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Only XIIs I would buy, right here
The Official Nike LeBron XII Thread- "July 4th/USA" & "King's Cloak/Red Paisley" 06/27/15
- Thread in 'Nike' Thread starter Started by bluntobject50,
- Start date
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They ard :\ ...... not better than Data's...... I still want to see some darker flavors, perhaps ones that actually match the uni's
...... that red is too bright for me
A "Chalk 6" inspired 12 would be sick!! Come on iD!
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ehhh not much of a fan. A deeper red like in the jersey or that Team Red that's on the Soldier 8 ID would look better IMO
Bend_The_Knee
formerly gotholesinmysocks
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Those PE's are nice.
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Those PEs are nice
Nike trollin with the IDs tho
Nike trollin with the IDs tho
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LeBron XII "NSRL" Performance Review
Looking back to move forward: First let me say that I recently looked at my past performance review of the LeBron XI right after the "What The LeBron" release, and I stand by most of my thoughts and opinions on the XI now that the XI is over. I still believe the XI was a high performance basketball shoe, with innovative light weight materials, were a tad stiff and bulky in spots, a bit tight an at times uncomfortable in the toe box, but overall a very good shoe. I wore them for the entire year, multiple seasons and loved them. In retrospect the only thing I would change would be remarks about the traction, which was not good to start and got worse as the shoe wore in. With that said, let's move on to the XII....
Initial Impressions: Right out of the box the thing that struck me first was the one piece upper construction. No individually divided tongue, laces built into the top of the shoe, not going very deep into the side with the lacing system. That being said, they struck me as a very quality product at first glance. Clean lines, no glue stains, paint over spray, paint chips, stained mesh, midsole cracks or issues, no bad seams. This is such a radically different design that it did take me a minute to really just stare at the insane lines and "boot like" mesh upper. It's different, period.
Fit: Let's get right into fit, the toe box is dramatically bigger in the XII, and maybe a touch longer. I wear a 10.0 in everything {except retro Jordans, 9.5 in those) and got a 10.0 in these. I would go so far to say a "truer to size" than the XI, X, 9, and even the 8's. I have a narrow foot but these feel very roomy in comparison to those past models. I think a lot of people are going to be very happy with the increased room and better fit through the toe box.
Lockdown: One of the few gripes I had with the XI was the way my heel was positioned and how it wasn't extremely "grabby," I wasn't locked in like a good ski/snowboard boot. It wasn't awful, but it just wasn't the "cupping" feel of the X and the 8's that I liked. When I saw the first good shots of the back of the XII... it was my first worry. The biggest surprise to me with the XII has been how the two side wing pieces work together when laced up properly to wrap all the way back around the heel and sort of squeeze up to the part of the foot with the Achillie's tendon to secure the heel in place. Very odd way to do it, but fairly effective. Same thing goes for the lacing system, very odd, and seems like it is floating above the surface of the upper, but it's also quite effective. I always have to really crank down on my laces when I'm playing hoops because of my narrow feet, and I did on these as well, but it did secure quite well, didn't pinch anywhere, felt pretty uniform in lockdown from toe to heel when laced up and tied down. Initially it felt like my foot was a little "loose" inside the shoe, but it really was just a "feeling" I had when I put the shoe on. Once on court I could tell right away that it was very well positioned, and that it was simply my mind getting used to the very, very soft, cushy, "boot like" upper.
Comfort: Probably the biggest thing going from the XI to the XII has been, "Will the XII be more comfortable?" Well, I can say 110% "YES!" Maybe the most comfortable (High top)basketball shoe I've bought in the last 4 to 5 years. When I put my foot into the first shoe (yeah, in my office today, I couldn't wait to get to the gym) my first thought was "wow." Felt like a giant "foamy" fully padded, bulky as heck basketball shoe from the 90's, when comfort was king. I still have a hard time believing the "Megafuse" upper is really so soft and cushy on foot. Even while playing I kept looking down at them wondering how they could be so soft inside. You really don't feel the Hyperposite at all, not specifically. It's there structuring the shoe but in a much milder and less rigid way than the posite on the XI's was. Maybe it's just becuse I haven't bought many flyknit shoes, but I have to say the uppers on these are fairly impressive in terms of comfort.
