Question about mentalkicks.com

[italipino23]

yea you definitely a lil pup in this whole sneaker thing...

so now we're complaining when XI's look correct?

where do these new guys come from b.

How am I a lil pup? Like I said I ownded several Jordans when they originally released. This debate is going in the wrong direction. Instead of taking cheap jabs at each other, I guess we should be discussing the issue instead of "arguing". I'll go first. I'll even say that I'm sorry for talking down on those of you defending MentalKicks. It's not about that. I just get a little chapped when I see people getting fooled by these companies and I don't want the misinformation to spread to the point where a significant percentage of us think MentalKicks is legit (thank god it's still just a very small percentage that think they are).

I'm not complaining about 11s looking correct because of the higher patent cut. I couldn't care less how they're shoes look because I would never buy from MentalKicks, or Marqueesole, or Kicksole, or ANY OF THESE SITES  that can all be grouped together. I'm just trying to help others on here who think that Mental Kicks might be a legit spot to cop from. I'm trying to help those that want a pair of Space Jams or Concords, but don't wanna spend that kind of money if it's not the real deal. The pics I posted are pretty definitive proof, the smoking gun as you mention. What's more alarming now that I think of it, is that the higher patent cut is exactly what was exposed in a youtube video that was made to bring attention to the sudden SWARM of DS Space Jams that showed up on eBay all over the place. All of a sudden, sellers out of nowhere had full size runs of Space Jams for sale on Ebay. I'm thinking that MentalKicks got their hands on the same supply as the Ebay sellers. They even have the same blue tinted sole that was exposed in the youtube video as well. I think they might have fixed the box situation though.

In my opinion, there was a LARGE production run of grey market, unauthorized pairs of Space Jams made that flooded the reseller/Ebay market, and MentalKicks got their hands on a large bunch of them. Let me see if I can find that video. I've also been seeing sooooooo many videos exposing MentalKicks that I might post some of those videos as well. In the end I don't care about being right anymore....I'm just trying to keep people from getting fooled into buying what they think is legit. If these companies like MentalKicks, Marqueesole, etc were more forthcoming with their product and sold them at under retail or retail at most (and described them as VERY HIGH QUALITY REPLICAS made with the same materials), then I would respect what they are doing. But instead they try to pass their product off as authentic, when they aren't. The real slap in the face is that their is very commonly quality issues involved with these websites, as shown all over youtube. I'm talking about issues beyond the occasional glue stain. 

Here is the video I mentioned in the second paragraph. It's a bit lengthy, and a bit elementary, but rather informative. Peep this:

 

[italipino23]

oh really, so what do you call da shank plate thats on foamposites and XI's then?

I think he meant that it's not the traditional style that you usually see in industrial applications. Actually, I think he really does think it's fake carbon fiber. But the shank in 11s, foams, Kobe's, 12's etc is real carbon fiber. It might not be the highest quality, but it's real.

 

[ninjahood]

you are aware they grey market =/= fake right?

you can ask da dude running da ewing line now that da OG run of ewings were plagued by rogue factories

making unauthorized runs of REAL ewings and selling them out da back door, this is what appears what to be happening here.

now da REAL question is a ethical question, do you care that a factory can churn out unauthorized pairs of REAL jordans

at will? i frankly dont care as long as their made with real materials from da authorized counterparts. let beaverton sort out

that mess, in da mean time it can rain jordan I-XX3 12 months out of a year and as long as its da same factories making em

that nike sanctioned then i aint gonna bat an eye.

 

[italipino23]

The materials they use aren't fake, but the process and total lack of quality control makes for a MUCH CRAPPIER SHOE. THat's where we disagree...the early release joints get cranked out in such a crappy way. Lookin like they were doin it with their eyes closed. Bad cuts, sloppy stitching...and using materials that often don't look like the release date pairs (beige midsoles and mismatched speckles on WC 4s, thunder 4s that flex like free run shoes, insoles that don't fit right because the shoe was constructed so poorly...all of the usual common issues with these websites). Sometimes the hangtag looks all messed up, just a milion little different things that make all of these websites constantly look bad. It's another factor that makes buying on Ebay and craigslist kind of sketchy. 

