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Everyone needs sneakers, because we can’t wear boots, dress shoes or flip flops all the time. Everyone else gets their own thread, so why can’t we. This will be a thread to discuss sneaker related things. Boots and dress shoes have their own dedicated threads, so don’t post them here: Boots - http://forums.somethingawful.com/sh...hreadid=3044360 Dress Shoes - http://forums.somethingawful.com/sh...hreadid=2274976 -- Section 1: The Basics What am I about to get myself into? Sneaker collecting is an expensive hobby. A very expensive, frustrating hobby. Due to the fact that there are so many kids who want to make money off the shoe by reselling them, that you might have to start making connections just to get the pair that you want. So basically I’m not going to get the pair that I want. Not necessarily. If you time it right, there isn’t a big demand for them and they aren’t super limited, you will get a pair in your size. Super Limited? What are you talking about? Now a days, sneakers have different levels of rarity. The lower the production run, the rarer the shoe. There are basically five different levels of sneaker releases. Five different levels? Yes, five different levels. The first and most common is the General Release (GR). This account is the most basic account and is pretty much found in department stores and generic sporting goods stores (note: some sporting goods stores can get high releases, but they cannot be part of a chain, unless they are like Sportie LA or similar stores). This is made up of more generic athletic models that are used for playing sports and everyday use. Mostly leather or other regular fabrics. The second level is geared to higher end stores. Stuff that is found in this level is found in higher end department stores like Nordstrom and other like it and lager chains like Footlocker and Finish Line. The materials that are used here start to get a little higher end. The third level includes Jordan accounts. Larger chains and smaller boutiques get better selection of shoes also. The fourth level is where the quick strike and Tier Zero accounts are found. The shoes found here pretty limited and sell out very quickly. Most of the time they will sell out in a day. Tier Zero accounts are super limited and hard to find. Theses accounts are usually found in larger cities. Finally the fifth level is the Hyperstrike. This level/account is possibily the most limited thing on the planet. Most of the time the sneaker is created in a small number and give out to friends and family. An example of this is found in the Deftones dunk that came out a number of years ago. It was made for the members of the band the Deftones and was given exclusively to their friends and family and no one else. OK, so basically I want/missed out on the pair that I want, how do I get it? This isn’t going to be easy. Most of the kids who lined up for days on end (some times a few days before, others weeks before) to the shoes that they wanted. A small number of them were collectors who wanted to shoe because they want to wear them and know that they will never see them again. Others however are in it for the money. Most of the kids who will line up are resellers and will do anything to get them, including cause riots. Riots?! Yes, riots. It happened twice over the past 12 years. The first one happened in 2005 during the Pigeon Dunk release in NYC and was pretty bad. The NYPD had to get cabs to get the people who purchased the shoes out of there because there were people waiting on every corner near the shop to jump them for the sneakers. Supposedly, after the crowds dispersed, the NYPD found brass knuckles, baseball bats, and knives on the ground. The second time was during the NBA All-Star Game earlier this year. Nike released a shoe called the Galaxy Foam. It was so sought after that kids once again lined up for days to get them and most of the stores had no idea when they were going get them in. When they released, chaos erupted and most of the releases were canceled. So what if I miss a release? What can I do to get the shoes that I want? There are a number of ways to get them. The first is Ebay. Ebay is pretty much the best place for looking for your looking for and you will find it. However, the one problem is that you will have to deal with high prices. The second place is internet forums. Places like Sole Collector, N-sb, and Niketalk have some of the best marketplaces on the web. However, the only draw back is that you have to post there for a while and make sure that your offers aren’t lowballs or else you will be black listed. Make a note that there are a lot kids on Sole Collector who have no idea what’s going on or how to post of that matter. Finally, there’s Flight Club. But nobody can afford that anyway. So how can I get the shoes that I want? The best way to get them is make friends with your local shop owner and his workers. Go in there on a regular basis, even if it’s just to BS and you don’t buy anything. They’ll see that you are willing to support the little guy and take care of you. If you’re lucky, you might get some releases earlier. So where can I get these more limited shoes? For higher end stuff, I’d say start around the second