Nike Lunar One+

I was doing some internet surfing and decided to search for Flyknit 2013. What I found didn't surprise me but I found it interesting and thought I would share. The Nike Lunar One+ is slated for release in early spring next year and will bring some exciting new features. Below is a comparison will compare the Flyknit Trainer+ and the Lunar One+.

The upper looks mainly unchanged. The Dynamic Flywire has not been moved and nearly every strand looks identical. No changes in the upper. The midsole and outsole is really where it varies. The name Lunar One+ derives from this shoe featuring Lunarlon, a foam Nike has developed that makes the shoe feel very soft when stepping but yet providing enough support for fast movements. From the looks of it, Nike has brought in almost the same cushioning layout seen in the Lunarglide+ 4 with the varying widths throughout the midsole. The arch area appears to be thinner than what is seen on the Lunarglide 4s but still looks nearly identical.

The Flyknit Trainer features Phylon, which is 30% heavier than Lunarlon so this innovation is definitely welcomed. I am not certain if the lower half of the midsole is phylon on the Lunar One+ but I believe it is because Lunarlon comes out of the factory as a volt color and is simply painted over. When the paint is scratched it reveals the green and makes a shoes colorway shift. I think this is why Nike has resorted to keeping Phylon on the lower half which is more susceptible to scratches.

The outsole is also completely reworked. The Flyknit Trainer has a very simple and narrow outsole. The heel strike is extremely narrow and eventually gets bigger past your arch area. This problem seems to have been resolved and now the Lunar One has a wider and more stable outsole. The grip areas (presumably BRS 1000) take cues from the Lunarglide+ 4 and Free Run+ 3 and only include grip where it is needed. This differs from the Flyknit Trainer because the Trainers outsole is almost completely covered with rubber and albeit is heavier. I could go on and on about how much in common the Lunarglide+ 4 and Lunar One+ are. The picture below will give you a good idea.

Other little notes: The midsole's bottom half has a specked paint job that makes it look like a child with a paint brush is running amok in the factory. This type of paint finish has been featured in some Nike iD shoes like the Air Max+ 2011 iD. Very little shoes have this finish from a general release.

I sadly cannot share any specific details on release dates but definitely be looking for this shoe in the first quarter of 2013. If I had to guess on price, it may go for anywhere between $149-$190. I do not think this shoe will be cheap. The current generation of Flyknits are $150 and I don't expect these to be any cheaper. The Trainer and Racer were limited releases but there is a slim chance that with the Lunar One+ being a mass produced shoe that by then costs will have been brought down and maybe Nike could cut their prices to $130. I don't see this happening but there is always a chance. I also foresee this shoe getting a Nike iD option sometime in the future. For iD releases as always, expect a $30-40 premium for the customization. I got my pictures from Niketalk.com and edited them myself for your enjoyment! Thanks for reading.

Shoe Weight Comparison in Ounces

Hey guys! A major trend in all running and soccer products now is being lightweight. The most recent running shoe out of the Nike factories in Taiwan and a product I own is the Nike Flyknit Trainer. A huge driving factor of the Flyknit series is it's lightweightness. In the video above I compare the weight of a portion of my sneaker collection. Below is an analysis of the numbers.

Lunarglide+ 4 size 12: 10.8 z

Free Run+ 3 size 11: 9.2 oz

Lunarglide+ 2 size 10.5: 11.6 oz

Mercurial Victory II size 11: 9.6 oz

Flyknit Trainer+ size 11.5: 9.2 oz

Coming soon

Later today I will have a CTR 360 Trequartista III in the sonic yellow color as well as an unboxing/review of the Nike Fuel Band! Special thanks to my friend Blake for letting me use these on my channel. I hope you will enjoy them and look forward to the video being up on my blog here and of course on my YouTube channel: Benzz4318

My gear recomendations

I have some people on my YouTube asking me about what gear I use for my games. As a goalkeeper your gear is way different than any other player on the pitch. So here it is:

Shirts: I have matching Adidas kits with my shorts but in my opinion, what you wear under is most important. Now I live in Texas where it is hot and the goalie box is not that well preserved. Fear of diving into rocks should not be a problem in your ear. I never liked wearing the long sleeve "Goalkeeper jerseys" with the pads in the elbows. It restricted my movement and got very hot. I use the Under Armour HeatGear fitted longsleeve crew shirt. It gives me enough protection on my forearms to make me feel more secure but it also includes an added bonus: UPF 30 sun protection. You may be thinking you could just put sunscreen on if that was a problem but my point is, direct sun is a lot warmer than shade. It keeps your arms cool and flexible with giving you the sense of safety on hard surfaces. You can purchase the shirt here for $35.

Shorts: Typically I will use what ever shorts I have that are clean and black but again it matters what you have under. I use the Under Armour Boxerjock. It fits just right and kill not run up your pants. Runners know what I mean there! I recommend the 9" model since it fits longer and can assist you if you make any slides. It is available here for $20.

