Legit Check The Adidas Yeezy 500

You will find fake Adidas shoes in stores all around the world. Our goal is to help you spot these fake counterfeit shoes and teach you some shoemaking tips.

How can I tell if my Yeezys are fake?

Today we have two pairs of the Yeezy 500, and we will have a good look at the small details that tell the big story of counterfeit sneakers. We will study the Yeezy 500 purchased directly from Stock X and the counterfeit shoe imported from South China. You will learn how to tell if an Adidas shoe is real or fake. The secret to making a ‘sneaker legit check’ is understanding the signs of quality shoemaking.

The price is right?

When shopping for real Yeezy sneakers you should expect to pay real Yeezy prices. If you find a rare Yeezy 350 Boost or a unique color at a price that is too good to be true… then it IS too good to be true. Low prices and beat-up boxes are your first clue that you have a fake, counterfeit or illegally smuggled-in B-grade shoe.

You should make any mail-order or E-Bay purchases with only trusted retailers. Remember, slightly used does not mean the shoes were real Yeezys to start with.

Inspecting the Yeezy 500

The first thing I look at when comparing the fake and the real Yeezy 500s is the materials and workmanship. When reviewing the materials of the Yeezy 500, you don’t need to have an authentic shoe in your hands. If you know what to look for, a few high-quality photos of the real shoe is all you will need to check the materials.

While looking at the Yeezy materials, also study the build. Adidas’s real Yeezy does not have perfect build quality, but the counterfeit Yeezy is clearly not made to the same quality standards.

What is a ‘real’ Yeezy 500 made of?

The real Kanye West designed Yeezy 500 is made with a mix of genuine suede, Nu-buck, and pigmented full-grain leather. The suede is medium nap so it is a bit hairy. To clean up the hairy edges, Adidas has color embossed the edges. You can see this on the eye stay parts and the ankle strap. The eye-stay underlay is a pigmented full-grain leather. The surface is uniform in color with a slight texture emboss. You can see it’s genuine leather by the texture of the cut edge.

The rubber foxing overlays a panel of bushed nu-buck leather. This high-quality nubuck leather has a smooth, uniform, and velvety surface.

Our fake Yeezy 500 is constructed with low-quality, high-nap, belly suede. The surface is rough and hairy. You can also feel the leather’s substance is soft and spongy, not the firm high-quality suede of the real Adidas-made Yeezy. The eyestay underlay is synthetic PU with a leather-like embossed surface.

If you look at the edges, you see the synthetic backing fiber is grey-blue. This is not leather as the original Yeezy 500. The fake Yeezy has swapped PU Nu-buck for the genuine Nu-buck leather on the real rubber underlay panel. The plastic-looking surface and white backing edge is a dead giveaway that this shoe is fake!

The Yeezy 500 Tongue

Looking at the tongue face of our two Yeezys, you can see dramatic differences in material quality and workmanship. The real Yeezy 500 tongue has smooth contours made with a firm foam wrinkle-free fabric—the fake tongue shows open seams, wrinkled fabric, and soft creased-foam backing.

Also, look at the base of the tongue. The real Yeezy 500 has a smooth rolled edge with a reversed seam. The fake has a rolled edge but with extra stitching to hold the material flat.    

The Yeezy 500 sidewall foxing

The cemented rubber foxing or rand is a distinctive feature of the Yeezy 500. The real Yeezy shoe has a uniform texture with verticle striation lines.

The rubber foxing on the fake shoe has horizontal grooves and about half the thickness of the foxing on the real shoe. The fake Yeezy 500 clearly shows the x-ray of the underlying seams. 

The Yeezy pattern and silhouette 

Kanye West’s Yeezy 500 pattern is a complicated collection of curves, overlays, and contrasting material underlays. It is a challenging shoe to make and very difficult to copy. Side-by-side, you can see the crisp silhouette lines on the real shoe vs. the copy. Notice how the instep contour and collar top line of the original are well defined.

On the heel view, you can clearly see the fake pattern has missed the mark. 

Authentication Guide
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The Yeezy 500 outsole unit

Adidas has dusted off the 90’s vintage “feet you wear” technology for the Yeezy 500 outsole design. The 500 is a unique and patented pattern of foot pods and midsole structures. The fake outsole unit is nearly identical. The tooling design for the rubber compression outsole is well duplicated. The color of the rubber is not correct, and the compound is slightly softer than the authentic.

