There's an old premise in this hobby. "Smell" is the first sign of a good shoe. Think about it, that fresh out of the box aroma. Yah, you've been there. We know. That brings us to our recently completed Short-Term Test: the Nike Air Zoom Ultraflight. There's a lightly scented fragrance that exudes from the UltraFlights that instantly captures our attention and give it a distinct flavor.

      Ah yes, the flavors, there's an abundance of that. From yellow, orange, red, black, royal blue, dark blue to even a maize-green GP #20 exclusive. We are not sure if we are trying on a performance shoe or taste-testing ice cream flavors. Yet there's an eerie familiar feeling to a shoe with so many colorful styles to choose from. The Hyperflights instantly come to mind. We all know how that ended up. Ironically, many components of the Ultraflights shared a lot of resemblance to the Hyperflight. However, where the Hyperflights failed miserably, the Ultraflights succeeded to a point of perfection… well, almost.

      About ten years ago, I dreamed of a shoe that would be clear to the socks – a see-through type of futuristic equipment that is worthy of a role in the "Back To The Future" movies. The Ultraflight has been as close to that dream as I've seen to date. It's amazing how this is but just another step of the shoe design evolution. The consensus is that Nike should be given mad props for the creative and unabashed attempt at the ground-breaking design. Not only is it one of the most innovative approaches in recent history, it is also an extension of an earlier failed experiment. Yes, we are referring to the Hyperflights again. Those were botched because it failed at the #1 reason why it was made – performance. The Ultraflight was bold enough to continue to use the same monkey paw stability system on the outside; the same super light-weight construction; the same relative narrow sole on the bottom; and the same type of glitziness (with a Cinderella inspired clear plastic shell that allows the sock-liner of the shoe to be visible). However, the reason why the Ultraflight has succeeded is that there is substance to back up all that jazz. It takes only 3 words to sum up that substance. Performance, Performance, Performance.

      Performance starts from the ground up. The outsole is reminiscent of race car tire treads. It was no surprise that the end result is a super grippy outsole that allows the player to cut, turn, jump and stop on a dime. While the traction is one of the best we've encountered, there are a few things to be aware of. Due to a narrower sole than usual, there's less of a surface for the shoe to make contact with the ground. Therefore, it is imperative for the sole to be clean and free of dust to avoid slippage. The Flight chassis hugs the ground and incorporates a responsive and low profile Zoom Air cushioning system. To further enhance handling characteristics, the upper is built seamlessly into the lower outsole where stability is controlled by the clear plastic outer shell. The monkey paw inversion is built right into that structure to support the foot in the safety department.

      The Ultraflight also excel at an often overlooked part of the performance equation – ventilation. Venting holes and perforation are placed strategically around the entire shoe to allow the foot to breathe freely. This permits the shoe to be worn comfortably game after game. To prove that the engineering of these pores is no gimmick, you can visibly see condensation occur when moisture released from the sock-liner is trapped at the clear shell area. Fogginess is more apparent in areas where there are fewer holes in the outer shell. This technology reminded us of the concept behind the DriFit technology used on Nike's sports apparel line. Moisture is carried towards the outside and away from the body where it'll then evaporate for maximum comfort and performance.

      Comfort is near luxurious levels and surprising considering this is a performance-first shoe. No break-in period is really necessary as the shoe hits the ground running straight from the box. The shoe has a huge insole in which the thickness is comparable to the double stacked insole of Flightposite KG. It is easily removable and can be placed in any other shoe for improved comfort.

      The built structure in the quality department is solid but did not give us the impression of high quality. The fit and finish is almost telling us: “something is lacking but I don't know what”. Of course, high performance category shoes are supposed to have a no nonsense, practical and simplified approach. We can understand that for pure performance purposes, certain areas are overlooked in favor of functionality. Yet we can not help get the feeling that, at $125, it just didn't feel like a $125 shoe. If it was retail-priced from $90-$100, perhaps we would look at it differently.

      After 10-20 wearings, we can already see the above scuff marks develop on the shoes. We must admit that we pushed these shoes hard, since they were so easy to compete at a high level (a sure sign of a performance shoe).

      At this point, we'd also like to note the single most significant blemish on an otherwise near perfect shoe. In terms of comfort and fit, there exists what we think is a flaw in the engineering construction of the shoe. The sockliner is too low or too soft to be held in place properly. During high-level competition, your ankles WILL rub against the plastic shell that will not only cause discomfort but also result in sore and/or chaffed ankle and heel. This problem has been duplicated in numerous occasions by players of different sizes and positions. This digging discomfort can be compared to the Air Jordan XII (ankle), FP KG (Achilles area) and Air Jet Flight (ankle). Wearing higher and thicker socks should help mitigate the discomfort, but it would've been nicer if such issues could've been eliminated and addressed prior to the shoe's release.

      Overall, this is easily one of the best shoes released this year, if not the past few years. We highly recommend it to quick players who are looking for a light-weight, low-profile performance shoe without compromising much comfort. Aftermarket prices are as low as $50-60 as of this writing so that would make the Ultraflight one of the best bang-for-the-buck performance shoe available. We like it so much in fact, we've nominated the Ultraflight as a contender for the 2003 KG Performance Shoe of the Year Award.

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