The last things of importance to me are weight and ventilation. I love a light shoe as much as anyone, but it is not the end-all, be-all for me. A shoe can be heavy but play light, and a light shoe may fold under pressure, so I put more stock in materials and construction. This shoe weighs in the range of the adidas Supernatural Creator and adidas adiPure, so no heavyweight, but not close to the lightest. Ventilation is above average, as the tongue is made up of light foam and wide-holed open mesh. The perforated upper is backed by a mesh lining so the holes are not open but will contribute greatly to cooling your dogs.
So, to sum up. Yeah, I still say it: Best. Traction. Of the year. Cushioning is very interesting and definitely a reason to check these out. Yeah, yeah, I know – “It looks like the Air Jordan XI”. So it may, but tell me one thing – are there anymore truly original designs? I believe the shoe industry has now become like the movie industry – there are no more truly original films. Every design has been influenced and copied by every company at one time or another. Get over it and look at the shoe for what it is – a great performing, comfortable, and versatile shoe built for players who go All Out.
-Review by Bryan Hinkle
BALL’N footwear is available now online at Balln.com or Ball’N Basketball on Facebook.
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been waiting for this review forever; great job and thanks!!!
Great review,btw who design this shoe??is it D-stoke??
Is this the top of the line shoe by Ballin? I think Artest was rocking a different, low top shoe this season that looked a lot like Kobe Vs
Yeah the low cut model is called the BALL’N Lay Up. You can buy that on http://Balln.com or their Facebook page too. We’re going to have a separate in-depth review on the Lay Up coming as well.
@Homer45 – Stokes didn’t do this one but he’s designing the next BALL’N basketball models I believe for Fall 2011 etc. I’ll let him chime in here himself with specifics if he’s reading these comments…
I’m reading sir!!! They are very well crafted shoes, buy far some of the best I ever felt. Lets hope my versions will be just as good. D3o is unbelievable and actually does as Ron said start helping you get better with more use. Great shoes.
I was excited when Ball’n first dropped. I immediately copped a pair. When I got em I was a little disappointed. I wear a size 14 so thats what I ordered and they felt a little small. The patent toebox came with shit all over it, I think its glue. All I know is its smeared as hell and won’t come off. Honestly I don’t know how they passed quality control. But hey I GOT A FREE T-SHIRT!!! Whoopty F-ING DO!!! I haven’t given up on Ball’n completely. I will wait for the next round of shoes before I make final judgement. I would really like to see more possibly eye catching colorways.
Wow…Sorry about that experience. Sucks, trust me I had it happen to me a few times with other companies also but fear not were working hard for ya.
i see,can’t wait to see the next model as good as this,anyway how these for bigman game??is it good enough??i almost buy this,but the cushioning is still main concern(cuz i know im not light by any mean)
I wouldn’t worry about any cushioning issues- d30 feels great from start to finish. These would work great for any player. They are a very good all-around shoe and very versatile.
Jr lyon, sorry about your experience, but mine looked great when they came in. As for eye-catching colors, the cool grey turned more heads than any shoe I have reviewed so far (until the Crazy Lights), and with the purple/yellow combos, they don’t get much more colorful.
Fat 90′s padding
(I crave that), cushioning sounds great, stability sounds serious.
I’m gonna need to check these out(especially with PureMotion taking half-a-season off
)
I am diabetic and stand on my feet 15 hrs a day. The balln shoe is the most comfortable shoe I have ever worn, PERIOD.
D30 plus the great design rock. I would put these shoes against any in the industry and I have been a Nike guy since the days they were called Tigers.
I can’t wait to see the next model from Dallas…and yes the All Out is no doubt a good one for both on and off court uses. Super comfy and easy to match with anything.
Don’t get me wrong the cushioning is great and the shoe is very comfy. I really love the padding around the ankle too! I think I just got a bad pair. I would like to see Ball’N use the D30 right underneath the sockliner instead of the bottom loaded like they did with the lay up and all out.
hmmm…. do these work on asphalt and concrete? as from where i’m from these are the predominant surfaces for playing ball.
DAG i was about to get this shoe but i ended up getting the adidas commander lite for price reasons
I purchased a pair of Grey “All Out” from BALL’N and I love them. Lightweight but sturdy and very comfortable shoe. I really don’t get into what was on the box. I love the style of the shoe and look forward to an all black pair coming out! I officiate high school basketball and see this as the perfect shoe to officiate in! Good Job, BALL’N!
Waht a great looking shoe….I look forward to it’s availability in a store in or near Niagara Falls, New York.
Mellow, nothing really special, just little touches like the slide out make a shoe a little more appealing to me, like the company took a little extra time to detail for the customer than the normal open the lid, take them out. That said, if the shoe sucked, I could give a crap about the box.
Great review Bryan!
Looks like alot of these new companies are coming with some great performing, high quality product.
I want to check out a pair just to see how that d3o cushioning really feels.
Keep em coming!
Thanks, Storm. Really, I know people probably get tired of reading positive reviews, but honestly, most companies are putting alot of money into research and technology that most shoes have a good feel and decent fit. I am waiting on that one bad one, but so far, been pretty lucky. Sounds like you have been too.
thanks for the review Duke!
Thinking about coppin’ a pair.
is it just me or do these kinda look like under armour blurs ???