We zoomed in on the toe tip to get a good look at the Adidas “mountain” logo. The fake Adidas logo is well made in this case.

The EVA midsole of the counterfeit Yeezy 500 is close but just not made to the same quality standard. The fake midsole has some pigment issues and some extra air vents you don’t see on the authentic Adidas sneaker. We zoomed in on the side logo here, and you can see extra air vents on the logo and venting on the midsole edge.

Inside the chopped Yeezy 500

Yes! We cut-up a pair of Yeezy 500s so you can see inside a real pair and a fake pair. 

First off, you can see the fake Yeezy 500 is missing the injection-molded shank. You don’t have to cut your shoes to check this feature; you can remove the footbed and press on the Strobel bottom with your fingers- you can feel the end of the shank.

The Yeezy 500 internal construction

The cross-section of the heel shows you just how poorly the fake shoe was made. You can see the heel counter of the fake is paper-thin, and the foam parts are misshapen. 

The toe section of the real Yeezy has a nice smooth curve. The fake Yeezy is missing the toe counter and has a flat contour that is too soft and already collapsing. Also, notice the fake shoe has a much thicker foam lining. 

The tongue section clearly shows how the real Yeezy internals are neatly assembled. The fake Yeezy tongue is a mess of layers and bunched-up foam parts.  

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The Yeezy footbed

Interestingly the counterfeit Yeezy has a softer footbed; you would normally expect the fake to be very stiff with cardboard-like foam. Both the authentic and counterfeit are marked with the Orotholite trademark, but you can see the color inserts are not correctly placed on the fake Yeezy footbed.

Inside, the real Yeezy has a solid, smooth, white Strobal board with a thin foam layer. The fake Yeezy Strobel sock has a glossy textile surface.

The Verdict:
Not a convincing Yeezy 500 fake.

After looking at the upper materials, outsole parts, and internal construction, we can see this is an obviously counterfeit Adidas Yeezy 500. This fake shoe suffers from the common faults: poor shoemaking and low spec material substitutions. Does the fake look like a Yeezy 500? Mostly. Will the fake Yeezy be comfortable to wear and long-lasting? No. This fake is a poorly made pile of junk.

New Online Course Sneaker Authentication

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Legit Check: Vans Old Skool
Counterfeit vs. Real 

 

10 ways to spot fake Vans Sneakers

How do you know if Vans are fake? Today we have two pairs of Vans Old Skool sneakers: a real pair of Vans shoes purchased directly from the Vans Outlet and a counterfeit pair imported from South China. We will examine the small details that show the big story of counterfeit Vans, and you will learn how to tell if a Vans shoe is real or fake. The secret to a Vans sneaker authentification check is in the quality of the shoemaking and the vulcanized construction.

Is the price right?

When shopping for authentic Vans shoes you should expect to pay real Vans prices. If you find Vans at a price that is too good to be true… then it IS too good to be true. Low prices and beat up boxes are your first clue that you have a fake, copy, cloned, counterfeit or illegally smuggled-in B-grade Vans shoes.

Make any mail-order or E-Bay purchases from trusted retailers. Remember, slightly used does not mean the shoes were real Vans to start with.

Legit Check Your Vans Sneakers: What to look for?

Is the Vans stripe real or fake?

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The first thing to look at is the sole stripe. The stripe on the rubber foxing tape is a trademark styling cue for the Vans classic. Study the stripe carefully; the authentic Vans shoe stripe is molded-in color. Vans makes the stripe with solid colored rubber that has clean and straight edges. The fake Vans have a painted stripe. You can see the paint job here is not perfect, and you can even see a dab of paint slopped onto the toe foxing.

Real Vans outsole foxing tape.

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You can see where the toe tip rubber part is attached to the shoe on the authentic pair of Vans. Meanwhile, the counterfeit Vans sole has a very different surface texture, and the toe foxing is molded directly to the sole unit. This is very suspicious! This outsole may not have been made by vulcanization. On the real Vans shoe, you can see the tiny gap where these two parts come together. The authentic Vans toe tip is glued on, NOT molded together as one piece like the counterfeit Vans shoe.

