The beat up and old Nike Free v1

I own a pair of Nike Free 5.0 v1 which I've had for over 5 years. They are well worn, and are about to be retired. I do not have much to say about them except they are one of the most comfortable shoes I have ever put on. From the first time I tried them, it felt like putting on a sock with a sole. They flex well with the foot, but they do take some time to get used to, as when you first use them, you do notice sore arches and shins. My ex-wife used to label them as "ballet shoes", but Kitty Kat likes her pair, and has become accustomed to them in a short period of time.

Saying all that, they are soon to be retired, as you can observe from the images, the shoes are falling apart. I do not use them to run long distances, but they do come in useful for long walks. They will be superseded with the Nike Free 5.0 v4 - something I will write about in another article.

Counterfeit Air Jordan VIs comparison to Retro 2010

I recently purchased a fake / counterfeit pair of Air Jordan VIs. Nothing seemed right from when I first saw the box - it was just "one of those feelings" you get when you know something is wrong. I referenced the internet, and found references on how to spot a pair of counterfeit Air Jordan VIs. Youtube had 2 good video references:

• nike AIR JORDAN 6 VI FAKE / FAKES how to tell,if all jordans are fake simple test
• Air Jordan VI infrared fake comparison

My other reference was my own pair of 2010 Retro VIs, as well as a page listing all the official infrared / black Air Jordan VIs that have been released. The person who sold me the shoe claimed not know they were fake Air Jordans, and was happy to refund me my purchase price with shipping. I will not mention who they are in this article.

I have documented the shoes in pictures for others to use as a reference. I'll start with images of the box (the smaller one housing the fakes):

As mentioned, the fake's box is slight smaller, but otherwise looks good. The overall shape was shabby, and this is what started off the "alarm bells in my head". Next was the first view of the shoes (the fakes being the ones in plastic):

I have never seen Air Jordans from Nike come wrapped in a plastic bag. To me, they have always been wrapped in tissue paper or butcher paper. The addition of the card in the fake's box was an interesting aspect. In the following images, the Retro 2010s will usually be on the left, and the fakes will be on the right:

This is where a keen eye spots the majority of the problems. The ones I noticed were:

• Bad stitching - especially around the toebox
• Bad cutting - there seems to be a problem with some of the holes, as well as some specs or bumps that appear where they should not be (see where the toebox meets the tongue on the fakes for a clear example of this)
• The rear spoiler on the fake is too shiny and very flimsy
• The Jumpman logo on the rear of the shoe is red - something which has not appeared on an official colourway on any of the Air Jordan VI shoes
• The top of the tongue of the fake is stitched, whereas there is no trace of stitching on the real Air Jordan VIs
• The sole looks generally good on the fake, with the exception of pits that can be seen in the clear section near the heel
• The lacelock on the fake is poorly finished, and does not have the ridge (near the base) that the real Air Jordan VIs lacelocks have.
• Bad glue marks around the heel

The tags on the cuff look different, but this was not indicative of anything wrong. The fake Air Jordan VIs code matches up with similar looking shoes when I searched the internet for a match. The fake shoe is the image below on the left:

Lastly, the heel press test. Fake Air Jordan VI heels collapse when some pressure is put on them, whereas the real Air Jordan VI heels are rigid and are difficult to press in.

The fake heel is the image on the left. From memory, I was pressing harder on the real Air Jordan VIs, and they did not collapse at all.

Please understand I am not opposed to people wearing fake or counterfeit items. It is an individual decision, and it reflects the view that the original item may be overpriced for some people. I am very opposed to selling fake items as "100% authentic" - that is just a blatant lie, even though it does not cost the same as the original. Sell originals as "100% authentic", but if you do deal in fakes, then make sure your customer is fully aware of what they are - and good luck on not getting caught by the company that makes the original items.

Lastly, I have previously documented how I transform the pictures I used in this blog article. You are more than welcome to try to script / techniques yourself.

KG's TS Bounce Commanders

After the 17th NBA Championship title won by the Boston Celtics in 2008, the Adidas TS Bounce Commander for Kevin Garnett was made for the 2008-09 season. Some of you may remember that the 2009 season was not the best season for Garnett and eventually the Celtics. Garnett strained his knee in a game against Utah after All Star weekend, coming down from an alley-oop. Whether this shoe contributed to the injury, I cannot determine for sure. The rest of the season ended up with a trip to the 2009 playoffs, but eventually loosing in the conference semi-finals to the Orlando Magic. The Magic went on to meet the Lakers, who beat them in the finals. Much hope was placed on the Boston Celtics, to repeat their success of the previous year, but with an injury to one of their key players, it was going to be difficult.

This is the second pair of Celtic player based shoe I now own - the first was the unofficial Rajon Rondo Hyperfuse shoe. Unlike those shoes, the TS Bounce Commander bear Garnett's name as well as his uniform number. The TS is short for Team Signature. The shoe itself was available in other colourways, for the other NBA players that were on Adidas's roster at the time. It was not widely released in Australia, unlike his previous model from Adidas - the TS Commander. From my brief initial view of them, they appear to be solid - most likely targeting larger players - being the centers or the forwards. Apparently the Bounce technology will put a spring in your step - but I am yet to confirm that claim. Seeing how there is a flap that covers the laces (which also contains the 2008-09 season calendar on the underside), I would think that these shoes would not breath very well in comparison to the Hyperfuse.

The TS Bounce Commanders also came in a white colourway with Garnett's signature and number. I chose the black model.

Thanks goes to MyShoeSpot for sending me these shoes.