"Supreme Supreme" Air Jordan 2010

            

             With 2011 just around the corner and the Next Air Jordan due to release in February, The Air Jordan 2010 is still reigning supreme. If the captivating plays of Dwayne Wade haven't convinced you then I'm here to tell you the Air Jordan 2010 is the truth.

           Before you even open the box you can all ready notice the attention that has been placed on the small details. The Design of the shoe box directly translates to the design language of the shoe. For example the box features a black casing that acts like a cover much like the hovering toe vamp it also features a perforation pattern and a large circle cut out over a Jumpman logo like the the clear TPU window on the shoe itself. Again details, beautifully executed details.

         Ever since I can remember the Air Jordan has represented the pinnacle of elegant performance footwear, pushing the ideas of what a basketball could and should be. With the latest technologies, revolutionary designs and premium materials the Air Jordan not only sets the bar, it breaks and recreates the mold.

             There are two features that are prominent throughout the shoe, The Large floating toe vamp and the visible use of TPU. Not to worry everything on the AJ2010 serves a purpose. laced with numerous perforations across the upper, the shoe is quite breathable. The One design aspect that sticks out the most are the huge circles of Transparent TPU that allow you to look right through the shoe. While this is more of a *cough* gimmick *cough* the folks at Jordan Brand have given this Clear TPU window a purpose by allowing it to provide added breathability and support along the lateral and medial sides of the foot. So while some may not like it and it sure does stand out, the TPU window works ( just be thankful you didn't get another lace cover ala AJ16,17,18,19,20 jeez!)

Comfort and Fit




        

The TPU Triangles provided great support for
slashing and cutting to the basket

 


The upper is covered with a perforated pattern that provides

great breathability. Also Check out the clear TPU window that

allows you to see right through the shoe.



The Floating toe cap is a nice touch and
a functional visually striking element

             




          Upon the first wearing is it obvious that the AJ2010 is uber comfortable. It is unbelievable how form fitting and cozy my feet felt. It's something that you just have to experience to appreciate, but trust me when I tell you these shoes provide excellent  lock down, anatomical fit, comfort and support. First, the floating Toe cap is separate from the rest of the shoe. It is the first of it's kind and works well to provide breathability natural foot flex. The toe cap is also supported by two TPU triangles that extend up from the midsole on the lateral and medial sides. I found that they helped to reinforce key blowout areas and keep the foot secure and in place during hard cuts and slashing drives to the basket. In fact i found myself slashing and attacking the basket more than usual due to the shoes confidence inspiring fit and design. Like D-Wade down in Miami, the AJ2010 is made for attacking the rim with reckless abandonment for human life. The two TPU triangles at the heel act as two external heel counters that support the foot and provide vice grip fit. Seriously my foot wasn't going anywhere in these babies. The intelligent use of foam in the collar combined with superior fit allowed for absolutely zero heel slip or side to side movement.

Cushioning:

Notice the beautifully crafted midsole that does a great job
of providing cushioning, stability and support

The midsole is rounded and well formed on the medial side

          The Air Jordan 2010 provides cushioning by way of a highly sculpted Phylon midsole equipped with full length *bottom loaded Zoom-Air and an additional unit in the heel. Bottom loaded zoom-air was a new experience and didn't feel as springy in the forefoot as top loaded implementations, but still did a great job of soaking up impact forces and keeping me nimble and quick. A side note is that with every air Jordan the midsole is, to me at least, a piece of art. The Phylon midsole is beautifully sculpted and formed with a sense of premium craftsmanship. the graffiti pattern on the bottom layer is also a nice touch.

Notice how low the lateral side of the

shoe dips at the ankle

Notice how high the medial side rises

compared to the lateral side

This heel shot gives a great view of the ankle collar
which did a great job of providing protection and freedom

Ankle Support

       While the Air Jordan 5 introduced us to the asymmetrical ankle collar, and the AJ 14 resurrected it The 2010 model does it the best hands down. The Lateral side dips almost as low as a standard low top, it rests right at the base of the ankle bone just barely covering it half-way. The medial side rises above the bone to provided a unique combination of freedom, mobility and reassuring support that puts a smile on my face every time. Needless to say the Ankle support on the 2010 is superb.

