Air Max Breathe Free II Review

The Air Max Breathe Free II replaces the Air Zoom Breathe Free in the Nike 2004 shoe line-up. Already popular on the pro tour, the Air Max Breathe Free II features several updates from last year's Air Zoom model.

In the heel, an Air Max unit replaces the Zoom Air unit of the original Breathe Free. The Air Max unit offers a more elevated and cushioned ride in the heel area of the 2004 shoe. Zoom Air remains in the forefoot, and the low to the ground feel of the original Breathe Free is retained.

The Air Max Breathe Free II comes with a durability guaranteed outsole - the Air Zoom Breathe Free did not. In addition to the 6 month guarantee, the Air Max Breathe Free II features a new and unique traction pattern, quite different from the featured traditional herringbone pattern of the Air Zoom Breathe Free.

Also revised for the Air Max Breathe Free II is the midfoot design. With the newly designed midfoot, Nike claims the Air Max Breathe Free II offers improved ventilation, stability and durability.

Design inspiration for the Air Max Breathe Free II came from designer Ben Yun's passion for architecture. When interviewed by French magazine Ware, Yun said, "I'm passionate about architecture and I was inspired by the Alamillo Bridge and the Cartuja Viaduct of Sevilla's simplicity, geometry, light and pure colors. My design has to help the shoe. Afterwards I wanted a shoe that was extremely breathable and well ventilated, that could stand up to extreme temperatures, like you find at the Australian Open for example. So I was inspired by the visible ventilation systems on cars and their big external radiator vents. Each stylistic detail has a sporting function: nothing's been left to chance."

During testing of the Air Max Breathe Free IIs, professional players were heavily involved, providing input on key aspects of the shoes' performance. According to Yun, Serena Williams and Carlos Moya were two of the primary professional playtesters.

We let our team loose in the new Air Max Breathe Free IIs for a three-week playtest. Read on to find out the results.

Comfort

The majority of our team found a very comfortable fit in the Air Max Breathe II. Casey said, "the cushioning on this shoe was superb. The Air Max pocket really adds a lot of cushioning to the heel, and the Zoom Air in the forefoot provides a low to the ground feel and responsive cushioning. These may be the best cushioned tennis shoes I have ever worn. They reminded me of a running shoe in that regard. Nike always runs a little narrow in the forefoot for me, but these were wide enough to still be comfortable on my foot. I felt no rubbing or pinching anywhere in the shoe, they just fit like a glove." Also finding a glove-like fit was Chris. "Right out of the box, I loved the feel and fit of these shoes. The uppers felt very comfortable and I really liked the way the tongue and the ankle collar are connected. The uppers felt soft and held my feet in all the right places. Immediately noticeable was the excellent cushioning. These feel more cushioned in the heel compared to the Air Zoom Breathe Frees. The cushioning was so good that even after long hitting sessions my feet felt good enough to stay out and keep hitting. It didn't matter if I was walking, running or playing, these shoes offered excellent comfort and cushioning."

Danny was totally stoked with the fit and comfort of the Air Max Breathe Free IIs. "I think the Nike Air Max Breathe Free II is the most comfortable Nike shoe I've ever worn. I liked how the cushioning was thick in the heel and thin in the forefoot. I never experienced any poking, pinching or rubbing sensation. I thought this shoe was really flexible in the upper and lower regions. All of this contributed to why I found it such a comfortable shoe."

Paul did not find as good a fit for his feet. "The low to the ground Nike Air Max Breathe IIs were the right length for my feet, but the toe box and midfoot left my feet wandering for a proper fit. The minimal cushioning was adequate in this roomy shoe, but not preferable. The combination of these factors resulted in a less than desireable fit."

Josh found the Air Max Breathe Free IIs to offer plenty of comfort. "I am a big fan of the Air Max technology, and the Air Max Breathe Free IIs felt like all the Nike basketball and running shoes I have worn in the past. The shoes seemed to be built similar to a running shoe, with an elevated heel and lower profile forefoot. The combination of the Zoom Air and Air Max cushioning systems was very comfortable. The material in the upper breathed well and stretched enough to fit my wide feet."

