The folks at Converse sent me a free pair of their Converse Weapon Evo's to try out in exchange for writing a review. There are no parameters on the review. I got to keep the kicks no matter what I said. So here's what I think.
I won't pretend to be a full-blown sneaker-head. I like sneakers. I buy them all the time. Too much, actually. But I can't whip off the names and models of every shoe every player is wearing. But having been a basketball player my whole life, I will try a lot but usually stick to something I like. I've flirted with a few brands, and settled mainly on Nike for my basketball playing needs. I did have a brief fling with And 1 back in the day, but I always went back to Nike.
So it makes sense that I like Nike-influenced return of the Converse Weapon. You can see the Nike guts in this sneaker. He air heel... the patent leather around the toe. It's definitely got a Nike look. Which is the first thing I noticed taking it out of the box. A combination of the modern Nike and old school Larry Bird weapon is a good start.
Of course, the big test is wearing them.
Step one was taking them for a test run at the gym. I figured you need to break in new kicks and this was a good way to do it. But this pair didn't really need much breaking in at all. The only issue was some pinching at the base of my toes because of how the tongue of the sneaker is stitched. That didn't last too long, but I can see how some people might get turned off by it. I would too... but by the time I was done at the gym, I really didn't notice it anymore. If you can get past that, then you should be fine.
Step two was taking them on the court and playing some ball. They did very well in that regard. They were comfortable yet supportive. They felt light without feeling like I was sacrificing my ankles for it. They felt supportive without feeling too clunky.
And right now, you can get a brand new pair on the Converse site for $80... which is really good when you're talking about new kicks. You can't even get a close-out pair of Nikes at an outlet store for that kind of money. And you can probably find stores that will sell this pair for less than $80.
The drawback, unfortunately for Converse, is the brand's reputation. It's hard to rock a pair of Cons and feel like you fit in. You can match up a pair of Nikes or Addidas and it just seems to flow with an outfit. For some reason, though, that "star chevron" logo never really launched its way into the fashion consciousness. Converse is trying to bring it back with this shoe... but it's gonna be a tough sell. They're gonna need some help in that regard. I think it's unfortunate... because the Weapon Evo is a good shoe.
