 | dswen42 (0)
12/30/2007 |  Being a widefooted, mid-range pull-up jumpshooter who also frequently utilizes the hop-step when going to the hole, I love a tight fitting, light-weight shoe with great traction and firm cusion/rebound in the heel. The Wade 3 Mids I bought myself for Christmas have, so far, fit the bill perfectly. I'm 33 and had stuck w/ Jordans for most of my years - getting about 5-6 months/pair before the cushion in the heels were shot, but about a year ago, I switched to Lebron's as the current Jordan's were too tight in the forefoot - The mid-Lebron's were my fav shoe with only two minor complaints: 1. I went through about 10 pairs of shoelaces in the 6 months I used them (as the steel eyelets were poorly designed and would cut through the best of laces within about 15 hours of hard playing - VERY frustrating mid-game!) and 2. After about 6 months when the heels started going (causing my heel to sit deeper in the shoe, the top of the shoe started cutting into the back of my achilles tendon - rubbing the skin raw. Putting in heel inserts relieved the pressure, but left my ankles feeling to unstable to trust in a game. After them I bought a couple pairs of low cut Starbury's for $30 total and they were great... for about 24 hours of play time a pair! Traction, glue, and stitching held up fine but heels hard as rocks after about a month of use each, but for $15, no complaints. I'm real fussy about how snug my shoes fit; I'll tie and re-tie until they feel just right (as tight as possible without pain or cutting off circulation) because when cutting full-speed around a generously placed pick before planting on a dime and jumping straight up, as most of ya know the less play between the foot and the shoe the better. The Wade's have a unique lacing system that although makes them a little more difficult than most shoes to loosen up and get into, once laced up they stay locked in to your foots form better than any I've ever put on (as with almost all shoes, after about 10-15 minutes of warm up, you may have to slightly retighten due to what I've always assumed to be body-heat induced material expansion). I do think that the traction may be slightly worse than nike's/jordan's, as when stretching my calves I notice that they'll slide just a little even after wiping the soles, but haven't had any noticable slips on court to speak of and being that I've only used them three times, the "stretching slip" could be due to slightly dustier/colder than normal courts. The heel rebound is exceptional so far, and as I feel the deterioration of that factor to be the one that never fails to force me to dump cash on a new pair I'm going to keep my fingers crossed and hope the Converse engineers have done something no one prior has been able to: design a heel cushion structure that doesn't go dead after 6 months of normal use! If anyone out there knows of a shoe that has evolved to this point, I'd love to hear about it. We all know it can be done and by now I'm sure it's just being put off to keep sales s up. Good ballin! Derek - San Diego - Gyms of choice: PB and OB Rec Center's, Aztec Rec Center, Presidio.
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 | magellan (153)
01/17/2007 | **Update** I have to downgrade these to three stars. The outside seams are already ripping, after wearing them only four times.**
Original Comment: These are the most comfortable basketball sneaks that I've worn during the last few years. My Converse Wade's are low, all black, and really soft. There were no blisters - even on the first day. From day 1 they feel completely broken in and molded to my feet. These are also some of the lightest sneaks I've ever worn.
If you need a lot of support, these are probably not the right shoe for you. If lightness and comfort are your top criteria, what are you waiting for... pick up some Converse Wades (I got mine for about $70 at foot locker).
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