Performance Review: Way of Wade 2 Low

With the Way of Wade 4 out now (but obtaining it is quite hard), the older models are already starting to get price drops and an example of this is The Way of Wade 2 Low. Is it worth getting or should you should just opt for the WoW 3 or even wait for the WoW 4 to be available in stores? Here is my performance review on the Li Ning Way of Wade 2 Low. I would also like to state that I was only able to log 8 hours of basketball game in this shoe and not my usual 10-15 hours because of a foot injury that happened to me. However, I don't think that the shoe would still able to offer more to affect the scores dramatically so it is safe to say that this review would suffice.

Materials: 4.5/5

Tumbled leather is used in the upper which gives the shoe a premium look.

Synthetic leather panels are also provided for structure and also for support.

Premium leather is used primarily in this shoe which makes you feel that you are indeed getting your money's worth. I personally like the use of tumbled leather here makes me recall old basketball shoes when it was made from leather. A minimal break in time is required but not that long, I say give it a good hour of quality basketball and the next succeeding games will be okay. There are also synthetic or patent leather panels in the medial and lateral aspect of the shoe which provides structure and support so it is a plus (more on that later). Although the shoe is not "light", it is not that heavy. When I say light, I'm referring to the whole lightweight attribute of the shoe. However, the weight of the shoe does not equate for disaster here. In fact, not all "light" shoes are beneficial in my opinion, sometimes you need stability and I could say that this shoe is stable enough for an all-around game.

Cushion: 4/5

Bounce cushion in the forefoot

Cushion in the heel

Li Ning implemented their Bounce and Cushion tech in the midsole which you can find in the forefoot and heel respectively. The cushion would require some break-in time. At first, I thought that I am not going to enjoy the cushion when I first wore them (just a try-on at home). On my second wearing, the cushion is starting to break-in good and I enjoy playing in them. The shoe provided good impact protection. It is not very low to the ground but gives a good cushion in the forefoot. I was not able to feel the responsiveness in the forefoot that I wanted but it still does get the job done. So as long as a shoe doesn't give me pains after games, then I'm fine with it.

Traction: 4.25/5

At first, I was concerned on how the traction would be. I even told myself that the shoe's rating would hurt if the traction was bad. Good thing that it wasn't the case. The outsole is made up of solid rubber with line patterns that go in different directions. Some might call it story-telling pattern, but I just see it as lines that go different direction although there are small details on the outsole, I am talking about the whole traction pattern in general. Anyway, it does get the job done. I was able to maneuver around the court without problems and it is a big deal for me since I play guard most of the time. It does grip the floor well even with some amount of debris present. But when the dust is heavy on court then some wiping would be needed. Also, I am not sure how long would these last outdoors on courts with very rough surfaces. Even though they are fairly thick, the segmented or sectioned lines might be "peeled off". So if you are asking me I would say these would be okay indoors and outdoors as long as the surface is not too rough.

Fit: 4.5/5

The collar is padded enough and secures your heel in place.

The midsole is protruded a bit to also serves as an outrigger.

Carbon fiber shank plate provides good torsional support.

This shoe being a low-cut shoe should be stable enough or else it would be a recipe for disaster. And again, it is worth noting that the shoe fairs well in the fit and support department. The wide base helps the shoe from being unstable and as I said earlier, the patent leather in the medial and lateral aspect gives the shoe support and structure. It does contain your feet inside the shoe so you won't be having problems inside. Fit is true to size and for me it is very important to get a proper fit when wearing a basketball sneaker especially a low-top. The midsole extends a bit to produce an outrigger. The collar is padded enough to secure your heels and the carbon fiber plate which you can see in the outsole provides excellent torsional support. Lastly, the shoe fits true to size and is very snug so wide footers might want to go half size higher.

Price: 4.5/5

You can find the shoe on discount racks now so for all things that I said above, getting it on a lower price is indeed a good purchase. If I remember correctly, this cost around Php 4,500 at Olympic World Trinoma so again not bad considering that these even cost originally at around Php 8,000 back then. And in case you missed my Best Foot Forward segment of this shoe, the box really looks premium (they even included a dust bag).

Conclusion:

The Way of Wade shoe is a great performance sneaker. This shoe has the same setup as the WoW 4 in terms of cushion and I think that this looks more premium because of the use of good quality leather. For me, the best attribute of the shoe would be the fit as it really secured my feet inside and I am not worried at all that I will be having a problem with regards to the shoe's support. The shoe offered adequate impact protection and good traction. And again, these can be found at a discounted price so I suggest that if you are trying to look for a great signature shoe and would not like to spend too much, then maybe you could try these and I hope you enjoy them as well. 

Analykix Grade: 4.35