Yeezy 350 V2 Lundmark: 2 Years In. Worth the Hype?
Highlights
- Price: $220 MSRP
- Pros: Super comfortable, Hides wear better than other colorways
- Cons: Looks like half the other 350 V2s, Need to pay resale
Contents:
History:
Like it or not, when the average person thinks of a Yeezy sneaker, they are thinking of the 350 V2. According to StockX, there have been well over 50 colorways of the sneaker released so far and even with the supposed replacement in the 380 nearly a year old, it doesn’t appear like Adidas is planning on slowing down any time soon.
The shoe is a follow up to the original 350 Boost, a shoe that looks fairly plain now but was groundbreaking when it came out, helping to solidify the “runner” trend of the mid-2010s. With the V2, it took many of these visual cues and stretched them to an extreme.
Looks:
Adidas designed this shoe with an all prime knit upper, but like many of the recent 350 V2s, it is made up of a variety of different patterns. These pattern can resemble lines, checkered patterns, dashes, and various combinations of the three. The primeknit itself woven with a stripe running lengthwise down the middle of the shoe. The stripe is translucent, however at the toe and the ankle interior panels block visibility so it’s really only a few inches in the middle where your sock shows. Around the back, this version skips the heel tab, and instead has a contrasting of-white bock where the tab would normally be that wraps around the shoe across the two panels.
On the bottom, the classic 350 ribbed sole is here. The sole features a wedge shape – more on that later – and is a milky translucent color. The outsole is a peach that wraps up on an off centered stripe on the back. This stripe is something a lot of people hate. It could have run down the middle but Adidas chose to put it off to the side. As a plus, it’s located in a place where most people normally strike, which is slightly towards the outside of the shoe, so at least it helps with longevity of the sole. Even after a lot of wear, there is no obvious yellowing on either the outsole or the midsole.
Inside, the rear lining is the same color as the majority of the exterior, and features a reflective three stripes on the elongated heel tab. These lines have been prone to cracking with wear on this pair, leading to small visual bumps. The reflectivity is mirrored in the 3M laces.
The colors on the shoe, apart from the peach outsole, are all either off-white, cream, or similar tone.
Yeezy is often accused, with good reason, of releasing very similar tan colorways over and over again. The Lundmark is one of those colorways. That being said, I think this colorway is one of the best. Unlike the Statics or Cloud Whites, these don’t show the yellowing that makes them look permanently dirty, but they still have a crispness that something like the Citrins or Yeshayas lack with their flatter colors.
Fit & Comfort:
The interior of the Yeezy 350 V2 Lundmark is true to size, however due to the wedge shaped sole, your foot will be pushed forward into the toe box of the shoe. This, combined with the tighter pointed toebox of the sneaker, means that most people will want to get a larger size than you would in most other sneakers. Alternatively, if you remove the insole, not only do you get some additional shape but the shoe flattens out a bit and keeps your foot from sliding forward as much.
A 12.5 without the insole fits me best, but if I want an insole in a 350 V2 I go up to a 13. For more information on what size I take in other shoes, click here. It is important to get the right size, however, as the laces don’t really tighten the shoe much. It’s better to fit this shoe like you would a slip on.
From a comfort perspective, these shoes are great. Personally, I actually find the “pure” primeknit in something like an ultraboost to be too stretchy. There just isn’t enough lock down for my foot when I’m walking around. The 350 V2 features a stiffer lining in the toebox and the different style panels each have different levels of stretch. These combine to create a shoe that has some primeknit-like give, but still holds your foot in place.
Opposite the toebox, the shoe features a bit of padding against the heel. Primarily this is two 1-inch sized pads, but is felt all throughout the heel. This doesn’t provide running shoe padding, but does give a bit of flexibility in sizing.
The boost is also very easy to feel and super comfortable. Even though it is caged, the material is a bit softer that most other boost models that Adidas puts out. While I can’t back this up with any hard data, I have a theory that in the same way Boost HD is a harder form of boost, Adidas has a softer form of boost that they use in the 350 V2 and a few others (like the Iniki/I-5923).
The only place that really lets the shoe down, assuming you get the fit right, is the cracking on the reflective stripes against your heel. This cracking pokes you right in your achilles tendon if you’re not wearing socks that cover it, and I have not been able to find a way to fix this.
Materials:
As mentioned before, Adidas wove several different patterns together to create this primeknit pattern. These panels create a slightly tighter weave than you would see on the Ultraboost. This material has held up amazingly well for a woven fabric, and has no pulls, rips, or even staining. Running through this material is a plastic mesh that makes up the stripe. The plastic stripe feels pretty cheap, but has also stood the test of time. None of the rings have collapsed or ripped.
The reflective laces are a clear trade off. They are extremely bright when the light hits them, but to do this the lace needs reflective strands. The 3M strands are significantly stiffer- and more brittle – than normal laces. While the lace itself won’t break, you will see individual threads snap and create a slightly frayed look. And I never actually tie the laces.
Inside, to support the toe Adidas used a from of compressed fabric as a lining. This area is one that has not held up as well as the rest of the shoe, but this is mostly just due to several loose threads along the cut out edge and not structural. With this being inside the shoe it isn’t an area of concern. At the heel, the padded area is made up with a smooth fabric that, apart from the 3M stripe, shows no wear at all. In between is a similar compressed fabric material along the top of the eyelets. This provides some structure to the area around the ankle and help prevent the laces from ripping out. I have not used the insole on this one, so I can’t speak to its durability.
Boost is known for bottoming out, but the caging on this one might have kept the life in this pair. While it doesn’t have that out-of-the-box softness boost is known for, the TPU material is still extremely comfortable underfoot.
Yeezy made both the mid- and outsole out of a pressed, rubbery material. The color they used made them extremely resistant to yellowing. Unfortunately, one shoe turned black on the second wear and nothing will clean it.
The durability of the materials is also not great. The heel drag on this shoe is halfway to the boost, where other shoes with similar numbers of wear have lots of life left.
Ease of Care:
As far as sneakers go, this one is a bit on the harder side to keep up with. Thankfully, most of the materials are fairly stain resistant, but the upper is not ideal to keep clean. With the different primeknit patterns, each panel is going to have slightly different abrasion properties. This means that when you clean the shoe you need to change the way you brush a dozen times on each shoe.
Pricing:
At retail, these were the standard Yeezy 350 V2 price of $220. For a long time, the resale pricing on these was barely over retail. It bounced around from between $250 and $280 for this size 12.5. Recently, however, we’ve seen a bit of a spike in pricing with sales as high as $435 a couple months ago and the lowest ask currently sitting at $369 at time of writing. Pricing is a little bit better for the 12 and the 13, and other sizes are all over the board from over $600 to $277, depending on size. If you’re looking for the reflective version, figure on adding a couple hundred dollars on top of these prices.
If those prices are a bit above your budget, the Citrin colorway is extremely similar, and is currently selling for closer to $300 or less in most sizes. Of course, it’s also likely that Adidas will continue to drop similar colorways every couple of months, so finding one at retail is also possible.
Wrap Up:
The hype on the 350 V2 certainly isn’t anywhere near where it was during the Belugas or first Zebra launch. However, they still sell out of every colorway. It’s easy to see why. Unlike Jordan Retros or the Reebok Question, it’s a shoe that both looks good and has modern day comfort. You’ll reach for a pair just to take the dog for a walk around the block.
The Lundmark colorway in particular is a great option. Prices are reasonable – if trending upwards – and you don’t need to worry about every speck of dust that comes near them or the natural yellowing that comes with age.
Do you agree with the review above? Do you disagree? Leave a comment below.