14
May 2016
2016-08-04T10:30:36+02:00

Some love it, some hate it. The new Nike SB Koston 3 is one of the most controversial releases of the last months. Lots of people said it won’t be skateable at all. That’s why we took the future skate shoe to the testing range. Find out how it is to skate the Koston 3 and what’s the deal with the marketing slang words “Flyknit” and “Hyperfeel”!

Nike SB Koston 3 shoe at skatedeluxe

The Nike SB Koston 3

            “You feel your shoe connected from your ankle all the way down. Subconsciously, you feel the shoe doing what you want it to do. It becomes almost instinctive.” Eric Koston

When reading about the features of the Koston 3, Nike SB makes a lot of promises for this high-tech skate shoe. But is it really holding up to it? Eric Koston’s third signature model on Nike SB is everything but boring. Even before it was actually released there were lots of controversial discussions about the now shoe. The focus of criticism: The integrated sock aka “Flyknit Collar”. If you’re familiar with football you should already know about the concept with an integrated sock, that was introduced by Nike with “Magista”.
Another new feature of the Koston 3 is called “Hyperfeel”, which is basically a special modification of the insole. With going that crazy on technical things I was even more excited to experience how the shoe performs when actually skating it. I mean, come on guys, it’s easy to bitch around without even trying it…which is why I skated the Nike SB Koston 3 for 15 sessions.

Nike SB Koston 3 Schuhe at skatedeluxe

Fit & Feel

            ” … overall the Koston 3 feels super steady and solid and gave me lots of faith and confidence while skating … ”

Okay, to be honest: It takes a little getting used to get into the shoe, but if you finally made it to slip into the shoe you’ll experience the benefits of the collar. Primarily, it ensures a perfect fit. Overall the Koston 3 feels super steady and solid and gave me lots of faith and confidence while skating. The high collar is definitely one of the reasons for this feeling. It prevents you to from rolling your ankle more than loads of other shoes that I already tried. The collar is also working its way through the whole shoe up to the toes, which is why there is no tongue. If you, like me, also don’t like the tongue slipping out of position and giving you those nasty and annoying pressure marks, you’ll love the Flyknit collar. But you can’t have everything: With the fact that there’s simply no tongue, there’s also no real protection when your deck hits the usual tongue area. But I can totally live with that…

Another extremely positive thing is the shoe’s weight. Thanks to the generous use of mesh it is a real flyweight with very good ventilation. So time to say goodbye to the possible puddle of sweat in your shoe.
It took some time until the shoe felt really comfortable, but once the tip got softer there was nothing to complain about anymore.

Nike SB Koston 3 Schuhe at skatedeluxe

When it comes to board feel, the Koston 3 really got me. Despite the cupsole construction, the Koston 3 hold up to its promises. Also worthy of note is the damping. Unlike lots of other skate shoes that aim at board feel, the Koston 3 convinces on that point. The use of a ‘Zoom Air’ damping unit at the heel area of the insole compensates the comparatively thin insole. This is where Nike SB’s technological progression really pays off. It’s a little bit like riding with bare feet but also damping the impacts.

buy Nike SB Koston 3 online

Durability

            ” … the profile is long living, which is why there were only a few tiny worn spots after more than ten sessions with it … ”

When it comes to durability I was really surprised about the Kosten 3 Hyperfeel. The shoe is significantly more durable than most average skate shoes. After 15 sessions all parts of the shoe were in working order and still looking good, with the only exception of the laces. They already tore in the first few hours. This is something the guys at Nike SB definitely need to work on. All other parts are highly durable. Both the sole and the resistant suede are tough and don’t have any problem with abrasion. The mesh is only used at areas that are highly unlikely to get in contact with your board. Another outstanding point is the shape stability. Shape, solid feeling, ankle support and the perfect fit didn’t change during the whole testing phase.

Nike SB Koston 3 Schuhe at skatedeluxe

Conclusion

The Nike SB Koston 3 Hyperfeel is shaking things up in skate shoe design. The Flyknit collar is not only a unique feature design-wise but is really guaranteeing a perfect fit. Thanks to the good performance as well as the outstanding durability and board feel I can only say that the Nike SB Koston 3 is a superior high-tech skate shoe that is worth a try … if you’re confident enough to wear it.

+

• combines good board feel with a pleasing damping

• exposed and susceptible to cracking laces

• durability

• ankle support; perfect fit

 

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I'm not just writing about the products - I rather test them.