Technology/Performance: The thing we look forward to the most once we "digest" the new design is what new goodies can Nike throw in these to make them (and hopefully us) better on the court. With the XII they really threw 2 fairly new things at us this year for the LeBron signature shoe: 1) the "Megafuse" upper, similar to a mesh/hyperfuse type hybrid of sorts, and 2) the independent hexagonal shaped Zoom Air "pods" mapped to the pressure points of the foot for maximum explosiveness and enhanced court feel. Nike says it took them 4 years to perfect this hex zoom air technology...well I think they still have some work to do. I put in 2 and half hours on court tonight to really get a good initial feel for this shoe (and I always update thoughts as they wear and get broken in, these aren't final opinions by any means) and the biggest thing I kept looking for was some sort of "edge" or "feel" from the forefoot area and these units, but I really didn't feel much. I could feel the pods improving traction (significantly over the XI) and could feel the unit in the heel very much in jumping movements and running from end to end, but did not feel any type of "boost" or "push" or even any type of "cushion" in the forefoot. It honestly feels fairly "flat" in the front of the shoe when on court and moving. You can definitely "feel" the court better than in the XI and the X because of the full air bag, so that's the good part. I just can't say I felt anything different due to the hex units, they just didn't do anything for me. Maybe over time it will be more apparent. I was a bit dissapointed with this because I felt like this was the happy medium between the X's full length air bag (which I still prefer and love) and the XI's drop in sole with no bags or pods for better responsiveness and court feel. The pods greatly improve traction, the traction is SO MUCH better on these. So much better, and with such a deeper pattern.
Weight: The XI delivered in the weight category, big time, as the lightest LeBron signature model to date (other than PS's and Soldiers) at around 15 ounces for a size 10. The XII's go up a little bit in weight to just a bit over 16 ounces for size 10. The XII's certainly didn't feel heavy on court, especially after a few games. The X was about 17 ounces in a size 10, so the XII kind of comes in the middle of the last 3 models. On foot I thought they felt fine, not heavy, not feather light, how I like a basketball shoe to feel, especially with a high top model. Not track spikes, not hiking boots. After playing in them tonight, I can see guards and forwards lacing these up, centers...probably not. The "Megafuse" upper probably makes the weight decent in these, but the only real "structured" pieces on the upper are the hyperposite pieces. The megafuse has "darker" sections that are essentially like little webbing areas that are a bit stiffer due to the material being "fused" with this "web" like plastic scaling. It provides structure in the toe box, but not much protection if you live in the paint. So centers beware, your toes may thank me for the warning.
Details: Like most LeBron models from the past, the XII has some nice details. For me, I loved the "speckled" midsole, the laceguard section with the crown on it, the unique heel tab each colorway will have, and my favorite was probably the design of "chambers"from a Heart found on the big swoosh and on the inner slide out portion of the box, shown below in pictures:
Overall: What we would expect from the progression of the LeBron line, a focus on "comfort" for Nike's biggest star after the tumultuous relationship he had with the XI. For some the style aspects are here, for some this is purely a court shoe. As a court shoe, I really like the fit, the lockdown, the improvement with traction, the sizing adjustments made, and the the zoom heel unit. For criticisms I have a few: I don't feel the hex zoom pods doing much in the front of the shoe, and the forefoot still feels very flat, doesn't have the support or the cushion of the full length zoom and/or air bag. Maybe I'm holding on to hard to the old full length zoom bag models, but I expect there to be a little more cushion in the forefoot, it's a crucial part of basketball and the basketball shoe. The lacing system is fine, but a problem I had and see is that a few of the holes for the laces don't have plastic eyelets to lace through. 2 of the sets are just holes in the megafuse that you fish the lace through. It's a big rigid and harsh on the laces, yet alone it looks "unpolished" or "unfinished" on the shoe. Nothing should look unpolished on a $200 pair of Nikes, nothing. My last small gripe, which may be solved over time is the sort of weird "soft" feeling when the foot is fully laced down. It's not sloppy, and it's not sliding anywhere, it just feels a little "soft" or "floating" in the shoe because the upper is so "free" and doesn't have a strong structure up top. It may just take some time to get used to, like I said I haven't really tried any of the flyknit shoes or any of the new stuff with these soft uppers. I've always been a lockdown structure guy, so it's an adjustment, but one I think I and my feet will like over a long season. I definitely could feel the improved traction, the pattern is deeper because of the pods, there is also some nice ridges up front to help with transitioning. Very responsive, great flex, and comfort level has been increased significantly. I see my feet being very pleased long term in there, the XI's weren't always kind to them after long games and multiple seasons.