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Look inside authentic Vans shoes

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It is time to start cutting! Looking inside the real and fake Vans, you can see some huge problems! The counterfeit Vans are not made by the vulcanization process. The counterfeit Vans outsole is a one-piece rubber cupsole. The factory producing the copy Vans shoe is using the cold cement assembly process. The real Vans waffle sole is made from several assembled parts that have been bonded by vulcanization. (You can read about vulcanization here and in our book How Shoes Are Made.)

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In this cutaway section of the Vans shoes, you see blue and grey sponge rubber inside the real Vans shoe. Inside the fake Vans, you see a green lasting board, white Strobel layer, and EVA footbed. Wrong!

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Inside the heels of the shoes, you can see the fake shoe is made by Strobel construction. This process is not bad; it’s just not how Vans classics are made! You don’t have to cut open your shoes to check this feature – The real vans shoe will have the footbed glued in securely. The counterfeit Vans may have a removable EVA footbed. In this case, a flat, die-cut piece of EVA.

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You can learn more about counterfeit Vans shoes here:
The Counterfeit Report: Vans Shoes

Are these Vans Real?

Learn how to authenticate shoes. We give the Vans Old Skool a complete shake down. Piece by piece we will study every part. Don’t get burned!
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Look inside authentic Vans shoes

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It is time to start cutting! Looking inside the real and fake Vans, you can see some huge problems! The counterfeit Vans are not made by the vulcanization process. The counterfeit Vans outsole is a one-piece rubber cupsole. The factory producing the copy Vans shoe is using the cold cement assembly process. The real Vans waffle sole is made from several assembled parts that have been bonded by vulcanization. (You can read about vulcanization here and in our book How Shoes Are Made.)

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In this cutaway section of the Vans shoes, you see blue and grey sponge rubber inside the real Vans shoe. Inside the fake Vans, you see a green lasting board, white Strobel layer, and EVA footbed. Wrong!

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Inside the heels of the shoes, you can see the fake shoe is made by Strobel construction. This process is not bad; it’s just not how Vans classics are made! You don’t have to cut open your shoes to check this feature – The real vans shoe will have the footbed glued in securely. The counterfeit Vans may have a removable EVA footbed. In this case, a flat, die-cut piece of EVA.

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Are These Jordans Real?

Learn how to authenticate shoes. We give the Nike Air Jordan 1 complete shake down. Piece by piece we will study every part. Don’t get burned!
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A Fake Nike Sneaker Deconstructed!

Here at the Sneaker Factory, we love to see how shoes are made! We even wrote a book called How Shoes are Made. To really see how Nike makes shoes, it’s best to slice into a few pairs and see what’s going on inside. So, today we are slicing open a fake Nike Air Jordan!

Is Something Missing?

While the shoe looks decent for a Fake Nike Air Jordan, once you slice into it, you can see it’s missing something very important…the Air. This fake Nike from China is made with a simple EVA die-cut midsole. Likewise, the factory took care to profile the EVA, so the forefoot is thinner than the heel. This is a common sneaker production process, just not the one a real Nike Air Jordan would have.

A Closer Look Inside the Air Jordan 1

After we deconstructed this Nike Air Jordan 1, we took some time to detail all the parts inside and out. First off, this fake Nike Air Jordan is missing the Airbag and PU midsole, but the remaining parts are close to the original Nike Spec. Furthermore, the internal components are not exactly the same quality, but you can see the configuration is nearly right. The Air Jordan is not a complicated shoe to assemble. I guess this is what makes it a popular shoe to counterfeit.

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See More Deconstructed Sneakers

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Vans Old Skool Inspection

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Today we are going to test our shoe inspection skills with a pair of classic Vans Old Skool vulcanized shoes. Here at the SneakerFactory.net we really like Vans! They offer great shoes and we know the guys that make them. However, shoes are made by people and people can make mistakes. So let us get started with our Vans Old Skool inspection.

We mail-ordered these shoes directly from Vans to ensure they are authentic Old Skool sneakers and not fake Vans. Knowing how to run a shoe quality inspection is a critical skill for shoe designers, developers, and product line managers. When a new shoe arrives it is critical to inspect the materials, assembly technique, and workmanship. You must know the correct footwear inspection procedure. As a buyer of shoes for personal use, it’s nice to run your own inspection before you buy it!