 

[ptone]

The materials they use aren't fake, but the process and total lack of quality control makes for a MUCH CRAPPIER SHOE. THat's where we disagree...the early release joints get cranked out in such a crappy way. Lookin like they were doin it with their eyes closed. Bad cuts, sloppy stitching...and using materials that often don't look like the release date pairs (beige midsoles and mismatched speckles on WC 4s, thunder 4s that flex like free run shoes, insoles that don't fit right because the shoe was constructed so poorly...all of the usual common issues with these websites). Sometimes the hangtag looks all messed up, just a milion little different things that make all of these websites constantly look bad. It's another factor that makes buying on Ebay and craigslist kind of sketchy. 

Omit "early release" and "release date pairs" and you're talking about the sneakers we all buy from our fine retailers.

 

[airjustin]

yea you definitely a lil pup in this whole sneaker thing...

so now we're complaining when XI's look correct?

where do these new guys come from b.

He clearly said 2009 - present 11's have a lower patent cut. The OG's have a higher patent cut. So why would mentalkicks have 11's with a higher patent cut? THERE FAKE. GET OVER IT, STOP DEFENDING THEM.

 

[solebrotha52]

in my personal opinion MK is 100% legit. granted its obvious that with shoes such as the space jams that they are not the 09 run of the shoe. but the materials are authentic and the

quality...more often than not is on point. i'll admit it doesnt help that JB's production quality has fallen so far they dont set much of a bar anymore. in fact i've gotten quite a few suspect quality

shoes from retail. fact is as long as the  materials are authententic, they are made in the same factories, an the specs/quality are on point i have no qualms about coppin. this is the last pair of

shoes i copped from mental kicks check out the pics

 

[thatuncutraw]

That is weird. The one time I used the Expedited Shipping Method, the shoes arrived in 3 business days, if I'm not mistaken. 5 at the most. But I remember it being much faster than the 10 to 11 business days it took using the regular method the 2 other times I ordered from them. The longest it's taken a shipment from MentalKicks was 11 business days.

 

[thatuncutraw]

The materials they use aren't fake, but the process and total lack of quality control makes for a MUCH CRAPPIER SHOE. THat's where we disagree...the early release joints get cranked out in such a crappy way. Lookin like they were doin it with their eyes closed. Bad cuts, sloppy stitching...and using materials that often don't look like the release date pairs (beige midsoles and mismatched speckles on WC 4s, thunder 4s that flex like free run shoes, insoles that don't fit right because the shoe was constructed so poorly...all of the usual common issues with these websites). Sometimes the hangtag looks all messed up, just a milion little different things that make all of these websites constantly look bad. It's another factor that makes buying on Ebay and craigslist kind of sketchy. 

Not always. Every pair I've gotten from them was on point.. Granted, you are a lot more likely to get a messed up pair, because there is no quality control, like you mentioned. Just like when copping from retail, you can get a messed up pair, but the chances are much higher when copping from "Grey-market" websites.  It is possible to get an A-Grade quality pair, though. 

With early-releases, they might be early-production runs, which explains slight differences in designs that might occur. But any "year-later" restocks that happen out of the blue (or in the case of the Space Jams, "3 year later" restocks), they are 100% unauthorized pairs; that is, pairs that are made using identical (or extremely close to identical, as what happened with the DB 4 "restock" that magically popped up last November) materials to the Authentic pairs, and more than likely manufactured on the same machinery, only without JBs permission. I personally don't care whether they are "authorized" or not, if it is a shoe I am buying to wear, and the shoe is identical to the Authorized pairs. It only becomes a problem when these websites try to front like the shoes they are selling are "authorized", and charge authorized prices. Knowing that I can order from Taobao using an agent and pay $160 shipped for the same Concords I paid Mentalkicks $300 shipped for, I will NEVER cop from Mentalkicks (or any other grey-market) website again. Eff that.

