Logic's Sneaker Review: The Nike Zoom Hyperfuse 2012

This section's dedicated to basketball junkies (like myself) and sneakerheads alike. We all know that it would suck to have spent your savings on shoes that won't last long or would cause discomfort in-game, so I'm doing these reviews to help basketball players of all skill levels decide on what works and what hurts when it comes to basketball shoes; especially those who are on a tight budget. So without further ado, let's get this thing started.



Today's review features the Nike Zoom Hyperfuse 2012.

Materials - The entire shoe upper is made of hyperfuse. Hyperfuse is made up of three different layers of materials (mesh, thermoplastic polyurethane or TPU, synthetics) melded together using heat. This makes the shoe quite durable. I've had this shoe for a couple of years now, and as you can see, everything's still intact.  The way the upper is made also makes the shoe well ventilated. Your feet won't get too hot in these even if you play for hours; I especially like these because it lets enough heat escape so I don't get blisters.

 Traction - The shoe grips fine on all the surfaces I've played on - hardwood, cement court with rubberized paint, rough pavement, and asphalt court. I haven't had any slippage problems with these even on those dusty outdoor courts (that's saying a lot, given that I've almost burned the outsole out). I use these outdoor most of the time and I gotta say, these outsoles last longer than most other basketball shoes I've had. Having worn out outsoles is mainly a concern for those who play ball outside but shouldn't really be an issue if you play on hardwood courts all the time.

Cushion  - The Zoom Hyperfuse 2012 is equipped with zoom air cushioning at the forefoot.  I find that adequate since it's able to absorb most of the impact during landing. It's also very responsive, so when you push off the ball of your foot, it won't sink in too much and make you feel sluggish. As for the heel cushioning, I guess it's just rubber and foam down there; but it gets the job done.  I also want to mention that the insole of the shoe is quite thick and plush so that also helps protect your knees from too much impact. 

Support - Most of the support comes from the rigidity of the material used on the part of the upper that wraps around your ankle and your heel. It somewhat restricts the movement of your ankle so it doesn't roll; I see this as a pro rather than a con but for those of you who'd like to have a wider range of motion in the ankle area, all you have to do is remove the shoelace from the topmost eyelet and this shoe will play like a low-top shoe with a little extra support; this will give you the extra range of motion you need for hard cuts and crossovers.  The wings on the outer part of the outsole also help prevent unwanted motion, as well  as add some stability to your landings after you jump.

Fit - The shoe fits kinda snug from the heel until the midfoot but is a little wide in the toe area. This is considering that my feet are a bit wider that most people with the same shoe size as me. Whether this kind of fit is good or bad all depends on the preference of the one wearing the shoe. I personally go for shoes that hug my midfoot tightly and have toeboxes that are a little wide, so this shoe's fit works for me.

Overall: The Nike Zoom Hyperfuse 2012 is a pretty solid indoor-outdoor hoop shoe.  At first glance, it looks to be more of a bigman shoe due to the really supportive collar, but minor adjustments can be made to make this shoe suited for guards. It's durable enough to last long when playing outdoors (especially the outsole) and at the same time, doesn't sacrifice the overall flexibility of the shoe so it's still able to flex where it's supposed to, and stay steady where it needs to.  

That concludes the first edition of my sneaker review.  Check back soon for more of my reviews. Feel free to leave your comments below. Thanks for reading!