AIR JORDAN XIX : Black Mamba

The Black Mamba, a deadly snake in South-west Africa, was the inspiration behind the Air Jordan 19. It's my number 2 favourite AJ's. Look at the design, it's totally different from all the other kicks you see out there. This one's got a heel strap instead of the common midfoot strap. It gives a clean look from the frontal aspect with the shimmering Tech Flex gleaming like the shiny scales of a snake. Mind you, the black mamba does not have black scales( it's olive-steel grey dorsally and greyish white ventrally) as the Jordan Brand advertising would like you to believe.
The blackness comes from it's gaping mouth when it strikes. Anyone watched Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill Vol. 2" will get to see the black mamba in action.

Well, the AJ 19 is a real attention grabber. And well justified since it costs US$165. If you paid large sums of money, you certainly want to be sure people notice them. So, what's special about this AJ 19.? For a start, it is surprisingly very light. I thought with the Tech Flex, it's going to weigh a tonne but my fears were dispelled when I held them in my hand. Hell, my Air Penny's II weighed more. Research by Niketalk members have found that the 19's are the second lightest Air Jordans after the 11s. Which is pretty amazing considering the 19 have double stacked zoom air and the tech-flex.

Negatives. The only problem was the shoe smelling like a toxic chemical factory and I'm guessing it's coming from the Tech Flex material and the nylon bags. Other Jordans don't smell as strong as these ones. Fortunately for me, the smell went away after a 10 days out of the box. The Tech Flex instep is made from some automotive hose insulation material. It's loosely woven to allow ventilation and flexibility in the midfoot area. The instep is secured by a velcro strap passed through a plastic D-ring loop. Early prototypes of the shoes had 2 magnetic "buttons" for security ala the "Jordan Shroud" in AJ 16 but it got scrapped from the production models probably because of costs and testing failures (see left pic).

Unfastening the velcro strap and separating it from the plastic D-ring enables us the pull back the Tech Flex instep. Pulling back the Tech Flex, unveils a speed-lacing toggle securing the thin nylon laces. The laces loop around the red plastic eyelets and the plastic eyelets make it easy to tighten the midfoot area. The laces were a bit fragile to my liking, and bigger players may exert enough force to break them.

The outsole is dominated by the red crystal rubber snaking around the outer edge. It forms part of the outriggers in the outside forefoot and inner heel area. The outrigger's purpose is to prevent rolled ankles. It looks like it'll work although I haven't tested it on the basketball court. But from first impressions, these AJ 19 are going to make people fly. It's comfortable, secure and traction is great thanks to modified herringbone pattern of the sole. Looks good too, IMHO. A job well done! Thanks JB.