Anta KT6 Performance Review

I know, it’s been a while since my last performance review.

This review is, once again, of an Anta sneaker.

Around a month or so after I received the Anta GH1, Anta surprised me by sending the Anta KT6 my way, before they had even released! They sent over the “Water Mountain” colourway, one that utilises a number of blacks & greys, with some small hits of green sprinkled through.

Therefore, as with the previous performance review — these sneakers were given to me by Anta Sport completely free of charge. I will once again attempt to balance my graciousness for this, with legitimate feedback and comments on the KT6.

Let’s get to it!

Traction:

The KT6 features a vastly different traction pattern than what was offered on the KT3, KT4 & KT5. Gone is the fingerprint-style pattern that had worked exceptionally for three models, and in comes a more wavy, radial-style traction pattern. Here is the good news, though — the traction still works. Really well. Both indoors on hardwood, and outdoors across multiple surfaces such as multipurpose concrete, blacktop & pavers.

On hardwood, the translucent rubber offered on my pair does pick up dust, however, the dust does not really affect how much bit you get, rather it just impacts on the sound the rubber makes. Once there is a buildup of dust, you just lose the “squeak” of the traction, but once you give them a quick light wipe, you’re good to go.

The outsole is super easy to clean dust from, as the pattern itself is fairly flat. The groves are decently narrow, but spaced apart widely enough that debris is not constantly getting clogged in there.

I must admit, this outsole worked most phenomenally outdoors, on the multipurpose style concrete, like the sort of thing you would see used for tennis hard courts. This is where I enjoyed the traction the most, although they are no slouch indoors.

As was the case with the GH1, the outsole has held up extremely well over the course of testing, with the majority of testing taking place outdoors. There is minimal fraying of the rubber and hardly any noticeable signs of wear. As I said in the previous review, this is generally the case with Chinese-brand sneakers, and you can expect this sort of quality and durability from them.

Cushion:

This time, Anta is using a “new” cushion in the KT dubbed “Alti-Flash”.

Honestly, this foam cushion feels to me exactly the same as “A-Flashfoam”. Presumably, it is still an E-TPU that has been tweaked slightly and given a new, fancy name.

This is not a bad thing though. A-Flashfoam is a terrific midsole cushion that offers both responsiveness and impact protection, great comfort mixed with court feel, making it an ideal set-up for players of all positions. The same is the case here with Alti-Flash. What you get from the KT6 is a great balance between a responsive & firm forefoot when you’re making your moves, along with a plush & cushy heel for those hard landings. Alti-Flash really does offer you great impact protection.

Moreover, you get amazing step-in comfort with the KT6 due to the wonderful insole that Anta included with the KT6, it’s similar to an Ortholite style insole with additional cushion.

Fit:

The fit of the Anta KT6 is slightly narrow.

Please note that I consider myself a wide-footer, and not only that, my feet are exceptionally wide. So far, I’ve found all Anta’s sneakers to run narrow for me.

However, in terms of length, there is a small amount of length at the toe. Given the materials though, I would recommend that normal or narrow footers stay true to size, while wide-footers should strongly consider going up half-a-size if that is available to them. If not, be prepared for a lengthy break-in period.

I find myself experiencing a hotspot on the lateral sides of my feet right behind my pinky toe if I play in these for more than 45-60 minutes without a break. It is right where the rubbery TPU overlay/containment piece wraps up and over the upper, and where the outsole rubber extends up to contain the foam at the forefoot:

I understand the need for this section in terms of lateral support, stability & containment, but it does give me a small amount of issues when playing for an extended period of time. I experienced a very similar phenomenon with the GH1 also.

Support:

Support is the stand-out feature of this sneaker.

If you’re looking for an extremely supportive sneaker, then look no further.

These are the most supportive sneakers I’ve worn since the Jordan Why Not Zer0.1. Actually, that’s what this sneaker reminds me of, they are similar in quite a number of ways.

First, you have what Anta calls the “3D Flow” system, which according to Anta, “is not a single technology application, but a complete system integrating multiple modules and is built according to Klay’s positioning and functional requirements, corresponding to the technologies and his style”.

You then have the “3D Hug”, which is a stability system encompassing an extremely sturdy external TPU heel counter paired with a carbon fibre torsional plate.

Finally, you have the “Nature Flow” lockdown strap that ties it all together.

All this, along with a lateral outrigger and synthetic upper materials that don’t stretch and do a wonderful job of containment, together makes for a wonderfully secure & supportive sneaker.

Materials:

Here is where we come to the biggest criticism of the Anta KT6 — the materials.

They are synthetic, plasticky fuse-style materials, and there is a lot of it.

Look, materials like this are certainly extremely durable for outdoor use, and moreover, offer exception lateral containment (as alluded to above) due to a lack of stretch.

However, some people expect more premium materials for a brand’s flagship signature basketball sneaker model.

The downside to material like this is an extremely lengthy break-in period, in addition to a complete lack of ventilation. These sneakers are hot — like really hot. The first game of organised basketball I played in them, I had to take them off at half-time and give my feet a chance to breathe before the second half. This is similar to the Why Not Zer0.1 as well, as a big criticisms many had of that sneaker was its lack of ventilation. It’s doable, certainly, but definitely something you should be aware of.

Finally, and this ties in with fit & support as well, is that you can feel the materials of the forefoot lockdown strap dig into the top of your foot at the forefoot, right at the flex zone, during the first couple of times you wear the shoe.

This certainly improves over time with more break-in, but again, something to be aware of — especially if you like your sneakers to be ready to go right out of the box.

So, that pretty much takes care of it for the performance review of the Anta KT6.

As someone who’s two biggest priorities in a performance basketball sneaker are support & cushion, the KT6 are absolutely a sneaker for me. I’m also someone that considers the Why Not Zer0.1 as one of the best performance sneakers I’ve ever worn, so it really made sense that I liked these.

Would I recommend them? Of course! But I also understand that they wont be suited to everyone. For those looking for a lighter sneaker offering more premium knit/textile materials and a briefer break-in period, perhaps look elsewhere.

Keep an eye out for the video review coming, I will link it here in the written review when it’s ready.

Thanks for reading!

~ Dan aka Hoops Sneakers.

Price:

The Anta KT6 initially retailed for US$159.99

Four colourways are now available for US$120 or US$125 at Famuji Sneaker

Weight:

The Anta KT6 in a men’s size US 11 weighs 526 grams (18.6 ounces)

Score:

I give the Anta KT6 a score of 4.8/5, very minor reductions due to the slightly narrow fit and the use of synthetic materials.