Nike Kobe Mamba Instinct REVIEW: A Great Outdoor Shoe?

Loved the two previous Kobe Mentalities for their all-around performance & outdoor capabilities. Looks like it got a new name on the third shoe. So after playing and testing, here’s my Nike Kobe Mamba Instinct review.

I’ll talk about the shoe’s tech specs, performance, comfort, materials and decide it it’s worth the price. Let’s start the Nike Kobe Mamba Instinct review!

SPEC SHEET


WEIGHT: 279 G. / 9.84 OZ
TYPE: LOW TOP
TECH: LUNARLON, FLYWEAVE
FIT: TRUE TO SIZE
COLORWAYS: 6+
MY RATING: 9/10

THE TECH


LUNARLON

This is the shoe’s full-length cushion setup in a removable midsole fashion. Definitely, a responsive, court feel orientated setup.

FLYWEAVE

The shoe’s upper. Similar to the Mentality II but with some changes for extra durability.

FIT


Seriously, it’s hard to find a Kobe shoe that’s uncomfortable (well, the A.D.) and this is no exception. Super great foot lockdown, it’s EXTREMELY light and feels that way, it’s breathable, you feel confident on the court if you like lows.

No slipping, dead space or anything like that. Definitely a killer shoe in the fit aspect, if you prefer low tops. It is a very narrow construction shoe, so wide footers might want to go up half a size or attempt to break them in.

PERFORMANCE


CUSHION

We got a drop-in Lunarlon midsole, which is the same setup as the Mentality II. Lunarlon is definitely a minimal cushion for those who prefer response and court feel over bounce and impact protection.

But these actually felt even more minimal than the Mentality II. Of course, it’s not on a Kyrie 2 level, I still felt some bounce. Maybe the midsole is thinner or something, but you’ll get TONS of ground coverage with these, you’ll be able to achieve maximum possible speeds and they will definitely not slow you down. Not a great setup for a heavier guy with superior athletic abilities though.

However, since this is a drop-in midsole, you can swap it out with pretty much any Kobe shoe with a drop-in midsole to achieve the feel you want. Kobe 11, 8, Mentality II, whatever.

TRACTION

The whole traction pattern and rubber compound is different from the last shoes in the line and kinda not in a good way. This is actually considered to be an outdoor line but the compound on these didn’t feel that durable.

Traction itself is fine with minimal slippage (they are quite sensitive to dust though) but I wouldn’t recommend these for a hardcore outdoor player. This will perform outdoors better than your regular indoor mainstream models but not on the Mentality II level.

SUPPORT

This is a very LOW low top. Seriously, I thought the Kobe 11 is low, I think these are even lower. Still, that’s what the Kobe line does best – offer a comfortable, well-balanced and confident support while still maintaining that freedom of movement.

Containment, lockdown, and support are all awesome for a shoe as low as this. Still, the Mamba Instinct won’t protect you from ankle rolls like top branded frisbee cleats but if you are a low top player, you probably don’t worry about that anyway.

UPPER


The upper is Flyweave with Fuse on high-wear areas. Man, I gotta say it feels really premium for a $100 budget shoe. Crazy soft after a short break-in period, comfortable, flexible, breathable, everything you’d really want.

And since it’s an outdoor model, the upper is REALLY durable thanks to the Fuse reinforced upper.

FINAL VERDICT


After the bullsh*t the A.D. was, these surprised me with their super balanced performance and feel on foot.

Incredibly comfortable, solid traction, a very minimal and responsive cushion, awesome support that doesn’t restrict and a premium upper.

You already know what I’m gonna say. If you wear lows, you’re a lighter player who stays low to the ground (hell, if you have a ZOOM drop-in midsole, it’s a different talk) and you like to play outdoors from time to time, pick these up.

+ CRAZY LIGHT, FEELS SUPER FREE
+ GREAT SUPPORT WITH FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT
+ UPPER THAT’S LIGHT, BREATHABLE BUT ALSO DURABLE
 THE RUBBER COMPOUND IS A LITTLE TOO WEAK FOR OUTDOORS
 TRACTION IS SENSITIVE TO DUST

Okay, that’s it for the review! I hope you found it useful!