I’m over a week overdue from starting this review.
Because of what this sneaker means, and how important it is to me, I wanted to make sure I get it right.
For those of you that don’t know, the We Are Underdogs NW1 is a collaboration between We Are Underdogs and Chris Chase (aka Nightwing2303), co-founder of Weartesters.com.
We Are Underdogs (WAU) is a boutique fashion, apparel and footwear brand, headquartered in Brito, Guimarães in Portugal. All sneakers are handcrafted by Portuguese shoemakers, using high-quality premium raw materials. WAU is partnered with the PENSOLE Footwear Design Academy, and each year the academy organises the PENSOLE World Sneaker Championships, with aspiring sneaker designers getting the chance to have their concepts manufactured and sold by WAU.
If you’re here reading this review & my work in general, chances are you know about Weartesters.com. In the instance you don’t, Weartesters was co-founded in 2011 by Chris Chase and Drew Whitcomb, in order to provide accurate information and knowledge about footwear, and to help people make the best purchasing decisions. They are the number one sneaker performance review website.
The NW 1 project was born out of a desire by WAU to create their very first performance sneaker, and approaching Chris to leverage his knowledge and experience in order to create his very own signature sneaker with the brand. Of course, Chris accepted the offer to work with WAU, and thus the N-Dub 1 was created.
As soon as the project was announced, I knew I would get a pair. Not only do I really enjoy trying out new sneakers and new brands, but I would also be able to support Chris, who has provided me with so much sneaker knowledge over the past 5 years, and inspired me to begin my own sneaker information & review journey with Hoops Sneakers.
Without further ado, I think it’s time to get into the review of the NW 1 from We Are Underdogs!
Traction:
My first impressions of the traction were very good.
It’s a silent traction, but offers a good stop and allows for hard changes of direction on cuts or crossovers on an indoor hardwood court. However, the downside to the rubber outsole on the NW1 is that it is not at all durable. I noticed this after the very first wear, and made a point to take some photographs to demonstrate:
As you can see, there was already fraying of the rubber on the lateral side of the outsole traction pattern after the first use of the sneaker. This doesn’t affect performance, but certainly it affects the longevity of the sneaker.
Moving to outdoor surfaces, the NW1 might even have a better bite than indoors. They stuck like absolute glue to any outdoor surface I tried them on, from asphalt (blacktop) to concrete. However, the downside is that they’re even less durable with use outdoors (definitely not exclusive to WAU — ahem *NIKE* ahem).
I took a series of images earlier this week to demonstrate what the traction looked like after the majority of testing was done, including use outdoors:
As you can (hopefully) see, the traction pattern has become quite worn-down and frayed over time, and there was even some separation of the outsole from the midsole on the right shoe, again raising durability questions. This would be an easy-enough fix with a bit of glue, but it should be mentioned all the same.
Overall, great traction albeit delicate.
Cushion:
Chris was very up-front during the creation of the NW1 in regards to cushion, letting us know that they had very little to work with in terms of cushioning technology.
As such, I went in with reasonable expectations.
The first time I wore them, I noticed that I had an abundance of court feel — which for those of you that like “court feel”, then these are a good sneaker for you. However, in my opinion, “court-feel” is a nice way of saying “below-average” or “sub-standard” cushion. They definitely lack the impact protection of some of the big-time cushions like Air or Boost, and I could feel it in my legs and back the next day.
However, the lightweight EVA foam used does break in just enough, and you do adjust to the cushion over time. And it’s not all bad in terms of cushion, either.
WAU provide a wonderful insole in the NW1. This insole may be one of my favourite insoles I’ve ever had. Basically, it is another thin layer of EVA, topped with PORON, and then topped off with a memory-foam style layer. There is also an additional small foam crash-pad at the heel. What this amazing insole does is allows for nice step-in comfort and a more comfortable overall experience. It also molds and conforms really nicely to your foot, giving this shoe an even better fit than it already has (more on that later).
The cushion overall is below-average, but that insole is hugely redeeming!
Fit:
I love the fit of the NW 1.
As a wide-footer, I went up half-a-size to a men’s US 11.5, which I often do with basketball sneakers. This is an absolute perfect fit for me.
I would say they fit like a Nike sneaker, so if you were going to get yourself a pair of the NW1, order the same as your “Nike” size. I do recall Chris saying that they modelled the last after the Nike Kobe 5, which is one of Chris’ favourite fitting sneakers ever. That makes sense to me having worn a pair — they fit like Kobes.
For most people they will fit true-to-size, and wide-footers should consider going up half-a-size like I did. Other than that, there’s not really too much to say on the fit. I love the way these sneakers fit my feet.
Support:
These are an incredibly supportive low-top sneaker, which makes sense given that support comes from the tooling and not from the height of the ankle collar.
The support features are minimal, but impressive. They have everything you need, and nothing you don’t.
The most impressive support feature, and the defining feature of the shoe, is the lateral forefoot wing piece & lateral outrigger. This support wing does an amazing job containing the forefoot and making you feel secure on those hard side-to-side movements. The outsole has a wide, flat base, and there is an internal heel counter.
The premium suede material on my pair also does a terrific job of keeping your foot in place, as it will not stretch like a mesh or a knit can do sometimes.
I have found these to be an excellently supportive sneaker.
Materials:
As I’ve mentioned a couple of times already, WAU uses premium raw materials for their footwear, and the NW 1 is no exception.
Upper material is suede & leather, with a touch of nylon for the lateral mid-foot panel and the tongue.
I was fully expecting nice materials, but as it would turn out, the materials are super-duper nice. And there is still barely any break-in time. Makes you wonder why the big brands don’t use more materials like these on their sneakers (well, it doesn’t actually, seeing how textile mesh uppers are much cheaper to manufacture, and are easier to produce in mass quantities; keeping sneaker costs down and profit margins high).
***
That takes care of it for the performance review of the NW 1 from We Are Underdogs.
Overall, for the first ever performance sneaker for the brand, WAU & Chris knocked this one out of the park. Fit, materials, support and traction are all fantastic. It’s too bad about the cushion, however we do get that amazing insole.
I would recommend getting a pair, if you were thinking of trying them out, or you love they way they look. You will not be disappointed!
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 We Are Underdogs NW1 retails for US$199 (AU$259)
Weight:
The We Are Underdogs NW1 in a men’s size US 11.5 weighs 476 grams (16.8 ounces)
Score:
I give the We Are Underdogs NW1 a score of 4.7/5, factoring in the lack of outsole durability and firm EVA foam cushion.
Hoops Sneakers 