Zoom Kobe IV vs. V Sizing - Wide Feet

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Jun 7, 2004
I know a few people have already posted detailed reviews of the new Zoom Kobe V, but I thought I should share some of my personal experiences of the width sizing for Kobe IV and V.  I've been reading NT for years, but this is my first post so please bear with me.
I have really wide feet, about as wide as they get.  Back when the Kobe IVs released, I read the reviews on NT and learned that the IVs ran narrow.  I'm a natural size 11.5, but I bought a 12 for the Kobe IVs and they ended up fitting me pretty well.  They ran a little long obviously, but overall the fit was good enough for me to ball in those almost exclusively for a year.  I love my IVs so I had to cop the Vs.  I ordered a size 12 for the Kobe Vs on xmas day, but when I tried them on and walked around my room they felt too long.  Felt like I was wearing clown shoes.  I ended up picking up another pair of the Vs in my natural size 11.5 and gave those a shot.

First time I balled in the size 11.5 Kobe Vs, they hurt my feet quite a bit (2-3 hour session).  They were crushing my feet inwards and not only did I experience pain throughout my playing session, my feet were also sore just walking around the house the next day.  I tried them again the next day but I did something different.  Usually I lace my shoes as tight as I can before tying them, but this time I just made sure that I tied them tight enough to get a good fit without overdoing it.  The shoes felt way better and I was able to appreciate all the things that make this shoe great.  Since then, I've played in them about 7 or 8 times (each 2-3 hour sessions) and they are among my favorite playing shoes.  They feel totally broken in and have an amazing fit.  My suggestion to people with wide feet who want to buy the Vs, go with your natural size not a half size up.  The shoes just fit a little differently than the IVs because of the combination of upper material and the build.

Another point I want to make: people with wide feet have to be careful with certain types of shoe materials.  We typically need a shoe to stretch out a little on the sides while they break in to get us a more comfortable, proper fit (specifically the pinkie toe area on the outside of your foot).  That means sometimes shoes that make heavy use of patent leather will always hurt our feet since it doesn't stretch like synthetic leather/real leather (Jordan XIXs come to mind. Also the Lebron VI is killer with that stupid strap across the toe box), or shoes that use sturdy TPU supports in the toe area like the wraparound thingie on the Jordan XX3 (those things kill my pinkie toe bone even after 10+ wearings).  What I'm trying to say is, I was initially worried about the Kobe Vs because they make use of that skinwire material throughout the upper and toe box.  I didn't think it would stretch at all to give me a proper fit, but I was wrong, I think it does stretch and give a bit because the more I wear my Vs, the better they fit/feel.

Anyways sorry that ran so long, too much to say.  Hope this helps people.
 
Thank you for the post.  Great informative read for people with wide feet such as myself.  I was and still on the fence with the V's because I'm actually really enjoying the IV's right now.  I actually just started wearing the IV's a few weeks ago and it's a wonderful shoe, even to the point I regret not getting them sooner. 

Overall, would you say you like the V's enough to justify purchasing them now and putting them in a basketball shoe rotation or would you recommend to continue with the IV's and hold off on the V's until the IV's go bad?  I only play a couple times a week so the cushioning in the IV's still feel good.  Any estimate on the bottoming out of the lunar in the IV's?

Thanks for your advise, opinion, and help. 
 
^ the Vs are worth the buy right now, if you are happy with your IV , you'll be even happier with the V. Played through 2 pairs of IVs already and the reason got thru two pairs is that I only got bored with the color and I make it a poin that I somehow match the color of my shoe to what I wear on court
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, but aside from that they are surprisingly tough and does not bottom out unlike Hyperdunks. The Vs are well worth the money. They are real good shoe to ball in and as everybody has said they really look DS even after a few wears, my Chaos still looks new if only I will wipe off the dirt , because I've worn them outdoors already.
The only thing that I dont like with the V is the Achille's chaffing that I had when I wore it with a really low socks, so I advise you to wear it with a quarter socks atleast or any length that would protect your Achille's areea. But over all this are way better than the IVs, if you you think you've worn the best shoe out , wait till you try the V and you'll surely be surprised.
 
