Here’s my review of the Air Jordan Stay Loyal – a shoe from Nike that is clearly inspired by previous classic Air Jordans but which also has its own distinct style.
A close inspection of this shoe and you can see many of the similar hallmarks of the Air Jordan 12 and 11 echoed. Here are some of the main points you’ll be interested in about this shoe:
Key Features
- Thick, layered overlays
- Rubber outsole that wraps into the midsole of the shoe
- Double stitch lines
- Generous Air unit located in the heel
- Heel webbing pull
- Patent leather
- Rising Sun detail on sides
It’s certainly a durable-feeling shoe and one suited to playing sports, particularly basketball (as if you didn’t know that already).
Don’t get confused by the name, either – The Stay Loyal is nothing like the “B’Loyal” that Nike released in 2007. It’s a completely different feel. This one is built more for comfort rather than performance on the court.
Support on the Stay Loyal
The support feels very good indeed, better than any of the Jordans that I’ve worn before. I’ve read elsewhere that some people feel that this shoe does not have as much ankle support as they would like, but I have to personally disagree with this. They feel solid in this area.
If you have wide feet like me, you can perhaps opt for a slightly bigger-than-usual size. It might maybe worth going half a size higher. Once you get the right fit, you will generally feel at ease that these will not give you any real tightness issues.
Just ensure that you fully unlace them first to find your most comfortable fit. In the mid-foot area, it was a bit on the snug side at first. That said, it felt more and more comfortable on each progressive wearing.
Here is a good, unbiased video review by 3kicksaday to help give you an idea of what you can expect:
Sport vs Leisure
These shoes also make a great leisure shoe as they look really nice when not used for playing basketball. The Stay Loyal is versatile enough that you can wear them for just about any occasion (especially the all-black ones).
The herringbone sole will give you a good grip on the court or elsewhere. Just be careful that you don’t scuff the patent leather, which I’ve found can happen fairly easily.
Recommend or Return?
I’m very happy with the Air Jordan Stay Loyals overall. They are not a bad price point and look smart wherever you want to wear them.
That’s all for this Air Jordan Stay Loyal review. If anything changes during the rest of my time with this shoe, I’ll post an update as things happen.