It is hard to believe we are already on the 4th model within the Lamelo line! Since we are though, let's take a look at how the 4th silhouette worked out on the court!
I hope everyone is doing well, and ready for Thanksgiving! Before we start this review off I want to give a big thank you to everyone that reads my reviews and let you know I am very appreciative of it! I also want to wish every one of you a wonderful thanksgiving to you and your family!
Now, back to the kicks! I have been a big fan of this line since the start, and oftentimes, I have given this line a lot of credit when others have not. I have enjoyed playing in every model thus far, and had pretty high hopes or expectations for these! Enough talk here! Below is the breakdown, and I hope you enjoy it!
Fit: 4/5
For me, I went down half as I usually do in my basketball sneakers and had no issues here. They fit me more like tts to be honest. Had I gone tts I do not think I would have been as happy with the fit. This is just my preference though. looking for a little more snug fit on the court. I am pretty sure as I try to think back here that each model thus far I went down half in, and all fit me around the same. My recommendation here would be to go with what you have in any of the other models and you will be good to go. If you haven't tried any of those, and these may be your first you may want to try them on in-store first!
Traction: 3/5
Sigh, as bad as I don't want to say it I think these took a step backward for me in the traction category. I heard many complaints about previous models being not very good traction-wise, and I didn't have those experiences personally. These though, just didn't grip the floor all that well for me. they also seemed to pick up a lot of dust if the court was dirty/dusty. The sneaker features a solid rubber outsole with a fairly vertical/wavy pattern from the toe to the mid-foot area. From the Mid-foot to the heel you basically have solid rubber with RARE indented into the outsole. The outsole/pattern is pretty stiff/hard and in some ways, I wonder if these would perform better outdoors than indoors. These weren't the worst things I have played in traction-wise, but definitely not the best. Laterally and vertically I didn't feel awful, but I did notice some sliding on some movements. It was not so much on the take-offs, but stopping for pull-ups, or sudden stops on cuts, etc is where my issues arose. Could I make these work from a traction standpoint? Sure, but the previous models have been better for me.
Aesthetics: 4/5
This is going to be more of an opinion-based aspect. Some have loved the look of this line, and some have not. Each model so far has not only been vibrant from a CW standpoint but also just a model that, to say the least, has quite a bit going on. These are no different. One thing that has been fun for me with these is the many collabs that take me back to my childhood whether that is cartoons/TV or characters. With the news being released that there is a scooby doo collab as well as teenage mutant ninja turtles, these are set again to have some nostalgia to them with my age group for sure. I will tell you out of any sneakers I have played in, in the last several months these are the ones that I get asked "What are those???" They do give off that vibe on the court. If you like vibrant/wild Cw's look no further that is for sure!
Materials: 4/5
I could give these a lower score from a materials standpoint, but I am not going to be harsh here as basically, it is just much of the same as previous models and really offered me nothing new, but nothing negative either. You have a multilayer mesh upper, that gives a very padded feel on the court and offers quite a bit of comfort. The sneaker is fairly breathable but does hold some sweat within. The materials feature a raised overlay with design/logos/wording that gives to the aesthetic but doesn't offer anything performance-wise, which is fine. This area obviously gives a vibrant look to the sneaker and is one that we have seen throughout the whole line thus far. The tongue is also very padded and feels very nice on foot. The durability seemed to be very good as well. I have played in these quite a bit, and they almost still look brand new. Overall here it feels a lot like the 0.3, so if you liked those you will enjoy these as well.
Cushion: 4/5
In my opinion, the cushion might be the strongest aspect of the sneaker. I have personally thought Nitro Foam cushioning has been comfortable on the court from the start. These once again do feel very similar in general to previous models. You are getting more cushion with these than court feel and in my opinion almost all cushion. There is response and bounce, but impact protection is what I mostly got from these. They are fairly plush straight out of the box, but as I broke them in I felt they got more plush as well. I feel most are looking for a fairly strong cushion setup which for most means more cushion. For me, I used to always want more court feel and minimum cushion. Over the past few years, the knees have told me we gotta mix that up with some more cushion instead. These are the borderline for me of almost too much as I do wish they had a little more court feel. I am usually that oddball out though, meaning to me that most will enjoy this setup maybe even more than I do! Hence the 4/5 for the masses here.
Lockdown: 4/5
I know I said the cushion may be the strongest point, but it is nearly a tie with the lockdown. I'm not here to give you the wording of an overwhelming tech setup for the lockdown, but I am here to say I felt very locked in and contained with what seems to be a fairly minimal setup. The heel counter is solid and I had no movement within. There is a nice outrigger in the forefoot that helps offer protection from tipping, and the overall containment kept me solid at all times within the sneaker on court. The containment with these for me personally worked so well that it made up for some of the issues I had with the traction almost leveling or evening it out there. I don't remember having any issues with the lockdown on the previous models, but I will say with the 0.4 it was something that stood out for me.
Overall: 3/5
In today's basketball market, there are so many options out there, and probably the biggest selection in my opinion we have ever had. This is one of those pairs that I enjoyed playing in, but it is much of the same as the previous models. It almost feels like the aesthetics got updated and we will get some more great collabs and cw's for those looking for a fun/vibrant shoe. Are these a solid option especially at the price point compared to many other basketball sneakers in this day and age? I believe so, but I also believe there are some better performers out there. Could I play an entire season in these and be happy with them? Absolutely! My point here is this, There are some positives, and there are some negatives, but overall you have a performer that is a lot of the same as previous pairs within the line. If you liked those like I did, then it is worth trying these out. If you didn't like any of the previous models then I may not go after these, and if you haven't tried any and are a Melo fan then give them a try!!
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