DISCLAIMER: Like always, everyone will have different impressions, opinions, sizing, and issues with every shoe. I don't claim to be the expert, I'm not a professional basketball player or sneaker-tester, just a former college player who is getting old but still loves to play and loves to try the latest shoes. I give my opinions simply to help those that can't always try things out before buying or have questions that can sometimes be answered by others. I'm sure I forgot a bunch of stuff, so feel free to ask or shoot me a message. Always glad to help. And I will give updates every so often. I took some comparison pictures next to the XI for reference, will try to throw them up tomorrow maybe.
If you read this, thanks.
DW
Looking back to move forward: First let me say that I recently looked at my past performance review of the LeBron XI right after the "What The LeBron" release, and I stand by most of my thoughts and opinions on the XI now that the XI is over. I still believe the XI was a high performance basketball shoe, with innovative light weight materials, were a tad stiff and bulky in spots, a bit tight an at times uncomfortable in the toe box, but overall a very good shoe. I wore them for the entire year, multiple seasons and loved them. In retrospect the only thing I would change would be remarks about the traction, which was not good to start and got worse as the shoe wore in. With that said, let's move on to the XII....
Initial Impressions: Right out of the box the thing that struck me first was the one piece upper construction. No individually divided tongue, laces built into the top of the shoe, not going very deep into the side with the lacing system. That being said, they struck me as a very quality product at first glance. Clean lines, no glue stains, paint over spray, paint chips, stained mesh, midsole cracks or issues, no bad seams. This is such a radically different design that it did take me a minute to really just stare at the insane lines and "boot like" mesh upper. It's different, period.
Fit: Let's get right into fit, the toe box is dramatically bigger in the XII, and maybe a touch longer. I wear a 10.0 in everything {except retro Jordans, 9.5 in those) and got a 10.0 in these. I would go so far to say a "truer to size" than the XI, X, 9, and even the 8's. I have a narrow foot but these feel very roomy in comparison to those past models. I think a lot of people are going to be very happy with the increased room and better fit through the toe box.
Lockdown: One of the few gripes I had with the XI was the way my heel was positioned and how it wasn't extremely "grabby," I wasn't locked in like a good ski/snowboard boot. It wasn't awful, but it just wasn't the "cupping" feel of the X and the 8's that I liked. When I saw the first good shots of the back of the XII... it was my first worry. The biggest surprise to me with the XII has been how the two side wing pieces work together when laced up properly to wrap all the way back around the heel and sort of squeeze up to the part of the foot with the Achillie's tendon to secure the heel in place. Very odd way to do it, but fairly effective. Same thing goes for the lacing system, very odd, and seems like it is floating above the surface of the upper, but it's also quite effective. I always have to really crank down on my laces when I'm playing hoops because of my narrow feet, and I did on these as well, but it did secure quite well, didn't pinch anywhere, felt pretty uniform in lockdown from toe to heel when laced up and tied down. Initially it felt like my foot was a little "loose" inside the shoe, but it really was just a "feeling" I had when I put the shoe on. Once on court I could tell right away that it was very well positioned, and that it was simply my mind getting used to the very, very soft, cushy, "boot like" upper.
Comfort: Probably the biggest thing going from the XI to the XII has been, "Will the XII be more comfortable?" Well, I can say 110% "YES!" Maybe the most comfortable (High top)basketball shoe I've bought in the last 4 to 5 years. When I put my foot into the first shoe (yeah, in my office today, I couldn't wait to get to the gym) my first thought was "wow." Felt like a giant "foamy" fully padded, bulky as heck basketball shoe from the 90's, when comfort was king. I still have a hard time believing the "Megafuse" upper is really so soft and cushy on foot. Even while playing I kept looking down at them wondering how they could be so soft inside. You really don't feel the Hyperposite at all, not specifically. It's there structuring the shoe but in a much milder and less rigid way than the posite on the XI's was. Maybe it's just becuse I haven't bought many flyknit shoes, but I have to say the uppers on these are fairly impressive in terms of comfort.
