NIKE KOBE VII PERFORMANCE REVIEW

Kobekobe

Kobekobe

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Jan 25, 2006
before people tell me that there's already a thread on this shoe, i know.. but there's too much negativity in there. also, any questions, just ask. i might have missed something (i'm not a professional shoe reviewer or anything). i know there are a few people on here that actually play ball in their kobe's, the rest just wear them casually. i'm hoping to provide the most accurate information about the shoe as i play about 5 times per week (when uninjured
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) (this isn't to knock on anyone else who plays ball on here..)
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NIKE KOBE VII PERFORMANCE REVIEW (Play Fast)




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Stats 6’2
 
great review man. Thanks.

I haven't tried playing in my 7's. But wore them once on a trip overseas and they felt ok.

I have a TTS pair as well, and when I'm just walking around in the house, I also feel the heel slippage, but NO slippage with my half size up pair. got me confused but good to know I'm not the only one with the same experience.

I'll try them out soon on the court. Hopefully I'll have the same good experience as you. 
 
Other than disagreeing with going a half size up to avoid blisters and your spelling of "heel", this was a great review.

Thank you.
 
Originally Posted by kicksb4tricks

Other than disagreeing with going a half size up to avoid blisters and your spelling of "heel", this was a great review.

Thank you.
Click to expand...


Typed on iPad, my bad lol. And why do you disagree with going up half a size? I'm curious and wanna hear other people's thoughtsIf people are getting blisters in their arch, it has to be because the shoe is too tight. I feel 0 pressure in that area, so it can't be the shoe if you get the correct fit...
 
I finally played with my Pair of sharks yesterday for about 3 one on one games and it was wonderful (first 2 1-1 games i played in my zk6) My natural size is a 9 1/2 but kobe zk6 that was too tight so I went to 10. So I also stayed with 10 on the zk7.
Out the box sharks felt great for me as well... and Performance felt a lot better and more cushioned than my zk6.

I have only had a problem out of my clocks, but I had to re-adjust the sole part and now they feel good as well. The half size up does help tremendously. I did have to tie the shoe all the way up to the last loop hole because below that was slipping with playing..


Good review man. I'm def a believer in the zk7 again although It did have to take some adjustment for the cloaks. It worked out in the end. 
 
Very nice performance review. Mainly its because its not swayed by the majority of the negative reviews in this shoes. I have 5 pairs. Played 4 of them in court and the one(ASG) is just for casual wear.
I agree with the one size up. Im size 13 to ZK4,ZK5,ZK6 and decided to go to 14 in ZK7s. And I have a very wide feet .

Fully agree with the performance here, but how about the paint quality? Thats my only problem with the ZK7s, paint in the midsole area can be damaged quickly.

Other thing is the play strong insole, really feels great but the velcro is eating up the sockliner in the ankle area.
 
Outstanding review. I don't have any problems with the VII as reported by others or any from the ZK line if I wear my usual size. It's good to have narrow feet with Kobes I guess. I like the fit better on the VII than the V and VI. It's definitely a more stable shoe out of the line like the ZK1. I agree the VII fits more like the IVs. If the VII had a thicker tongue it would be a perfect shoe imo.
 
thanks guys.

earvinkobe24, paint quaility: i noticed that on my midsole there was some paint coming off. but i'm not really one to complain when it comes to kobe's. i ball in my shoes, they're gonna crease, they're gonna get beat up, etc. so far it's not so bad, but if it gets worse then it would be disappointing, but hey.. it's bound to happen over time anyways. i had paint coming off on my ZK6 midsole accent (the back of the midsole where it says ZOOM, same thing on this shoe except it seems likely on the entire midsole.

it only means one thing.. nike is being cheap on the paint (mixing it with too much water?)

thapointguy, i agree. if the tongue was a little bit thicker it would be perfect.. however, what i did was loosely tie it up in the mid-tongue area (not completely loose, but not too tight where it caused pain) then the last lace hole, i pulled hard and tied the shoe. it actually worked out just fine.. it loosens up after you walk/run for a little bit and it's fine after that. maybe this is how they're supposed to be tied up? who knows..


as for the play strong, Never Wear Them said i would like them and i'm gonna take his word for it (he's the one that told me the zk7 are fine for ball). but too be honest, the ankle strap is a no-no for me. i'm so used to playing in lows that when i tried the play strong insert, i hated it. maybe if i have some extra cash, i'll ID a low cut insert with play strong cushion this summer. will post my thoughts on that for sure (if i do it).
 
^Good perspective when it comes to paint creasing. I guess I need to be on the same mindset as well. Wouldnt want the paint issue ruin the excellent performance of this shoes.
 
I guess I have to somewhat apologize since I was one of the first people
to give a review on the zk7 and my review started good but progressed
towards bad through time.

As I've said, they are good shoes, performance is good.

But if you consider everything, price, time of release, quality, it's hard for
some people to say that it is a step up from the previous sigs.

