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To people who have them early, does the Written in the Stars pair have orange like the NSRL or is it not orange? Pics make them look different.
THE LEBRON 13 THREAD *Elites released**Command Force 6/11/16
- Thread in 'Nike' Thread starter Started by mister friendly,
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this is your conscience speaking, do you have any other jokes for E.Smith?
Wow, now people saying that posite looks like a private part
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It is orange. Like a "safety" orange if I had to say.
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Where's your review garsh rammit?!
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Just let it go. Let it go
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Typing as we speak/comment
Where's your review garsh rammit?!
flesh prince
Banned
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Shoe got potential but so far they blowing it with the colorways...
Mulberry and Aways are cool tho...
Mulberry and Aways are cool tho...
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LeBron XIII "Mulberry" Review:
First Impressions: For my initial wear I put in an hour on court for a 60 minute recreation league game, and another hour on court afterwards of pick up and drills. Right out of the box, the weight (or lack there of) struck me. Much lighter than the LeBron XII, and the weight is more evenly distributed. LeBron XII's were very midsole/outsole (bottom) heavy to me. The XIII feels fairly light in hand for the size, and weight feels very consistent from toe to heel, no heavy points of emphasis. Besides the slightly odd lacing (more on that later), the upper tongue piece is somewhat attention worthy. Not because it's so tall, but because it is very narrow towards the top of the shoe, and doesn't quite fill the upper part of the ankle opening like the XII and past models do/have done. I do enjoy the look of the shoe, but there are certainly pieces that I think could have been designed a little differently. Makes me very curious what LeBron's input was on these, and what exactly he was looking for out of this shoe. It's "different" for sure.
Fit/Size: Most important question with a new model is, "how do they fit?" So not wasting any time, I think whatever size you wore in the XII would make you happy in the XIII. Even though the design and shape is fairly different, first thing I thought when I first laced them up was how similar they feet/fit to the XII. We all have differently sized/shaped feet, so purely for reference: I wear a a size 10.0 in LeBrons 1,2,5,6,8,9,10 and 11. A size 9.5 in LeBrons 3,4,7,12, and now 13. BUT, I have a very narrow foot, and like a good snug fit. The XIII is about the same length and width as the XII, maybe a tiny bit longer, but it's minuscule.
Lockdown/Lacing Probably the thing I was most curious about was the lacing system, it obviously looks "interesting." First thing I did was pull out the tissue paper, and put my hand down into the shoe to where the midfoot posite piece is and see what the heck they did with the laces between the 2nd and 3rd set of eyelets. Sadly, the laces are slid in through a "pouch" of material that is not accessible by hand. My guess (to the future bane of customizers everywhere soon!) is that the only way to relace this area will be to somehow "fish" the laces to the corresponding 3rd set of eyelets with some sort of tool or guide. The good news is, this "pouch" of material makes it so you don't feel these laces that criss-cross over the foot in the shoe while wearing them. Looking back at the XII, the biggest issue for a lot was that it wasn't easy to crank up the laces to get that desired snug lockdown when getting ready to hoop. It took some effort, but when the proper tension was reached, it was pretty good. With the XIII, it's pretty easy get a good pull on the laces to the desired tension, but in my experience tonight, I didn't get that super snug/secure/locked down feeling when I tied them up. It could be the shoe needs some time to get broken in to my feet, and it could be I wasn't as "aggressive" in my lacing tonight due to them being brand new. I do think that the way the lacing starts a little funny, and angles up the bootie doesn't make for the greatest possible lockdown combination, and for some with narrow feet, it may leave a little to be desired. I know a lot of guys want their feet really ratcheted down when they tip off (me included!), so this is one area I could see some people not loving the XIII in that regard. However, during play, they felt pretty secured, and I never felt like my feet were sliding or moving about in the shoe, even with a slightly looser lacing tension than I normally use.