or third level. Nordstrom tends to get a lot of higher end athletic shoes, but every once and a while, they get some better looking sneakers, like Air Maxes or funky Lunars. Stores like Footlocker, Foot Action, and others like it will get more athletic fashion oriented shoes, like Nike Airs, Jordans and other things that are sought after by resellers who don’t know what they are buying. For higher end sneakers, head to smaller shops that have Quickstrike or Tier Zero accounts. They will get the higher, more limited things that everyone wants and have no clue where to get. There are various stores through out the country and Europe that have these higher end accounts and carry other accounts for other brands too. Note that most of these shops will not sell Nike on line, because of some kind of agreement that prevents them from selling them on line, so you will have to either call them or go there in person to get them. Myself and other goons, A5H, MMMCCLI, mints and a few others have compiled a list of stores in Europe, North America, and Asia that have good sneaker accounts. (Note: I didn’t realize that there were so many shops out there that had great high end accounts. I had planned on putting the websites after them, but decided against it.) Europe Non-Stop Sport Flatspot Well Gosh Foot Asylum Scene Preston Sa-Kis Slam City Skates Roller-Snakes Native Skate Store Size? Well Gosh End Clothing Hanon Natterjacks Offspring Crooked Tongues Scene preston Lost Art Bored of Southsea Kong Dissent Endemic Ideal Main source 50:50 Secret spot Boarderline Air culture Alans store Angry Dave's Conspiracy Focus SS20 Patta Foot Patrol Sole Box Titolo The Good Will Out Sneakersnstuff Opium North America DQM UBIQ 21 Mercer Street (Nike’s NSW Flagship Store) Primitive Undefeated Atmos Sportie LA Burn Rubber Concepts Reed Space Premier Rare Breed Footwear Packers Shoes Mr. R Sports Extra Butter Nice Kicks West NYC Wish Sneaker Bistro Major DC Proper Shoe Gallery Livestock Blends True Leaders 1354 Kicks/Hi St Alfred Kith David Z Bodega Alife Rivington Club Supreme Classic Skate Shop Cap City The Darkside Intitative Shiek Shoes FTC DLX Michael K Premium Laces KixClusive Compound The Nike Employee Store (Note: You have a very slim chance in hell in getting in there. You have to get a pass from an employee to get in and even that’s hard as hell to get) Sneaker Politics Humidity Sports Plus Salvation Asia Chapterworld What if I want to blow all my money? There are higher end companies that make them. You will basically blow all you money if you by a pair. Section 2: Culture So where can I get good information besides here. There are a number of good blogs out there that provide information about the shoes but really don’t offer release dates besides speculation. There are a few that get the dates right and are pretty drat good at it. Hypebeast - http://www.hypebeast.com High Snobiety - http://www.highsnobiety.com/ The Shoe Game - http://www.theshoegame.com Kicks on Fire - http://www.kicksonfire.com Nice Kicks - http://www.nicekicks.com Freshness You mentioned a few websites before what where hey again? Niketalk - http://www.niketalk.com Sole Collector - http://www.solecollector.com/forums N-sb - https://forums.n-sb.org/ All three of them are probably the best resource out there for finding information on sneakers. They get a lot of leaked picture and the like. But be forewarned, Sole Collector is pretty much full of teenagers who are just posting there to sell their sneakers, so be prepared to see post that have no content. Niketalk is one of the oldest sneaker related forums on the internet. Everyone there is some what elitist, so be ready for a lot of snobbery. N-sb is kind of the middle of the road. I used to post there for a few years and it’s pretty good. I don’t know what happened but it just died down a few yeas ago and hasn’t picked back up since. There used to be a few cool posters there, but they stopped around the same time I did, so it isn’t as good as it used to be. So are there any good videos about sneakers or movies for that matter? Why yes there is, actually. The best one out there is called Just for Kicks, which came out in 2005. It pretty much covers the entire history of sneaker culture from the early 1970s to 2005. Everyone from Bobbito Garcia to Futura 2000 were interviewed for it. It’s on netflix watch instant, but is also on youtube in seven parts. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPq9IAAEZ6U So why do people camp out for sneakers? It’s just to make sure that they get the pair that they want. No real reason why. Section 3: Brands/sizing/other So I’m not a big fan of Nike? What are some other brands to get into that are cool? There are some other brands out there that are doing some better things than Nike IMO. Vans – Known for the classic skateboarding shoes, Vans recently started catering to non skaters with the California Collection and OTW line. There’s also the super high end Vault line that has some crazy stuff. The Syncated line is the line that everyone goes nuts for. It’s a high end skate line and is mainly sold at skateshops (although Ubiq in Philly gets them). Adidas – Adidas attempted to bring life into it’s stale line up with a few different lines. The most