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The LeBron 21 and its incredibly solid structure have won Stefoy-les-lyonShops’s gold in our best overall low-top basketball shoes category. This model’s supportive design and high-quality materials have proved its worth during our lab and wear tests.

First off, it has a lot of padding in the heel area. It wasn’t only in our lab when we cut it in half that we saw it, but also in our lateral stability test. We moved our ankles from side to side, but the 21’s supportive structure kept a snug fit around those joints.

In our lab, we performed the torsional rigidity and heel counter stiffness tests with our own hands. We tried to bend and twist the shoe, but it didn’t give in at all. It earned two solid 5/5 in both of these tests, which is the highest score and, consequently, the stiffest a model can be.

The containment and surefootedness this model offers work hand-in-hand with its overall rigid nature. But in our flex test, where we bent it up to 90 degrees, our gauge returned 43.1N, which is only 6% stiffer than average. During our playtests, this translated into its whole structure bending alongside the ball of the foot when we pivoted or went for fakes.

This snug and locked-in fit hugging our ankles brought some blisters with it. The LB 21 requires a long and rough break-in period. If you’re looking for something that’s comfortable off the bat, this one might be a pass.

The KD 15 from Nike delivered excellent traction with so much ease!

Traction is often affected by dust, but this surely was not the case with this Nike shoe. We played indoors, outdoors, on well-kept courts, and even on those surfaces marked with neglect; the outsole had a pretty secure grip on them all. There was truly nothing more that we could ask for. 

Then there’s the magic of this shoe’s midsole. The foam carrier is softer, measuring 24.5 on the HA durometer while the average is currently 27.9. With this, our landings were never too harsh. But the goodness doesn’t stop there. Whenever needed, we felt the whole midsole tooling supplying the energy that we needed. Running toward the basketball has never felt this efficient!

When it comes to support we have the heel counter and the overall firmness of the shoe to thank. After manually twisting and pulling it in the lab, the heel counter got a 5 out of 5 from us for stiffness. After measuring the shoe’s overall flexibility using a digital gauge, we learned that it’s 48% more resistant than the typical shoe. There was not an instance where the foot unwittingly slipped off the footbed.

The KD 15 would have been a perfectly desirable shoe if not for its incapacity to accommodate wider feet. The widest part of the forefoot is only 97.0 mm, while the average is at 99.9 mm. Wide-footers should really look for something else.

After playing basketball for many hours indoors and outdoors and then performing multiple tests in our lab, we believe the G.T. Cut 3 has the best cushioning among the Nike low-top basketball shoes we’ve reviewed so far.

What makes this model stand out as a top performer is that it features a full-length ZoomX. It’s a unique Peba-based foam that offers the best energy return in the industry up to this day. But that’s not all, it’s also pretty soft! At only 14.0 HA, our durometer claimed it’s a crazy 84% softer than the average clip. Our feet loved this, and we could enjoy these Nikes giving us the best of both worlds during our playtests: plushness and snap.

The ZoomX foam rests inside a firmer foam carrier. This design translated into fantastic shock absorption and impact protection when we played ball. We found this incredibly suitable for quick layups and in-n-out moves, as it protected our joints from the quick and harsh efforts and landings. The cherry on top is the 4.7 mm thick insole, as it improves this shoe’s comfort levels.

For us, the main drawback here is the G.T. Cut 3’s lack of support. Even though it’s supposedly built for cuts, we didn’t feel completely surefooted during our wear tests.

Some shoes are built to live fast, go fast, and ball fast. After multiple hours in the lab and hooping day and night, we’ve found the G.T. Hustle 2 is the only one that holds those 3 titles among the Nike low-top hyper.

Its wonderfully streamlined upper and lightness gave us a “barely there” feel every time we hooped. At 12.0 oz/340g, these Nikes are 2 oz lighter than the average basketball shoe. This let us go crazy fast, which is especially ideal for guards and their quick dribbles. But that’s not all! We enjoyed fast breaks the most, as the G.T. Hustle 2 made sure we could easily storm out and finish with a lightning-fast layup.