How to check quality Vans in shop?

Vans shoes are popular and comfortable for hanging out it, but are Vans quality shoes? When you shop for a new pair of Vans it’s nice to know if you are getting grade “A” shoes. You don’t need any special tools or much time.  In just a few seconds you can quality check a new pair of Vans sneakers in a store without damaging the shoe or hassling the store employees. Vans generally make high-quality shoes but if you see a problem pick a different pair.  Here is how to grade and inspect the Vans old skool like a professional!

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Shoe inspection quality “A”, “B”, “C” – Grades

A grade shoes:
Shoes without any functional defects or cosmetic defects that will impair the marketability of the shoe are A grade. These are high-quality shoes, they look good and fit correctly. An A grade must follow the production specifications and match the approved confirmation sample.

B grade shoes:
Shoes without any major functional defects and which will not cause injury to the person wearing the shoes are B grade. B grade shoes may have cosmetic defects, production mistakes, or workmanship issues that cannot be properly repaired. These b grade shoes will be discounted and/or diverted to markets more tolerant of cosmetic defects.

C grade shoes:
C grade shoes have major functional defects that could cause injury to the wearer or major cosmetic defects that cannot be repaired. Shoes are also considered C-grade if they have poor workmanship or materials defects that could shorten the normal life expectancy of the shoe, or damage the companies reputation. These shoes should be destroyed.

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Shoe quality checklist

The main points Vans Old Skool Inspection are as follows:
1. Is this the correct shoe, a matched pair?
2. Is the shoe clean?
3. Is the workmanship of high quality?
4. Is the shoe damaged in any way?

How to check the quality of a Vans sneaker!

Remove the Vans shoes from the packing box.
Do you have a left and right?
Are the shoes the same size and color?
Check the shoe tongue label information?
I know this sounds crazy but in the factory, it’s not hard to put a right size 7 and a left size 7.5 into the same box.

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Holding the shoe, place the pair of shoes bottom to bottom.
Check them for symmetry. Does the pair really match in length? The size marks match but are they the same length?

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Vans Old Skool Inspection
key issue : Symmetry

Now, holding the Vans from the bottom, roll the uppers together side by side. You are now checking the alignment of the shoe parts. Starting from the front, roll the shoes to align the parts, toe caps, vamps, overlays, eye stays, and eyelets. While you have the uppers side by side compare the finish and colors of each part.

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Next, hold the Ols skool up looking at the heels. Make sure the shoes sit on the outsole straight. A shoe inspector checks to confirm the upper is not rotated off-center. Now, rolling the heels together, check that the back height and collar lines match.

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At this point, study the Vans classic waffle bottoms. Do they match? Are the color blocks in the same location? Look over the foxing tape sidewall for wrinkles. Check the seam joining the foxing tape together. Look out for any extra glue on the upper. 2mm is the limit for “over gluing.” Also look for over buffing of the upper that can damage the leather.

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Vans Footwear Inspection : Look inside!

To complete our Vans Old Skool Inspection check each shoe inside and out. Now that we looked over the outside it’s time to dive inside because a great looking shoe with defects inside is not salable. Look inside the shoe opening, Is the lining clean and free of wrinkles? For Vans Skate shoes, make sure the footbed is straight, level, and fitting correctly. If the footbed is too small it may slide around, too big and the footbed may wrinkle or curl.

Look inside the Old Skool opening, Is the lining clean and without wrinkles?

 

Run your hand around the collar, feel for any lump, bumps or glue. For leather shoes, be on the lookout for any lasting nails or staples.

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Final Words on Vans Old Skool Inspection

When inspecting, it’s critical to decide if the problems you see are a “one-off” mistake or a systematic problem that will affect every shoe? It’s very important to understand that Inside the factory the same worker completes one operation. If the vamp stitcher is having a bad day you may see lots of crooked stitching on a vamp.

Some hairy suede and rough cutting, Not great but this is still and A-Grade Vans Old Skool.

 

Yes, This looks horrible But this is a Vans trademark feature. The foxing tape overlap with heel bump is correct!

 

The pressing tool head may have been a little dirty, or not well padded. This is a typical flaw for any suede shoe, not just Vans sneakers. This flaw could also be from rubbing inside the shoebox during shipping.