Arch Support

Every member of our team enjoyed the support and fit of the arch area in the Air Max Breathe Free IIs. Both Chris and Danny found the arch support to fit just right. Chris said, "I found the arch support to be nice and supportive. It was positioned in exactly the right place, and felt like it was a perfect match for my medium height arches. I really liked the fit and support these shoes offered through the arch and midfoot area." Casey agreed. "The shoe seemed to have a nice comfortable arch. They fit just right, and quite frankly, I didn't notice the arch. I guess that means it was perfect. You know you have a good thing when you don't even think about it."

Josh found the arch area supportive enough to meet his cross-training needs. "The arch support felt good. I didn't experience any strain or fatigue and was comfortable using the shoes on the basketball court. The constant change of direction and jumping in basketball has always been a good measure of how my arches withstand the constant grind on court."

Foot Support and Stability

Most of our team found the Air Max Breathe Free IIs to be very supportive during play, including Chris. "The amount of support I found in this shoe was excellent. I loved the support offered by the joined ankle collar and tongue system. In fact, I never bothered with my ankle supports once during this playtest, and that is definitely a first. The forefoot also felt very stable, and I was a lot more confident moving in this shoe compared to the Air Zoom Breathe Free." Danny also had good results. "I thought the foot support and stability were superb. I did find the forefoot a bit too roomy, but this didn't cause any problems. I thought the sockliner actually aided foot support and stability. I didn't experience any sliding within the shoe. They held my feet firmly and I never felt like my ankles were going to roll over."

Casey was very happy with the support offered by the Air Max Breathe Free IIs. "These shoes had awesome support. They were very stable on side to side movement. I thought with the mesh upper they might feel a bit flimsy, but the rubber grid pattern seemed to provide all the support the shoe needed. The glove-like upper really made a difference, and the shoe fit snug on every part of my foot." Paul was our only playtester who experienced problems. "I found it necessary to restrain the heel cap area of this shoe by excessively tensioning the laces. This made the midfoot feel uncomfortably tight, but otherwise my heel ached from the lack of support." Josh said, "again, the material used in the upper, combined with the mono-tongue feature, was very comfortable. The lacing system was simple and provided a snug fit during play. I didn't have any trouble with my ankles rolling during changes of direction."

Overall Sole Durability

Our team found the 6-month durability guaranteed outsoles to hold up well during the playtest. Danny said, "sole durability was great. I playtested the shoes for about 25 hours and I didn't notice any signs of wear. This shoe is just as durable as any other durability shoe I've worn." Chris agreed. "As with stability and cushioning, I found the Air Max Breathe Free II superior to the Air Zoom Breathe Free when it came to durability. The outsole held up exceptionally well in all areas. The majority of my 40+ hours of playtesting was on hard courts, and the shoes had lots of tread left at the end of the playtest.

Paul compared the durability of the outsoles to other performance shoes he had recently worn. "I saw signs of wear in the pivot point area first. The durability wasn't as good as the New Balance (CT1000 & CT802) or Fila (Net Game Speed & U.S. Open Speed) shoes I've worn in the past. I would say they have similar durability to the KSwiss Ultrascendors." Josh found the durable outsoles of the Air Max Breathe Free added to the overall appeal of the shoe. "The soles held up nicely during the playtest. I didn't notice any significant wear, which made the shoe even better considering the favorable balance of performance and durability." Casey said, "I really did not see much wear and tear on the sole of the shoe. They held up extremely well, and with the 6-month guarantee, how could you go wrong? I played hard on these shoes, and they are probably the first pair of shoes that I would wear for both practice and match play. This is a big plus, because I hate the clunky feeling that most durable practice shoes tend to have. These were light, responsive, and durable, something you rarely see in a shoe."

Toe Durability

As with the outsole, our team found the toe area of the Air Max Breathe Free II to be durable. Chris said, "I had no problems with durability at the toe. I drag mostly around the toe-tip area, rarely getting onto the upper, and these shoes hardly show any wear." Casey has been known to bust through a few toe caps in his time, but even he found good durability in this shoe. "I was impressed with the toe durability. The rubber toe guard did a good job of protecting the upper from drag. Also, the rubber at the edge of the toe seemed to wear really well. I usually destroy shoes at the toe, and these showed wear, but it was really minimal compared to some other lightweight shoes."

