Athletic Propulsion Labs Techloom Pro
Athletic Propulsion Labs Techloom Pro Review
For those of you that are not familiar with the brand, Athletic Propulsion Labs, let me tell you about my experience with one of their latest runners…
The company made its name in the basketball market a few years back and became the first brand of footwear to ever be banned by the NBA. Fast-forward to 2014 and the brand once again took a risk. This time getting into the running shoe mix. Let me just say, I’m glad they did.
Just like everyone else that might not have much knowledge of their products I was a little skeptical at first and wasn’t sure if the shoes were more hype than anything else. If they would actually perform compared to other well-known brands, or were they just going on their reputation from the basketball shoes they came out with. Continue to read on as I break down the shoe and I promise you by the end you’ll be clicking away on the link provided to get your own pair.
FIT:
First I’ll start off with this shoe runs true to size. Not your “true to size” that you have to go up a half size but your actual size. I was an 11 and they fit perfect, just enough room in the toe and no heel slippage. Normally on most running shoe brands I need to go up to an 11.5 due to the fact that most manufacturer’s running sneakers run on the smaller side. Not these. These are right on point.
MATERIALS:
The upper is constructed of a one-piece woven knit pattern that has an underlying mesh layer in the forefoot. It forms almost a barrier second skin feel so your foot isn’t rubbing directly on the actual most outer layer of the shoe. The tongue is also made of the woven knit and is held in place with an elastic on each side keeping it perfectly centered at all times, something irks me more than anything else when the tongue is always shifting to one side. As far as breathability, there are perforations of all different sizes allowing for excellent airflow. They also come with an extra set of laces that allow for some custom ability.
The midsole of the shoe is made up of their proprietary lightweight cushioning called Propelium™. This cushioning provides excellent energy return while providing a firm feel and at the same time feeling like a massive pillow beneath your feet. They claim that it will maintain it’s structure longer life than most EVA foams but time will tell. There is also an EVA insole that is non-removable that helps add an extra bit of cushion.
The outsole is primarily constructed of the midsole material with flex grooves for flexibility and rubber pads placed on key impact points of the shoes. This allows for less overall weight with reduction in materials but still gives you excellent traction on most surfaces.
PERFORMANCE:
During my time that I tested out the APL Techloom Pro I was always trying to find something that was wrong with the shoe. I didn’t want to believe that a company not known for running shoes could have hit the nail on the head just right with one of their first models out on the market. This sneaker just straight out performs! It’s lightweight, just weighing in at 7.9 oz. (men’s sample size) and had a heel to toe drop that I personally have come to love, 8mm. It gives you enough of a drop but isn’t too drastic and doesn’t make you feel like you have a high heel shoe on your foot. Sure there are some runners that prefer less and other that prefer more, as found in most conventional runners but for me this was perfect.
The upper of the shoe never felt like there were any hot spots (friction areas) and always kept my foot nice and cool during my runs.
The heel counter kept my heel in place and never gave me any blisters on my Achilles, due to it’s amount of padding. I’ll use a competitor for example to compare. If you look at this model and the Nike Flyknit Lunar series, they have a lot of similarities so let’s do a comparison for fun. Where this shoe out performs the lunar models is in the comfort, weight and cushion. The previous lunar models were infamous for having a heel that rubs the Achilles tendon in a bad way, which led them to make changes for the current model, the Lunar 3. The APL Techloom perfected that area and was ahead of the competitor. Lunar cushion, although I am a fan just doesn’t last very long. I have run in several and you notice very early in the shoes break in period that the cushion no longer has the same bounce it once had. APL, again not the issue, the shoes feel exactly the same now as they did the first day I put them on. No loss of firmness or cushion. Lastly is the weight. Nike’s lunar series are suppose to be a middle of the line weight runner, which they are but if you can get a shoe that is better fitting, more cushy and firm and less weight, well than the decision is simple.
CONCLUSION:
My overall conclusion of the APL Techloom Pro is that they are on the right track (no pun intended based on photos). I tried to find flaws and couldn’t. They definitely won me over and have made me a believer and fan of their products. One of my favorite parts of the model I tested was the minimal branding on the shoe. I loved the split color way upper with minimal brand hits. It kept most people that saw them on my feet looking and at the same time questioning me what they were. Not sure if that was their intentions but if not it definitely got peoples attention.
If there is one area that I would suggest them considering making a change is using an insole (sock liner) that is not glued in place in case someone needs to insert a custom orthotic or any kind of arch insert. APL uses a thin layer of glue on the bottom side of the sockliner to keep them in place. I have tested other brands that glue theirs as well and when I tried to remove them they would tear. I have been told theirs does not and just need a little pressure to remove. Other than that I would say if you are looking for a shoe that is in the same price point as the Nike lunar 3, with similar features then consider these. You won’t be disappointed.
I have provided a link to the website and the shoe model of this review: