Air max Breathe Free II

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I was looking at some pictures of this shoe, and I was wondering, why the love for this shoe? I never wore a pair but they look like a mix between a K-Swiss and dress shoes. I get it was worn by Rafa for IMO the greatest era, however what about it do you guys like?
 
Because it was truly durable and breathable. And it directly preceded the generation that Nike started to **** around with strange new materials that often times didnt work out too well.

It was a simple, durable, comfy shoe that was endorsed by a beast. Easy as that
 
mpournaras said:
Because it was truly durable and breathable. And it directly preceded the generation that Nike started to **** around with strange new materials that often times didnt work out too well.

It was a simple, durable, comfy shoe that was endorsed by a beast. Easy as that
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I agree, most Nike shoes now a days do not look like high performance, for example the cage 4 or the Zoom zero. Looking at shoes like the breathe free 2 and it looks like an actual tank shoe.
 
Tennis sprew said:
I agree, most Nike shoes now a days do not look like high performance, for example the cage 4 or the Zoom zero. Looking at shoes like the breathe free 2 and it looks like an actual tank shoe.
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The cage 4 is a very durable shoe. Great ride and feels like a descendant of the court ballistec line.
 
BF II is the best Nike shoe for me, nothing else comparable with it, durable, breathable, arch support, cushion, traction, and most importantly fit. Rafa worn it for two seasons 2004 and 2005, then mens model discountinued. Li Na worn it for most of her career so women's version lasts until around 2014 (cannot remember exactly). BF II has wider toe box and secured heel, compare with other legend as Air Oscillate.
 
forgot about the bf2, what an awesome shoe, yup checked all the boxes for a good match shoe and wide enough to fit my boats
 
Tennis sprew said:
I was looking at some pictures of this shoe, and I was wondering, why the love for this shoe? I never wore a pair but they look like a mix between a K-Swiss and dress shoes. I get it was worn by Rafa for IMO the greatest era, however what about it do you guys like?
Click to expand...

At the time, it was the closest that one shoe had ever come to ticking every box. Before the BFII's you pretty much had to compromise in at least one area in high performance tennis shoes. Oscillates were very good, but the leather didn't breathe (thankfully leather was on the way out in tennis shoes). Barricade II's were incredible in terms of looks and performance, but they also had their limitations.

Then Nike came along and blew the market segment right open..... A shoe that had stability without neglecting comfort. Responsive cushion with amazing court feel that wasn't "spongy". A caged upper that still had incredible ventilation.

The shoes also spoke to players from a cosmetic standpoint. People who were sick of shoes with a European design sensibility suddenly had an aggressive styled performance tennis shoe that took it's design cues more from basketball gear and the aesthetics of the Air Max range, with a more updated look than a lot of the shoes of that time, which were pretty gaudy by comparison.

Most people who wore them refer to them fondly as "The GOATs". :)
 
My wife and I's favorite tennis shoe of all time. Durability was average but always came with a warranty.

There are a few NIB floating around on the BAS. But for a 10+ years old shoe, either the sole, TPU, or Air Max bubble would go just after a few hours. Check the dates on the tongue.
 
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J011yroger said:
Because back then real tennis players wore Barricades, and if you had to wear Nikes the BFII was the only thing a Barricade wouldn't laugh at.

I had probably 40 pairs. Still have 10 or so.

J
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Yep - back then this was the only thing that could hold a candle to the Barricade and I'd say the BFIIs were actually a little better balanced overall.
 
I'm not sure if I owned a pair of Breathe Free or Breathe Free 2s. I hated them because they didn't fit me. I suspect those with narrower feet would have liked them better.

The outsoles were fairly durable, but I recall the shank under the arch snapping before the outsole wore through.
 
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WildVolley said:
I'm not sure if I owned a pair of Breathe Free or Breathe Free 2s. I hated them because they didn't fit me. I suspect those with narrower feet would have liked them better.

The outsoles were fairly durable, but I recall the shank under the arch snapping before the outsole wore through.
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The zoom air in the heels broke and they squeeked.

J
 
ONLY SHOES I WILL BUY DURING LOCKDOWN because they're hands down all time great...even if I have 10 or pairs in stock
 
nn said:
ONLY SHOES I WILL BUY DURING LOCKDOWN because they're hands down all time great...even if I have 10 or pairs in stock
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Wouldn’t the foam start to yellow or the bubble pop? They’ve been around for over 10 years.
 
The misses is on her last pair.

93475648_10221109995955411_7897093858201174016_n.jpg
 
mpournaras said:
Because it was truly durable and breathable. And it directly preceded the generation that Nike started to **** around with strange new materials that often times didnt work out too well.