 

The trimmed edge of the rubber is difficult to make 100% clean. This is the charm of vulcanized construction. Again a typical “flaw” or “feature” of this construction technique of an authentic Vans Old Skool sneaker.

Are Vans good shoes?

Yes! Vans shoes are well made and Vans uses high-quality materials. Vans is one division of the huge 14 billion dollar VF corporation. Van is just one of the many footwear brands controlled by VF. These brands include North Face, Timberland, Smartwool, Icebreaker, Altra, Vans Napapijri, Kipling, Eastpak, JanSport, Reef, Eagle Creek, Dickies, Red Kap, Bulwark, Timberland, Kodiak, Horace Small.

The point here is that Vans has all the people, expertise and capital to make great shoes.

See how Vans shoes are made

How Vans Shoes are Made:
Vulcanized Construction Do you want to know how Vans shoes are made? The Vans classic slip on and skate shoes are made by the vulcanized shoemaking process. The brothers, Paul Van Doren and James Van Doren, started The Van Doren Rubber Company in 1966. 
Check it Out.

Are these Vans Real?

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Legit Check Air Jordans
Counterfeit vs. Real 

You can find fake Nike shoes in stores all around the world. A counterfeiting ring smuggled thousands of counterfeit Nike Air Jordan sneakers into New York and New Jersey! Five people are each expected to receive 20 years in prison for trafficking copy Air Jordans.

How can you tell if Jordans are fake?

Today we have two pairs of the Air Jordan 1 and we will have a good look at the small details that tell the big story of counterfeit Nikes. We will study the real Air Jordan shoe purchased directly from Nike and the counterfeit shoe imported from South China. You will learn how to tell if a Nike shoe is real or fake. The secret to making a real sneaker legit check is…quality shoemaking.

The price is right?

When shopping for real Nike shoes you should expect to pay real Nike prices. If you find a rare Air Jordan or a unique color at a price that is too good to be true… then it IS too good to be true. Low prices and beat up boxes are your first clue that you have a fake, counterfeit, or illegally smuggled-in B-grade Nike shoe.

Make any mail-order or E-Bay purchases with trusted retailers. Remember, slightly used does not mean the shoes were real Nikes to start with.

Air Jordan wings logo:

Studying the real Air Jordan and the fake Air Jordan side-by-side, you can see the factory making copies did a nice job on the logo. The artwork on the fake shoe is correct, but the real Jordan 1 logo is still embossed a little deeper into the leather. In this case, it’s hard to tell the difference until you look at the pattern of the cut parts. The real Nike does not have any stitching guides to help the stitchers locate the panels during assembly. The red logo panel of the fake Nike is loaded with these little assembly guides. These assembly guides are not a sign of poor shoemaking and are very common, just not on the real Air Jordan.

The Jordan 1 heel strap stitching:

The Air Jordan 1 has a tiny heel tab that covers the back seams of the quarter panel and the Swoosh. You can see the back tab on the real (grey) Nike has two stitch lines as the quarter top lines cross over. Also, the black thread contrasts with the grey leather. On the fake Jordan 1, a single stitch line crosses the tab and they used black thread on black leather. The stitching on the fake matches the leather instead of contrasting it with the leather. Again this detail is not an indication of low-quality shoemaking, it is just not how the original was made.

You can also see the centering guides on the red leather parts of the fake Jordan 1. The original Jordan does not show any assembly guides.

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The Jordan 1 outsole logo:

If you look closely at the Nike logo on the outsole you can see the fake artwork is wrong. The width of the letters is too narrow. Another obvious mistake is that the “K” of the fake Nike logo is not touching the tail of the Swoosh. Additionally, when you look closely at the tread patterns you can see the fake (red) tread has glossy spaces between the tread features where the grey does not.

The Jordan 1 tongue logo:

Next, get a good look at the woven label attached to the tongue top. The fake Jordan is missing the registered trademark circle “R”.  I know it’s strange, but Nike likes to have the circle “R” twice on the woven label. On the backside of the woven logo label (below), you will see the trademark information in English and French. The fake has the wrong lettering style and the tag is stitched on crooked. Crooked parts are a sure sign of poor shoemaking.

