PEAK RISING STAR TR7 PE PERFORMANCE REVIEW

This will be my performance review of the PEAK Rising Star TR7 PE, the basketball shoes used by a PBA player Terrence Romeo. Before I return playing basketball, Terrence Romeo is one of the player I used to watch. I do admire his ball handling skills, he got my respect. When I return playing basketball again, few months later I decided to buy this model he used in the PBA. I always wonder how it performs and how it feels like.









TRACTION
It was made of traditional herringbone pattern which is commonly used as a traction pattern due to its reliability when it comes to multi-directional floor grip. The grooves are extremely wide and deep which is I really like due to being rugged. The rubber compound used on the outsole are awesome, it was a hard rubber so outdoor used should definitely be ok. The traction grips the floor very well even if in a dusty court, stopping power is really amazing and I do stop really really hard. Although I haven't tried those outdoors but I'm pretty sure it will perform well because I believe this was also made to last outdoors.

I'll rate it 9 out of 10.






CUSHION
It was made of standard phylon midsole. However, the phylon midsole used in Rising Star series is way softer than the usual phylon midsole used in Nike basketball shoes which are kinda stiff. It has decent impact protection, first I thought I was having knee pains due to its standard cushion but I realized that I only experience knee pains using these just because I play like almost everyday with no rest day. I tried to play in these in with atleast 1 day gap so that I could figure out if its the shoe that causes my knee pain, luckily its not and it was just a fatigue.

I'll rate it 7.5 out of 10





MATERIALS
It uses synthetic material to the upper especiall at the toebox, while it uses soft textile material in the medial side. The materials seems to be durable also feels good on feet. I have no complains with the materials even though its just basic, it gets the job done and it doesn't feel cheap when wearing it.

I'll rate it 8 out of 10.





FIT
It probably went true to size, I wear size 10 nowadays. It has an amazing overall fit, very comfortable. Thanks to the PEAK's thick and soft insole to all their shoe models, step in comfort is really feels good on feet. I didn't have any problems with it even i'm a wide footer, the reason why I always choose PEAK because their shoe models are wide foot friendly as usual. The main features I love in this shoe is the comfort, it doesn't feel small or bulky on feet. It works perfectly fine on me.

I'll rate it 9 out of 10.






SUPPORT
You can't expect too much support on a low top basketall shoe. However, the upper materials seems to be very supportive especially in the toe box. Supportive in a way even a heavy player like me won't have any problems. Good thing that the ankle collar is also well padded and my ankles do feel secured even if it is a low top shoe.

I'll rate it 9 out of 10.



OVERALL
It is a good basketball shoe, nothing fancy, the overall performance it very good. Affordable good performer, not bad for a basketball shoe that cost only P3,290. I would highly recommend this model, not just because Terrence Romeo used it in PBA but because of overall performance based on my experience.



TRACTION = 9 out of 10
CUSHION = 7.5 out of 10
MATERIALS = 8 out of 10
FIT = 9 out of 10
SUPPORT = 9 out of 10

PEAK STREETBALL MASTER PERFORMANCE REVIEW

This will be my performance review on the newly released performance basketball shoe built for outdoor hoops named PEAK Streetball Master. It was one of the well known PEAK basketball shoe model, even those non-PEAK fan knows and kinda interested about it. Before I purchased, I like the black and neon green colorway, but when I came to PEAK Robinson's Manila the bright crimson colored really gets me, I didn't expect it to be in that crimson color in person because I tought it was just a red color based on the photos in the internet. It was really an eye catcher even on the basketball court where I play in, almost everyone is going to give it a look, wondering what it is. Shoutout to Ryan of PEAK Robinsons Manila who also suggested me to get the crimson color instead of the black and neon green. Get back to the review and let's get in to it.