It was a simple, durable, comfy shoe that was endorsed by a beast. Easy as that
Click to expand...

Nike needs to use this shoe as their standard for quality, and recently all their shoes have been falling FAAAAAAAAAR short. If you're listening Nike, bring this shoe back


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Nicr1991 said:
Nike needs to use this shoe as their standard for quality, and recently all their shoes have been falling FAAAAAAAAAR short. If you're listening Nike, bring this shoe back


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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I wish Nike would create an official account on here like Babolat and Head I think, then we could tell them our thoughts. However they are too big to listen to the consumers unless there is an actual problem in there books, which is rare, considering I’ve never seen them pull back a tennis shoe over something like stability or support/ traction.
 
Had a pair of BF2 red and black, looked badass, awesome comfort, great fit.
Ironically, got them while I wasn’t much involved in competitive tennis, so they last years and years.
Couldn’t throw them away even when worn out, did it last year haha
Now I want to buy one.
I’m very happy with my Yonex eclipsions but those were superior
 
ChrisG said:
Had a pair of BF2 red and black, looked badass, awesome comfort, great fit.
Ironically, got them while I wasn’t much involved in competitive tennis, so they last years and years.
Couldn’t throw them away even when worn out, did it last year haha
Now I want to buy one.
I’m very happy with my Yonex eclipsions but those were superior
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Never owned a pair, but they looked like tanks
 
My first "performance" tennis shoe, I believe. Did they ever run them in a yellow mesh? I think I had those, but cannot seem to find an image of them.

EDIT: Think I had the one below -- might be the breathe cage? What do people think of them when compared to the BF2s?

rafael_nada_match_worn_shoes_1.jpg
 
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J011yroger said:
You are probably thinking of the original cage. Great shoe, I probably burned through 12 pair.

Same sole as the BFII.

J
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Beat me to it! Amazing shoe - I was younger back then and am surprised I managed to convince my parents to let me pick this colorway up, they thought it was hideous!
 
Keizer said:
Beat me to it! Amazing shoe - I was younger back then and am surprised I managed to convince my parents to let me pick this colorway up, they thought it was hideous!
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Yea, it's just the update to the BFII, basically the same shoe with a different cosmetic.

I had 3 pair of the yellow and silver, and a ton of the B&W ones.

J
 
Keizer said:
My first "performance" tennis shoe, I believe. Did they ever run them in a yellow mesh? I think I had those, but cannot seem to find an image of them.

EDIT: Think I had the one below -- might be the breathe cage? What do people think of them when compared to the BF2s?

rafael_nada_match_worn_shoes_1.jpg
Click to expand...
I’m almost sure they did a BF2 with yellow mesh and white
 
The Uni-tongue, the design, the vast amount and great looking colorways and most importantly, THE PERFORMANCE. For me it is the best Nike Tennis Shoe of All Time. Agassi, Moya, Nadal, Blake all wore this model. At the time Federer and Hewitt were the only big names males wearing the Vapor Speed.
 
BLACKOUT said:
The Uni-tongue, the design, the vast amount and great looking colorways and most importantly, THE PERFORMANCE. For me it is the best Nike Tennis Shoe of All Time. Agassi, Moya, Nadal, Blake all wore this model. At the time Federer and Hewitt were the only big names males wearing the Vapor Speed.
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That’s some high praise. It makes the Cage and barricades sound like dress shoes.
 
J011yroger said:
You are probably thinking of the original cage. Great shoe, I probably burned through 12 pair.

Same sole as the BFII.

Nike-Air-Max-Breathe-Cage-zoom-Tennis-shoes.jpg




J
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I have this one in the black and white colorway but the foam is yellowed and was too big (I use 10 and they are 10.5) . Still outsole is great and never think I used it :( but CB and now the Cage 4 are great for me.
Look great!
 
Tennis sprew said:
That’s some high praise. It makes the Cage and barricades sound like dress shoes.
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The Nike Cage was created from the BFII (Zoom Breathe Free, Air Max Breathe Free 2, Air Max Breathe Free 3, Air Max Breathe Cage, Air Max Breathe Cage 2, Air Max Courtballistec 1.3, 2.3, 3.3, 4.3, Lunar Ballistec, etc...
 
It was comfy straight out of the box along with the things posters above have mentioned. When they discontinued it, I moved onto Cage I and Cage II, but they weren't the same...
 
Dan007 said:
It was comfy straight out of the box along with the things posters above have mentioned. When they discontinued it, I moved onto Cage I and Cage II, but they weren't the same...
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Yes comfort was definitely a highlight of this shoe.
 
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