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The Jumpman size tag

 

Inside the shoe, you will see the size label with the Jordan Jumpman logo (above). The fake shoe has the tag welded to the back of the tongue. On the real Jordan 1, the tag is sewn down on the inside.

 

The Jordan 1 tongue lace keeper:

The lace keeper is a small point but a dead giveaway when looking for fakes. The real Nike shoe has simple cuts in the tongue fabric to act as the lace keeper. This construction looks pretty low rent for a $120 basketball shoe, but this is how the original was made. The counterfeit Nike has a small piece of fabric added as the lace keeper.

See inside More Nike Shoes

We have made a proper sneaker legit check on a pair of Vans Old Skool sneakers. Check it out here.

Legit Check Vans Old SKool

See a Real vs. Fake Air Max 90

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How can you tell if your Nike Air Max 90 shoes are real or fake? We are going to study two pairs of the classic style Air Max 90. One pair is real and made by Nike, the other is a Nike Air Max 90 counterfeit: 100% fake. How can you spot the fake Air Max? What are some of the differences in the real shoe vs. the fake shoe?

Let’s check out a Nike Air Max 90 Counterfeit

 

#1. Check out the shoe bottom.
The outsole on the red pair of Air Max ’90s is made of rubber while the blue pair’s outsole is made of PU foam that has been painted! I also noticed the blue sneaker weighs much less than the red Nike sneaker. Look closely, the blue shoe is even missing the “Nike” logo. The blue must be the Nike Air Max 90 counterfeit!
   
That was just too easy!
Fakes are made by many fraudulent companies, some are better imitators than others. Let’s look at a few other construction details that will help you tell the difference between the original Nike and the counterfeit Air Max 90.

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#2. Examine the tongue logo.
Our real shoe has the “Nike+Swoosh” label sewn down on all four sides. The fake is turned and stitched into the tongue seam. While this is a nicer way to attach the tongue logo, it’s off from the original Nike construction. Take another look at the artwork. On the real patch, the tail of the swoosh overlaps the “E” of Nike and the head of the swoosh almost touches the “N”. Notice the fake label has the “Air” logo twice.

Fake Nike shoes will have the circle “R” mark on them so that is no evidence the shoe is real or fake. There is nothing to stop the fake shoe factory from adding the “™” logo also.

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#3. Check out the heel logo.
On our fake Air Max 90, the stitching groove interferes with the “A” and the “R” of the Nike Air logo. Also, the counterfeit shoe “Air” logo is missing the molded ribs below the letters. Additionally, the top shape of the OG Nike patch has a significant dip in the middle.

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#4. Let’s examine the side “AIR MAX” logo.
Our counterfeit Nike has a two-tone logo, while the real deal Nike has a single color. When you feel the logo, the OG Nike Air Max logo is made of stiff plastic, due to its location on the shoe being just above the outsole. The fake logo is a softer material that was distorted during the shoe assembly process. The original logo is made by plastic injection in comparison to the soft PVC logo on the fake shoe.

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#5. Check out the paint around the airbag in the heel. While the Air Max original paintwork isn’t perfect, the fake Nike paintwork is a mess with paint outside the lines.

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#6. Look inside at the footbed. The original Nike shoe has a 3D compression molded EVA footbed with the outsole design pattern and printed logo. The counterfeit Air Max 90 has a super cheap die-cut foam sheet.

 

Let’s look inside a Nike Air Max 90 Counterfeit

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Some of you may be saddened by this next step, this is when we get out the knives and take a look inside the real Nike vs. the counterfeit Nike Air Max 90. This is a good time to look at the Bar code and SKU numbers. Every pair of real Nike shoes has an SKU (SKU (pronounced “skew”), short for Stock Keeping Number) that is identical to the SKU number on their box. If the numbers are missing or do not match, you may have a fake shoe. Check the tongue label. Often, the counterfeiting shoe factory will put outdated sizing labels on the inside of the shoe.

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#7. Let’s feel the tongue of the shoe. Inside the OG Nike, you find an extra layer of foam that’s missing from the fake shoe.

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#8. Let’s look at the upper reinforcements. The authentic Nike has grey non-woven “super tuff” fabric backing the top eyelet holes. The fake Nike does not have any reinforcement.

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#9. Let’s compare the midsole construction of the two shoes.