During our wear tests, this shoe was like an extension of our foot. At 23.6 mm and 18.2 mm in the heel and in the forefoot, our calliper announced it’s one of the lowest hyper. This didn’t just help by reducing its weight, it also offered us a more intimate court feel. During our wear tests, it translated into better movement control. Once again, a key feature for clips with a quick playstyle and/or guards.

The fact that these Nikes focus on being the speediest of them all makes them sacrifice impact protection. Its cushioning might not be the best for big players or clips who rely on jumping.

It’s typical for low-tops to be on the lighter side, so they have to deliver more on the other aspects to make an impression. And this is exactly what the Zoom Freak 4 did. Aside from being light, it also amped up on support and stability. It also offered a nice balance of court feel and impact protection. Given these benefits, we saw it fit to give the Nike Zoom Freak 4 the title of being the best lightweight shoe in Nike’s low-top arsenal.

Specifically speaking, the Zoom Freak 4 is 1.4 (39g) oz lighter than average. This reduction in weight resulted in more confident sprints and more effective jumps, especially for rebounds and blocks.

Lockdown, shall we say, was among the most important highlights of the shoe. Aside from a fully gusseted tongue, this shoe also had a firm heel counter. After squeezing and twisting it in the lab, the heel counter got a score of 4 out of 5 for rigidity. These features helped in keeping our feet in place, even as our movements became a little too aggressive.

According to readings on our HA durometer, the midsole has a softness score of 27.0, which clearly is just around the 27.9 average. Indeed, the midsole was not too firm and not too plush either. We appreciated the balance that we felt while wearing this shoe.

Based on what our digital force gauge showed us, this shoe bent at 90 degrees when 54.0N of force was applied. It’s far more rigid than the average hoop shoe, which needs only 41.9N. Given this much rigidity, the shoe does not flex naturally with our feet as much as we'd like.

Aside from being affordable, the Nike Ja 1 is best for beginners because it is lightweight, flexible, and offers just the right amount of impact protection and responsiveness in the midsole. Truly, this mix of benefits provides a good introduction to the world of basketball.

Weighing only 12.73 ounces or 361 grammes, this shoe is indeed lighter than average (14.22 oz or 403g). This allows beginners to adjust quite easily to the demands of the sport, which is quite intensive on running, jumping, and quick direction changes.

The flexibility of the Ja 1 allowed our feet to move much more naturally. In our lab assessments, we learned why. It only took 34.7N of force to bend this shoe at 90 degrees. An average shoe would need 40.9N.

As per our HA durometer, the midsole has a softness rating of 26.5 which is practically equal to the 26.6 average. This averageness gave us the right balance of compression and firmness, which translated to a more natural ride.

We just have to take note here that this shoe is not the best for outdoor games. After Dremel-drilling the outsole, the resulting dent is 1.6 mm deep, which is deeper than the 1.1 mm average.

Among all the low-tops from Nike, the Precision 6 is notable because of its speed-oriented combination of a firm midsole and pretty resistant base. It was also very breathable, and it surely kept our rides comfortable and our feet dry. The fact that it’s only £80 when the average for Nike low-tops is £130 makes us conclude that the nike flex sole pink salt and pepper shakers is indeed the best buy among them all.

The midsole of the Precision 6 is indeed firmer than the average (27.9), with the HA durometer estimating the midsole’s softness at 31.5. This setup allowed us to move with much more control and speed, making us a formidable force in the court.

The base of this shoe is also noteworthy. During our games, our runs felt so stable and we never had to worry about our feet suddenly twisting. After twisting with our hands in the lab, we realised just how resistant it is to force. It felt so rigid that we were left with no other choice but to give it a high score of 4 out of 5 for rigidity.

When it comes to breathability, we tested it by pumping smoke into the shoe to see if the upper material easily lets the smoke pass through it. And it surely did. In fact, we gave the Precision 6 a score of 4 out of 5 for breathability.

It just sucks to think that the upper’s breathability is tainted by its being not durable. Twelve seconds of drilling with the Dremel already did considerable damage to the toebox.