The Air Jordan shoe is an iconic brand and arguably more famous than Nike, within certain aspects. This is of course due to several factors. One is its endorsement by its namesake Michael Jordan. The other is that it is shoe brand that constantly improves upon its design to make an amazing shoe even more fantastic. This makes this the shoe for many professional and college level basketball teams. The final factor is that they are the only shoe line that is treated as the recognized source of collector's items. The shoes are already considerably expensive with each annual release but get a rare enough edition with significant value and you can resell the shoe for easily triple its original value.
The particular shoe that is being reviewed is the Air Jordan XX3. This is the 23rd shoe to come out in the series and as it is the same number as Michael Jordan's jersey numbers it is the last shoe model to have a numeral in the title. The shoe's biggest features are its understated look and use of the technologies that make this iconic brand so popular among professionals. This gives the shoe a simple look that suits it pretty well.
The shoe's design actually draws inspiration from sprinting spikes and most reviews point out the shoes light weight and simple design as its key selling points. The shoe also makes new innovations in support especially with the TPU an independent modular suspension system the shoe utilizes. Unlike other generations this is the first to use a TPU that completely wraps around the foot. This combined with a rigid structure gives the shoe unprecedented support.
The shoe upper styling also has a lot to recommend it. The upper part of the shoe wraps higher around the ankle, providing greater support and preventing the type of ankle sprains that can occur during basketball play. The shoe also has great styling that reduces friction and pressure on the Achilles' tendon.
Despite these great innovations there are still some flaws with the shoe. First off the pursuit of a lighter shoe leaves the Air Jordan XX3 shoe vulnerable in a couple of important areas. First off the cushioning while initially adequate can wear over time. One reviewer upon testing of the shoe over three months use saw the cushioning in the forefoot considerably reduced. The shoe was worn in 3 to 4 games a week over this time much less than an average NBA professional season. The other problem was the rubber sole, which is thinner than in previous models. This made problems like slipping on the heel more likely to occur.
The Air Jordan XX3 shoe is pretty solid and stands well with its predecessors however its aim at lightness allows for some flaws that need to be addressed in later reissues.
On the hunt for new Air Jordan shoes? Not sure how to tell what is real and what is a fake? The difference between a genuine or replica Air Jordan may in fact be impossible to tell. Yes there are some absolutely terrible replicas of the shoes out there being sold by scam artists who are just in business to ripoff customers but there are genuine replicas also being sold by wholesalers who are not offering fake shoes but real shoes at a reasonable price. It is most likely that with many wholesale or discount shoe sales options that the shoes themselves are made in the same factory somewhere in the world, other than the USA, as the Air Jordan shoes sent to the originating company in America (you know the one that starts with "Big N"). This means that the shoes made for the "Big N" and called genuine Air Jordan shoes could in fact be made in the same factory as the replica or so called fake Air Jordan shoes. So the quality is the same but the price is not? Which do you go for real fake or fake real?
How do you decide whether you are getting a real pair of Air Jordan shoes or a replica or knockoff version of the Air Jordan shoes? There are a few things that you can do to make the search a little easier but it will not be a simple task to tell fake or real from each other, unless they are a complete scam operation and selling complete fake knock off shoes. Usually these kinds of scam businesses do not last long and the scammers are often busted for selling real fake Air Jordan shoes.
This does make your task a little difficult but usually those scam businesses are quickly out of business having been busted and nobody wants to deal with a business run by a bunch of liars. If the business has been online for a while you can usually consider that they are selling at least "same factory" produced genuine/replica Air Jordan shoes.
Firstly you need to make sure you are aware of the designs of the Air Jordan shoes that you want to buy, you can check online for actual shoe information regarding genuine designs and when you have that information it is a little easier to tell the knockoffs because they are perhaps not in the same color options or there are some other small variations, they then will most likely actually be fake Air Jordan shoes. Often the scammer businesses will not answer enquiries as well so it is a good idea to contact the business if you think they may be fake or knockoff shoes.
You should also check that all the logo information that is on an Air Jordan is on the pair that you want to perhaps purchase from the cheaper sites that are selling genuine replica Air Jordan shoes. Check out kicksbay.com for design styles colors etc. It is a little more difficult to confirm this information online but you can ask the wholesaler for further information about the shoes and when you are considering that there may be a difference of over US$200 between the shoes, in fact in some cases more, it is worth doing some research. As said above, usually a scam business will not answer your enquiries or will not provide adequate information for what you request from them.
The main reason there is such a lot of hype about real and fake basketball shoes, and other products in the world, is that the genuine articles that are considered real are sold for say US$350, while the same article made in the same factory on the same production line but shipped to a different wholesaler is then sold for perhaps US$89. So what is real or fake, if they are made in the same factory but the price difference can be over US$250 for the shoes made by the same manufacturers? Are they in fact a knock off since they are made in the same factory or are they a replica so therefore the same quality but not genuine because they are not sold directly by the "Big N" for over US$250 more?