Nike Zoom Venomenon 5: Full Performance REVIEW

Welcome to my full tech & performance review of the Nike Zoom Venomenon 5 basketball shoe! The Venomenon shoe line hasn’t been always great, but the latest model shows promise. Kobe fans out there, this might interest you.

As always, we’ll be taking a look at the tech specs, performance, comfort, materials and decide if it’s worth the price. Alright? Let’s roll.

MAIN SPECS

Shoes: Nike Zoom Kobe Venomenon V

Weight: 337 g. / 11.88 oz

Type: Semi-Low Top Sneaker

Technologies: Nike ZOOM AIR, Nike FLYWIRE, HyperFuse

Fit: True To Size

Available Colors: 5+

My Rating: 8/10


THE TECH

Firstly, you have a ZOOM AIR unit in the heel and the forefoot areas. That’s awesome since the 4th model only had one in the forefoot.

FLYWIRE is a cable system connected to the upper for lockdown. Works well, just like on most Nike’s shoes.

HyperFuse is a companion to the shoe’s mesh upper. It reinforces some crucial spots on the shoe for extra durability. I love when Nike goes with this setup, I think it is the perfect balance between performance and durability.

A pretty standard, but definitely a sufficient setup in my opinion, that also brings the price down.

PERFORMANCE


FIT/COMFORT

These fit true to size and feel pretty tight. If you don’t like a stiff/snug fit for your shoes, you MIGHT want to go up half a size. But most of the time, I would advise going with your regular size. There’s a lot of interior padding, so the shoe will feel nice and soft.

CUSHION

So you have two ZOOM AIR units which feel solid. It’s not going to a super soft or bouncy ride. BUT, it’s also not the hardest one, so it’s somewhere in between. This comes down to personal preference, but overall, I think cushioning on the Venomenon V has no issues. It’s just pretty firm, decently responsive and has some impact protection. Will definitely suit bigger players as well.

TRACTION

If you didn’t know, this shoe is actually an OUTDOOR model. It’s made for outdoor players. I gotta say, you rarely see that, especially in today’s sneaker world. So expect the traction to be great. Nike advertised the rubber as “hard-abrasion green rubber”.

It’s supposed to deliver good traction outdoors regardless of conditions. I must say it probably doesn’t live up to that statement completely, but the traction is great regardless. It will also be durable, so you can fully exhaust this shoe outdoors.

Obviously, this would perform even better indoors and last longer.

SUPPORT

Support is really solid. That big, flashy external heel counter supports your heel nicely. The fit itself is snug and proper, so support comes from that as well. And of course you got FLYWIRE that locks down your foot very well. Can never go wrong with FLYWIRE. All in all, I had no support/containment/slippage issues.

MATERIALS

The upper is mesh, but it’s also reinforced with Fuse in some spots. Like I said earlier, this is one of my favorite budget material setups, because you simply can’t go wrong with them. It’s nicely balanced. Mesh will feel comfortable, breathable and won’t cause any restrictions. But Fuse will make the shoe a bit more reliable and supportive.

FINAL VERDICT

This shoe improved a lot from the previous model. It has a decent cushion setup, it’s made for outdoors so the traction is pretty damn awesome, support is plenty and you even got a solid material setup. For a $120 shoe, I think this gets the job done more than well.

It doesn’t amazingly shine in any aspects, everything on the shoe is solid. Don’t expect a D Lillard 2 feel. But nonetheless, this option is pretty dope for a streetballer.

PROS

+ Outdoor-ready reliable traction
+ Nice material setup with durability in mind
+ Solid support with a snug fit

CONS

Cushioning is pretty firm, minimal responsiveness
Traction pattern clogs up dirt very quickly

That’s a wrap for the Nike Zoom Venomenon 5 review! I hope you found it useful, streetballers should definitely like these. What do you think about these sneaks? Will you be getting them?