Crossover Culture
Kayo LP2 Review
If your looking for comfort and basically no break in time straight out of the box, the Kayo LP2 is gonna have you covered!
Comfort/Cushion: 3
One point that sometimes is difficult to tell initially about a performance shoe before the break in process is the comfort or cushion. Sure, you can get an idea when trying it on, but when a shoe is comfortable straight out of the box you know You’ve got something special in that category! I do not know or have the specific material details used for the cushioning, but it is described from Crossover Culture as a high rebound compound that doesn’t break down like traditional foams. The foam gives a ton of impact protection and overall just has a great setup in this aspect for a basketball sneaker. As I said before if you are looking for a comfortable shoe straight out of the box to play in, the Kayo LP2 is a great place to start!
Fit: No grade, just for info purposes
Fit is always a tough aspect to any shoe especially performance wise. People can be all over the board. Some will want there basketball shoes tight, and some aren’t so worried and want them loose. Crossover Culture specifically indicated on their site to order a half sz. Down for best fit. I definitely agree after having these and testing them. I am a true sz. 11.5, but when we had contact they indicated to me they were going to send me sz. 11s. I initially was a little worried they may not fit, but they definitely fit me well for my needs and an 11.5 would have been to big I do believe. I do like my basketball sneakers to be snug, and the sz. 11s definitely fit my needs as wanted.
Traction: 2
The traction on the Crossover cultures worked well overall, but the total issue for me was the dusty court conditions I was having to test these on. The court that I normally test all my sneakers on is usually very clean, but for whatever reason each time I tested these it was very dusty. I wish the court conditions could have been a little better, but I will still give you my opinions. The traction features a nice, fairly soft rubber compound that does grip and bite the floor very well. On a clean, nice floor I do feel these would perform at a really good level. They didn’t do bad at all on a dusty floor and I didn’t really find myself wiping them often or anything but they did collect a little dust, and I feel that was due to the bite of grip the shoe was trying its best to give! The pattern/design of the traction on the outsole is shark tooth inspired and you can definitely get the vibe when looking at the outsole. When you look at the outsole you can basically see they were going for an all around great traction whether moving laterally or vertically. What I am most upset about with the traction actually has nothing to do with the shoe, but actually with the court. As I stated before normally the court I test on is very clean, so its kind of difficult to give a comparison for the traction because the court conditions do not match up to what I have been basically testing all shoes on this year. I will say though that if the traction is a worry or concern on these don’t let it be because they do perform well in all aspects from my testing.
Materials: 3
I have no real complaints overall about the materials on the Kayo LP2. If anything its all compliments. As you may or may not know one of my favorite basketball sneakers of last year was the Lebron 16. The sneakers featured battle-knit, and if I were to compare the upper materials on the Kayo LP2’s it would resemble that from the look to even the feel. Now obviously its a different material, with different designs, patterns, etc but if you are looking for a straight comparison that is where I'm at. You’ve by now probably figured out the upper is a knit material which comprises most of the the shoe. There are also some synthetic areas as well as nice little leather section wrapping from the heel around to about the mid-foot. The interior of the shoe is also very comfortable and feels well on your feet. I’ve mentioned this a few times on some reviews in the past, but a lot of times an overlooked material feature in a performance shoe is the tongue. The Kayo LP2’s do feature a very tall tongue, but it is comfortable and really gave me no issues or concerns while playing. Last, but not least the materials were also breathable and didn’t leave my feet feeling super sweaty. The materials are a part of the shoe that I definitely really liked and I do not think you will be disappointed either. As I said if you like or enjoy battle knit I think you’ll really like these!
Lockdown/Lacing: 2
The lockdown and lacing is by far not a bad part of the shoe, but the one I had to figure out at first. Upon initial try on the shoes were not to my specific liking, but after tightening up the laces I was able to get the lockdown feel I was looking for. My point for giving them a little lower grade is that sometimes when we go into a store to try on a shoe we probably aren’t going to pull the laces as tight as possible as if we were about to step onto the basketball court. If you did this you probably would leave these as a maybe because the comfort is so strong with them, but you just don’t know if the lockdown is enough. After you laced them up tight though you would then realize these guys will work well. The lockdown/lacing is almost a two fold area because i have tested these on the basketball court as well as initial just lifting workouts at the gym. What I mean by two folded is normally with a performance sneaker I want them to always have that snug fit, but with these I actually enjoy them casually also because of the comfort. I did a full leg day in the sneakers including squats, etc and they performed well in that aspect as well. I could leave them a little looser in the gym setting for comfort and still have the workout results I was looking for. Overall the lockdown is great if you get your Lacing setup to your liking!
Overall: 3
Im going to give these guys a 3 overall because I did really enjoy them on the court. The comfort set me over the edge and made me want to continue playing in them over and over. We sometimes get carried away by thinking the major brands are the only ones with the great performance sneakers which is not true. Brands such as Crossover Culture make great products that as I have told you in this review even compare in some aspects to other major brand models. If your worried about trying out an up and coming brands products.. don’t be, because you never know what your gonna get, and it may just end up being something you really like and enjoy! At a retail price of $110.00 your going to get a lot of shoe for your money and one that as I have said on several occasions is ready to go straight out of the box!
Thanks For Checking Out This Review On The Crossover Culture Kayo LP2!
Have A Great Week & As Always Happy Hooping!!
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