 

[capitalkicksmd]

they've been restocking black and white cement 3's , spacejams and concords for about a year now . Full size run restocked every couple of weeks.

It's kinda of obvious whats going on there 

So has finishline, what does that mean? Finishline sells fakes too?

 

[spoiledfeet]

I pre ordered a pair of Concords from Mental kicks a month before the Concord XI release date. Unfortunately the pair they sent me had "JOQDAN" instead of Jordan

 

[ninjahood]

The materials they use aren't fake, but the process and total lack of quality control makes for a MUCH CRAPPIER SHOE. THat's where we disagree...the early release joints get cranked out in such a crappy way. Lookin like they were doin it with their eyes closed. Bad cuts, sloppy stitching...and using materials that often don't look like the release date pairs (beige midsoles and mismatched speckles on WC 4s, thunder 4s that flex like free run shoes, insoles that don't fit right because the shoe was constructed so poorly...all of the usual common issues with these websites). Sometimes the hangtag looks all messed up, just a milion little different things that make all of these websites constantly look bad. It's another factor that makes buying on Ebay and craigslist kind of sketchy. 

people who are buying these dont got a gun to their heads to cop, da websites set a price and people area KNOW these are

early release pairs, im struggling to see da problem.

 

[lebrons n jays23]

This whole thread is ******ed, IMO...

I understand the argument that they're made in the same factory w/ the same materials... But IMO, an unauthorized pair is a FAKE pair.

The sole reason I've never bought XI's off eBay...

I never have, never will mess with early release sites.

If I do buy any shoe off eBay, it's not from a dealer (or someone w/ a FSR or near)... If you have more than one pair/or size availble, I won't cop.

If it were your company (JB) and you specifically made 2000 pairs of a sneaker, any pair produced other than that 2000 is FAKE! There's really no way around it...

MK is not legit, and that judgement is based solely from what I see in this thread... Anyone arguing for is obviously blind, crazy, misinformed, afilliated, or any combination of the bunch.

 

[drewsone]

I kinda agree with ninjahood in where if the materials or real or w/e, then these sneakers being legit or not are subjective to each individual and basically how they feel about the "ethics" of it all.

 

[lebrons n jays23]

Maybe this comparison will help many... Look at it like pirated movies/music.

In both instances, unauthorized/backdoor pairs and bootleg CD, you get pretty much what you need, in the most basic manner... a shoe, you can wear it for some time... a cd, same music, listen in the same manner...

At the same time, they both are missing some elements that make them the real deal

When you buy/see a burned CD... do you consider real, or bootleg... when comparing it to a retail CD, i usually hear the terms "fake/bootleg CD" vs "real CD"

In essence, I've NEVER heard anyone refer to a bootleg or copy of a retail CD as a "real CD"... because its a copy, A replica.

Replica is an interesting word, think about it... A replica is SUPPOSED TO look like an Authentic. But obviously, it lacks certain details (whether that be physically or legally) that make them real or authentic.

So If it's not real, its just not real. If you're a sneakerhead into the fake stuff, by all means, don't be ashamed... Don't play like the stuff is real though...

I wouldn't go anywhere near the fake stuff, but if it's what you guys like, well....

 

[drewsone]

I feel like they're not replicas but they're not entirely authentic. They're real in the sense of materials but they're not authentic/legit because they lack official authorization.

Replicas are what you defined. These "grey" sneakers are aren't replicas per say. IMO anyway. Just illegitimate. Lol. I mean I'm not defending them by any means, I'm just stating my 2 cents. I feel that it's a very fine line. And it's subjective.

