Nike Air Force Max B

The Revolution Will Be Televised

1992 changed my life.That was the year I moved from Los Angeles to Seattle.Before I moved there the most I knew of Seattle was that they were beating my Golden State Warriors in the playoffs with Shawn Kemp giving out the "Lister Blister" and "Rattling Gatling" not only did I have to leave my friends and place I grew up,I had to move to a city that just knocked out my favorite team back in the day(well second favorite behind the Lakers).1992 was also the rise of grunge music which also came from Seattle.Safe to say I wasn't too happy when I got to the great northwest.Let me rewind back to 1991 for a bit.I remember watching a college basketball game,it was a big deal because the starters were all freshmen.I remember wondering what the big deal was.Fast forward to fall of 1992. I remember were 5 kids wearing really big yellow shorts and wearing black socks with white shoes.I was instantly hooked.Even the guy who came off the bench had shorts down to his ankles.The fab 5.Oh yeah and there was this bald guy who seemed to make everyone mad proclaiming "I'm not a role model" on his way to the NBA finals.

figure1
Note the Max Air unit and plastic heel counter

Although released in 1992 the shoe still manages to perform as well as it's modern counterparts.While lacking zoom air or fancy uppers it just worked.Traction was good,cushioning and support were excellent.It manages to be current with the times back in the 90's but still perform 15 years after it's release.The shoe features a Dynamic fit sleeve for a seamless fit and has plenty of padding around the ankles for comfort and support.Also featured is a midfoot support strap that keeps the foot stable and locked down.The shoe feels very stable when you put it on and ankle support is good.

figure2

Cushioning is provided by a Max Air heel and forefoot air units.The midsole is made of polyurethane to withstand the poundings that post players like Barkley inflict on their feet.I normally prefer a lower profile shoe but had no problems with the Air Force Max B.The base of the shoe is completely flat.It provides good surface area for traction as well as a stable landing pad when coming down from those big rebounds.While that type of base would not be good for players who do alot of lateral and quick change of direction I didn't really notice the shoe working against me when slashing to the basket or quick change of direction.

figure3
Note the flat outsole for maximum surface area for optimum traction

The shoe has fairly good traction.I found that I had better heel traction rather than forefoot due to the white part of the outsole.I could actually feel that part of the outsole slipping when playing on my dirty tile floor.If kept clean and used only indoors the traction holds up but if you wear it casually on concrete for an extended period of time you will lose some traction.The pair used in this review was a 2001 retro and was used to play in as recently as a month ago.As you can see in figure3 the outsole holds up very well.

figure4
note the midfoot strap

figure5

Overall the shoe still performs well despite being 15 years old.It was a well designed shoe back in 1992 and has a place in the hearts of many basketball fans.Cushioning and support was excellent and I have hardly any gripes .

Comfort and Fit-4.5/5
Cushioning-4.5/5
Ankle Support-4/5
Traction-3.5/5
Overall-4/5

The shoe scored well in almost all categories but traction was above average and while it is still top 5 in my rotation it is beginning to show it's age.Again with many of the reviews of older shoes versus newer shoes had this review been done even in 2001 the shoe would have received higher scores.One more thing-