Welcome to my LeBron Soldier 10 review! This has been under my attention since the 9th Soldier was awesome. Let’s see how the latest one performs.
I’ll talk about the shoe’s tech specs, performance, comfort, materials and decide it it’s worth the price. Let’s begin the LeBron Soldier 10 review!
MAIN SPECS
Shoes: Nike LeBron Soldier X
Weight: 425 g. / 14.5 oz
Type: High Top Sneaker
Technologies: ZOOM AIR, FLYWIRE
Fit: True to Size
Available Colors: 6+
My Rating: 6/10
THE TECH
ZOOM AIR – the shoe’s cushion setup is units in the heel and forefoot. A very basic and commonly-used standard, which would work great, right? Find that out in the performance section.
FLYWIRE – these are cables under the upper that are connected with the straps for lockdown. Again, works well on most Nike’s shoes, but we’ll find out if that’s the case here.
If you still have no idea what all those tech names mean, go HERE.
PERFORMANCE
FIT/COMFORT
So before judging the shoe’s fit, you must understand who’s it for. This not a shoe for small, quick guards. It’s for heavier, explosive players like LeBron. I’m not one of them and didn’t find the fit to be great.
HOWEVER, it wasn’t terrible. I wasn’t slipping, didn’t feel any pain, didn’t have lockdown issues. But they are still a bit too bulky and heavy for me. Too many restrictions while performing quick moves. You put something lighter on a feel a major difference.
CUSHION
For a trusted setup like this, I honestly expected more. But again, I’m simply too light to leverage the setup to its full potential. The ZOOM doesn’t feel soft or responsive at all. There is some court feel, but I didn’t find the cushion to be very comfortable or pleasant to play in.
It wasn’t deal breaking, but wasn’t great either. Maybe I would’ve felt differently if my weight was twice as higher.
TRACTION
Traction was fine, for the most part. I actually slipped a few times due to dust build up, but it wasn’t anything serious. By looking at the rubber compound, I think this would be a solid outdoor performer.
It looks pretty durable, just keep in mind that you’ll need to wipe often.
SUPPORT
Foot support was mostly good, though the ankle is actually very loose, so don’t expect awesome ankle lock-in. I don’t really understand why would they do this, but whatever.
I’m not a fan of high tops, but their support was not bad. FLYWIRE works. The straps are a complete gimmick this time, seriously. Big players will once again like these more, but they aren’t as mobile as I would want them to be.
MATERIALS
The upper is mesh foam. That sounds pretty cool, and it pretty much is. Solid ventilation, I think they are pretty durable and materials definitely didn’t break the shoe (other things did lol).
They aren’t too sturdy, but not too soft. So people who like these “in-between” shoes will like the materials on this one.
FINAL VERDICT
I loved the previous LeBron Soldier IX. Even though it wasn’t meant for guards, that shoe was awesome in its own way. This time however, I don’t know, they just didn’t feel right.
Fit is weird and bulky, traction is decent, cushion is almost non-existant in my case, solid support and a good material setup.
Honestly, stay away from these, unless you want to have all LeBron’s shoes or something.
PROS
+ Materials are durable and breathable
+ Support is fine
CONS
– Cushioning was barely felt
– Traction is very sensitive to dust, some slipping
– Fit is a bit weird and too restrictive
RECOMMENDED ALTERNATIVE
NIKE LEBRON SOLDIER IX
That’s right. If you want an awesome experience and you’re a bigger player, get the previous Soldier.
Awesome all-around performance, comfortable and one of the best lockdown I’ve ever experienced in a shoe.
Alright, LeBron Soldier 10 review is done! As you saw, it’s simply not my cup of tea.