that justifies a $60 price increase from the 2012 release. Yes, the material slightly better, but definitely not $60 better.
Just my 2 cents.