Danny found the construction of the shoe to offer good protection to toe dragging. "I am a toe dragger. I was surprised by the durability of the toe. I didn't see any visible signs of wear. The first signs of contact with the court were at the top of the toe, which is covered by the durable Drag-On material." Josh also found the toe area to hold up well. "The Drag-On toe guard was a nice feature on the Air Max Breathe Free II. The toe guard was sturdy enough to withstand any dragging I did without adding much weight to the shoe."

Traction

Unlike the Air Zoom Breathe Free, which featured a predominantly herringbone designed outsole pattern, the Air Max Breathe Free II features a unique outsole pattern. For the most part, our team found the shoes to offer good traction. Noticing the new tread pattern was Josh. "The new tread pattern didn't seem to take away from the 'grab' of a traditional herringbone pattern. I was able to change directions easily and rush towards the net or retreat to the baseline without any trouble."

Paul said, "the grippy outsole and stability of the last allowed good movement and enabled quick starts and stops." Chris found good success on both hard and clay courts. "On both hard and clay courts I found the traction to be good. If anything, the outsole pattern could have been wider for clay court use. The outsole pattern is a little tight and clay would quickly start to stick in the tread. This was no big deal, as a couple of taps with the racquet would free up the tread. However, traction on the clay did not match that of a pure, deep-herringbone clay court outsole. On the hard courts I found the traction to be excellent off the mark. In fact, when up on my toes I found the forefoot traction to always be excellent. I did, however, find myself sliding slightly when trying to change direction after retrieving a wide shot. I noticed this the most when I was slightly off balance, with too much weight on my heels. I've found shoes like the Nike Vapor S2, the adidas a3 and the Diadora Axeler to keep gripping in such situations, but the Air Max Breathe Free IIs tended to give out just a little."

Danny would have liked a little more hard court traction from the Air Max Breathe Free IIs. "The traction was the only negative that I saw with this shoe. I did have some trouble with the traction when I had to make immediate changes in direction." Casey found the traction of the Air Max Breathe Free to be comparable to other Nike tennis shoes he has worn. "The traction was good, but all Nike tennis shoes seem to have great traction. The tread pattern was a little different than the standard herringbone design, but still somewhat similar. At first I questioned how well they would perform, but in the end, they were up to Nike's standard. I don't know how well they would perform on clay, since the tread is fairly close together, but they are perfect on hard courts."

Weight

At only 15.5 ounces (size 10.5), the Air Max Breathe Free IIs are fairly light - especially when considering this shoe also has a 6-month durability guarantee. Casey found the weight of the Air Max Breathe Free IIs to be fitting for a performance shoe. "What surprised me the most was how light they were, while still staying durable. These are perfect if you are looking for a shoe to double as a practice and match play shoe. Paul thought the shoes were, "fairly lightweight and extraordinarily well-balanced."

Josh said, "I thought the weight of the shoe was perfect. The shoe didn't feel bulky and my movement on court wasn't compromised by weight." Chris agreed, saying, "I felt that the weight fit with the amount of support and comfort offered. While there are lighter shoes out there, most don't come close to what these shoes have to offer in overall performance. Considering how durable the outsoles are, I'm actually amazed Nike was able to keep these shoes as light as they are." Danny was able to move well in the Air Max Breathe Free IIs. "I thought this shoe was very maneuverable. It had a really light feel. I think this is because of the good distribution of weight. I didn't think that the shoe had a klunky or awkward feel."

Overall

With the Air Max Breathe Free II we found a shoe that has it all. Out of the box comfort combined with impressive cushioning, stability and traction to create a performance shoe that helped us keep up with our competition no matter how tough the points got. Add the fact that this shoe comes with a 6-month durability guarantee, and we think Nike has produced a definite winner.

Playtesters' Foot Types: Chris- narrow width/medium arch, Danny - medium/medium arch, Josh - Wide/medium-high arch, Casey Wide/medium arch, Paul Medium/Medium arch.

Review date: August, 2004. If you found this review interesting or have further questions or comments please contact us.

All content copyright 2004 Tennis Warehouse.