successful of that is the consortium line, which allows them to push the style of the shoe to the limit. The ObyO line was pretty lackluster at first, but they the got involved with Jeremy Scott and David Beckham and things took off. While they haven’t worked with anyone else lately, these two lines are pretty drat successful Asics – Asics has been doing pretty big things lately thanks to a man named Ronnie Feig. The former buyer at David Z and now owner of Kith, has been making everyone go batshit crazy for Gel Lyte IIs and IIIs. Good luck trying to get a pair, because they’re sold out in minutes. Reebok – Reebok never died, it just went underground. Every once and a while, they release a pump and people who could never afford them, go nuts and buy them. Puma – Puma is it or miss. Granted the have the second most famous basketball shoe, the Clyde, but that’s about it. Converse – What can’t they do wrong? Converse is a timeless brand that will never go out of style. So how should I size a certain shoe? Basically, most shoes will fit true to size. Most Nikes will run narrow, so if you need to, size up a half a size. Some shoes, like Half Cab and Chucks, have to be sized down a half a size to a whole size. Keep this in mind when buying them. What’s the best advice for cleaning them? I normally just use a little soap and water on leather and suede cleaner of suede. For Chucks, Era/Authentics, and Half Cabs, I wouldn’t even bother cleaning them, because the look better destroyed. So is this all I need to know? That should be it. Just keep your head and don’t get stressed about anything and most importantly, remember that the Nike RSVP system is terrible. EDIT: Can someone change the thread tag to the Fruity one again? I think that that one worked well last time. screenwritersblues fucked around with this message at Dec 4, 2012 around 16:45 |
| # ? Dec 4, 2012 04:22 |
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| # ? May 22, 2013 14:03 |
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That's a nice OP, could use some polish (I'm guessing you're talking about Flight Club and not Fight Club up there) and maybe a little formatting though. Anyway, to get right back into things, the UPS man brought me another reason to be pumped for sneaker weather to return:  First new pair in a while, and even though I won't be wearing them for months I'm pretty stoked!
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| # ? Dec 4, 2012 10:26 |
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Decent OP, would have been nice to include the links to the shops I gave you and split Europe by country perhaps, it's a bigger place than you might think. Picture of my collection at the minute for shits n gigs.  Anyone with any skills can shrink this down to avatar size?  Thanks
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| # ? Dec 4, 2012 14:22 |
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MMMCCLI posted:Decent OP, would have been nice to include the links to the shops I gave you and split Europe by country perhaps, it's a bigger place than you might think. This... North America is pretty big too you know  it'd be good to have country/state listed next to them at least because I can't imagine someone's going to want to have to google all of those to find out where they are and it'll save us from people asking what shops are local to them every couple of pages.I would've recommended renaming this to the Sneaker Megathread too since that seems to be 99% of what's discussed here.
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| # ? Dec 4, 2012 16:10 |
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Trust me guys, I'm working on it slowly but surely. I'm editing it as we go along. Most megathreads do the same thing. I'll work on splitting the shops up with links to the websites as time goes on. I know it's not perfect, but hey what are you going to do.
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| # ? Dec 4, 2012 16:47 |
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 Yesssssssssss.... my favorite shoe of the last decade and the money goes to help sick kids. I bought it on my iPhone, so I couldn't use my free 1-day shipping [I know, cool story bro] so I'll have to wait a week to rock them.
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| # ? Dec 4, 2012 19:05 |
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goethe gear xx posted:That's a nice OP, could use some polish (I'm guessing you're talking about Flight Club and not Fight Club up there) and maybe a little formatting though. Sneaker weather to return? I wish I'd get some winter weather here, it's 78 right now with overcast skies and a front is supposed to cool us to a chilly 58 degrees. Those are pretty nice, what's the material on the toebox?
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| # ? Dec 4, 2012 19:16 |
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Blinkman987 posted:
I really don't like freeruns that much, mainly because of the crowd that wears them, but these are nice.
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| # ? Dec 4, 2012 19:41 |
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MMMCCLI posted:Anyone with any skills can shrink this down to avatar size? 
