What is the expected life span of the shoe?
Sean stated that he didn’t have a perfect answer right now since the shoe is so new. In general, he stated that even though it might shock fencing customers, Nike’s philosophy is that a shoe should last three to six months, due to material constraints. This is typical in any competitive sport shoe. He fully expects the shoes to last one season. Although he feels that the materials may last longer, he doesn’t want to over promise. Mariel Zagunis has had one pair she has worn for intense use over 6 months. She’s tested several pairs, that all seem to be doing fine. The shoes worn by Chinese fencers—who train for six or more hours a day—show little wear, just a little scuffing, and still look good. Most importantly, testing of the Poron and Air sole have shown that they maintain the same cushioning characteristics when measured initially, at three, and at six months. The Phylon in the forefoot area shows the most compression and loss of cushioning over time, but even that is not extensive
