The outsole of this shoe is designed from a material that we all know and love; gel. The gel aspect of the outsole allows the shoe to do what is completely necessary of it when in use; wearer’s require a decent level of grip when using their shoes and the Nike Lebron Soldier 10 makes sure to give it to them. The outsole unit of the shoe also has a geometric patterning in place that has squares that vary in size; the squares also include the windows that allows one to see the zoom cushioning in the underfoot. To give the shoe a bit of branding, Nike also included their signature Nike logo in the design of their shoe.

The midsole of the shoe or, at least the outer portion of the midsole is given an EVA foam cushioning; EVA is normally used in the design of midsoles and rightfully so. The shoe also utilizes a Zoom cushioning that allows it to really give the wearer what they need in terms of comfort or should do so at least; the Zoom cushioning doesn’t really provide for all of the curves of the foot and, for some can result in an incredibly under-cushioned feel while the shoe is in use.

The upper of the shoe has a plethora of materials that really allow the shoe to provide one with an incredibly high level of support and fit. For starters, the shoe is completely lace-less; for a basketball shoe, this is somewhat of a big deal. The materials in the shoe allow it to really give the wearer what they need in terms of comfort and support due to the addition of the straps in place of the laces; the shoe feature wrap-around Velcro-secured straps that can be adjusted to continually provide one with what they need in terms of fit and support. As is the case with the majority of basketball shoes, the upper of the shoe is elongated and aids in the support providing a piece of the shoe’s design. The mesh make of the upper allows for breathability and despite the cushioning, ensure that one receives it en masse. There are varying levels of synthetic and mesh materials in place to allow the shoe to provide the wearer with a bit of stability in the design of the shoe, a common feat among shoes nowadays.

In terms of weight, the design of the shoe still manages to provide for the wearer, slightly. The shoe in its entirety weighs about 14 oz; this isn’t bad because of the fact that a basketball shoe requires a bit more weight to offer protection for the wearer’s foot. The sole unit of the shoe does most o the job of adding weight to the design of the shoe itself; the sole unit of the shoe is designed from a gel and foam material that, when placed together can add a bit of weight to the whole of the shoe. On top of this, the sole unit features a Zoom cushioning unit in both the forefoot and heel of the shoe that add a decent level of weight to the shoe as well. The upper is rather minimal in this respect and doesn’t do much to make the shoe appear to be on the heavier side.

The upper is made from a majority mesh material and, despite the cushioning and alternation of the materials allows the wearer to really experience the effects provided. The mesh portion of the shoe gives the wearer ample airflow for several parts of their foot. The foam in the design of the upper of the shoe is perforated to allow the wearer to have a bit more in the way of comfort and to really allow the air to make its way into the design of the shoe; this is something that becomes increasingly important as the shoe continues to be used.

The comfort experienced by this shoe really depends upon who is wearing the shoe. The sole unit of the shoe features Fly cushioning that really allows it to give one what they need in terms of comfort because of it’s ability to compress under the weight of the wearer’s foot and conform to the shape of their heel arch; for some, this may not result in a very high level of comfort solely because of the fact that the material may break in fairly quickly and can lose it’s cushioning just as fat. The upper of the shoe is extremely cushioned, to be honest; the elongated part of the neck of the shoe really allows it to give the wearer what they need in terms of comfort due to the pads on the side of the shoe where the physical ankle of the wearer’s foot is present. To aid the elongated neck of the shoe, the wearer also experiences a decent level of support that translates into added comfort for the wearer’s foot.

For those who may be wondering, the design of this shoe signals that it is a basketball shoe. It features an elongated neck to provide support for the wearer’s ankles and is supported by the addition of heel straps in the design of the shoe; the straps that run the shoe are the real kicker about the shoe’s design. This shoe is essentially laceless due to this feature; Nike really did something different by creating a shoe that had no laces and was secured only through the use of straps and Velcro materials. The shoe comes in several bright colorways that give the shoe a bit of flair. The sole unit of the shoe blends right in with the design of the upper of the shoe and gives the wearer what they need to really make moves happen when on a basketball court. The design of the shoe is one that doesn’t really give the wearer any lee-way in terms of its ability to be worn in areas outside of the general basketball realm though; do not expect to really be able to pass when wearing this shoe in a format outside of the typical athletic area.

