Nike Fencing Shoes

FWIW they have my vote for best fencing shoe on the market currently (outside of the most recent Viktorias which I haven't tried for comparison). UNC will be getting them as part of our Nike "Christmas" package for next season.

They come in a variety of colors, one of which is exclusive to Granbassi(a pink and black with white accent color), one of which is exclusive to the Chinese team (exactly like the standard red/white scheme but with a red tongue as well), a standard white/tangerine/gray, a "USA" Obsidian/Carolina/white accents, a "Ukraine" which is basically blue/lemon accents, and a white/carolina/obsidian (dark navy).

The sole is kind of 2 pieces, the center is a black rubber with a sort of waffle-esque pattern while it's surrounded by same rubber material that they used to make the outsole and abrasion areas. That part is actually a nice touch b/c you don't have an edge where the protection layer stops or can get ripped off.

Like with any shoe that has rounded edges you might lose some traction around the edges if you're on a dirty/slippery floor but they have very good traction overall. Great fit, a little on the narrower/sleeker side and forms to foot pretty well. They're feather light, lighter than any other shoe on the market and the sole is thin so you get a pretty good feel of the floor. I didn't notice too many problems with lack of cushioning... but it was only one night. That being said, it has Nike Zoom cushioning in the heel area, which is probably worth noting.

The colored areas of the sole/outsole/rubber areas of the abrasion zone are NOT non-marking. There were definitely some red streaks on the floor tonight. The upper is a lot like a light weight running shoe on the "outside" half of the shoe and the inside half has this lightweight synthetic material that Nike claims is made to abuse. As such the shoe breathes ridiculously well in addition to being light and should have a good lifespan.

Here's a review from the reviews section at Fencing.Net:

5 of 5 stars!

The Ballestra is so unbelievably comfortable. I fence 3-5 nights a week on both metal and wood strips with a tournament every few months. I used to fence with the Hi-tec scimitars which were great shoes too but they are definitely not as light as the ballestras nor as comfortable. My feet have not hurt once since I started using the ballestras. They also provide that good foot to strip feel while providing adequate cushioning in all the right places. I'm especially impressed with how much padding is in the heel it definitely makes those long lunges a whole lot easier. The shoe breathes pretty well and it feels pretty sturdy and like theyre going to be able to handle a long season on the metal strips. I expect I'm going to have these shoes for a long time.

At a fencing tournament, you may notice other color schemes of the Nike Ballestras floating around. Those are special colorways made for the NCAA fencing teams.

Here are a number of the different color schemes available. If you're particular to a specific color scheme, then you may want to get on that school's fencing team. ;-)