 

[fnf87]

im 50/50 with mental kicks i ordered concords from them and compared my pair to my friends pair he got from finishline  and couldnt tell the difference mine had Jordan not JOQDAN on it. but i ordered white cement 3's later and the box is smaller, the tissue paper is not the same, the stitching wasnt as crisp as my TB and BC i got from FL, and some areas the elephant print wasnt as dark and engraved enough,  but comfort wise they are the same as my other 3's and i still wear them. they are holding up longer than my blk cements 3's that i got from FL.

 

[dagreatist]

My theory is I you can't get then for retail don't buy em/

 

[45de]

So I ordered some BC3's from mentalkicks on like the 10th of this month & also paid for 3-5 day express shipping & got a tracking number on the 13th . It's now the 19th & I still haven't got my shoes. Then I looked on USPS.com & it still says "Origin is still preparing shipment" or some **** like that & it's been like that for almost a week now . & then my dude was like mentalkicks can sometimes take months to ship out your shoes , WTF... I ordered 3-5 day shipping, there's no reason my **** should not be here & it hasn't even moved outta china!! Has anybody else whose ordered from mentalkicks gone through this? I'm starting to wonder if Mentalkicks is even legit. I just want my shoes yo..

calm down it's not that serious they will be there.

 

[o0mojorisin0o]

Going to these little shops on the internet is not worth it. I would never buy from an "early release" sites the price is ridiculous and you obviously care about others seeing you with the shoes early. Air Randy all over again. "Oh man they legit i mess with (insert shady site) go support" #teamearly...busted fake. Stick to the big stores.


"

 

[italipino23]

So has finishline, what does that mean? Finishline sells fakes too?

****** comment of the thread right here. 

 

[john tucc]

yea my boy got something of this website shoulda checked here first when he got them the were deff b grades and good luck getting your $$ back

 

[italipino23]

LOL at people copping from mentalkicks when you can get the same thing for about half the price.

 

[ninjahood]

This whole thread is ******ed, IMO...

I understand the argument that they're made in the same factory w/ the same materials... But IMO, an unauthorized pair is a FAKE pair.

The sole reason I've never bought XI's off eBay...

I never have, never will mess with early release sites.

If I do buy any shoe off eBay, it's not from a dealer (or someone w/ a FSR or near)... If you have more than one pair/or size availble, I won't cop.

If it were your company (JB) and you specifically made 2000 pairs of a sneaker, any pair produced other than that 2000 is FAKE! There's really no way around

horrible logic.

car compaines for example say "we're only making xxx amount of cars" when they really make a few more to sell on da side or for parts..

so those are fake cars? lulz.

once you're in da manufacturing industry, its pretty easy to make stuff after hours without authorization and it doesn't make it any less legit

if i took 10000 of these and put jordan's name on em, it doesn't make em fake jordan jerseys because its made of real procuts.

 

[italipino23]

You still fail at addressing the obvious lack of quality control that occurs with these unauthorized pairs (this is easily referenced). While JB quality hasn't been all that as of late, the unauthorized pairs are much worse. It's possible to get a nice pair, but waaaay too often you get some serious flaws that are above and beyond the usual JB flaws. Your car example doesn't make sense because the extra cars would still be made under the watchful eye of the manufacturer. Would you wanna buy a car for the same price, or in this case like with shoes...would you wanna buy a car for a severe mark up over what everyone else pays, if there was ZERO QUALITY CONTROL? Same with the jersey...it was still made with all of the same guidelines, regulations, and quality control as the rest of the retail stock of those jerseys because that is what it is...a retail jersey. But if it were not made in an authorized manner, I'd wanna inspect the hell out of it down to every stitch because I'd know how high the probability is that I'll find a hiccup or flaw. This isn't possible when buying online...what you get is what you get. Atleast with a jersey you'd be able to tell right away because there is only one layer of aesthetics. Unlike shoes, where there could be issues and flaws that you can't see because there are many layers, and hidden elements to the shoe (like the flat, uninflated airbag found in that early release Cool Grey 11 that dude was able to pull apart with his bare hands).