RockDoc
Swing Artist
Registered: Apr 2005
Location:
Posts: 399 |
quote: Originally posted by USAnewbie
1) Gripper pods dont provide enough traction from the start - I've had to resort to putting a regular full shoe over the gripper pod shoe if I want to sweep at all, otherwise I am slipping all over the place
2) Within a year, the upper (leather) started to separate from the lower, and have had to glue the shoe back together several times.
I agree.
In general, I have found the BP grippers more slippery than Goldline or Asham grippers. It must have something to do with the material. The BP grippers do seem to "break in" after the first game. I've put up with the new slippery gripper issue because I like the shoes.
The common failure mode in all of these "sneaker-style" shoes is separation of the upper and soles. This is due to the fact that the uppers are glued to the soles instead of sewed on. It's certainly cheaper to manufacture them that way. If you play front end, you put your shoes under a tremendous amount of stress, and the constant flexing eventually destroys the upper-sole bond. Mine always blow out in the toe and look like clown shoes. My experience: BP500 = 24 months; Asham Slam = 18 months; Goldline (anything) = 12 months at best until something breaks, delaminates, or pulls out.
I'd love to purchase an all-leather BP shoe (like the Deluxe) with sewed uppers and replaceable gripper/slider pods. Oh, and I need it in a narrow width. Those would last a lifetime, but they don't make them. So I go through a BP500 pair every 2 years or so.
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