Official Nike Lunar Ballistec Thread

LBs for clay

The LBs seem to be the perfect shoe for me because I'm looking for very good ankle support but I only play on clay at the moment. My CB 4.3 had clay outsoles but cannot find any LB for clay on any site!!

In contrast the Vapor 9.5s have a clay version but have weaker ankle support. It's a tragic irony that the shoe modelled on the world's best clay player has not launched a clay version.

Does anyone know when the LBs will be available with clay outsole?
 
dvlac said:
The LBs seem to be the perfect shoe for me because I'm looking for very good ankle support but I only play on clay at the moment. My CB 4.3 had clay outsoles but cannot find any LB for clay on any site!!

In contrast the Vapor 9.5s have a clay version but have weaker ankle support. It's a tragic irony that the shoe modelled on the world's best clay player has not launched a clay version.

Does anyone know when the LBs will be available with clay outsole?
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Honestly, I would be surprised if they would be available at all. I mean he plays 4.3s modified to look like LBs, but clay season is here already, 9.5s already came out and LBs not yet, so I don't think they will ever be.
 
ductrung3993 said:
Is it just me or these have a really forward arch support?
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A friend of mine said the same thing; he was excited to try a pair, bought them, then sort of hesitated when I asked him how he liked them - he's been a Vapor fan for awhile and tried these on a whim, and he didn't seem convinced they would work for him.
 
Has anyone else heard of the rumored pink/black colorway?

Cause that would look great IMO. I'm considering a pair of these after my 4.3s get sent for a voucher, but the colorways don't seem that great so far (beside the white/blue/red which are a decent look). 8)
 
vhalakos said:
Has anyone else heard of the rumored pink/black colorway?

Cause that would look great IMO. I'm considering a pair of these after my 4.3s get sent for a voucher, but the colorways don't seem that great so far (beside the white/blue/red which are a decent look). 8)
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And by pink/black I mean a colorway sort of like the vapor 9s had last year. It was mostly black with a pink heel. Not the pink women's version that came out already.
 
vhalakos said:
And by pink/black I mean a colorway sort of like the vapor 9s had last year. It was mostly black with a pink heel. Not the pink women's version that came out already.
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I believe the color is called Hyper Punch, and it is supposed to be the US Open version. That is the color that will get me back in this shoe. This time I will size down 1/2 a size.
 
vhalakos said:
And by pink/black I mean a colorway sort of like the vapor 9s had last year. It was mostly black with a pink heel. Not the pink women's version that came out already.
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I missed out on those and I would actually pay good $ for them - unfortunately can't find my size anywhere. :( Top 3 colorway for sure.
 
RAFA was wearing that Gold color lunar ballistic today but it was a paint job. He was trying his hardest to keep it away from close up camaras though.. I think Nike is putting pressure on him.
 
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Nostradamus said:
RAFA was wearing that Gold color lunar ballistic today but it was a pain job. He was trying his hardest to keep it away from close up camaras though.. I think Nike is putting pressure on him.
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I thought the silver ones he wore at Monte Carlo were actually the LB's? Or did you see something different. ?
 
Nostradamus said:
RAFA was wearing that Gold color lunar ballistic today but it was a pain job. He was trying his hardest to keep it away from close up camaras though.. I think Nike is putting pressure on him.
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I disagree that it was a pj. They showed them up close, REAL close when he first came out and put his bag down. I think they were real LBs.
 
thejuice said:
I disagree that it was a pj. They showed them up close, REAL close when he first came out and put his bag down. I think they were real LBs.
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I did not see the match but I saw Monte Carlo tournament. Nadal was wearing real LB not PJ.
Probably he wore real LB for the tournament too.

Best time to see pro's gear in close up picture is the beginning of match.
As soon as players show up at the court, cameras zoom into shoes, rackets etc
Since nadal is slowest person to set up, cameras often zoom his shoes, water bottle set up and eating stuff (I don't know what it is though).
 
thejuice said:
I disagree that it was a pj. They showed them up close, REAL close when he first came out and put his bag down. I think they were real LBs.
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Yea I saw it today and it was the Real stuff RAFA was wearing. but problem is ever since Rafa started to wear the real stuff, he lost badly.
Is the Shoe to blame ?
 
hugree said:
I picked up the new Lunar Ballistecs this week.

Just by accident I tried on a pair in size 9.5, without even knowing, cause the seller made a mistake with the boxes and turns out they fit big! I usually wear 10 / 10.5 in all my tennis shoes and I stayed with a smaller size for the Lunar Ballistec. Something to keep in mind if you can't try them on.

btw... here's a better look of how Nadal's version is different than retail pair.

nlb-2014-01-rafa-lunar-pe-vs-gr.jpg


RAFAVAULT.com
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Guys, what he wears in Barcelona ARE NOT true LB's. This ongoing debate is ridiculous. Rafa wears these shoes that are now the metallic color for the clay instead of the pink. They are custom made paint jobs, not true LB's. Geez.......
 