Technology/Performance: The thing we look forward to the most once we "digest" the new design is what new goodies can Nike throw in these to make them (and hopefully us) better on the court. With the XII they really threw 2 fairly new things at us this year for the LeBron signature shoe: 1) the "Megafuse" upper, similar to a mesh/hyperfuse type hybrid of sorts, and 2) the independent hexagonal shaped Zoom Air "pods" mapped to the pressure points of the foot for maximum explosiveness and enhanced court feel. Nike says it took them 4 years to perfect this hex zoom air technology...well I think they still have some work to do. I put in 2 and half hours on court tonight to really get a good initial feel for this shoe (and I always update thoughts as they wear and get broken in, these aren't final opinions by any means) and the biggest thing I kept looking for was some sort of "edge" or "feel" from the forefoot area and these units, but I really didn't feel much. I could feel the pods improving traction (significantly over the XI) and could feel the unit in the heel very much in jumping movements and running from end to end, but did not feel any type of "boost" or "push" or even any type of "cushion" in the forefoot. It honestly feels fairly "flat" in the front of the shoe when on court and moving. You can definitely "feel" the court better than in the XI and the X because of the full air bag, so that's the good part. I just can't say I felt anything different due to the hex units, they just didn't do anything for me. Maybe over time it will be more apparent. I was a bit dissapointed with this because I felt like this was the happy medium between the X's full length air bag (which I still prefer and love) and the XI's drop in sole with no bags or pods for better responsiveness and court feel. The pods greatly improve traction, the traction is SO MUCH better on these. So much better, and with such a deeper pattern.
Weight: The XI delivered in the weight category, big time, as the lightest LeBron signature model to date (other than PS's and Soldiers) at around 15 ounces for a size 10. The XII's go up a little bit in weight to just a bit over 16 ounces for size 10. The XII's certainly didn't feel heavy on court, especially after a few games. The X was about 17 ounces in a size 10, so the XII kind of comes in the middle of the last 3 models. On foot I thought they felt fine, not heavy, not feather light, how I like a basketball shoe to feel, especially with a high top model. Not track spikes, not hiking boots. After playing in them tonight, I can see guards and forwards lacing these up, centers...probably not. The "Megafuse" upper probably makes the weight decent in these, but the only real "structured" pieces on the upper are the hyperposite pieces. The megafuse has "darker" sections that are essentially like little webbing areas that are a bit stiffer due to the material being "fused" with this "web" like plastic scaling. It provides structure in the toe box, but not much protection if you live in the paint. So centers beware, your toes may thank me for the warning.
Details: Like most LeBron models from the past, the XII has some nice details. For me, I loved the "speckled" midsole, the laceguard section with the crown on it, the unique heel tab each colorway will have, and my favorite was probably the design of "chambers"from a Heart found on the big swoosh and on the inner slide out portion of the box, shown below in pictures:
Overall: What we would expect from the progression of the LeBron line, a focus on "comfort" for Nike's biggest star after the tumultuous relationship he had with the XI. For some the style aspects are here, for some this is purely a court shoe. As a court shoe, I really like the fit, the lockdown, the improvement with traction, the sizing adjustments made, and the the zoom heel unit. For criticisms I have a few: I don't feel the hex zoom pods doing much in the front of the shoe, and the forefoot still feels very flat, doesn't have the support or the cushion of the full length zoom and/or air bag. Maybe I'm holding on to hard to the old full length zoom bag models, but I expect there to be a little more cushion in the forefoot, it's a crucial part of basketball and the basketball shoe. The lacing system is fine, but a problem I had and see is that a few of the holes for the laces don't have plastic eyelets to lace through. 2 of the sets are just holes in the megafuse that you fish the lace through. It's a big rigid and harsh on the laces, yet alone it looks "unpolished" or "unfinished" on the shoe. Nothing should look unpolished on a $200 pair of Nikes, nothing. My last small gripe, which may be solved over time is the sort of weird "soft" feeling when the foot is fully laced down. It's not sloppy, and it's not sliding anywhere, it just feels a little "soft" or "floating" in the shoe because the upper is so "free" and doesn't have a strong structure up top. It may just take some time to get used to, like I said I haven't really tried any of the flyknit shoes or any of the new stuff with these soft uppers. I've always been a lockdown structure guy, so it's an adjustment, but one I think I and my feet will like over a long season. I definitely could feel the improved traction, the pattern is deeper because of the pods, there is also some nice ridges up front to help with transitioning. Very responsive, great flex, and comfort level has been increased significantly. I see my feet being very pleased long term in there, the XI's weren't always kind to them after long games and multiple seasons.