Socks: This is one that varies. I personally like the tighter fitting Nike Dri-Fit Classic socks. They give me good padding and good thickness in the heel so I do not get blisters. Some other people prefer to have looser fitting socks so they can slide their shin guards in easily and then tape them down at the base. I don't like taping my shin guards because it makes me feel constricted so I just get tighter socks. You can get the Dri-Fit socks here for $20 for 2 pairs.

Cleats: Oh boy. This one varies severely! I own the Nike Mercurial Miracle III but people have different preferences. The entire Mercurial line fits narrow and the T90s usually fit wider. It also depends on the type of material. This section will eventually be extended into a full guide because this is simply such a big topic and is hard to sum up in a a post dedicated to a bigger picture. Anyways, you can buy the Nike Mercurial Miracle III here for $130.

Gloves: I have the Nike GK Classics for training and Nike Vapor Grip3s for matches. I prefer having a glove that fits like a glove and the Vapors deliver. They give me the responsive feel I'd expect from a more expensive glove and make me feel very confident. Both gloves are available at the Nike store for $20 and $120.

FlyKnit Trainer+ Review

Phew! The FlyKnit Trainer+ has finally arrived. I have been losing sleep like a child on December 24th for the past week in anticipation for these to come in. Anyways you didn't come here for storytelling, you came here for the review. So let's dive in.

I guess we should start with the namesake of the shoe. The FlyKNIT. This shoe is made out of strands of yarn finely knitted by machines never made before. When Nike set out to be able to manufacture this shoe, they couldn't. No human technology could make the shoe in large quantities before and resulted in something really special. The shoe is listed on Nike's "Considered-Design" line meaning it is made of recycled material and is part of Nike's movement to making all of their shoes completely made of recycled materials by 2020. The Flyknit is the latest innovation to come out of that movement and uses yarn and other types of fabric that are knitted in a unique pattern to create a strong yet light upper.

 From a performance standpoint, since the upper is strong but also flexible, it conforms to your foots shape and also protects it. Also included is Nike's new Dynamic Flywire. As a refresher, Dynamic Flywire is made of threads of Vectran that connect from the bottom of the upper to the laces to wrap the foot and create a customizable fit. This technology is also found on the Lunar Hyperdunk, LunarGlide+ 4, Air Max 95s, and some other exclusive Nike shoes. It makes the shoe a lot more comfortable by "hugging" your foot and holding your foot in well. The knitted material also makes for  great moisture wicking and ventilation. It adds to the whole "fits like a sock" mantra that Nike has been pushing.

Now to the midsole. I am assuming it is phylon, the same material used in the Free Run series and almost every other non-Lunarlon shoes. There is a small groove in the heel area for increased flexibilty when your foot first strikes. It provides good cushion but I think Lunarlon would've been appreciated there. The shoe definitely is more flexible than say a LunarGlide+ 4 but not nearly as flexible as a Free Run. It is a nice mid-point and makes for a really comfortable step.

The outsole isn't the most elaborate part of the Flyknit Trainer but definitely deserves some attention. It has a lot of grip surpringly. I expected Nike to reduce the amount of outsole to reduce weight but I guess since this is technically a trainer shoe they needed to put more. It features Nike's Waffle Grid technology on the whole outsole but only with varying colors. 2 horizontal cuts in the forefoot provide flexibility while the the back has no large cuts at all.

Some side notes..... I noticed the sockliner is made by OrthoLite. This is not a Nike company but they make custom inserts for shoes. The Free Run+ 3 comes with an OrthoLite sockliner as well but a lot of other top-of-the-line Nike shoes do not. I am not sure why but I prefer this one over the others. It feels like memory foam and feels really good to curl your toes into when you are idle.

 Also, the heel cup is very solid but does a good job of keeping your heel in place. It was a little weird at first since the back part of the shoe does not have the knitted material seen in the front. My most logical explanation is that the heel moves a lot and needs more security and who complains about their heel sweating? May just be me but only my toes and bottom of my foot only sweat. That is my best guess.

 Another thing that is odd is the shoelaces. They are rounded and kinday stringy looking. They are a chore to tie! It is a little difficult to get them to stay down. Once you do they work good but you can't just overlook tying them carefully.

Next thing is the tongue of the shoe. It is a little stretchy but is very functional. It is very thin but once you slip the sneaker on all you have to do is lift the tag on the tongue a little and they fit just right.

That's it for this review guys! The shoe is nearly sold out on the Nike online store but your best bet is to go to a local Nike store (Not the outlet) and be sure to call ahead of time to check on sizes. I personally recommend trying one on personally before ordering online, I held a 12 and it turned out to be too big and luckily Nike Town NYC had a few of 11.5s. Of course if you have a lot of money to blow you can buy them off of eBay but expect to drop a couple hundred dollars. Thanks so much for reading and be sure to check out my YouTube for more shoe and gear reviews.

Today is the Day!

Well folks, today is the day. My sold out pair of Flyknit Trainers are coming in! I was fortunate enough to get my hands on a pair before they ran out. Video will hopefully be up before the end of the day, depends on Fedex!

Partnership

Hey guys, thank you so much for all the positive feedback on my YouTube videos. I am currently working on partnering with an online retailer to bring more shoe and apparel review to my channel. Again thanks so much for being supportive and look out for more reviews soon.