Originally Posted by dnvtran


Overall, would you say you like the V's enough to justify purchasing them now and putting them in a basketball shoe rotation or would you recommend to continue with the IV's and hold off on the V's until the IV's go bad?  I only play a couple times a week so the cushioning in the IV's still feel good.  Any estimate on the bottoming out of the lunar in the IV's?
The V's are definitely one of my favorite shoes to ball in right now.  IV's are up there with my all time favorites (Huarache 2K4, Lebron II, VCII to name a few) and the V's are going to probably join that list for me.  That being said, if you just bought the IV's and you love those then I don't see why there's any rush to go out and get the V's right now.  If I were you, I would probably wait until more colorways release or the price goes down.  Unless of course you like to get a shoe rotation going, then the V's are definitely worthy.
I'm probably one of the only people that doesn't complain about the lunar foam bottoming out in my IV's.  I never really noticed any significant cushioning feel in the forefoot when I first bought them anyways and it just never bothered me since then.  I played in those really hard for a year and I would still be playing in them right now if the traction had not worn away.  So I guess your mileage may vary.
 
Hey, you guys are awesome! 

ballerdoc23 - I almost left work then and there after reading your post to buy a pair.  Haha.  The looking like new factor after a few wears is definitely a plus with any shoe and thank you for looking out with the achilles chaffing, good thing I wear socks higher than the shoes.  Thank you for your post!

voodooit - Thanks for chiming in again!  The IV's have definitely sky rocketed to one of my favorite shoes to play in.  My all time is definitely the 2k4's.  You make a great point in giving it some time especially when I just got the IV's not too long ago and I only play once or twice a week.  I guess I was just thinking, if the lunar was going to bottom out anytime soon like the hyperdunks do then I might as well invest in the V's now and get rid of the IV's.  Having a shoe rotation is really not important to me since I play only once or twice a week.  I just really like playing in a great performance sneaker.  As for the colors, I'm just really looking for a black based colorway.  The aways aren't bad at all.  Since finishline doesnt carry these, I don't think these are ever going to be on sale even when the VI's come out.  Look at the IV's, they are still retail at the Footlockers around me even when the V's are out.

Thanks to both and I really appreciate your time and personal opinions and advice.  Kobe V's here I come... sooner than later!
 
I would have to agree with VoodoIT's assessment of the sizing between the IV and V.


I had to go up a half a size for the IV's, and even then I felt the toebox was a little bit too small while playing.


With the V's, I tried on my usual size as well as trying on a half size up and the best fit between the two was my usual size.
 
i'm in the same boat as you guys. I'm a natural 10.5 I wear 11s on the IVs and 10.5 on the Vs. This is my first day wearing it while i'm typing this now and i gotta say, it feels pretty tight while just sitting still in my office desk (i'm wearing thin socks too). But when I ran upstairs to get some coffee and they feel great... Haven't tried it out for hoops yet. I plan to break this in just walking casually for a few days before bringing them out to the court.
 
oh i'm a corporate treasurer for my family's mini-mart...    kinda like a 7-11.  Being I'm in the office all the time its a pretty white collar job.  We're pretty laid back in our dress code.
 
hey, just trying to get some opinions, i got some kobe ivs in 11 and 11.5. the 11.5s fit around the foot is perfect but there is a bit of space length wise and the outrigger doesnt feel very useful as oppossed to my size 11 where the outrigger and length is great, but the width is very tight. i can still play basketball in them, but sometimes the sides of my foot feel very uncomfortable and i got to unlace and let my feet breath a little. just wondering how the vs would work? by the way, i think my foot length is a 10.5 since i wear that in hyperizes and the outrigger and length work perfectly. idk if the hyperizes run big or whatever, but so should i get a 10.5 or 11 in the Vs, taking the outrigger, width, and length into account. thanks for any help
 
^If you wear a size 11 in the Kobe IV and it runs tight width wise, I would say you should stay with a size 11 in the Kobe V.  Chances are, a 10.5 in the Kobe V is going to run a little too tight on you.  That being said, your best bet is to go into the store and try them both on if possible.  Hope this helps.
 
just want to add, that on my 2nd day wearing the Kobe Vs, they feel much better.  Also I'm wearing them in thicker socks whereas the first day I wore them with thin socks and still it was tight then.

  So just what the threadstarter is saying, get your true size on the Vs
 
I had an unusual experience with the IV's... I picked up the POP's, which I just still wear casually, and they fit me just right (true to size at 9.5). I picked up a pair of the Black/Red IV's later on, and they pinch my pinkie toe. I'm not sure if it's the material difference or what, but my wife wears them now anyways. With the V's, they're spot on again at size 9.5 for me.
 
Thats weird that you guys are saying the V's fit to your true size. I feel like they run a bit small. Idk about you guys but I would recommend going a half size up. And yes the V's are the best bball shoe out there.
 
thanks for the post, i was a bit worried about my chaos since i settled for 11.5 instead of 12, but i think they'll be ok once they stretch out a bit..


and definitely good point about patent leather and other non-stretchable materials.
 
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