Traction:

         Traction is spot on and does a great job of keeping you in control of your movements. We're talking about stop on a dime traction people. the Herringbone pods allow you to stop and make quick changes in direction without losing a step like my main man D-Wade.

Closing Thoughts:

                The Air Jordan 2010 Is everything that the Air Jordan is supposed to be and more. The design, fit, cushioning and support wrapped up in an elegant and delightfully luxurious package. at retail, like all Jays, the 2010 just hit the wallet hard, luckily you can find them at eastbay and Nike outlets for much less. So, if you are a slasher that loves getting to the rim or just a weekend warrior with an appreciation for the Greatest player ever, you'll love the Air Jordan 2010. In one word the Air Jordan 2010 is Supreme, Supreme indeed.

Specs: Colorway reviewed was Black, Charcoal, Varsity red.

The AJ2010 features:
An Independent floating toe cap,
TPU supports and window,
Phylon midsole
Full length bottom loaded Zoom-Air with an additional unit in the heel,
Asymmetrical Ankle collar

Price: $170 retail, $110-$100 @ eastbay and your local Nike outlet.

Get Low ( Nike Hyperdunk Low)

       

          Sometimes you get what you pay for and sometimes you get just a little more. Such is the case with the Nike HyperDunk Low. Now unless you've been living under a rock somewhere you would know that low top basketball sneakers are making a name for themselves in terms of performance. Ever since the breakout performance of Kobe Bryant and his Low to the floor Zoom Kobe 4 low tops are the new trend (back to back championships can't hurt much either). With the HyperDunk High, new innovations in fit and lightweight performance was born in the forms of Flywire and Nike Lunar foam. While the Hyperdunk does feature those lovable Vectran strands the lunar foam has been left out. This is a good thing or is it?

      Now while Kobe Bryant has been doing his thing to push low tops into the homes of any Nike enthusiast and ball player, Point guards like two time MVP Steve Nash has been sporting them or quite some time. He has even spent some time in the Hyperdunk low. So lets see how they stacked up.

                 First of all, I rarely pay retail price for Sneakers in this day and age it just seems, unwise and unethical. So I was quite pleased to procure a pair for 50 bucks at a local Nike outlet. Upon trying them on I noticed some intelligent design approaches and some cutbacks as well.

Notice the beefy heel counter that locks
the foot and prevents Heel slippage

                                     

 Comfort and Fit:

    The Nike Hyperdunk low uses a minimal approach, very minimal. There is only one flywire panel on the lateral side of the foot where it is needed the most. while this makes sense I still would have appreciated the effort to put one on the medial side as well Ala Zoom Kobe 4. I also compared them to the high tops and saw that there were much fewer vectran strands used on the low. This is no cause for alarm, but i still would have preferred more vertical strands for support. The pair that I acquired had patent leather supporting the rest of the shoe, which is a good thing because it wont stretch as much as traditional leathers or nubuck. The Heel provides good lock down support by way of an internal heel cup and external TPU (thermo polyurethane-heat formed plastic) heel counter as well. This helped me to feel confident in my movements while enjoying the freedom and mobility of the low cut.

The tongue provides great breathability,

 I just wish it was a little higher



Cushioning:

          Now this is where Nike really trimmed the fat and slimmed the budget.

1. There is No Zoom-Air

2. There is No Lunar foam

3. But wait a least we still have the carbon fiber shank right? Wrong, you've been fooled faithful Nike customer with a pretty, glittery (yes, glitter. I kid you not) sticker with a false carbon weave pattern.

So with all the smoke and mirrors, what did we really get?

        Well, the Hyperdunk low does have a heel air sole unit that does a good job of soaking up impact forces. While I would have preferred the springy bounce back of Zoom-Air, the airsole was just fine. The forefoot has no cushioning unit embedded in the sole but the phylon midsole is more than adequate for light guards and the lack of a unit allows the foot to flex easily for more natural movements. Oh yeah and there is a midfoot shank, but it's actually hidden within the shoe under the sock liner. It's just your standard plastic shank, but it still does its job of protecting the foot. Again carbon fiber is better, but for 50 bucks I can live with plastic.

Is that Carbon Fiber?! No, wait that's just a glittery sticker...