In terms of durability, the material throughout the design of this shoe does allow one to do what they need to do when in use without opening them up to extreme levels of degradation in terms of its ability to provide cushioning or traction on the courts. The sole unit of the shoe features a gel design that lasts relatively long if used on the correct surfaces; using this shoe on an outside court may really harm the traction-gaining abilities of the shoe. The upper of cushioning of the shoe, when broken in may not feel the same for very long either; the material just won’t give the wearer what they need in this respect solely because of the fact that the shoe compresses rather easily. The upper lasts long enough, it should, simply because of the fact that the shoe is meant to be used indoors and has alternating elements incorporated into its design.

The upper of the shoe has alternating levels of materials in place throughout its design that really work to give the wearer a decent level of protection when in use; the majority of the upper is designed from a mesh material but, there are also a few synthetic pieces of material that allow the shoe to really protect the wearer’s foot when used in areas such as a basketball court where tons of activity is taking place and the odds of damaging one’s feet due to them being stepped on is rather high. The upper also has a decent fit due to the strapping which keeps the shoes in place and protects them from damage due to a loose fit. The sole unit provides decent traction which in its own right imbues the wearer with a decent level of protection as well.

The Zoom cushioning gives the wearer a bit of a bounce, not as much as the 9 does but a fairly decent amount. The energy return experienced by the Zoom 9 was of the more well-sought sort simply because of the fact that the material allowed the wearer to make those sharp turns and gave them a bit more when they needed to make explosive movements; the 10 does this but, to a much more “muted” degree. The shoe features a midsole fashioned with Zoom cushioning but, just can’t seem to give the wearer what they need in regard to that extra push while the shoe is in use; the design of the shoe may be one of the major reasons for the lack of that solid energy return that is experienced by this shoe.

One of the Nike Lebron Soldier 10’s saving graces is the fact that it provides the wearer with a decent level of support for the ankles. The upper of the shoe has that bootie construction and is coupled with a Velcro strap design; the upper keeps the wearer’s foot locked in place and keeps the wearer positioned in a way so that they aren’t really able to damage their ankles during those crossover moves. The Zoom cushioning in the sole unit does its job to provide the wearer with what they need so that the shoe remains comfortable while on-foot and provides support for the heel of the foot; it doesn’t do the best job but, it does its best.

This shoe is meant for use on terrains such as indoor courts. One wouldn’t really want to use this shoe on an outside court for two reasons; the traction on the shoe is decent on an inside court and will degrade rather quickly if used on anything outside of that, and the shoe features a design that incorporates a gel material into the outsole. The gel material will quickly become a terrible thing to look at if used extensively on an outdoor terrain.

These shoes are priced rather well for what they provide to the wearer; the use of Zoom cushioning is really enough to provide the wearer with a decent level of value from the use of this shoe. The comfort achieved by the use of this shoe also does a decent job of allowing the wearer to have what they need so that it can be worn for extended periods of time. Something else to note is that the price of the shoe has gone down substantially from where it was initially placed at solely because of the fact that a few years have gone by since its initial release.

The sole unit of the shoe gives the wearer a decent level of traction, not as much as the 9 but a fair amount. The gel cushioning in the sole unit ensures that the wearer has what they want in terms of grip and is backed up by the use of the geometric patterning that is in place.

The upper of the shoe and the materials that it is designed from gives the wearer a decent level of flexibility without damaging the integrity of the shoe overall. The shoe is designed from a majority of mesh material and is a single unit, which allows the shoe to really move to the will of the wearer’s foot. The sole unit of the shoe and the EVA foam that is in place, allows the shoe to move in a way that is rather typical of the material and doesn’t hinder the wearer’s range of motion in the slightest.

The design of the upper of the shoe also gives the Nike Lebron Soldier 10 a bit of structure so that the wearer doesn’t have to worry about feeling secure while the shoe is in use. The upper of the shoe is designed using a strapping design that allows the shoe to really provide the wearer with a decent level of security and introduces a stability element into the mix. The sole unit of the shoe is also rather dense and gives the wearer what they require in terms of ability to handle a fair level of activity while in the shoe.

A drop hasn’t really been specified about the design of this shoe but, it would be safe to say that the drop on this shoe is fairly high. The high drop can be attributed to the high level of cushioning that is in place in the heel of the shoe; this somewhat aids in transitions and doesn’t really hurt the feel of the shoe at all.

• Zoom cushioning
• Laceless design
• Gel Outsole
• Single mesh upper

The Nike Lebron Soldier 10 is a decent shoe, to be honest. The laceless aspect of the design helps it somewhat and does give it the ability to provide one with what they need in terms of comfort and security; this is only accentuated by the cushioning in the sole unit of the shoe. The shoe isn’t really on the expensive side, which somewhat helps it provide a decent level of value to the wearer when in use.