DISCLAIMER: Like always, everyone will have different impressions, opinions, sizing, and issues with every shoe. I don't claim to be the expert, I'm not a professional basketball player or sneaker-tester, just a former college player who is getting old but still loves to play and loves to try the latest shoes. I give my opinions simply to help those that can't always try things out before buying or have questions that can sometimes be answered by others. I'm sure I forgot a bunch of stuff, so feel free to ask or shoot me a message. Always glad to help. And I will give updates every so often. I took some comparison pictures next to the XI for reference, will try to throw them up tomorrow maybe.
If you read this, thanks.
DW
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Heeeeeell yes @dwoodactennis
BRAVO
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Eyelets still in good shape?
Bend_The_Knee
formerly gotholesinmysocks
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DW, great review. I read everything.
You are making me want to purchase them right now
I saw that you didn't like how they performed on the court, well, the front where you said it felt flat. No biggie for me though, i wasn't going to use them for ball.
Like how they fit rue to size. Size 10.0 for me.
You are making me want to purchase them right now
I saw that you didn't like how they performed on the court, well, the front where you said it felt flat. No biggie for me though, i wasn't going to use them for ball.
Like how they fit rue to size. Size 10.0 for me.
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Seriously...finally a real, honest-to-goodness TTS shoe. Haven't felt that since the VII...
VIII - half size short
IX - full size small
X - half size short
XI - TTS length but OWWW
VIII - half size short
IX - full size small
X - half size short
XI - TTS length but OWWW
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Thanks. I definitely liked them on court, just so much different. Spent the summer in the XI and X Elite, so a major change. These have serious potential.DW, great review. I read everything.
You are making me want to purchase them right now
I saw that you didn't like how they performed on the court, well, the front where you said it felt flat. No biggie for me though, i wasn't going to use them for ball.
Like how they fit rue to size. Size 10.0 for me.
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DW..... thank so much for taking the time out for the review man.
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thanks for the review....
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Creased swoosh? Hope it won't peel off
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Repped, thanks for the review DW.
I thought some of the color ways would grow on me over time, but nah... All 8 colorways range from underwhelming to absolutely terrible for me. Looks like it'll just be IDs for me, at least til 2015.
I thought some of the color ways would grow on me over time, but nah... All 8 colorways range from underwhelming to absolutely terrible for me. Looks like it'll just be IDs for me, at least til 2015.
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Have to say that was one of the most enjoyable reviews I've read, I'm so in With the 12.
Bend_The_Knee
formerly gotholesinmysocks
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Like Tigo said, anything on the eyelets?
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Still don't have a concrete date for the NSRL?
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I can answer this for the group... we are here to complain about them...
we are not hypebeasts so we are dissapointed.., would a sneaker forum about the shoe "not" be an apprpriate place to comment about them? or are u suggesting that every comment about every shoe should be positive and we should never be dissapointed?
u forget that many of us have collected lebron shoes for years.., and get excited for the new editions every year... so when they hit an all time low like this... excuse us for being a little dissapointed smh
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DW you need a YouTube channel.
Or work together with Nightwing for Weartesters.com
Good review as always
Or work together with Nightwing for Weartesters.com
Good review as always
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...anyway.
I hope we get the ID options to a Floridian home c/w like the one we didn't get on the X's.
I think it would look great on this silhouette and it's obvious we'll never get that c/w from Nike.
I hope we get the ID options to a Floridian home c/w like the one we didn't get on the X's.
I think it would look great on this silhouette and it's obvious we'll never get that c/w from Nike.
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@dwoodactennis Great review! One thing I'd like to point out that other people have said also is that the hexagon zoom didn't really do anything for them. I don't doubt that they will be comfortable once you put them on, but the hexagon zoom should be felt. I absolutely agree with you that for $200, no part of the shoe should look unfinished. For me, it's the hyperposite wings sticking out of the shoe and the lebron signature sticking out on the top of the tongue. I do like the creativity of the theme surrounding this shoe and feel the megafuse is probably nice (maybe a Megafuse 2015 next year like the Hyperfuses?). My opinion on the 12's is if you want to buy them for basketball, go ahead because I can't tell people what to buy. If you want to buy them just for casual wear, I absolutely DO NOT recommend it because these are the worst looking lebrons to date. To give you an idea, they're the Air Jordan 15's of lebrons.
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dwoodactennis
TLDR
Naw jk bro amazing stuff! Can't wait to get my hands on a pair whenever they finally release.
It's a shame though that multiple people are reporting that they don't feel any bounce coming from the forefoot. Judging from your review that would've made em a 10/10 for me. But I suppose I'd rather have a super comfy upper than a shoe that bounces my foot into pinky-toe-destroying posite
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