Performance Review: Nike KD1

For me, there's nothing better than the smooth, responsive, springy, low profile ride of Nike's Zoom Air technology, especially if present in both the forefoot and heel. That said, Zoom Air isn't for everyone, so Nike doesn't put it in every shoe - and that's completely understandable. But explain to me why Nike likes to produce shoe after shoe with Zoom Air in the heel, but not in the forefoot?

Basketball is a sport that requires quick, drastic changes of direction at the blink of an eye. Anyone who has played any kind of sport knows that in order to make these kinds of movements, you need to stay on your toes. So if players are spending most of their court time on the balls of their feet, why do the Hyperize, Shark-A-Laid, Zoom Kobe IV, Zoom Flight Club, Zoom Phenom, Zoom FP, Hyperdunk, and Zoom Sharkley all contain Zoom Air in the heel but have nothing in the forefoot??

I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the KD1 would be one of a rare breed that has Zoom Air in the forefoot but not in the heel. This attribute combined with the very affordable price tag (on sale at footlocker.com for $59.99 + Friends & Family = $53 shipped!) made it easy to grab a pair for testing.

I actually laced these up last week and warmed up in them, but they were much too stiff to play in straight out of the box. The midsole felt great (like a Huarache without Zoom Air in the heel) but the upper was very stiff and unforgiving (constructed with leather on the lateral side and a stiffer, patent leather-like material on the medial side). On top of that, the thin mesh tongue did nothing to improve comfort. So, I went back to the Soldier III for the day and spent a full week wrestling with the shoe, bending it and manually trying to wear down the upper by hand.


The thin mesh tongue helps breathability, but does nothing to cushion the tops of your feet from the thin uppers.


Stiff patent leather-like medial side (top shoe) vs the leather lateral side (bottom shoe)

Already knowing how thin and uncomfortable the uppers of these shoes are, I came prepared this week with a double layer of socks. This time around, they felt much better after they were laced up. The double socks provided the plushness that I craved, the uppers were considerably softer thanks to my manual labor, and the Zoom Air felt terrific under my forefoot.


The outsole pattern allows great flexibility while providing excellent traction.

The best way to describe the performance of the KD1 is that they're basically a poor man's Huarache 08. Midsole cushioning and flexibility was quite good, and ankle support was decent. I thought there was a slim chance that I would miss not having Zoom Air in the heel, but it never bothered me at all. Responsiveness was surprisingly good, as the traction actually felt slightly stickier than the Huarache 08. The footprint profile isn't narrow like the 2K4, but not super-wide like the 2K5, and with a listed weight of 15 ounces, the KD1's are a fairly nimble shoe. Lockdown could improve, as the upper isn't very sculpted and there are no straps to help the shoes hug the feet (early photos of the KD2 show a strap across the top of the foot).



The Bottom Line: The KD1 is a decent performing shoe for the price. For $88 (retail), you're getting a great midsole with Zoom Air cushioning, a very sticky outsole, and a clean looking signature shoe. However, the stiff and uncushioned upper makes the shoe uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time. Its minimal construction leads me to believe that this shoe will take years of punishment without breaking down, but obviously it'll take much more testing for me to prove that. I plan to continue wearing these and will follow up with an update down the road.