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| # ? Dec 4, 2012 21:31 |
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screenwritersblues posted:I really don't like freeruns that much, mainly because of the crowd that wears them, but these are nice. Is it the same crowd that wears AMs? Whenever I have to go to the local sneaker shop for a release, everyone seems "generic 20-year-old/potential hooligan" to me. =)
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| # ? Dec 4, 2012 21:55 |
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Didn't see it in the OP, but what are the best places for people with norma sized feet (13 and up)? Alsoa good site for shoes is http://www.6pm.com they get the stuff in the funky colors people don't want sometimes.
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| # ? Dec 4, 2012 22:15 |
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b0nes posted:Didn't see it in the OP, but what are the best places for people with norma sized feet (13 and up)? Alsoa good site for shoes is http://www.6pm.com they get the stuff in the funky colors people don't want sometimes. I'll throw it in there. I'm in the middle of working on the shop list now. Most likely the weekend it will be updated. EDIT: For larger sized feet? All I have to say about that is, if your talking limited releases that is, good luck. The do make them but they're had to get. They usually sell out pretty fast. screenwritersblues fucked around with this message at Dec 5, 2012 around 01:30 |
| # ? Dec 5, 2012 01:21 |
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Just chiming in to add the local shop. They have a SB account and seem to get the quickstrike releases. http://www.homegrownboardshop.com
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| # ? Dec 5, 2012 02:47 |
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mints posted:Sneaker weather to return? I wish I'd get some winter weather here, it's 78 right now with overcast skies and a front is supposed to cool us to a chilly 58 degrees. It's cold (-16°C right now) and there's snow, sometimes lots of it. I just don't like wearing runners in that kind of weather, partly because I want them to be nice come spring/summer, partly because I want to be warm. Right now it's mainly winterized sneakers or high-tops, preferably leather, though lately I've gotten into a habit of wearing my beater Adidas Skateboarding shoes with wool socks. The toebox is synthetic, feels kind of like a really fine mesh. edit: Here's one for the store list - Caliroots. It's based in Sweden, shipping's a flat 10€ for Europe though! goethe gear xx fucked around with this message at Dec 5, 2012 around 09:22 |
| # ? Dec 5, 2012 09:19 |
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Thanks for the effort, was able to use it on another forum but the file size limit on here is a mere 30kb and it's 47kb atm. To say something sneaker related, there's nothing that's really taking my fancy in the December period. Definitely waiting for Q1 2013, loads of sweet Adidas coming out, including the Busenitz ADV. Have seen the 2013 catalogue and there's some nice stuff for the whole year including some fresh threads. Can't wait. On the plus side, not buying anything before Christmas will save me some cash that I desperately need as the tyres on my car seem to have nail magnets in 
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| # ? Dec 5, 2012 14:38 |
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screenwritersblues posted:I'll throw it in there. I'm in the middle of working on the shop list now. Most likely the weekend it will be updated. Is this a general sneaker thread or a shoe collector thread? The OP isn't clear on that. I buy shoes to wear and throw out when they wear out.
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| # ? Dec 5, 2012 19:01 |
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b0nes posted:Is this a general sneaker thread or a shoe collector thread? The OP isn't clear on that. I buy shoes to wear and throw out when they wear out. general sneaker thread, but not so much dress shoes or other types of footwear I'd say based on the previous footwear megathread.
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| # ? Dec 5, 2012 19:43 |
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MMD3 posted:general sneaker thread, but not so much dress shoes or other types of footwear I'd say based on the previous footwear megathread. Yeah, that's what I was going for. There's a dress shoe and boot thread, so why not just make one limited to sneakers. I kept the title the same, mainly because it just fit better than calling it "sneaker megathread." I also tried to mock the collecting aspect of the culture, but it seems that it failed. Although parts of it have seemed to worked though.
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| # ? Dec 6, 2012 04:21 |
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goethe gear xx posted:That's a nice OP, could use some polish (I'm guessing you're talking about Flight Club and not Fight Club up there) and maybe a little formatting though. I don't think it was mentioned. What shoe is this?
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| # ? Dec 6, 2012 06:49 |
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MetaJew posted:I don't think it was mentioned. What shoe is this? Nike Air Max 1
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| # ? Dec 6, 2012 08:28 |
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Another shop to be added to the UK list. Note, Manchester http://www.noteshop.co.uk/ They are stocking the Porky's SB Dunk High in store only. Not sure what sizes they have left if anyone is interested.