TRACTION
The traction pattern is basically a honeycomb pattern with thick straight lines on the side, almost similar with the Nike KD 9's. It was thick and made with hard rubber compound so that it would last when you play in outdoors which it was meant to be. However, I was only able to test it indoors, I probably no idea if it grips the floor well on outdoors, but given the fact that it was design to be used in outdoors, I think it should perform well. During the first time I wear these, I was thinking if the traction pattern would perform well in clean courts. You have to break it in first before you were able to feel its traction very well. The stopping power was pretty good after break in time, not too very squeaky maybe because of the rubber compound used and the thickness of the outsole. It does squeak just like other normal basketball shoes. During the first few runs I use this, I feel kinda slippery due to the fact that the outsole haven't break-in yet, but the more you use it, the traction's stopping power is getting better and better, the large pattern grooves really help also. It doesn't pick up dust so much so it was a plus for me, unlike the transluscent outsole version. But obviously, indoor basketball shoes does have more stopping power than this one.

I'll rate it 8 out of 10.









CUSHION
It was made with standard EVA/phylon midsole just like any other budget basketball shoe. However, it was surprising that the midsole they used is soft enough to have bouncy feel while running. Honestly the midsole they used in these are way better and softer than the PEAK Rising Star series, I know how they feel because I had one and tested few months ago. The impact protection was really good in my opinion despite the fact that it has no cushion technology on it, because you really feel that the midsole absorbs the impact and I love how it feels to my feet every single landing, most of the time I can feel that bounce in the forefoot area.

I'll rate it 8 out of 10.



MATERIALS
The upper materials was made with knit, this was the first time I've ever used a basketball shoe with this kind of material. It was a very well made knit and it feels premium, soft and durable, does not require long break in period time just to get used to it. I'm kinda amazed how it feels on my feet, this was the lightest basketball shoes I used so far, it doesn't bother me every time I run using it, it gives me advantage on focusing on the play rather than be conscious of the shoe I wear. I also love the laces, it doesn't feel cheap and it doesn't run short to my preference, because I hate basketball shoes that comes with short laces at all. I also love the fused area on the materials, it protects where it should protect the shoe and give extra support so that you won't feel the shoe was way too soft which could result to uncomfortable and annoying ride while you play.

I'll rate it 9.5 out of 10.





FIT
The fit was amazing, I went to my true to size 9.5US and it fits just fine for my wide feet, not too long, not to tight width wise. The materials hugs my feet really well, I can feel the knit materials are very supportive despite the fact the it was soft, it doesn't constrict my forefoot which is . I like the multi colored honeycomb pattern, it gives extra appeal when it comes to aesthetics. So far there's no sliding forward and backwards inside the shoe.

I'll rate it 9 out of 10.













SUPPORT
This is what I love in mid top basketball shoes, it doesn't restrict your movements yet it provides very good ankle support. My ankles feel really safe without sacrificing the mobility unlike when I'm using ultra high top basketball shoes like LeBron Soldier X.

I'll rate it 9.7 out of 10.









OVERALL



This was a good performance basketball shoe, for the price of P3,495 you can't go wrong with these. I do highly recommend it even if you intend to use it indoors due to the premium feel materials, cushion and it was aesthetically good looking shoe. If you are on a budget, you are good to go.

TRACTION = 8/10
CUSHION = 8/10
MATERIALS = 9.5/10
FIT = 9/10
SUPPORT = 9.7
OVERALL = 8.5/10

PEAK DWIGHT HOWARD II PERFORMANCE REVIEW

PEAK Dwight Howard II Performance Review

This was my very first performance review for a basketball shoe, it was also my first signature shoe I bought from PEAK brand. I've been looking for a replacement for my PEAK Rising Star basketball shoe since last week due to the fact that PEAK Rising Star series doesn't have any tech for its cushion and it only has standard phylon midsole which causes pain on both of my legs everytime i'm running in a basketball game using it. I decided that I need to replace it with something that comes with a technology for its cushion. I also wanted to try signature kicks from PEAK, plus I will be using the new shoe for an upcoming basketball league at CKBL (Chinese Kicks Basketball League) and the first thing and option that came to my mind was Dwight Howard's signature shoe, the PEAK DH II since I play as Power Forward/Center and I kinda like the way DH plays.

