ANYONE VE A XX3 PERFORMANCE REVIEW?

[410fresh]

HAS ANYBODY PLAYE LL IN THE XX3S WITH PATENT LEATHER ON THE FRONT BECAUSE I WAS CONSIDERING PLAYING BALL IN THE STEALTHS THAT COME OUT 4-5. I WANT TO KNOW HOWBAD THEY CREASE, ANKLE SUPPORT, CUSHIONING, AND PERFORMANCE FOR A GUARDS QUICK CUTS THANK YOU!

 

[malumouse]

you might want to use a question mark in your title

 

[juschiang]

I balled in my black/true red-stealth XX3s for the 1st time tonight and the patent rand does tend to get creased on the medial side near the TPU (or is itsomething else) midfoot extension but it is very minimal. Once I've balled in them a couple of more times I'll probably write up a more comprehensivereview but right now, I can only offer a first impression type of review so please take it with a grain of salt:

1. Fit & Comfort: 8

My feet are somewhere between 10.5 and 11 and I've worn a size 11 in AJ17, 18, 19 while I wear a size 10.5 in Zoom Lebron IVs and I would say while therest of the shoes fit perfectly (especially in the ankle area), the toe box is somewhat too roomy for my taste but that's not necessarily a bad thingbecause I've exprienced what many have described as unbearable, stabbing pain in the pinky toe area but to a lesser degree. So apparently being in between2 sizes and going with the larger size dramatically alleviates this problem.

However, because the toebox is fairly roomy, there's a fair amount of front-to-back movement within the shoe. It almost felt as if the excellent lacingsystem and the tremendous fit in the ankle area "grabs" your feet and prevent them from sliding too far forward. I'm happy to say there isabsolutely ZERO side-to-side movement and the lacing system actually prevents you from tieing your shoelaces too tightly in the fore/mid-foot area whileproviding what I consider as the best support out of all of the Js in the ankle area.

The suede material inside the shoes is just pure butter and had it not been for the excess heat this pillowy material is known to generate, as complained bysome NT'ers, the XX3 would undoubtedly earn top honors in the most comfortable Js to date. The shoes got noticeably warmer within 30 minutes while I wasdoing some light-duty shoot-around and although the elevated level of temperature remained there throughout the hour of full-court play that followed theshoot-around, I'm happy to say the shoes did not get any hotter as the game went on.

2. Ankle Protection: 9.5

Again, an absolutely excellent lacing system design, coupled with an extra beefy heel counter and a rugged outrigger design on the outsole really instilledconfidence in me as I had absolutely no worries in rolling my ankles during play. I wouldn't say they're the best in all of the Js to date (the 17searn that honor IMO) but the XX3s are pretty close. They would undoubtedly be ranked top 3 in my book.

3. Traction: 10

I played in an indoor PU court with pieces of what suspiciously looked like cake or bread spread all over the floor (I played at a school) but the XX3s wereabsolutely flawless. I did manage to slip once but that was due to perspiration on the floor and while the slip was ominously close to what happened to AlonzoMourning in his last game, I did manage to get some traction, recover, and still made a half-decent attempt at a shot so I was pretty impressed by the XX3s. Ibelieve traction wouldn't be on the same level as say the 18s or the 21s or 22s (given I haven't yet balled in 20-22s), I am fairly certain XX3s wouldagain be near the top.

4. Cushioning: 10

I absolutely fell in love with the IPS + zoom-air setup given again I haven't yet balled in my 20-22s (I did try them on at home). Although cushioningdefinitely isn't on the same level as say the 19s (which was INSANELY comfortable and well-cushioned) but the PRECISE amount of cushioning at exactly thePRECISE locations really made the difference. It's like JB knew exactly where your feet need cushioning and in what amount and they went ahead and justadded a little extra to make sure you feel you really have all that you need and a bit more. It's kind of hard to explain but to me, I felt like I alwayshad more than what I needed at any given moment and made me always want to push a bit more just to see if the shoes would still provide enough cushioning. Itis simply that awesome.

5. Court feel: 9

For a mid-cut shoe, the XX3s came really close to feeling like a mid-to-high cut shoes. To me, this is definitely a plus because I play in the post and theXX3s bring back that familiar feeling of all the great max-aired based kicks in the past. Yet, it provided pretty decent court feel. For guard-orientedplayers, I would imagine the XX3s would probably get an 8 rather than a 9 though because I think there are quite a few lower-priced alternatives (such as theZoom BBs, BB 2's, and ZK3's) that may offer better court feel.

6. Durability: 9.5

Other than a couple of scuffs on the patent leather rand and the TPU mid-sole, the upper is restored to pristine condition with a simple wipe of damp towelso it doesn't get any more durable than that (well, except for foamposite-based shoes). Getting rid of all those cake/bread crumbs were a pain in theneck, but I have the habbit of thoroughly clean the outsoles after everytime I play so the grey outsole definitely helps in terms of masking the dirt a regularshoe cleaner can't get rid of.

Overall: 9.5/10

I'm definitely happy I've made the decision to get multiple pairs of the XX3s. To me, the XX3s definitely present an interesting combination ofperformance characteristics in that in certain areas (lacing, ankle protection, cushioning), few shoes can match its performance while in other areas (fit,heat dissipation, court feel), it definitely leaves something to be desired. However, when all the performance characteristics come together as a package, theXX3s truely offer something that is close to the pinnacle of the performance envelope. What's great about the XX3s is that IMO they are well-suited forplayers at any position (granted they are probably better suited for forward-center type of players than your guard-forward type) and on performance alone, Iwould probably rank them as my all-time top 5. However, what pushed the XX3s over the top for me is the beautiful design; I often find myself admiring thelines, curves and the ultra-fine finish of the shoes so I have to say although these aesthetics elements have very little or nothing to do with performance butif I do factor them in, the XX3s have got to be my favorite shoes of all time along with the 17s.

 

[b1lly hoyle]

^ GREAT Review! Agreed on pretty much every point you made. Excellent break-down and analysis.

My review is on Sole Collector.com....

 

[gregodensbedpan]

what is IPS + zoom air set up? and where is it located in the shoe? thanks..

 

[juschiang]

^^^ Check out B1LLY's review on Sole Collector.com, it has all the info. you are looking for plus a tremendous review as an added bonus