Nike Dunk Hi Shoe Review
Features:
[LIST]
[*]Double stitched toe cap
[*]Padded tongue and heel collar
[*]Tacky rubber outsole
[*]EVA insole for comfort
[*]Soft nubuck upper
[*]Sizes: 5-15[/list]
Price
These shoes will cost you a bit. Most places you find them for $75-$100 on average. Online stores may have them cheaper if on sale.
Where To Buy?
Local skate shops will not supply them since they aren’t the SB version. Try places like Journey’s, Foot Locker, Finish Line, etc. A few online stores you can purchase these from include…
www.pickyourshoes.com
www.flightclub.com
www.sneakerhead.com
First Thoughts/Impressions
I had always wanted to skate a pair of Dunks to see how they were. Once finally getting them, I was stoked to try them out. The colorway didn’t really stand out to me as much as the actual shoe itself. It’s a nice colorway, but I didn’t really care what they looked like since I got them from a friend for free. Once putting them on, I was pleased that they weren’t as bulky as they looked, but not paper thin either. Just in between, which was perfect for me. They had enough padding around my foot to be comfortable, but not too much where I felt like my toes were being smushed together.
Comfort
From the moment slipping them on, they felt amazing. There was definitely no break-in period needed. From the picture on the right, you can see the heel collar has a decent amount of padding making your feet feel very comfortable. The tongue has just enough to keep the top of your foot comfortable, and not feel like it’s being weighed down by a whole lot of padding like some shoes do. I was very pleased with the padding. Nothing ripped on the insides, or anything. Definitely a good shoe for just wearing around if you aren’t going to be skating them.
Boardfeel
These shoes are cupsole, so they’re going to have less boardfeel than a vulcanized shoe would. I was expecting the same amount of boardfeel that I got with all my other cupsole shoes I had skated in the past. But, I was surprised to find that these had a lot more than I was expecting. Compared to most other cupsoles, these feel like a vulc for sure. They have a lower profiled midsole, making them have more boardfeel. You’ll get to feel your board and then some, but not feel every little pebble while walking like some vulcs do.
Lace Protection
These shoes do not have lace loops, lace flaps, or lace savers on the shoe. So you’re going to be ripping your laces in these eventually. They didn’t rip for awhile though, about a week or so. Once they start to rip, just put some Shoe-Goo near the ripped ends, and you’re set. Or just switch out the ripped ones for newer ones, and apply Shoe-Goo near the ends to prevent them from ripping quickly.
Impact
Sine these are the non-SB version, they don’t come with Zoom Air insoles. With that being said, they aren’t as protective from heel bruises as the SB ones. I didn’t get any heel bruises from these though thankfully. I didn’t switch the insoles for SB ones or anything. Personally, I thought they were protective enough to not give my feet any pain, but if you want to be on the safe side, either switch the stock insoles for Dr. Scholls, or get the SB version of these with the Zoom Air.
Grip
These shoes had exceptionally good grip. Usually, the best grip you can get is a gum-soled shoe. They have a good thread pattern to grip the board decently. Beforehand, I was expecting the soles to wear down a lot wuicker than they did. Nike impressed me with their durable soles. Skating these for a little over a month constantly, and not losing much thread is better than most skate shoes in my experience. The grip did not start to lose it’s thread til about a month or so skating them. Overall, I was very pleased with them, and would definitely recommend them to someone having trouble finding long lasting grip/soles.
Durability
I was a little skeptical of how these were going to hold up since they weren’t the SB version, and they were nubuck. Once again, I was impressed with how well they held their own. I skated these for about 2 weeks before noticing any major damage to the toecap. After applying Shoe-Goo, and some duct tape, they held up longer than they would’ve obviously. If I hadn’t used any adhesive to make them last longer, there would’ve been a hole within 3 weeks for sure. On the other hand though, I’ve skated the SB version of thee as well, and not much is different. Both version had a hole starting to form within 2 weeks. These definitely gave the SB versions a run for their money in terms of durability. Overall, I think which every version you get, you’re going to be getting the same amount of life out of these with or without Shoe-Goo/duct tape.
Overall
A little misleading to some maybe. With these not being the SB version, and not having the Zoom Air insoles, or reinforced toecaps, or any of that, it can be difficult to decide if you want to spend the money on these when there’s a version just like them that are made for skating. In comparison to the SB version, there isn’t much you’re going to lose if you get these. The durability may be worse, and heel bruises may come easier, but overall there’s no noticeable differences I find in skating the SB ones than these. They have more boardfeel than the average cupsole, are very comfortable, last a decent amount of time for a shoe not made for skating, and have long lasting soles. So if you want a good shoe for whatever you’re looking for, I’d recommend them.
