At the end of the day, Kevin Durant, who was injured in the playoffs previously, still released his new edition of signature shoes, the Nike KD 13. Similar to the Kyrie 6, this Nike KD 13 is also kind of improved version of the previous one. To be honest, I deemed that it was nigh impossible that the shoes would make a difference initially and I was nearly to give up expecting something from it.
After all, in many cases, improved shoes can not gain the equal popularity as does their original versions. However, after testing this pair of Nike KD 13, I did have some different views about improved shoes.
To begin with, from my perspective, the shoes’ cushioning is the most satisfactory setup. Actually, it’s safe to say that this is a perfect setup.
I’m sure it is widely known that KD13 boasts a luxurious cushioning setup of the full-foot and front-foot ZOOM. But the fact is that there are also lots of shoes boasting excellent cushioning setups that disappoint their fans. Therefore, I was not optimistic about the cushion of this KD13 at the beginning.
However, it was not until I tried the shoes on that I found I was quite wrong. It is in fact very elastic instead of being too soft. The ZOOM in the front part also helps a bit in offering more traction in startup, which does surprise me a lot. And personally, I think there isn’t a cushioning setup that is more satisfying.
With respect to the grip performance, I should say that it is also prominent. Dating back the days when I was still obsessed with the KD12, I found it a bit disappointing that the shoes’ grip performance was just above average and didn’t stun me. However, when it comes to this KD 13, all the regrets have been made up for.
As you can see in the outsole, it is quite colorful and the grains are actually quite similar to that of the PG series. There are many circles in the outsole, which is a very popular design in recent years. In my first testing of the shoes, I’ve perceived that the outsole could not be very long-lasting, and if you expect it to last for several years, you’d better not wear it on rough floors. But on the other hand, I also found during the period that it was easy for the outsole to deal with the wet roads. After hours’ of testing, there was not in the least any signs of slipping. In short, both the transverse and longitudinal traction performances are outstanding and can be sufficient for use.
For the wrapping, I feel it is also sufficient. For example, so long as I tighten the laces, the shoes can wrap my feet tightly. Therefore, if you are not a wide-footer, you are set to enjoy the fantastic experience the shoe offers.
Then when we are talking about the vamp, many people might have found that the vamp of this pair of shoes is super thin and lightweight. And many will also get surprised by its nice supporting performance with such a thin vamp.
The TPU at the heel plays quite an important in enhancing the shoes’ support.
From the outsole we can see that there are also TPUs which are not solid but enough for use though.
But for the blue supporting setup in the picture below, it seems that its performance is quite average and one can not count too much on it.
Of course, there are some disadvantages of the shoes. For example, the anti-rollover protection performance is not that perfect. Because of this, my impression of the shoes has somewhat influenced.
Overall:
To sum up, however good or bad the shoes are evaluated by people, I think I’ve got my right one and also the most suitable one. So, you might as well keep your own ideas about the shoes, and go and find your most suitable one.