What I aim with this
So, a review. This isn't normal for me, but when I got my hands on this shoe, I felt it would make for a
pretty nice review. I never reviewed sneakers before because, frankly, I find reviews useless for the kind
of sneakers I like. Do you think they look cool? Honestly, that's all you need to care about. But maybe
thinking about utility was my mistake; think of this like an extended Sneaker Wednesday. We will go through
the entire thing and just talk about it. I don't think you'll be reading this to decide if you want one or
not; I want this to be entertainment, but hey, if it helps, even better.
Don't be distracted by the colorway, this is a review of the model, not the colorway.
What the Mind is supposed to be
The Nike Mind series is a very strange one, and the latest attempt from Nike to do something new. You can go read their explanation, but essentially: they are pregame or post-game footwear, something to wear before a game or after, something to concentrate, or to ease the tension. It accomplishes this with a system of rubber pistons on the sole; as you walk, they press against your feet, and this is supposed to do something. The science on this is hazy at best, but isn't sports science 99% marketing anyway?
The Mind 002 has an image problem, and the Flyknit is the answer
The Mind 001 is the big sibling, a mule, very straightforward. Clearly meant to be worn inside your house or
in a locker room, you are not expected to go outside, though you may pick up the newspaper. The Mind 002,
however, is much weirder. It is sneaker-shaped, yet it isn't much of a sneaker. RunRepeat, a website that
does the most intense reviews of running and walking shoes you can imagine, did a review1 of the Mind 002 as
a walking shoe. It did horribly, because it is not one. This is fundamentally the same thing as the mule,
but in a different package. Do not expect a sneaker to jog or walk all day; you'll be heavily disappointed.
The irony of the first "Sneaker Review" being of something that isn't a sneaker isn't lost on me; don't
worry.
So, in this strange scenario, comes the 002 Flyknit. Completely remaking the upper with an elastic,
breathable, and even cozy upper. This thing, to me, solves the image problem; it is clearly not a sneaker
for the outside, it's barely a sneaker. And that is exactly what made me want this thing.
Box and presentation
Every good shoe comes on a good box. While you won't see anything fancy here, these ain't a limited collaboration; the box is nice and does sell the 'sensory experience' these are supposed to give. Neatly packed with paper inserts, this is standard for Nike, yet I sit in a room with a dozen Nike boxes, so it clearly works for me.
The feeling of seeing those for the first time will really drive the point home that these are weird. The shape is strange, and the 22 pistons do not help the case. I would find styling these very hard, if not for the fact that these are not sneakers to go outside. Or sneakers, for that matter.
I believe these are fancy house moccasins
So, I said before that these are not really sneakers, so what are they? I believe they are classified as
house moccasins. A moccasin, if you don't know, is a traditional shoe made of a single piece of leather,
usually soft. They make great indoor shoes, and you can even find some with fuzzy insides for the winter.
The vibe is exactly the same, though of course this is not leather, and not a single piece.
This is not a demerit; quite the contrary, I find the closed indoor shoe a category that needs more
specimens. Usually you either have mules or flip-flops, but I hate both options; these kind of solve the
problem, at least I thought so, which is why I bought them.
Feeling and comfort
But enough preamble, how do the weird shoes feel? A surprisingly complicated answer. First, the upper: it is
super elastic and cozy; it has a cinching mechanism for the shoelaces, but truly you could keep them loose
or locked, and it barely makes a difference. You will always need two hands to put those on, one to hold the
tongue and another to pull the heel, but it is super easy and comfortable. Makes sense, given you may take
them off all the time at home. But a warning: be careful if you pull the laces off; the loops they go
through are not held in place, and you will have a hard time putting them back in place.
The Flyknit is very breathable; you will not feel your feet run hot on these, and that's important given
these are definitely made to be worn with socks. You'll likely run into odor issues if you try to wear them
bare.
The star of the show is the sole. The shoe is not "soft" as you may expect, but the movable pistons do
strangely make it feel soft, hard to explain. Walking on this feels like walking on bubble wrap, but the
bubbles are big, and they keep reappearing under your feet. I do enjoy it, but I can absolutely understand
why someone wouldn't. The ideal recommendation is to try them at a store, but depending on your region, the
hype may be so big you'll just not find them laying around, unfortunately.
I work from home; I spend most of my time at home. So, for me, a nice, comfortable thing to wear is very
valuable, and these will probably get used more than every other pair of sneakers I have, combined. The
price is high, as you expect from Nike, but there is a hint of sneakerhead pride in wearing something
interesting even if no one else is looking. And these are definitely interesting.
I would not recommend going outside with these too much, or walking long miles. At home you walk little; you
sit and lie down a lot, so it's a very on-off movement that helps to sell these shoes. If you spend your
days walking constantly, these would probably be a suboptimal choice, at the very least.
Sizing is a huge question; you may hear stories of strange sizes for the Mind series, but make no mistake,
the 002 is absolutely true to size. Pick your usual Nike size for these, Flyknit or not.
Worth it?
I told you I wasn't writing this to help people choose, but I might as well evaluate. I have been highly satisfied with these; they fulfill a very precise niche, a niche I am sure most people will not have a need for. If your flip-flops and mules work fine, or if you are into clogs, these may not make sense. And that's ok. But if you are willing to embrace the weird and try something novel, you may end up with a very unique look for those work-from-home days. To me, this make these worth it.
Footnotes
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