Regardless of what Rafa may be wearing, I've really enjoyed these shoes so far! I've had them about a month now and think they have all the stability of previous versions but move much more quickly. The hyperdunk-type styling has grown on me as well.
 
hcb0804 said:
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Guys, what he wears in Barcelona ARE NOT true LB's. This ongoing debate is ridiculous. Rafa wears these shoes that are now the metallic color for the clay instead of the pink. They are custom made paint jobs, not true LB's. Geez.......
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^I knew it,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,i knew it. WHY do you doubt the smartest man on earth
 
hcb0804 said:
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Guys, what he wears in Barcelona ARE NOT true LB's. This ongoing debate is ridiculous. Rafa wears these shoes that are now the metallic color for the clay instead of the pink. They are custom made paint jobs, not true LB's. Geez.......
Click to expand...

Of course. Federer and Nadal wear costume clothing, shoes and use custom racquets. Do people think that Nike just sends Nadal the latest model in his shoe size and the latest apparel in large? No, this stuff is designed and tailored specifically for them. I'm sure Nike has molds/impressions of Nadal's feet.
 
After going from my normal 9 to 8.5, I must say I may like this better than the 4.3. It just fits my foot like a glove after sizing down, and I played outside in 80 degree plus temperature without any problems of my foot getting hot. Great shoe, and much better experience for me after sizing down.
 
Chopin said:
Of course. Federer and Nadal wear costume clothing, shoes and use custom racquets. Do people think that Nike just sends Nadal the latest model in his shoe size and the latest apparel in large? No, this stuff is designed and tailored specifically for them. I'm sure Nike has molds/impressions of Nadal's feet.
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Some of their outfits do look like costumes!
 
naturallight said:
The only thing that's really different is the sole, right? Having some extra logos is not really a difference.
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The upper is a bit different too, none of the flywire stuff and still using the upper of prior ballistecs as far as I saw earlier this year. Not sure what's happening in the latest tourney.
 
naturallight said:
The only thing that's really different is the sole, right? Having some extra logos is not really a difference.
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The sole is the most important part. We all understand the personalizations with his name and logo.

JT_2eighty said:
The upper is a bit different too, none of the flywire stuff and still using the upper of prior ballistecs as far as I saw earlier this year. Not sure what's happening in the latest tourney.
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yeah. Watching live today - that's not even an attempt to fake anyone out.
 
So what's the final verdict on the durability compared to the Vapor 9.5?

I know the Vapor line doesn't come with durability in mind, however, you would think the Lunar has better durability than the Vapors, but I keep reading how poor it is.

You would think they would hold up better coming with a warranty...
 
tdhawks said:
So what's the final verdict on the durability compared to the Vapor 9.5?...
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+1. I was hoping this thread would show some pictures and experiences - but like many on TW it veered well off course. I was thinking about getting a pair when they hit the outlet stores - but have pretty much lost interest. The 9's/9.5's, with a pair of City Courts mixed in, are fine.
 
Just got the lunars in the crimson color. Haven't played tennis in them but just from walking around I was very surprised at the amount of cushioning the shoes have in the forefoot. Much better than the 9.5 and previous ballistec.
 
What frankenshoe is Nadal wearing now? Looks really weird and isn't even a current color that Nike is offering. Looks like 4.3's with fake lunar painted soles and a blurry "Nike" symbol.
 
Borrelli said:
What frankenshoe is Nadal wearing now? Looks really weird and isn't even a current color that Nike is offering. Looks like 4.3's with fake lunar painted soles and a blurry "Nike" symbol.
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Currently in Rome looks like true cb4.3. I think Nike should suck it up and revamp the cb4.3 maybe with lunar cushioning and re release them under another name.

Just ordered my first pair lb for $80 since I had a 20% off tw coupon. Worth the chance at that price.
 
joshthefisher said:
Currently in Rome looks like true cb4.3. I think Nike should suck it up and revamp the cb4.3 maybe with lunar cushioning and re release them under another name.

Just ordered my first pair lb for $80 since I had a 20% off tw coupon. Worth the chance at that price.
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Yeah, the Rome colorway doesn't even closely resemble the current LB blue.
 
