Talking about the protro shoes, I can only think of the high praises given to them by many fans. There is also a saying that “Not every pair of protro shoes can still be the best of the year with fewer setups.” In the past two years, ZK4PROTRO and ZK5PROTRO occupied a very high position in the hearts of guards and also received a high reputation. Then when it comes to this retro version of Nike Zoom Kobe VI Protro, can the shoes continue the miracle as the previous versions do? Just take a look at this review.
For the vamp, I consider it excellent in offering me the same feeling also offered by the original version. It is actually made of quite breathable and lightweight material so that it offers quite a superior air permeability.
Simply put, the shoes can also wrap my feet very well with each of the three layers of vamp performing its own function. The innermost mesh can simply hug my feet smoothly and the flywire is also upgraded to improve the shoes’ wrapping performance and strengthen the lateral support; the outermost one with ductility is quite elastic and can work well together with the other two layers.
However, just like ZK5Protro, the last of this Nike Zoom Kobe VI Protro is too narrow, which might not be that friendly to people who are wide-footers and they can feel rather uncomfortable in the toe part. So the suggestion here is that you’d better pick a larger size if you’ve already took a liking for the shoes.
Then in terms of the heel, the cushion there is rather fantastic and the experience it offers me is therefore very nice and unforgettable. But what’s nicer is that there is the larger area of TPU which further improves the wrapping performance. In other words, as long as the ZK title holds, it surely won’t be a bad shoe.
As for the overall stability, I think I’d give it a full mark for it really deserves that. Actually, the extension of the soles, which can be clearly seen, and the height difference of the outsoles both play a significant role in enhancing the shoes’ stability.
It has been a commonly-seen phenomenon that almost every pair of sneaker is installed with the carbon plates and hardly would any brand give the setup the deep six. The reason behind this is that the setup is really excellent and it offers enough arch support.
For the outsole, it requires some time for you to get familiar with it. The first time I wore the shoes to some indoor and dusty court, it turned out that the outsole attracted a certain amount of dust so that its grip performance was also to some extent affected. However, despite that, the fact is so long as you get the hang of it, you are likely to be the outstanding one in your court.
But for the outsole durability, it is quite average, and it is therefore not so suitable for rough outdoor courts.
In the midsole, like the zk5, the front part is the zoom turbo which is much thicker than the zoom air of the original version however.
But the most fatal design of the shoes lies in the heel, the cushion of which is rather soft and will accordingly reduce the overall stability. From my point of view, its would be better if the foam in the heel was changed into the regular one that is much harder.
Another consequence resulted from the heel cushion is that the torsion resistance will be to some extent decreased. Although the torsion resistance won’t be significantly reduced, the experience brought by the shoes won’t be that fantastic ,either.
Overall:
If this pair of Nike Zoom Kobe VI Protro is compared with the many shoes in the market of today, it is still the prominent and outstanding one; but if it is compared with the original ZK6, it’ll only be eclipsed. So for those loyal fans who are attracted by the shoes’ name and are to find the initial sensation in the shoes, you’d better think it over.