The real Nike midsole is made of supple, solid, but flexible PU foam. The fake Nike is cored out to save material and allow the cheap, stiff PU to bend. Look at the Strobel bottoms. The official Nike Strobel sock is well bonded to the midsole while the fake is barely glued at all!

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#10. While we are looking at the midsole, let’s examine the airbag. The OG Nike shoe has a thin film blow molded airbag with 3 cells. The fake Nike has a thicker walled, stiffer airbag. Notice the different colors of the airbag materials. Nike uses a special formula to help hold the air in, which creates a yellow tint. The fake is made of clear PVC plastic.

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#11. Now, peel back the lining to reveal a few more differences between the real and fake shoe. While both shoes use a similar plastic infused paperboard for the heel counter, you can see the fake one does not fit well and the edges have not been skived down. Look at the midsole heel of the fake – what a mess!

#12. Look at the toe tip area inside the shoe.

The fake shoe was not carefully made and the toe lasting operation has left a junk show inside. Look at the spacing of the Strobel stitches that hold the upper to the bottom. The original Nike shoe has even, closely spaced stitches, while the copy has loose, uneven, and widely spaced stitches.

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Do your research

In this case, our Nike Air Max 90 counterfeit is really a rotten shoe, you can see that not only are the design details of the fake incorrect, the internal construction is really terrible. So, while the fake shoe may look pretty good on the outside, the inside is a horror show of low-quality shoemaking.

When shopping for shoes, especially classic Nike sneakers, do your research. If the price looks too good to be true, or the store looks suspect, then you may be looking at counterfeit shoes.

Nike Air Jordan Counterfeit vs. Real

Next, we have two pairs of the Air Jordan 1 and are going to spend time dissecting and researching what is behind the real Nike model, to contrast with a fake shoe imported from Southern China. This fake is of much higher quality than the Air Max 90 we found here, and can be used to teach about many more aspects of well designed Nike shoes that can be looked for to spot the difference between real and fake shoes.

 

 

Read More: How to Spot a Fake Air Jordan

Read More: Nike Supreme Air Force 1 Mid: Real vs. Fake

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Warning: After you learn the skills of footwear quality control you will never look at shoes the same way again. Shoe quality inspection is a critical skill for a shoemaker to master, as footwear construction quality is a very important feature of any shoe you may make, buy, or sell. In this article, you will learn the basic process of footwear quality control in the shoemaking industry

Knowing how to run a shoe quality inspection is a critical skill for shoe designers, developers, and product line managers. When a new sample arrives it’s critical to inspect the materials, assembly technique, and workmanship. You must know the correct footwear inspection procedure.

How to check the quality of sneakers in a store

Knowing how to inspect a shoe is also a great skill to have as a shoe buying customer in a store. You don’t need any special tools or lots of time. In just a few seconds you can quality check a new pair of sneakers in a store without damaging the shoe or hassling the store employees. If you see a problem pick a different pair. Here is how to grade and inspect a shoe like a professional.

Definition of Shoe inspection quality “A”, “B”, “C” – Grades

A grade shoes:
Shoes without any functional defects or cosmetic defects that will impair the marketability of the shoe are A grade. These are high-quality shoes, they look good and fit correctly. An A grade must follow the production specifications and match the approved confirmation sample.

B grade shoes:
Shoes without any major functional defects and which will not cause injury to the person wearing the shoes are B grade. B grade shoes may have cosmetic defects, production mistakes, or workmanship issues that cannot be properly repaired. These B grade shoes will be discounted and/or diverted to markets more tolerant of cosmetic defects.

C grade shoes:
C grade shoes have major functional defects that could cause injury to the wearer or major cosmetic defects that cannot be repaired. Shoes are also considered C-grade if they have poor workmanship or material defects that could shorten the normal life expectancy of the shoe, or damage the companies reputation. These shoes should be destroyed.

Shoe quality checklist: How to inspect a shoe:

The main points in a shoe inspection are as follows:
#1. Is this the correct shoe, a matched pair?
#2. Is the shoe clean?
#3. Does the shoe follow the specification?
#4. Is the workmanship of high quality?
#5. Is the shoe damaged in any way?

