Reebok’s statement shoe of the season is the daring Sole Fury lifestyle sneaker. It’s such a big deal that the sportswear firm brought out the likes of partners MMA icon Conor McGregor, rappers Future and Lil Baby, and Game of Thrones and The Fast and The Furious star Nathalie Emmanuel for its November launch. Here is our World Exclusive in-person look and review of the shoe!
Specifications
Here are the highlight elements of the Sole Fury from
Reebok:
Lightweight Cushioning: Split Cushioning System
(that pays homage to ’90s running shoes) removes weight and adds flexibility
Stability & Propulsion: Propulsion plate
helps stabilize and propel stride by minimizing compression
Bold Aesthetic: Audacious colorways, neoprene
tongue, layered mesh, chunky sole and nonconventional shoe lace strings
Design
The Reebok Sole Fury is an absolutely ostentatious
eye-catcher that will have admirers asking you about it.
The launch version of the shoe has a classic white sneaker
base spruced up with black and neon yellow on the men’s version and dark pink
and yellow on the women’s version. Both have audacious neon yellow and black
rounded thick laces reminiscent of those that previous generations of
sneakerheads replaced standard sneaker laces with back in the 1980s and 1990s.
The secondary colors are used on the inside of the Sole Fury’s uppers, on their
tongues and on their pull tabs. As you can see from the pictures of the shoe
the placement of these colors is simply brilliant.
We found that the design elements on the outside of the
upper to be quite well-done as well. They included two sets of clever ridges
along the side and at the front of the lightweight mesh making up the foot
enclosure. This is a novel effect that we haven’t seen before. There is also a
printed strip that runs from the heel counter to the mid sole with the Reebok
logo and some technical text on it. We’re not sure what it all means apart from
the logo but it does look pretty cool!
As hinted to by the name of the shoe, the sole of the Reebok
Sole Fury is one of its standout features. Even if it did not have the classic
yet functional split the sole would greatly add to the aesthetics of the shoe.
This is because it is thick and nicely contoured. It also carries the same
color as the outside of the upper to create a uniform and very clean look that
would even work well on a whiteout colorway (which we hope to see soon). View
the Sole Fury from the instep and you’ll see a sleek, solid, almost muscular
looking sole without the split that contrasts with the black or neon yellow of
the upper.
Reebok said that they put quite a bit of effort in the
design of the Sole Fury. It paid off and resulted in a stellar In Your Face
design that could potential change the look of athletic and lifestyle shoes in
2019.
Fit
Reebok’s website says that the Sole Fury “runs small” and
suggests order half a size up. We did not find this to be the case and found
the shoe to run true to size. Therefore, we suggest getting it in your usual
athletic shoe size.
Slipping the Sole Fury on is as easy aa can possibly be for
an athletic or lifestyle shoe. This is made possible thanks to the pull tabs at
the top of the lacing enclosure and at the heel counter. Pull them both, slide
your foot in the shoe, lace them up and you’re ready to go about your business.
On the foot the shoe is very lightweight and extremely
comfortable. There are no hotspots or sections of the upper than rub in an
uncomfortable manner when donning the Sole Fury to walk, run or workout.
The laces of the Reebok Sole Fury have to be well-tied given that they are large and rounded and, like the rest of the shoe, intended for bold casual wear. A non-taut lacing job may result in them becoming untied if you engage is some brisk activity while donning the Sole Fury. We didn’t think a double knot was warranted at any time though.
Weight
The Reebok Sole Fury has a weight of just under 10 ounces
for a men’s size 10. This is quite impressive for an athleisure shoe given that
most high-end running shoes on the market nowadays are around the same weight.
Needless to say, this contributes to the overall comfort level of the shoe and
keeps you moving with less effort when wearing it.
Ride
The ride of the Reebok Sole Fury is largely based on its injection-molded
EVA foam midsole and split sole. The latter is among the latest footwear
innovation while the latter have proven itself in providing comfort for over
twenty years now. The result is an extremely comfortable feel on the underside
of the feet when standing or walking in the sole fury. It may best be described
as soft, cushy and supportive. This was from the first wear of the shoe. There
was no break-in period required.
Even though the Reebok Sole Fury was explicitly designed to
be a streetwear shoe and, therefore, not for use when running we thought that
it has all the elements of a trainer and took it for a spin at our local high
school track. It did not disappoint over a couple of miles. Indeed, while the
Sole Fury can serve as a running shoe for beginner runners it is not quite at
the level that advanced athletes require. It doesn’t quite provide the support
and ability to fully match the contours of the feet with each stride. We’ll
stick to using it for the purposes that Reebok intended!
Ventilation
The Reebok Sole Fury is a shoe made for warmer weather and
to keep your feet cool and comfortable. It’s ventilation and cooling features
are second to none thanks to its thin, lightweight upper and perforated
sockliner. That’s not to say that the Sole Fury can’t be worn in winter though.
We’ve been trialing them in the midst of winter weather. You can still rock
them below zero if you wear some socks that provide warmth.
In the Gym
We took the Reebok Sole Fury off the street and into the gym
for some workouts that included plyometric, traditional weightlifting,
kettlebell, TRX suspension training and battling rope action. It performed
admirably across the board and was really an afterthought during training
(something you want) because of its comfort and good foot support. It is as
good as a cross training shoe in the gym for any activity except fast running,
compound lifting moves and leg exercises.
Durability
After a couple of weeks of all day wear the Reebok Sole Fury
has held up remarkably well and shows little signs of physical wear other than
dirt on its white areas. Sadly, this is a fact of life with bright white shoes.
Reebok does have black-based and a few other colorways of the shoe for those preferring
darker hues and to avoid the maintenance of white shoes.
Other than the inevitable grime of city life, the only other
sign of wear we see is some slight creasing at the top of the synthetic that
makes up the Sole Fury’s tongue. Again, this is nothing out of the ordinary for
a sneaker.
Bottom Line
Wonderfully designed, full of the latest in sport shoe technology with an ode to the past, and quite comfortable, the Reebok Sole Fury is a fantastic all-round shoe for sneaker fans and those seeking some ultracool everyday athletic-vibed shoes. It has a very low MSRP of just $90 making it a steal in a world where even basic kicks cost at least $120. Grab a pair before they sell out again like the first drop of them did!