Performance/Tech: The biggest difference from a performance aspect is size, location, and number of the hexagon zoom pods, the true division of the front forefoot pad, and heel pad, with full wrap around shank plate. If it looks sort of familiar (ignoring the hex pods) from a top view of the sole, it's probably because of the strong resemblance to the Jordan XX8, and the "Flight Plate" design. While the XIII differs somewhat, I think the same idea is there. The XII had a one piece outsole with a side tapering shank setup. The XIII goes full division, and utilizes a similar "plate" dividing such, and can definitely be felt when making movements on court, in a good way. I'm not sure if it's the bigger hex zoom air pods, their location, or the way the sit on the sole, but you can feel them the moment you put on the shoe. If you look back at my review of the XII, one of my big gripes was not being able to really "feel" the zoom pods in the forefoot, only the heel unit. In the XIII the setup has shifted, and the zoom pod on forefoot is actually larger than the heel unit, and seems to be the point of emphasis. I could feel the forefoot zoom pods on both sides of the forefoot, and the heel unit was definitely there, but not stealing all my attention like it did in the XII's. Along with the weight distribution, the cushioning is much more level from heel to toe. A very smooth and soft ride throughout the sole. Another advantage of the new zoom pods' size and placement is the traction. I play on the exact same court every Monday night, and the floor is in the exact same state of cleanliness/dustiness (pretty clean, tacky), so it's a great place to test out a new shoe for traction. Big jump in traction on these. Not sure if it's the way the pods on the heel and forefoot are positioned, the way the treads are deeper and more prominently covered on each pod, or the combination of the two, but traction makes a big jump on the XIII. Traction was average on the XI and XII, these are much better, and quite sticky to be honest. The whole new setup was a pleasant surprise. The new pods, full shank, even midsole/outsole weighting, creates a springy and explosive platform, even with them sitting up a bit higher off the ground due to the division of front and back outsoles. Impressive from a sprinting, jumping, cutting point of view.
Overall Love the step in comfort, sizing is pretty good, consistent with the XII. New tech setup actually can be felt right out of the box, much more explosive, provides really good "spring," and more fitting to LeBron's game, and that of a swing guard/forward. I like how the shoe sits, it is up a little higher than the XII and XI, but not unstable, or like the full length bag of the X. Has a nice responsiveness, without giving up comfort and full length cushioning. The weight is on the light side (or at least feels like it) for a Bron shoe, but I think the rub is the lack of structure (no posite or hard reinforced pieces on the upper) will give up a little protection. The posite pieces are not super hard rubber, they are pretty flexible, especially on the midfoot piece. There isn't a lot of hard "framework" in the upper of the shoe to offer protection, that could bother some who frequent the paint, or like a little protection up top for feel. It's truly a "bootie" feel, which I think may have benefited from an actual separate tongue with cushioning in it. The tongue piece is not very cushioned, less than the XII by a bit. A thicker portion to the tongue could've helped the overall fit and feel of this shoe, just my 2 cents though. The upper pieces around the ankle don't feel tall on foot, neither does the tongue. The ankle side wings are actually must softer and feel a lot better than the hard rigid plastic of the XII. I like this improvement in the feel of the collar of the shoe. Not sure the tech/"improvements" are $200 worthy, there are definitely some materials and tech missing for that price point, but very few shoes are worth that anyways from a performance perspective. I do feel like Nike shorted us on some of the little details and design cues that we have grown to look for and enjoy on the past models, but I know many don't care about that stuff. I'm interested to see how they break in, and think it could be a great performance shoe for many if the buyer can get the correct fit they desire. The traction improvement was needed, and much appreciated. Those seeking a casual shoe will probably be pleased with the cushioned feel, if they like the look of the design.
Will update with weight when I get a chance to throw them on the scale.
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.
DW
First Impressions: For my initial wear I put in an hour on court for a 60 minute recreation league game, and another hour on court afterwards of pick up and drills. Right out of the box, the weight (or lack there of) struck me. Much lighter than the LeBron XII, and the weight is more evenly distributed. LeBron XII's were very midsole/outsole (bottom) heavy to me. The XIII feels fairly light in hand for the size, and weight feels very consistent from toe to heel, no heavy points of emphasis. Besides the slightly odd lacing (more on that later), the upper tongue piece is somewhat attention worthy. Not because it's so tall, but because it is very narrow towards the top of the shoe, and doesn't quite fill the upper part of the ankle opening like the XII and past models do/have done. I do enjoy the look of the shoe, but there are certainly pieces that I think could have been designed a little differently. Makes me very curious what LeBron's input was on these, and what exactly he was looking for out of this shoe. It's "different" for sure.