How to check the quality of a sneaker

The first step of your shoe quality inspections will be to review the shoe packaging. Is the shoe in the correct inner box for its model? Is the box presentable? You should inspect the box to ensure it is not damaged or dirty. Is the box the correct size? The shoe should not be crushed inside a small box. Confirm the information on the box end label matches the shoe Color/Model/Size. Check any hangtags to make sure they are correct for the shoe.

 

Remove the shoes from the packing box.
Do you have a left and right?
Are the shoes the same size and color?
Check the shoe tongue label information –
I know this sounds crazy but in the factory, it’s not hard to put a right size 7 and a left size 7.5 into the same box.
Holding the shoe, place the pair of shoes bottom to bottom.
Check them for symmetry. Does the pair really match in length? The size marks match but are they the same length?

Key shoe quality issue: Symmetry

Now, holding the shoe from the bottom, roll the uppers together side by side.
You are now checking the alignment of the shoe parts. Starting from the front, roll the shoes to align the parts, toe caps, vamps, overlays, eye stays, and eyelets.
While you have the uppers side by side, compare the finish and colors of each part.

Next, hold the shoes up, looking at the heels. Make sure the shoes sit on the outsole straight. A shoe inspector checks to confirm the upper is not rotated off-center.

Now, rolling the heels together, check that the back height and collar lines match.

At this point, study the shoe bottoms. Do they match? Are the color blocks in the same location? Look over the midsole sidewall for wrinkles. Check the seam joining the upper to the outsole. Look out for any extra glue on the upper. 2mm is the limit for “over gluing.” Also, look for over buffing of the upper.
On the shoe bottom, check for color bleeding between color blocks. Look for any paint covering mistakes. Check to make sure the outsole parts fit together neatly without any extra glue.

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Footwear Inspection: Look inside!

Complete shoe quality inspections check each side inside and out. Now that we looked over the outside, it’s time to dive inside because a great looking shoe with defects inside is not salable. Look inside the shoe opening, is the lining clean and without wrinkles? Run your hand around the collar, feel for any lump, bumps, or glue. For leather shoes, be on the lookout for any lasting nails or staples. For sports shoes, make sure the footbed is straight, level, and fitting correctly. If the footbed is too small, it may slide around, too big, and the footbed may wrinkle or curl.

Next, inspect the tongue lining for wrinkles and lumps. Run your hand down inside to check the vamp and toe cap from inside. Feel around the toe along with the footbed for lasting wrinkles. Feel for any rough stitching inside.

Finally, make a quick check of the laces. You need to adjust the shoelaces if too long or too short, too long is much better than too short.

Common Shoe Quality Problems

Quality Problems from “How Shoes are Made”

When you run shoe quality inspections, there are everyday things you should be looking for. You can call this the common shoe quality defect list. Is the shoe clean?  (White shoes can be hard to make inside a dirty factory.) Is the color matching of shoe parts correct, (suede and natural leathers can be tricky.) Material quality? Is the suede hairy? Rough trimming or rough cutting? Upper wrinkles? Make sure to check around the collar foam.

 

Final Word on Shoe Quality Inspections

When inspecting, it’s critical to decide if the problems you see are a “one-off” mistake or a systematic problem that will affect every shoe. It’s vital to know that inside the factory, the same worker completes an entire operation. If the vamp stitcher is having a bad day, you may see lots of crooked stitching on a vamp.

Finally, when you check shoe quality inspections “inbound” inside your warehouse, you already own the problem. Ask yourself, how did this shoe get this far? What is the footwear final inspection process? Who missed these problems inside the factory before the shoes shipped? Heads should be rolling! Your factory has a quality control system flaw. Can you “fix” your factory? Maybe you need to find a new one?

 

You can learn more about shoe quality and shoe inspection procedures! Check out Chapter 25 on quality control in the book How Shoes are Made. You will learn how to check the quality of the sole of a shoe and how to inspect uppers. The book includes a footwear inspection checklist.
How Shoes are Made.

 

Check the quality of sneakers

  If you want to see a detailed quality inspection of an original Nike Air Force 1 Mid, Nike Air Max 90, or Vans Old Skool, check out these articles. You will see we have cut into the real and fake shoes to show you what quality looks like inside and out.

Nike Supreme Air Force 1 Mid : Real vs. Fake
Nike Air Max 90: Counterfeit vs. Real

 

 

How to Inspect a Shoe: Vans Old Skool

Read More: Complete vans inspection

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