Jordan Fly Lockdown REVIEW – They Do What They Say
Every single year there’s always one or two sneakers that everyone sleeps on that ends up to be a TOP performer of the year. Not spoiling anything – but this is that sneaker.
Today we’re looking at the Jordan Fly Lockdown.
Let’s get it!
MAIN SPECS
WEIGHT: 374 g. / 13.19 oz
TECH: ZOOM AIR
TYPE: MID-TOP
COLORWAYS: 6+
FIT: TRUE TO SIZE
RETAIL PRICE: $110
BD RATING: 8.2/10
BEST PLACE TO BUY: AMAZON
PERFORMANCE
UPPER
Unlike the majority of bang for your buck models that do feature a regular mesh upper, the Jordan Fly Lockdown takes a bit of a different path. That being said, the upper is woven with some hits of fuse in high wear/stress areas. Yep, you won’t see this type of material combination on a basketball performance model every so often. It’s just one of those occasions when a brand decides to go with something far-out from usual. But, hey, this stuff works well, and that’s what matters the most.
Actually, if done right, which in this case it is, woven material seems to work better for me. It does have the same flexibility properties as mesh – no break time is needed. Though, I found woven to have a slight edge as far as durability & support go. So you’re pretty much you getting the best of all worlds, except the in-hand feel. These do look pretty cheap, not gonna lie. #sleeper
CUSHION
Low key – they gave me the same type of sensation as the Kyrie 5 did. Well, dah, it’s the same cushion set-up, minus that Zoom Air pillow articulation & a few extra millimeters in width. Regardless, I still couldn’t feel the advantage of the Air unit being articulated on the Kyrie 5 anyway. Just don’t get me wrong. It’s not me throwing shade on the Kyrie 5. I think, as a guard shoe, it has one of the nicest toolings this year. So it’s the opposite, kudos to Jordan brand for giving us the same stuff for less.
So the forefoot uses a bottom-loaded Zoom Air unit which, like on the recent AJ models, does offer you plenty of court feel & responsiveness, paired with a tad bit of pep in your step type of action. Meanwhile, the heel houses injected phylon – not that rock solid stuff from recent – the good one I mean. Which means that it packs plenty of compression & squishiness within itself. That’s why I didn’t feel the need for another Air unit in the back. Although – it would have been nice.
TRACTION
It appears that the Jordan brand didn’t feel confident about going with the G.O.A.T status – herringbone – as for traction. Instead, they paired it with the second best in the list – circular traction pattern – to create the ultimate grip for any type of surface. Yep, they did just that.
This year was pretty generous in terms of the number of great performing tractions we did receive, though, the Jordan Lockdown tops them all. It’s like Kobe & Shaq – UNSTOPPABLE. No joke, I barely even had to wipe the outsoles. And I’m not talking about one session. I’m talking about ever. Dust, other types of debris, concrete or more dust – they just don’t give a f**k.
The rubber itself isn’t the hardest out there, nonetheless, it should still hold you a solid amount when talking outdoors.
FIT
When dealing with textiles – you pretty much don’t have that much room for error, whereas, with knits, you can go either way and still get that one-to-one fit. That being said, proper fit acts a big role in how the shoe will work for you. So I would suggest regular footers to stay true to size, the forefoot does run a tad bit narrow, but not to the point where you would need to go half a size up. Same goes for wide footers, you should get away going true to size unless you have one of those Hulk feet. In that case – go up half a size.
Don’t expect woven to be anywhere near as form fitting as knit. This stuff shifts more towards support than comfort. Though, with the correct size, the construction itself forces the upper to lie as close to your foot as possible. So I really didn’t have any problems as far as comfort goes – especially when the Jordan brand implements their iconic inners pillows around the ankle area, as well as the tongue.
Now – when talking about support – if you like being secure in life and you want that to transfer on-court – this is IT. The lacing system being the focal point of the whole shoe’s construction, connecting & activating to work as one unit, even though it’s your standard lacing system with the first few bottom & the second-to-top lace loops going under the material, that way completely wrapping your foot. So yeah… Once you lace them up for the game – they start to do their magic. Read on…
SUPPORT
Continuing talking about the best aspect of the shoe – the Jordan Lockdown doesn’t feature any of those crazy lace-less contraptions or other fancy stuff. It’s all about a great job done at the drawing board by the Jordan brand’s designers and, obviously, transferring the concept from a paper sheet into the real world.
It’s pretty much all about the midsole, some bits of fuse and that traditional lacing system. Looking at the heel portion – the midsole goes WAY up – creating like a cage for your heel & at the same time locking down the rare portion of your foot upon lateral movements.
Atop of that – if you’re one of those dudes who prefer their ankles to be held by something – you do have some containment/support coming from that crazy-looking ankle TPU wrap, which also acts as an easy-to-grab pull tab.
The mid-section receives a heavily beefed up midsole, again, to prevent your foot from busting out of the footbed. Whereas, the front section does get quite some fuse touches in high-stress/wear areas.
I said enough… They’re freaking tanks.
OVERALL
High key – the Jordan brand has done a significant job in 2018 – they really did. And I’m not talking about them pushing the envelope/bringing the future by introducing their flagship model – the AJ 33. That stuff cost $175… They must be solid for that price no matter what.
What I’m really talking about is finally raising their team line-ups to the surface, putting some time & thought to it. Earlier that year we did receive the Jordan Jumpman Hustle – it was one hell of a performer not even considering its price point. Now – the Jordan Fly Lockdown. A full package… An amazing shoe from top to bottom that won’t burn out your pockets.
If you’re looking for a new solid performer or outdoor beater – I wouldn’t look any further. Yes, it doesn’t have any fancy stuff. But I’m a grown ass man, I can do my laces myself no problem.
Hope to see the same from the Jordan brand this year.
Where is the top 5 list?
In the making right now… Gonna be up tomorrow