Fit/Size: Most important question with a new model is, "how do they fit?" So not wasting any time, I think whatever size you wore in the XII would make you happy in the XIII. Even though the design and shape is fairly different, first thing I thought when I first laced them up was how similar they feet/fit to the XII. We all have differently sized/shaped feet, so purely for reference: I wear a a size 10.0 in LeBrons 1,2,5,6,8,9,10 and 11. A size 9.5 in LeBrons 3,4,7,12, and now 13. BUT, I have a very narrow foot, and like a good snug fit. The XIII is about the same length and width as the XII, maybe a tiny bit longer, but it's minuscule.
Lockdown/Lacing Probably the thing I was most curious about was the lacing system, it obviously looks "interesting." First thing I did was pull out the tissue paper, and put my hand down into the shoe to where the midfoot posite piece is and see what the heck they did with the laces between the 2nd and 3rd set of eyelets. Sadly, the laces are slid in through a "pouch" of material that is not accessible by hand. My guess (to the future bane of customizers everywhere soon!) is that the only way to relace this area will be to somehow "fish" the laces to the corresponding 3rd set of eyelets with some sort of tool or guide. The good news is, this "pouch" of material makes it so you don't feel these laces that criss-cross over the foot in the shoe while wearing them. Looking back at the XII, the biggest issue for a lot was that it wasn't easy to crank up the laces to get that desired snug lockdown when getting ready to hoop. It took some effort, but when the proper tension was reached, it was pretty good. With the XIII, it's pretty easy get a good pull on the laces to the desired tension, but in my experience tonight, I didn't get that super snug/secure/locked down feeling when I tied them up. It could be the shoe needs some time to get broken in to my feet, and it could be I wasn't as "aggressive" in my lacing tonight due to them being brand new. I do think that the way the lacing starts a little funny, and angles up the bootie doesn't make for the greatest possible lockdown combination, and for some with narrow feet, it may leave a little to be desired. I know a lot of guys want their feet really ratcheted down when they tip off (me included!), so this is one area I could see some people not loving the XIII in that regard. However, during play, they felt pretty secured, and I never felt like my feet were sliding or moving about in the shoe, even with a slightly looser lacing tension than I normally use.
Performance/Tech: The biggest difference from a performance aspect is size, location, and number of the hexagon zoom pods, the true division of the front forefoot pad, and heel pad, with full wrap around shank plate. If it looks sort of familiar (ignoring the hex pods) from a top view of the sole, it's probably because of the strong resemblance to the Jordan XX8, and the "Flight Plate" design. While the XIII differs somewhat, I think the same idea is there. The XII had a one piece outsole with a side tapering shank setup. The XIII goes full division, and utilizes a similar "plate" dividing such, and can definitely be felt when making movements on court, in a good way. I'm not sure if it's the bigger hex zoom air pods, their location, or the way the sit on the sole, but you can feel them the moment you put on the shoe. If you look back at my review of the XII, one of my big gripes was not being able to really "feel" the zoom pods in the forefoot, only the heel unit. In the XIII the setup has shifted, and the zoom pod on forefoot is actually larger than the heel unit, and seems to be the point of emphasis. I could feel the forefoot zoom pods on both sides of the forefoot, and the heel unit was definitely there, but not stealing all my attention like it did in the XII's. Along with the weight distribution, the cushioning is much more level from heel to toe. A very smooth and soft ride throughout the sole. Another advantage of the new zoom pods' size and placement is the traction. I play on the exact same court every Monday night, and the floor is in the exact same state of cleanliness/dustiness (pretty clean, tacky), so it's a great place to test out a new shoe for traction. Big jump in traction on these. Not sure if it's the way the pods on the heel and forefoot are positioned, the way the treads are deeper and more prominently covered on each pod, or the combination of the two, but traction makes a big jump on the XIII. Traction was average on the XI and XII, these are much better, and quite sticky to be honest. The whole new setup was a pleasant surprise. The new pods, full shank, even midsole/outsole weighting, creates a springy and explosive platform, even with them sitting up a bit higher off the ground due to the division of front and back outsoles. Impressive from a sprinting, jumping, cutting point of view.
