Nike SB All Court CK Cory Kennedy

Back in the days when Facebook, Instagram, and twitter wasn’t around to continuously cram our brains with new skate clips and videos, we would eagerly await for the newest skate videos to release. Sometimes you had to wait half a year till an impactful video was released. The VHS tapes showed the newest tricks as well as the newest shoes and clothing styles, thus creating a new trend and hype in the skateboard world. Next to that, there were homegrown trends developing in cities themselves and in the local scene. Basically, this feeling of hype around a product, trend or style combined with endless days of waiting to fully sensationalize it within your reach has always been around in the skate scene. Nowadays, it is almost impossible to create the same hype about a shoe with social media opening cracks for new stuff to directly hit the feed of consumers on a constant basis. But that’s not the case with the All Court from Cory Kennedy. He skated the shoe’s original model for 2 years before we’ve been given the chance to actually purchase the classic All Court tennis shoe, which now has been adapted to skateboarding. Cory really did create a hype skating in a shoe that was super hard to get. Now with the release of his first Nike pro model, we all have the chance to be able to skate the long-awaited shoe. We tested whether the model can hold up to the hype.

Sizing

The Nike SB All Court CK fits true to size.

Durability

Overall, durability of the Nike SB All Court CK is very good. First off, the durability of skateshoes with a rubber protected toe cap is usually excellent, because the most attacked area is perfectly protected. However, rubber toe caps run the risk of sub-par flick/grip performance, but this part is saved for another section of our review. Back to the matter at foot, the big rubber toe cap of the All Court CK successfully protects the seams as well as the suede. In addition, the suede left us a good impression, being made of good quality, which would have taken up to 20 hours of skating to have a hole in the lateral (ollie hole) area appear. The positioning of the swoosh, however, could have been improved. It would be better if it was positioned more towards the heel area which would decrease the probability of the swoosh detaching or falling off once the seams have been ripped. The sole itself showed great durability though. No slick spots appeared, and judging by the deep thread pattern it’s quite unlikely that some would show up anytime soon.

Cushioning

As expected, flexibility is the most characteristic strength of the All Court CK. The model is equipped with a Nike Zoom Air cushioning system. The insole has one Zoom Air element in the heel area, as well as one in the ball of the foot area Overall, the cushioning of this model is slightly above average and takes medium abuse quite well. The thickest part of the sole is located in the heel area, which protects well from impactful landings. The sole around the toe cap is very thin which results in a very good boardfeel but doesn’t help much to absorb hard impacts.

Shape

As shown in the pictures, the Nike SB All Court CK is cut rather wide in the mid foot and toe area but then slims down in the heel area. The toe area offers a lot of space which make the shoes perfect for skaters with wider feet. The shape is rather parallel, ending in a stump toe area and a blunt tip. At first, the rubber toe cap is a bit bulky but after the first session it decreases.

Boardfeel and grip

Boardfeel and grip feel is as good as the classic Blazer. Due to the thinness of the sole, the shoe is very flexible. This flexibility enables the shoe to mold into the concave creating a very direct boardfeel. The grip is balanced pretty well too, not too little and not too much, typical for a vulcanized sole.

Comfort and stability

The leather lining in the heel area is the best feature of the shoe with regards to comfort. This material offers a lot of potential for skate shoes because it offers the perfect combination of minimum padding with a great heel lock. The foot almost gets sucked to the shoe. The weight of the shoe is only average due to its vulcanized sole. Unfortunately, the breathability and the weight are only average. The All Court CK offers basically no way for hot air and moisture to exit the shoe and the vulcanized sole can get very heavy. The stability of the model is below average. It gets too soft too quickly, which decrease the shoe’s stability.

Summary

The Nike SB All Court CK was definitely worth waiting for. As with all rubber toe cap models, there’s its advantage when it comes to durability. The boardfeel as well as the grip were well focused on and the shoe shines in both these two categories. The stability as well as the cushioning effects weren’t focused on as much and can only be described as average.

Check out the Nike SB All Court CK at ARROW&BEAST

ARROW&BEAST Nike SB All Court CK