Played once in my lb the other day and was pleasantly surprised. They were more comfortable initially than cb4.3 and much lighter. I bought the same 11.5 as I wore in Cb and was fine I don't think I could have bared 1/2 size smaller. Hopefully they don't stretch too much but they cant get worse than b8. All in all my only concern at this point is durrability. I would pay $100 for them anytime still not sure if I would pay more considering the durability concerns ive read about.
 
I see this thread has not seen any action for a long time. I have to admit i have not read this thread to perfection yet, but as the prices starts to drop on these shoes i am iterested in giving them a try.

I liked the Vapor 9 very much. Only drawback was a little lack of support for my heavy +220 lbs body.

I absolutely could not like the CB 2.3/3.3/4.3 even if i really gave them time to break in. For you guys that have used both CB and this Lunar Ballistic shoes. Are they similar or is the feel of LB totally new compared to CB?

Stability in LB compared to other shoes? Are they Barricade-solid or what are they comparable to.
 
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Hankenstein said:
I see this thread has not seen any action for a long time. I have to admit i have not read this thread to perfection yet, but as the prices starts to drop on these shoes i am iterested in giving them a try.

I liked the Vapor 9 very much. Only drawback was a little lack of support for my heavy +220 lbs body.

I absolutely could not like the CB 2.3/3.3/4.3 even if i really gave them time to break in. For you guys that have used both CB and this Lunar Ballistic shoes. Are they similar or is the feel of LB totally new compared to CB?

Stability in LB compared to other shoes? Are they Barricade-solid or what are they comparable to.
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Haven't played the vapor 9/.5 or CBs, but I the first thing I noticed about the LBs was how raised up my feet felt compared to my Gel Res 4s and Lotto Raptor IVs.

They're pretty light for how stable they are. Pretty similar to Cage stability, in a bit lighter package. It feels like a more flexible stability compared to barricade boot-like rock solid stability... if that makes sense. I haven't had any problems with rolling my ankles or anything. The adaptive fit helps a bit in this regard and probably feels similar to vapors' fit since it feels like the tongue is being wrapped around the top of your foot like a cushioned belt.

I have barricades (7s) too but can't handle how stiff they feel. LBs are 100000x more plush and have more cushioning, but breathability is kind of annoying, but not a deal breaker... I've never really noticed while I'm hitting since I'm not really worried about the shoes.

Last thing is durability. I'm more harsh on my left toe and foot than my right, and about 2 months in my left shoe is already bald and I'm sure I'll have to send them back in for warranty in about another month. You'll get another pair, so with the discount they're pretty worth it especially if you're a nike kinda guy.
 
kvan said:
Haven't played the vapor 9/.5 or CBs, but I the first thing I noticed about the LBs was how raised up my feet felt compared to my Gel Res 4s and Lotto Raptor IVs.

They're pretty light for how stable they are. Pretty similar to Cage stability, in a bit lighter package. It feels like a more flexible stability compared to barricade boot-like rock solid stability... if that makes sense. I haven't had any problems with rolling my ankles or anything. The adaptive fit helps a bit in this regard and probably feels similar to vapors' fit since it feels like the tongue is being wrapped around the top of your foot like a cushioned belt.

I have barricades (7s) too but can't handle how stiff they feel. LBs are 100000x more plush and have more cushioning, but breathability is kind of annoying, but not a deal breaker... I've never really noticed while I'm hitting since I'm not really worried about the shoes.

Last thing is durability. I'm more harsh on my left toe and foot than my right, and about 2 months in my left shoe is already bald and I'm sure I'll have to send them back in for warranty in about another month. You'll get another pair, so with the discount they're pretty worth it especially if you're a nike kinda guy.
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Thank you very much. That made totally sense. Great comparassion
 
Hankenstein said:
Stability in LB compared to other shoes?
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movement is a big deal to me and I've thoroughly enjoyed the LB's so far - about 8 hrs of use. Coming from the Vapors and Nike City Courts. No worries with stability - I am only 150lbs.

Nike would have had a winner on their hands if they'd just settled for a $5 (or maybe $10) bump. Even without their pro wearing them.
 
West Coast Ace said:
movement is a big deal to me and I've thoroughly enjoyed the LB's so far - about 8 hrs of use. Coming from the Vapors and Nike City Courts. No worries with stability - I am only 150lbs.

Nike would have had a winner on their hands if they'd just settled for a $5 (or maybe $10) bump. Even without their pro wearing them.
Click to expand...

I agree completely. At first, I didn't like them as much as the 4.3s, but have slowly changed my mind. They are stable enough for my needs, and the Lunar cushioning has held up for me, and I am not light (190 lbs).

To me, they are a great shoe, and feel they would be more appreciated if they were "only" 140 instead of 165. Then again, the market seems to be correcting this, as they are routinely on sale for much less than that.
 
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