Question regarding quality and older retros

[chao]

First off, i'd like to say hi to everyone here. This is my first time posting, but i've been reading the forums for a little while now. I have aquestion about the quality of retro'd Jordans. I've seen quite a few people say that older retros are a much better buy due to them being made withbetter materials. My question was, how big of an issue is the problem? I've accumulated a pretty nice collection in the past year or so, and i've neverbeen able to see anything visibly shoddy about them. Maybe i'm not discriminating enough, or I have nothing to compare them to.

For example: I've got a pair of Olympic 6s, Burgundy 5s, and Nubuck 12s. They seem perfectly fine.

I was thinking of getting a couple of pairs soon, like the Grapes and Aquas.

Is the quality problem big enough to just go ahead and hunt for the older retros and OGs? I don't want to waste my money on something that will fall aparton me easily.

 

[thecalculator]

First of all, the shoes don't come apart easily. Nike would get grilled if they did.
The main problem we have with the shoes is that they are not made of quality material, like you pointed out. The lower quality due to the sub-par material inthe shoes causes the shoes to yellow faster, crease more easily, get worn down faster, and to basically deteriorate quicker than older retros & OG's.

Note that there are certain exceptions to this generalization about newer retros, for example one may come across one specific pair of newer J's thatsimply doesn't succumb to the same fate as others of the same variety. Also, I have found that the cool grey Jordan retros (3 & 4) and thelighting/thunder pack (4's) are fairly good quality despite the fact that they are relatively recent retros.

I would suggest contemplating whether or not the specific shoe you are looking to buy is truly worth it to you or not (even if the quality may suck) beforecommitting to purchasing that specific shoe.
Can you stare at the shoe all day without ever looking away?
How careful will you be when wearing your shoes?
Etc.

 

[ny giants 11]

Its a non-issue for me.

Give me a new version made this year of ANY shoe so i have no problem wearing it.

There are so many retros (even recent ones) that trump their original versions.

Examples:
Playoff 12 (better zoom)
CDP 16 (better traction than the OG)
DMP XI - near perfect.
Retro 9 - OG 9s are borderline unwearable at this point
Retro Aqua 8 - a near perfect remake
CDP 7 - try wearing an OG pair
Fire Red 5 - perfect
1999 Black Red and Cement 4s. - Enough said.

 

[ihavegout]

to answer the op's question it really depends on whether you're looking for a shoe to wear or as a display piece. If you're looking for a specificmodel that hasn't been retroed there are ways to check the wearability if you're able to examine them up close but if you're looking at making abuy there are things to consider before committing to a purchase.

 

[killakam79]

The materials are cheap and the price keeps going up. It's not about quality anymore, it's about image.