The shoe was priced at P5,995 but I was able to use my PEAK less 20% discount card given to me during one of their promotion in their PEAK Riverbanks store in Marikina, shoutout to Elijah and Melanie. Although I bought the shoe at PEAK Robinsons Manila for P4,796 only instead of P5,995 SRP and in red and black colorway, another special thanks to all the staff of PEAK Riverbanks and PEAK Robinsons Manila for being generous to loyal customers like me. Let's get things started...

TRACTION

The traction pattern isn't your standard herringbone, it uses multi directional lines. It still looks like a standard herringbone but underneath the grooves, the lines are crossing each other, it doesn't touch the floor but it gives the outsole a unique look. The traction was good, not that squeaky but it does squeak just like any other shoe. I didn't experience any slippage even when I stepped on the wooden floor covered with dropped sweat, the bite power is not that powerful but it grips the floor really well. I will rate it 8.5 out of 10.

CUSHION

The PEAK DH II come with PEAK's Cushion-3, for me its kinda like the same with the NIKE's zoom units in the forefoot and in the heel, although they are not exactly the same. During the warm up, I tried to jump multiple to test out how good the cushion was and I can feel the impact protection on the forefoot just a little bit while I can feel most on the heel part. I never had pain in my feet, specifically in my heels after 3 games. I can say I feel secure the way DH II protects my feet upon impact, I didn't feel the pain I felt using with my PEAK Rising Star before. I'll rate the cushion 9.5 out of 10.

MATERIALS

The is made with premium mesh like material, they call it PEAK surface with some fuse overlay on the toe area to protect the upper material from toe drags. The tounge feels stiff at first but after few runs, it feels really good anyway. The ankle collar is really comfortable, I also love the laces because it doesn't feel cheap. I can rate it 9 out of 10.

FIT

The shoe fits really nice, its a bit snug during the very first wear but its like molding to your feet after few runs and game possession, you only need short break in time to get used to with the shoe. There is some dead space on the toe which wiggles your feet up and down. Normally I use size 9.5US in PEAK basketball shoes, but the DH series has a weird sizing details. In other PEAK basketball shoe the size 9.5US is equivalent to size 43, but in the DH II the size 43 is converted as 10.5US, although the shoe fits like 9.5US on me, the reason why I picked size 43. How I'd wish the DH series should follow the standard sizing same with their other models.

SUPPORT

The PEAK DH II is a lightweight shoe low top shoe, it has minimal support even if the ankle collar was heavily padded. I experience a minor twist on my ankle during the game, or maybe I just made a mistake the way I walk on that moment. Due to that, I can say the my ankles aren't really secure with this shoe, despite of being a signature shoe of Dwight Howard who plays center in the NBA. I should've listened to my friend that I should've picked a mid or a high top shoe since I'm heavy and plays power forward/center. But charged it to experience, i'd still be using the DH II but I should just be more careful on playing. I should've get a high top shoe instead so that I have my ankles secured, just like with my LeBron Soldier X. I'll rate the support 7.5 out of 10.

OVERALL
The overall performance was really nice, but to be honest the only thing I hate about it was the support because its a bit low compare to my previous PEAK Rising Star. Although the ankle collars feels comfortable but they do come short for my preference. How I'd wish Dwight Howard should've pick high top silhouette for his signature shoe. As for the price it's too expensive but given the fact that it was a signature shoe, comes with cushion technology and it has premium materials. If it wasn't for the less 20% discount, I won't buy it due to the fact that there are other cheaper models available from PEAK that comes with cushion-3 technology but more affordable. However, there is something that I like in this model but I can't explain, its not the looks but maybe how it appeals on me.

TRACTION - 8.5/10
CUSHION - 9.5/10
MATERIALS - 9/10
SUPPORT - 7.5/10