It's one of those shoes that if you like em, you really like em and if it
doesn't fit you well, you'd just go the other way. A polarizing model if you will.

I'm just happy that there are people on here that enjoy the shoe and find
that it fits them well since I didn't get to enjoy mine over time. I camped out
for my pairs and having to sell multiples of my Christmas 7s hurt a lot.

How do you feel about the power stretch cuff? Was it really necessary and
a step up from the torch sleeve?
 
Thanks for the review. I too ball in my Kobe VII's. I ball in my dukes and asg at the gym and cloaks outdoors. Wasn't too happy with the dukes at first but after a few wears they felt good, zk5 good. Traction is good on wood and not too bad on blacktop. Comfort, asg felt the best out of the box. Dukes and cloaks felt too narrow at first but wore them casually for about a week and feel fine now. I wear 10.5 and stayed true to size, didn't have to size up. Haven't played in the play strong insoles but will soon. Let us know how those perform.
 
i have 3 pairs of 7s, i havent played in them yet but I am IDing a pair to play in this summer outdoors. i love the fit, i have both sz 11 and 11.5s both feel fine to me but ill definitely be playing in the 11.5. cant wait to ball in them
 
Originally Posted by al3x89

Kobeoverlebron, what is the power stretch cuff you're talking about?
Click to expand...
He's talking about the material that forms the tongue of the shoe, where the laces are secured.
Most people found the torch sleeve on the ZKV/ZKVI to be perfect and the power stretch cuff on the ZKVII to be on the thin side.
 
Ok ya, like I said in my initial review, I hate it. Too thin.. But it's not a reason for me to not play in them
 
I too played in my Kobe VII in the duke colorway for about three hours...break in is kinda harsh. They perform extremely well and the cushioning is definitely there. One drawback that I don't like is the transition or heel to toe movement. They do have a bit of a clunky feel and the glass or carbon fiber shank is quite rigid. I do like that it extends out more and folds up a bit on the arch...Still prefer the ZK4s over these, but the forefoot zoom makes a pretty big difference. Sorry for changing the subject, but has anyone worn the retroed Huarache 2K4's on court yet? I'm pretty excited for those......
 
OK first of all i just wanna say that if you're planning to copped this shoe for balling go half size up! it makes a world of difference.


I just bought my first VII (darth frog mint). Been wearing kobes since the IV because i love the low cut feel... i have multiple pairs of the previous kobes mainly for balling. Read most early reviews bout the VII and it made me hesitant but finally i decided to get one just out of curiosity.

when i played in them for the first time it felt just like the previous lines... they were killing my feet coz it haven't conform to my feet yet but the more i used it the more i appreciate the shoe and have seen it's strength. I totally understand why there were lot of people complaining maybe because they were too used of the kobe VI's responsiveness and comfort (difference is not that far IMO). But those minor set backs is added with better stability, support and improved cushioning. This is probably kobe's personal spec for this season... we all know his knee issues and i'm not surprise if he chooses those improvements even if means sacrificing other aspect of the shoe.

I personally like the VII... as a guard i feel very stable and love the cushioning. i'm getting up in age too so i totally understand kobe's direction regarding his shoe line.

again get half size up! get your size right and you will appreciate this shoe just like i did.
 
you litterally just sold me on this shoe. i have been looking for a shoe with good cushioning!
 
Is there any difference in court feel or heel to toe transition of the elite version?
 
used my elite inserts the last two days in my dels sols and concords, and...
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the full-length zoom feels absolutely superb, these have a chance to challenge the ZKII shealth for best cushioning in the ZK line.
 
i have not played in the elite version yet.. i hope they hit outlets. $200 for a shoe i'm gonna destroy on the court?? no thanks unless it's an ID.

i hope i can get them at the outlet for less than $100 in the future.
 
I just got the elites. I don't think they're bad shoes, and the cushioning on them is great, but I have wide feet and that ridge on the inner side of the insole makes the shoe way too narrow. I don't want to get a bigger size and have my foot sliding around in them or the toebox way too long, so I guess i'm just resigned to the fact that I can't really wear these. I would definitely not recommend these to anyone that has wide or flat feet. they will get blisters and it'll be a waste of money.
 
Originally Posted by amishpimp27

I just got the elites. I don't think they're bad shoes, and the cushioning on them is great, but I have wide feet and that ridge on the inner side of the insole makes the shoe way too narrow. I don't want to get a bigger size and have my foot sliding around in them or the toebox way too long, so I guess i'm just resigned to the fact that I can't really wear these. I would definitely not recommend these to anyone that has wide or flat feet. they will get blisters and it'll be a waste of money.
Click to expand...
This just confirmed my decision to pass up on the Elites. Considering I have both wide and flat feet, definitely gonna stick with my Bron IX's.
 
Just made some major modifications on my playfast insole... got damn! now it feels like what the true KB VII should have been. I can play in these all day long. 
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will post pic if anyone is interested. 
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