In Review: The J. Crew Nike Killshot

Nike Killshot 2 by J. Crew – $90.00

UPDATE: As of 2019, stock on the Killshot is now usually pretty available. Whether through J. Crew, or, direct through Nike. I guess they figured out that selling people shoes they want is a good way to make money! Maybe that was always the plan though. Create an artificial lack of supply to increase demand? Who knows. 

Why do a review of a shoe that’s currently sold out?

Two reasons. First, there’s been enough hype around these things that if you’re curious, you might want to know if they’re worth all the tongue wagging. And second, they’re currently sold out. Regarding J. Crew, you’ve got to think they’d bring em’ back. Soon. Maybe. More on that second part in a bit. But first, some initial impressions…

Nice colors for sure.

No doubt that they’re a great looking shoe. The golden gum sole is bright but not nuclear yellow in person. The white leather, grey suede accents, and blue swoosh are a fail safe color combo. But, and not to be a wet blanket, the quality of the materials used just doesn’t seem all that impressive.

They’re a $90 sneaker, so no one is expecting the world here, but most of us are used to spending $40 – $70ish on casual/retro kicks. So you might expect better materials for that extra coin. And frankly, you just don’t get it.

Suede is nice. The white leather feels a bit odd to the touch though?

The suede is fine, but it’s the white leather that stands out in person, and not in a good way. It has an almost… papery finish to it? Odd feeling. Frankly, the uppers on my Puma Romas feel better. And those uppers aren’t even leather. The Roma is all synthetic.

Those Romas (and many other casual sneakers) have noticeably better cushioning too. The Killshot feels flat and thin. Fine out of the box, but wearing them for extended periods of time (say, standing at an outdoor concert, or, bar hopping with pals) might leave you with some noticeably tired feet.

The golden gum sole.

Laces are fine. Nice and thick. Overall construction seems solid. Glued together of course, but the pair I got was pretty clean in terms of points of contact between the pieces that make up the shoe.

Bottom line? You better love the looks. Because they’re a cheap sneaker priced a bit too high for what you end up getting in terms of materials and comfort. The fact that people are flipping these things on eBay for hefty profits is befuddling. Supply and demand and all, but, this seems like artificially created scarcity.

Low profile. Not a ton of cushioning. Fit seems true-ish. Might run a touch long.

Yes, there’s value in creating that desire/hysteria, but J. Crew has been struggling lately and needs cash NOW. Granted, what follows is the thought process of a particularly blunt instrument (hi!) who majored in communications and not economics, but, a bird in the hand is better than two in the bush, no? And J. Crew needs a win. Bad. So why not sell the hell out of these things? Or at least ramp up production so they don’t sell out within hours of hitting the site?

Maybe they will.

But if they don’t, you could always get em’ on eBay for $150.

We are a very, very strange species.