Man, Oh Man, am I glad the Kyrie line is back!! The brand may be different, but the sneakers sure do perform well on court... But how good?? Let's find out!!
What is going on everyone?? AirJayP is back again and today we are going to talk about the newest model from Anta, and shoe for Kyrie, the Kai 1. Where will these rank amongst my faves to play in currently?? I will go ahead and tell you it's going to be pretty high on the list. The Kyrie line while with Nike was always one of my favorites every year and I was devastated when the line came to a halt. When I heard Anta was picking up where it left off I was super excited for what was about to come. I hadn't had a lot of experience with Anta products in the past, but I knew with Kyrie on the scene and with a brand having something to prove this could be special. To me, the start for this line couldn't have been any better! Now let's break it down and talk about how these performed for me!
Traction: 5
What's new? I don't ever really remember a Kyrie model not having superb traction, and different brands or not these are no different. Full rubber outsole with deep grooves and a small shaped type pattern gave me a near-perfect feel from a traction setup on court. These things gripped the floor at all times and had me covered laterally, and vertically. Starts, stops, cuts, nothing was out of line with these and I have zero complaints to bring to you. These are up there as one of the tops for me right now traction-wise or compared with some of my favorites at the moment. You are getting a strong, solid setup here for clean or dusty courts, and I don't foresee anyone having any issues traction-wise from these. Side note, I didn't try these outdoors, and I really have no intentions of playing in them outdoors.
Fit: 4
Moving along to the fit of the sneaker. I went down half a size and was perfectly fine with that. Now, in the past Kyrie models have been known to fit a little snug, and I would say these are also in a way comparable to that. I would be fine to go true to size, but I also do not mind the half-size down for a nice, snug fit to play in. If you were just wanting these casually I would definitely go true to size or maybe even half up depending on how loose you want your fit to be. I would almost suggest whatever sizing you have liked in previous Kyrie models to go with. Yes, I know different brands but still a lot of the same feel for me. I know I have basically given you three different recommendations on sizing here, but let's sum this up. My preference on court would be half down for a snug fit, and tts for a regular fit. If I was only wearing casually I would do tts to half up. If you have followed my reviews in the past or went with my recommendations this will likely work or be the same for you!
Lockdown: 5
Once again another strong output from this pair within the lockdown setup. This is one of those great examples where the above aspects (traction, fit) and now lockdown all work together to give you a great basketball shoe. The sneaker features a forefoot strap along with TPU along the heel/lateral side of the shoe, a carbon plate, and a nice outrigger to help with your foot tipping. Starting with the strap, you can tighten and loosen to your liking. I have stated before I like and dislike straps on shoes. I like when they serve a purpose if they are on my basketball shoes and I do feel this one does. Was it completely necessary? Probably not, but you can get the forefoot tighter/more locked in if wanted. The other tech features work well together to keep you locked in from all aspects on court. I never had any problem from heel to toe with any lockdown feature. The laces are a little long, but you do have pretty standard lacing here where you can get the tightness to your liking which I am always a fan of. There is no super complex lockdown system to bring to the table here, and somewhat fairly simple, but it works, and it works very well. You won't be disappointed by the lockdown setup with these.
Materials: 5
Straight out of the box I loved the detailing and premium type look/thought process that went into the materials on these. The toe area and some of the side panel features a stitched/woven design that gives a lot of detail to the sneaker. It is very noticeable on or off the court. The materials feel lightweight and breathable on court. On the interior, the sneaker feels soft and comfortable on your foot. The tongue is nicely padded as well as the ankle/heel for a comfortable fit all around. I thought they did a really good job with the materials from a performance standpoint, but also with the details and from an aesthetic standpoint. They did a really good job on the materials with these.
Cushion: 5
Moving right along here, the cushion was another job well done in my opinion from Anta. Right out of the box, you will notice a quite plush and comfortable feel to these. Once on court, it is much of the same. I did get a lot of responsiveness out of these, but these are a little more plush than a Kyrie model of the past. The older I get the more I like it, and it must be the same for Kyrie. I used to love the minimal cushion setup on his sneakers and just the straight court feel. You are still getting a decent amount of court feel here, just not as much as in the past. I thought that it had a good mix or blend for the sneaker, and something that I wouldn't mind continuing for this line in the future.
Overall: 5
One of my top 3 models to play in right now. I really had no complaints about this sneaker whatsoever and pretty much loved everything about it. From the initial detailing of the packaging down to each little performance aspect, these had it all for me. Everyone has certain pairs/models they like. Whether it's because of the athlete or just the feel for the shoe. Once again the Kyrie line with Nike was my favorite, and I was heartbroken when they stopped production. I am happy we are getting models again, and at this level, there is much to look forward to and where the line will go from here! If you have liked Kyries in the past give these a try. I don't think you will regret it!
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