Traction:

         

            The Traction is identical to the high tops so I don't need to beat a dead pony. This pair has a clear rubber outsole, which is starting to yellow with time as all clear outsoles do ( see Jordan 11, ouch), but through two weeks of wearings I haven't slipped so "it's all Good".

Slight yellowing, but the traction still does a good job.

         To sum things up, The Hyperdunk Low is a low cut ride that is more than adequate for pick up games at your local gym, or just kicking around, These shoes are ready. While other lows like the Zoom Kobe 4 and 5 have evolved the performance low top category, the HyperDunk low is still a good choice for your low top bball needs and a great bargain if you can find them for cheap. So, what are you waiting for? Get Low!

Comparisons

HyperDunk high and low

Notice the difference at the heel.

One of these shoes has carbon fiber,

one of these Shoes does not

Notice the difference in flywire strands,

the lows have a lot less, but still provide enough support.







Hyper Dunking (Nike Hyperdunk high)

             Well folks here is my review for the Nike HyperDunk high. The Nike Hyper dunk released during the summer of 2008 and had some great marketing with the vast array of Olympic colorways. Like the Huarache 2k4 and 2k5 before it, the Hyperdunk was designed by Eric Avar with insights from The Black mamba himself, Kobe Bryant. These shoes came out with alot of hype and two new technologies in the form of FLYWIRE and LUNAR FOAM. Now while the flywire was a noticeable innovation in fit and upper support, the lunar foam was a little less dynamic. Nike states that it is 30% lighter than their phylon midsole, but i didn't really care for it. The lunar foam is a combination of EVA foam and a rubber compound that is used in NASA spaceship seats. While that's all well and dandy, the implementation of it in Basketball leaves something to be desired.

Comfort and Fit:
            The upper of the mid features two panels that are stitched together at the heel and extend up to the base of the toe box. These panels are made of two thin layers of translucent polyurethane with  flywire strands sandwiched in the middle. The flywire itself is a system of strands that support the foot and keep it on the foot bed by providing proper tension like the cables on a bridge. Because they are so so thin and strong (and made of a material called Vectran) the strands allow the shoe to be that much lighter with the use of minimal material. As soon as i put them on if felt the supreme fit and lockdown that only the hyperdunk could provide. I can honestly say that this is the best fitting shoe ever in terms of lockdown. I never worried about my feet moving anywhere they weren't supposed to. There was zero heel slip. the flywire panels also extend up past the ankles to give great lockdown.
The tongue is actually a breathable mesh bootie that wraps around the foot snuggly. The toe box is made of a synthetic leather or nubuck depending on the colorway. I had no complaints about this area and my toes were happy every game.

                                                                                                                Cushioning:


Notice the carbon fiber midfoot shank, good stuff



            While the lunar foam wasn't anything special to me, the heel featured a nice responsive zoom air unit. The heel felt great and provide great court feel. To make up for sub par forefoot feel  there is a performance insole but Nike did learn their lesson in this department  and added zoom air in the forefoot and heel. Tying things together is a carbon fiber shank in the midfoot which does a great job of keeping to foot stable, protecting the arch and supporting foot during court movements. The midsole is kept light by the use of a nicely sculpted phylon midsole with a supportive lateral wing that adds to the supportive design of  the shoe.

From the ground up this shoe is a solid performer.



Traction:
             The traction was good, but wasn't great. While it featured a nice pattern and some functional flex grooves, the traction would have been so much better with full herringbone. I have yet to find a more tried a true pattern, it just works and sometimes that's all you need

The Pivot point was the only Area with herringbone, full coverage could
have been so much better

 .

So, in conclusion the Nike Hyperdunk is great step forward by Nike and has evolved into new shoes such as the hyper Rize, Hyperdunk 2010, zoom Kobe 4, 5 and 6 and many more to come. I have to say that Nike really has something with the flywire and I'd like to see the Lunarfoam come back in a more evolved form. The Hyperdunk is a lightweight, freaky fast performer. If you can find a pair at an outlet buy it, wear it and enjoy it, hey you might catch a dunk or two.

What up readers?!

My name is Emjay and this is my blog. This is all about shoe news and performance reviews. So each week I will be testing out a pair of shoes and will be keeping you posted with pictures and in depth reviews. Be sure to keep in touch for new updates and posts. Peace.