Nike Cosmic Unity has attracted quite a lot of attention even before it hit the market. Actually, when Anthony Davis first wore this Cosmic Unity on court, it is set to be a pair of extraordinary shoes. Although admittedly, it has brought on some controversy for a while, its performance is certainly noteworthy.
Talking about its overall performances, I am most satisfied with its full-foot Zoom Strobel cushion that is really very impressive. Although the cushion setups in the market today have come in all shapes and sizes, the full-foot Zoom Strobel still works as well as ever. The cushioning is thick to thin from the rear part to the front, providing a comfortable experience with both rebound and cushioning. Put directly under the insoles, you can obviously feel the existence of the cushion and the rebound it provides is so conspicuous that you may feel like stepping on a foam.
However, such a setup is not generally applicable. Instead, it will be more suitable for center and power forward because the full-foot cushion, after all, has a certain bearing on startup. For guards, however, I think it is within the acceptable range.
The rubber outsole, XDR, of Cosmic Unity is equipped with grains that are thunder-like, which I’ve tested in different floors. It turned out that its grip performance was steady and good on clean wood floors, but not so on wet grounds. But despite some decrease on wet grounds, its grip is still enough for use.
Another advantage of the outsole is that it requires little cleaning because it has no “affinity” for dust. Although I only played basketball on indoor courts, the wear resistance of the outsole so far is pretty good. To tell the truth, after 8 hours’ combat indoors, there were hardly any signs of wear and tear.
One of the highlights of Nike Cosmic Unity is its use of 25% of recycled materials which, however, may also account for its weight and the hardness of the vamp. As a matter of fact, I was quite unaccustomed to it and I even thought that I might have picked the wrong one. But after a period of getting along with it, I am used to it now.
What is intriguing for me is the shoelace system. At first I even had trouble fastening the laces because of the thick tongue and the design of shoelace system. However, as soon as I got the hang of it, I instantly felt its super wrapping performance.
As is mentioned earlier, the vamp is a bit hard, bringing on some discomfort at first. Yet it is because of this that I am more assured that it will at least provide me with enough support which is essential for every player.
The midsole at the heel is both eye-catching and strong. It’s safe to say that the midsole is the largest I’ve ever seen and is capable of offering protection for the wearer.
The anti-torsional TPU in the sole, which most of the sneaker fans are very concerned about, is much more practical than the large carbon plate widely enjoyed in recent two years.
Nevertheless, the shoes are not without shortcomings. The hard vamp may not be that friendly to our skin because it may bring on blisters in the toe. Besides, its reaction is a bit slow when I am starting up.
Overall:
To sum up, Nike Cosmic Unity is cost-effective with overall good performances. Although the shoes are far from being perfect and there is still room for improvement, I think it is still recommendable for most people. But before purchasing the shoes, you are also recommended to have a try in the flesh.