There’s a decent amount of preamble before getting into my actual review of the KD13.
First of all, this will be only the second review here on the HS website on a sneaker that I purchased with my own money, so I’m already going to have a positive opinion of them going in, as I clearly liked them enough to buy a pair initially.
Secondly, I realise that the KD13 released well over a year ago, and that I have personally had my pair for almost 12 months. The reason I didn’t get much of a chance to play in them was instance of a global pandemic, coupled with a number of other pairs of sneakers ceded to me that I wished to test first.
Thirdly, yes, I realise the KD14 is already out, leading some to think that a performance review on the KD13 would be rendered obsolete. I disagree, however. The fact that the KD14s have just recently come out is a big reason why I did want to complete this review. I think that given the relative similarity of the cushion technology offered from the 13 to the 14 (and previously on the 12s, for that matter), that this review can be indicative of the sort of performance you can reasonably expect from the KD14, and help you decide if you might enjoy the performance enough to grab a pair.
That’s probably enough introduction stuff, so lets get into the review!
Traction:
The traction of the KD13 is made up of raised nubs — some circular, some oval, some semi-circle, some lines.
It works terrifically.
I had no issues with the traction of the KD13. It did everything I needed to, didn’t pick up too much dust, quick & easy wipe.
As is the case with contemporary Nike sneakers, the rubber is on the soft side, and made for indoor use. I didn’t spend much time playing outdoors in these, and even still there are signs of fraying & wear at the heel and medial forefoot. They work outdoors, to be sure, but don’t expect amazing durability while you’re out there.
Cushion:
The cushion is the main draw of the KD13.
The Air Zoom strobel is the ONE (1) reason I wanted to try a pair of the KD13.
It is magnificent.
I love the cushion so much. You have Zoom right underneath your foot. Not only that, you have DOUBLE-STACKED Air Zoom units in the forefoot. This cushion set-up is bouncy & springy, responsive and offers great impact protection, all in one package. I feel like I can jump out of the gym when I’m wearing these.
All that Zoom is housed within a fairly stiff Phylon foam carrier, but this has no impact on the experience. The KD14s have eliminated the forefoot Zoom, but are housing the Zoom strobel in a full-length Cushlon midsole, which is a softer and more plush Nike EVA foam. I have been hearing wonderful things about it so far.
Fit:
The fit of the KD13 is a bit wonky.
KDs run notoriously narrow, so as a wide-footer, I didn’t just go up half-a-size, but a full size to a men’s US size 12.
I found that these fit me perfectly. I didn’t experience any containment issues, I didn’t find that I had too much length at the end of the toe, there was no slippage at the heel or anything else that may come along with a sloppy fit.
I would definitely recommend most people go up a half-a-size from your usual size, and wide-footers like me may want to consider going up a full size just like I did.
Support:
The KD13 are a very supportive sneaker.
You have a fairly flat outsole base, while the forefoot is not super wide, and there’s no real outrigger.
There is a small TPU clip at the lateral forefoot just to avoid the cushion from over-compressing in that area upon hard lateral movements. You also have a TPU torsional piece at the mid-foot for additional rigidity.
You sit just a little bit within the foam midsole, but not too much. There is a beefy internal heel counter, along with an external heel clip that’s made from a hard rubber and is almost an extension of the outsole. You have synthetic leather overlays at the heel of the sneaker that integrate with the lacing system that do a great job of drawing your heel into the back of the sneaker and keeping you locked in to where you need to be.
The material doesn’t stretch to much at all in my experience, and does well to keep your foot where it needs to be on hard movements. There is a very small overlay at the forefoot of that synthetic-suede felt material, it’s really thin and feels pretty cheap, but it stitched on to the main upper material for a modicum of added support.
Materials:
The materials on the KD13 aren’t very nice.
It’s all synthetics, and they feel pretty hard & plasticky to the touch.
However, they break in fine and work well from a performance perspective. I can’t be too mad. We are reviewing the sneaker from a performance perspective, not an aesthetic or lifestyle point of view.
That takes care of it for my thoughts on the Nike KD13.
I love this sneaker.
I love playing in them.
Despite the fit issues and the poor materials, it does everything else so well that they are still a top pick for me, and I have no reason to believe the 14s are any different.
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 Nike KD13 retailed for US$150.
Weight:
The Nike KD13 in a men’s size 12 US weighs 448 grams (15.8 ounces)
Score:
I give the Nike KD13 a score of 4.75/5 (poor materials and narrow fit)
Hoops Sneakers 