songa

i know this topic will get alot of heat...but i have just been introduced to NIKE snowboard boots, such as the Zoom Force 1's (NIKE ZOOM FORCE ONE BOOTS - BLACK/WHITE/BLACK)

what is everybody's impression on Nike boots? please try to put your hate aside for this one...i want to get a real unbiased, neutral opinion on how the quality of these for what they are - a boot - all branding and corporate biases aside. can anyone provide some insight on this?

im currently looking for a shop i can go in and actually try them on. until then, id be very interested to hear about all of your experiences with Nike's snowboard boots!

Rufus

I tried on last year's Zoom Force 1 recently and it was comfortable and fit well. I just didn't like the liner lacing, especially the lock, it just didn't seem as secure as I would like. Also with velcro straps on both the inner liner and the outer shell it made it a little difficult and slow to get in and out of the boot. The boot seemed to be well made and a little stiffer than the Burton Hails I normally ride.

songa

just realized i posted this in the BOARDS forum...instead of the BOOTS one. my apologies, mods feel free to move!

thanks rufus for the input. and u bring up another question im curious about...what is the flex of this boot? would it compare to a midflex boot like the 32 lashed, or rome libertine?


thanks!

swilber08

not to be a dick but this should probably be in the boots section man

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Triple8Sol

I tried on the Zoom Force when they first came out, and the Kaiju recently. Both are seem to be well made, not overly bulky, although def not low profile either. The Force seemed to be roomier inside than the Kaiju. If you're into laces, they designed their system well where the laces lock at each section so you can get it dialed. I still prefer speedlacing or BOA though.

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alohafitz

I'm copying my Kaiju post from another thread...

I have 2011 Nike Kaiju, and I can tell you that the boots run small. You'll have to buy slightly bigger size (most likely 1/2 size bigger) to get a good snug fit with toes barely touching the front of the boots.

To get a sense of your "true size", you need to remove the boot insole (removable inner liner) and measure it in centimeter (to convert inch to centimeter, multiply inch by 2.54). Compare that to your foot measurement (draw the outline of your foot on a piece of paper and measure the length). We only confuse each other by mentioning that we buy bigger and/or smaller from our street shoe size - which has no bearing on what our actual foot size is.

My foot measures 10.25 inches or 26 centimeters (or 26 mondo size). When I take the insole out of my vans contra and measure it, it is exactly 26.5 centimeters - so wearing socks, my toes just barely brush the front of the boots, a perfect fit.

However, for my Nike Kaiju, I had to go with size US 9.5 (or 27.5 mondo/centimeter). How can that be?? Because when I removed the insole and measured it, the 9.5 Kaiju's insole measured 26.5 centimeter -- even though the label states 9.5 (which is 27.5 mondo/centimeter). There is no consistency in boot sizing !!

My recommendation to everyone who shops online because your LBS does not carry the boots you want is to have the seller/online merchant measure the insole and send that information to you. You should buy the boots with the insole that is 1/4 to 1/2 centimeter bigger than your foot size.

Happy Hunting for your perfect boots.

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Jed

Had a friend with them and they held up pretty well.

Be warned that they are a little on the slimmer side as far as width goes. I ride wider boots (celsius, dc etc) and there's no way that my foot would fit a Nike boot.

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TRNDcollective

I rode the Kaiju's for about 80 days this past season and IMO they are a great boot. A little spendy but super plush.
We did a full review if you are interested here.
Nike Zoom Kaiju Review | TRNDcollective

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thetraveler

I ride Zoom Force 1s, and its a great boot. Excellent heel hold, riding it for 60 plus days and its not showing any signs of breaking down in any way. From my perspective it has ideal stiffness for charging hard, riding park or just cruising around. I love the lace ups since you can get it tighter or looser around any given area of the foot or calf and, if you want you can tie it as tight as fuck unlike the Burton system which breaks down after a while of doing that. It will take a while to get in and out of but fuck it you do that at the beginning of the day and at the end of the day so why let some shit like that influence whether you buy a boot or not (it wont take you more than 5mins anyway). I have a slightly wider foot so I plumped for the ZF1 (which feels roomiest) but my buddies are all riding the Danny Kass and they say its the bomb. It has a different inner liner from the ZF1 which supposedly holds your heels even better. I will definitely stick to Nike from here on and next year I might try to squeeze myself into the DK's...

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CheeseForSteeze

Like most Nike footwear, they are built for a narrower foot. Having a very high arch and narrow foot, the ZF1's fit my feet well. My friend has a pair of ZF1's and a pair of Kaijus. His opinion is the Kaiju is a bit softer, but I'm not sure. I bought rather than sizing up at all. However, sizing up wouldn't be the end of the world - you can cinch the inner liner very tight and the shell too. I never heat molded my liners, just rode them and they fit like a glove now.

Very sturdy and I ride half park half everything else in them. Lots of fun.