Overall Love the step in comfort, sizing is pretty good, consistent with the XII. New tech setup actually can be felt right out of the box, much more explosive, provides really good "spring," and more fitting to LeBron's game, and that of a swing guard/forward. I like how the shoe sits, it is up a little higher than the XII and XI, but not unstable, or like the full length bag of the X. Has a nice responsiveness, without giving up comfort and full length cushioning. The weight is on the light side (or at least feels like it) for a Bron shoe, but I think the rub is the lack of structure (no posite or hard reinforced pieces on the upper) will give up a little protection. The posite pieces are not super hard rubber, they are pretty flexible, especially on the midfoot piece. There isn't a lot of hard "framework" in the upper of the shoe to offer protection, that could bother some who frequent the paint, or like a little protection up top for feel. It's truly a "bootie" feel, which I think may have benefited from an actual separate tongue with cushioning in it. The tongue piece is not very cushioned, less than the XII by a bit. A thicker portion to the tongue could've helped the overall fit and feel of this shoe, just my 2 cents though. The upper pieces around the ankle don't feel tall on foot, neither does the tongue. The ankle side wings are actually must softer and feel a lot better than the hard rigid plastic of the XII. I like this improvement in the feel of the collar of the shoe. Not sure the tech/"improvements" are $200 worthy, there are definitely some materials and tech missing for that price point, but very few shoes are worth that anyways from a performance perspective. I do feel like Nike shorted us on some of the little details and design cues that we have grown to look for and enjoy on the past models, but I know many don't care about that stuff. I'm interested to see how they break in, and think it could be a great performance shoe for many if the buyer can get the correct fit they desire. The traction improvement was needed, and much appreciated. Those seeking a casual shoe will probably be pleased with the cushioned feel, if they like the look of the design.
Will update with weight when I get a chance to throw them on the scale.
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.
DW
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nice write up @dwoodactennis
how does the transition from heel strike to forefoot feel compare to the xx8? the problem with the xx8 was the transition was a little clunky with separated forefoot and heel.
how does the transition from heel strike to forefoot feel compare to the xx8? the problem with the xx8 was the transition was a little clunky with separated forefoot and heel.
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Great question, thanks for asking! The XIII feels very similar to the XX8 as far as transition, a little "clicky" (that's obviously not a word) but meaning that you feel a little "snap" (maybe "flex" is a better word?) when you transition, just like people experienced in the XX8's.
I wouldn't say "clunky" with these, because I don't think that's accurate, and these are a tad different in that regard. Because of the way the midsole and outsole combo work on these together, I feel like they have a slight design edge for transition, and won't be described as "clunky" but I could be wrong. To me the sensation is still there from the XX8's flight plate, that flex is felt when really charging off with the heel to forefoot dig on the court when you start moving. Not as noticeable when in a dead sprint or cutting back in forth.
Probably a terrible answer to a great question, but hope that makes some sense to you.
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Nice review
dwoodactennis
. Could definitely tell the traction was better by looking at the outsole today. I like the pattern they used. Appreciate the info. Repped
dwoodactennis
. Could definitely tell the traction was better by looking at the outsole today. I like the pattern they used. Appreciate the info. Repped
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nice write up.
thanks. you are right, clunky probably wasn't the right word, but the xx8 you can feel that 1-2 transition. sounds like these does do a better job at that compare to the xx8.
Great question, thanks for asking! The XIII feels very similar to the XX8 as far as transition, a little "clicky" (that's obviously not a word) but meaning that you feel a little "snap" (maybe "flex" is a better word?) when you transition, just like people experienced in the XX8's.
I wouldn't say "clunky" with these, because I don't think that's accurate, and these are a tad different in that regard. Because of the way the midsole and outsole combo work on these together, I feel like they have a slight design edge for transition, and won't be described as "clunky" but I could be wrong. To me the sensation is still there from the XX8's flight plate, that flex is felt when really charging off with the heel to forefoot dig on the court when you start moving. Not as noticeable when in a dead sprint or cutting back in forth.
Probably a terrible answer to a great question by me, but hope that makes some sense to you.
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Nvm
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repped
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Yessssiiiiiiir! Best review you're gonna get for the XIII hands down
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Fantastic review!
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Ok now you have peaked my interest
Lose the speckles and you can sign me up
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After reading that review, I can't wait to try these on. Sounds very comfortable.
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Thanks for the review
dwoodactennis
dwoodactennis
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dwoodactennis
I don't care for performance reviews but since you put so much time into it salute. Repped
T0INE
formerly toine2983
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That grey pair is really nice.
That and the black/purple dunkmans are potential cops.
The Mulberry are growing on me though.
That Cavs PS colorway by TPG though.
That and the black/purple dunkmans are potential cops.
The Mulberry are growing on me though.
That Cavs PS colorway by TPG though.
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Lions colorway!
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Gold posite would be [emoji]128293[/emoji]
I still don't know why Nike did not make it available on the 12 id's