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| # ? Dec 6, 2012 14:42 |
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Picked these up this morning but will be selling. They're on eBay already. Quality is great but I'm just not into them. 
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| # ? Dec 8, 2012 14:24 |
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They had no spare 9s then? Nightmare.
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| # ? Dec 8, 2012 14:25 |
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Nah there were only 5 pairs available. Pm me on edition if you're interested. Size 9.5
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| # ? Dec 8, 2012 16:21 |
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Should I try to get the 11's or lightening 4s? Ahhh, can't make up my mind!
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| # ? Dec 14, 2012 23:17 |
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is the OP getting updated? still has a poo poo post tag?
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| # ? Dec 15, 2012 00:22 |
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MMD3 posted:is the OP getting updated? still has a poo poo post tag? I'm working on it slowly, but surely. Its a busy time of year for retail, so I basically have limited time to work on it. It should be done soon. Also does anyone know how to change the tag? Does a mod have to do it or can I do it myself. If mod would change it to fruity, that would be great.
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| # ? Dec 15, 2012 04:46 |
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Kaliber posted:Should I try to get the 11's or lightening 4s? Ahhh, can't make up my mind! with how close the VNTG AM1 and AM90s are coming out I can't justify a pair of jordans that will sit in the box for a while.
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| # ? Dec 15, 2012 08:17 |
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I was in a liquor store the other day and I heard this woman talking on her cellphone, and she said "He's a homebody kid... All he cares about are his Jordans. That's all he dreams about, is getting the next pair of Jordans."
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| # ? Dec 15, 2012 14:08 |
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Does anyone have any idea how to clean these. loving bars. 
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| # ? Dec 15, 2012 21:49 |
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light soap and water and let it air out for a bit. That's a nylon right there right?
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| # ? Dec 15, 2012 21:52 |
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Can anyone here pick me up a pair of those Nike Janoski Brogues (in black)? Willing to pay a bit for your time and effort of course - size 11
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| # ? Dec 15, 2012 22:07 |
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Yeah I believe so. Also picked up some lame supra skytop 3's cause I needed new black sneakers and shop only had those in my size. Bleh I wanted the kostons or SB mids with gold swoosh.
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| # ? Dec 15, 2012 22:08 |
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Other than rarity, is there anything specifically special about limited release sneakers? Like, better materials, construction and such? Or is it all about pretty colors and nifty logos?
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| # ? Dec 16, 2012 00:35 |
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swmmrmanshen posted:Other than rarity, is there anything specifically special about limited release sneakers? Like, better materials, construction and such? Or is it all about pretty colors and nifty logos? Usually higher grade materials. Sometimes they change the logos, but that's rare. Think with the pushead sbs, it was a strange material that was pretty different from the normal materials used.
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| # ? Dec 16, 2012 03:17 |
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Kaliber posted:Should I try to get the 11's or lightening 4s? Ahhh, can't make up my mind! Do you have any other black base 4s? After getting the cav 4s I found no reason to get the cdp/bred nor thunders anymore. The little bit of yellow ain't poo poo. Now if you're taking about the actual lightening 4s where its a yellow base, get that.
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| # ? Dec 16, 2012 16:43 |
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Well I just noticed flightclub started carrying dunks. Going to be really hard to not drop $400 on the "when pigs fly" if they show up in my size.
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| # ? Dec 16, 2012 17:00 |
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KidDynamite posted:Well I just noticed flightclub started carrying dunks. Going to be really hard to not drop $400 on the "when pigs fly" if they show up in my size. If you've got an SB dealer near you check with them, they're supposed to be a QS without the fancy box just like the Blue Lobsters were back in 2009.
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| # ? Dec 16, 2012 19:43 |
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screenwritersblues posted:Usually higher grade materials. Sometimes they change the logos, but that's rare. Think with the pushead sbs, it was a strange material that was pretty different from the normal materials used. Sometimes they're actually made more poorly than general releases, there's a lot of reports of people getting retro Jordans with glue smears and the like.
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| # ? Dec 16, 2012 19:46 |
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| # ? May 22, 2013 14:03 |
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mints posted:If you've got an SB dealer near you check with them, they're supposed to be a QS without the fancy box just like the Blue Lobsters were back in 2009. Oh wow thanks for this heads up.
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| # ? Dec 16, 2012 19:48 |
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