New Balance
OMN1S Low Performance Review
New Balance Is Destroying The Game On & Off Court Right Now!! Yes, I Mean Bringing The Heat!
What's up everyone?? Wow, its been a minute since I have been able to bring you a performance review! COVID has made 2020 a tough year, but we will persevere! Today I bring you a new model from new balance that I thoroughly enjoyed on court, and I am about to explain why!
Let’s go ahead and discuss how these were tested. I always like to get an initial break-in process down with some lifting workouts at the gym. Normally I like to start with them on my leg day before getting them on court. This just works well for me to get the shoe somewhat broken in before even heading to the court. After this step obviously I take them to the court. With COVID it has made testing a little difficult. I was not able to test these indoors, so all testing was done outdoors. I did not get to play 5 on 5 in these, but I did get do a ton of drills with lots of motion and movement. I did a lot of dribble-drive work all the way to the hoop as well as worked on a lot of step backs and pull-ups. By doing this it gave me the feel of moving on offense at a game type pace without being able to play full-court games. I also got a few games of one on one and some “21” in as well with a buddy. With that being said lets jump right in!
Traction: 3
The traction on these guys worked awesome for me. I really enjoyed the herringbone set up as I normally do when it is on any shoe, but the rubber gripped very well and the pattern overall worked out great for me. I noticed no negative space or motion on the court with any movement and that what I like most is feeling safe with any movement I want to try and make. Overall no complaints from me on a traction standpoint and if your worried this may be an issue worry no more because the traction on these is flat out awesome!
Materials: 2
The materials are what New Balance is calling FitWeave. The materials work very well in my opinion and seem as if they are going to be very durable and last for a long time. The materials are what I would call somewhat stiff, but keep you locked in and do their job very nicely in the way that they should. I enjoyed the materials, but if I were to give them any shortfall I would say they could be a little softer to the touch if I’m trying to be picky. Other than that they worked very well on court and have even thought at some points it feels as if they are somewhat forming to my foot which is also a very nice touch.
Fit: 2
The fit was a little odd to me, but sometimes that can be an issue with any performance shoe. I was told by some other testers I would need to go down half a size automatically and that is what I did. I'm a normal 11.5, but went with the 11. I still feel they are a little long in the length category, but fit me well width-wise. I normally like a pretty snug fit on court as it is, but after giving these a go the fit started to feel much better and I enjoyed the shoe a lot. I believe you are fine going just a half size down, but if you're able to try them on in-store that may be your best overall bet.
Cushion: 3
The shoe features a full-length FuellCell midsole which offers a lot of comfort, but also a nice touch of court feel. I have always been a guy that on-court definitely wanted some cushion, but also wanted a good amount of court feel. These offered basically the perfect combo for my liking. I have no complaints from my testing at all about the cushion if anything it would be a strongpoint to the shoe for my liking. After testing or playing the shoes didn’t hurt my feet, or give me any problems, but while playing I still got that court feel I keep talking about that made me know and feel where I was on court at all times. If you like a great cushion set up with some great court feel as well, your gonna want to try these out!
Lockdown: 3
I've said on several occasions low cuts are normally not my jam or favorite on court, and when I saw these initially I liked the look of them but was worried they may be to low for me. After testing them, I was very impressed with how locked in I feel for being such a low cut shoe that they performed for me so well. I actually did not really notice too much that I was in a low from feeling so locked in. I know I mentioned maybe using a softer material above, but this is where the tougher material flourished by making you feel super locked in. There is also a very nice locked-in feel in the heel where I did not notice a lot of movement and was great for my liking, especially in a low top. Another nice feature is my pair came laced with the top eyelet not being used and I initially tried them that way, but when I laced them on up thru the top eyelet you could get the sneakers very nice and tight and I felt no movement at all. I actually preferred using the top eyelet and have kept them that way since. I have no complaints from a lockdown standpoint and overall I liked them a lot from this standpoint with being a low top on top of it!
Overall: 3
I have no serious issues or complaints about the shoe at all. There are always going to be a few this could have been done better, etc, but overall nothing worth writing home about here. I enjoyed the shoe from basically every single category. It offered me an awesome traction setup, nice cushioning, and a great lockdown to feel safe at all times. If you are looking for a great low top model at a decent price these guys are it! These will be a pair in my gym bag for a long time to come!
I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS REVIEW ON THE OMN1S LOWS! HAVE A GREAT WEEK & AS ALWAYS HAPPY HOOPING!
OMN1S Low-Performance Review