Been using mine for a week now and nothing but praises from me. Foot type: Narrow, Flat NO arch 10.5 shoe size If your on the fence and have similar feet to mine do it you won’t regret it. I did have to go down half a size to a 10.
I bought The 9 non-BOA back in late 2019 and absolutely love them. The lightness & breathability makes them the best shoe I've ever worn. Having said that, our company is sponsoring our team for the summer league. Not only did they pay for our league fees, but they also let us upgrade our shoes. Obviously, I went with the color shift BOA's. I didn't think they would top my old 9's, but they certainly do. They not only fit better (I also have narrow feet), but the coolness factor is through the roof.
I just ordered mine a few days ago. When you first started the review I was very worried because I thought you were going to trash the shoe from here to next Wednesday and I wasn't sure you were going to like the shoe until the last two minutes of the review. So hopefully it will be a good shoe.
Yeah I try to just do objective point by point examinations, my personal opinion of like or dislike shouldn't hold too much weight, I want to make my professional thoughts the most important part. I really liked them and still have them, again I went back to them after the tennis shoe experiment, and they're still in great shape.
I bought these about a year and a half ago, my left shoe completely split on the bottom. Kind of disappointing. (I am a lefty as well) I just purchased the red and black Dexter the 9s, will use them for the first time tonight in league.
I have a pair of these a pair of storm sp3's and the 9 st, the storm shoes were kinda meh my feet got way to hot and day one the lace holder ripped out of the tongue. The boas and the st's both amazing shoes it gets very hot here in the summer so the st's are my go to shoes plus i get a lot of compliments on them. The only wear issues I have had are my fault i can sometimes be hard on my toe dragging it but that was the draw for me to the 9. The other cool part is everything between the 3 are interchangeable. Of the 3 the ST's were the cheapest and and I think the best bang for the buck close 2nd the HT. I wouldn't really recommend the SP3's I ended up giving them away. My only complaint on the HT really is the color change I'm a big fan of all black shoes. Little heads up for people buying I found both mens and womens dexter shoes tend to run a 1/2 size larger than regular shoe sizes.
I’ve been looking at the sp3 ($95) storm essential boa (I believe an sst 8 boa $130) or the non boa the 9 ht ($125). Is it worth paying the extra money over the sp3 for either a mesh upper or the boa system?
Nice review Luke. I had a few pairs of The 9s and they warrantied the first pair, but not after that for the base of the shoe cracking all the way through where your's is just starting to, both times it was on the push off shoe only. I have SST6 Boa's now, and they are holding up great except the silver tearing (pure aesthetic issue). I really like The 9s comfort better than the 6, but just can't trust them to not break again.
Currently using a pair of Strikeforce Raptors, these would be quite the upgrade (that i will most likely make next month), just a shame that i won't be able to re-use the slide pads that i've been using since my SST6's when they first came out and after that on the Raptors
Can the soles and heels be swapped right out of the box to accommodate a left-handed bowler or do you immediately have to buy new parts to use the shoes? I can't seem to find this information anywhere.
Yeah they aren't specific handed, so you can just swap the pads on each shoe to have a lefty pair of shoes. I don't remember what kind of accessories it comes with, probably just the pads on the shoes but that's all shoes any more. I've gone back to using these, I wear the tennis shoes out too fast and since I don't slide, I just stuck a couple traction soles on the bottom and I'm good to go
Just purchased a pair and looking forward to trying them out, I as well have the original T.H.E 9 and was not looking for a new pair, but I noticed that with narrow feet it's hard to get the shoes to fit correctly without having to tie them a few times. On a side note I have never heard of the BIG4 socks, can you send a link and or let me know where to get them. Thanks
big4socks.com/ Like I said, I also have narrow feet, and as long as you squeeze down at the bottom of the lace section while you're turning the dial to tighten, they'll snug right up where you want them to, so I've found them very comfortable.
I'm not really sure that happens . . they're pretty sturdy. The system has a lifetime warranty too, so they'll just send you a kit to replace it if it breaks, but I'm not sure I've heard of that happening.
It is known all over the world that 10 American equals 8 Mexican ... and that is how all shoes work. The question is, why do my boa the 9 number 10 American come as 8.5 Mexican ???? now I have to sell them and buy again at 9.5 American ??
Shouldn't have any challenges, I push off the side of my toe and on all my shoes before the 9s, I'd wear down one side of the toe, but these toes are quite a bit more durable, and the good thing about these shoes also is that if you DO wear down the toe, you just need a new slide pad because the toe cap is connected to the pad, so you wouldn't need new shoes, just a new pad.
@@noahclark1064 Dexter will replace them. I've never had an issue with them, but again I typically don't unless something is straight up awful, I just don't really wear stuff out.
Really great. I moved to a pair of regular shoes, I don't slide anyway, but I had a pad fail on me so I just started wearing tennis shoes. The pad that failed was a pad from my FIRST pair of 9s that I've had since they came out like 5 years ago, so it definitely exceeded a realistic life span and the shoes themselves are still in great shape 2 years later despite all the use.
@@MarkDavidBlack What happened is that replacement traction pads for that pair of shoes are $40 apiece, and since I had one fail, rather than replacing that pad and then having to subsequently eventually replace pads periodically at that price, I thought I could just switch to a pair of tennis shoes I already owned, that of course I could wear indefinitely. What I didn't anticipate is how quickly I would wear the tennis shoes out, so as it turns out, replacing pads on bowling shoes as necessary is cheaper than replacing a pair of tennis shoes as they wear out.
@@Naregnemyes They were just the standard heel since I didn't slide. Like I mentioned in one of the comments above, I didn't know they were going to wear out so fast, so I've gone to the C9 colorshift BOAs and really like those. I still actually have this pair as my backup and they're still in great shape.
Yeah I've been happy enough with mine that I'm getting another pair here pretty soon. I put a lot of traffic on them doing reviews, so I'm going to get another pair to keep nice for leagues and tournaments. They're holding up super well though!
These are actually the closest in bowling shoes I’ve had, usually I have to go down a full size from tennis shoes but I think I only went down a half size. My feet are pretty long and narrow though so you might want to get a couple more opinions
Need to get your shoes off fast just wear the same cheap pair for 6 years and you never have to retie them either lmao. In all seriousness though how much different is it to have super high-end bowling shoes vs say a $40 pair of Dexter's?
@@LukeRosdahl first off I want to say thank you for the reply, I do Ponder though is it worth it if I bowl 95% of my games in the same house throughout the year?
DTepel RUclips Part of it is that if something happens to the slide pads, if you get them wet or dirty or if they wear out, you just put different pads on instead of having to buy a new pair of shoes. Also different times of the year can make the approaches more slick or more tacky, and instead of just whatever slides come on the shoe, you have different levels of slide with the assortment of different soles and heels so that you can control your slide amount.
I'm on my 2nd pair of Dexter Pro Am ll in less than 16months. The slide pad rolled up on the 1st pair and I can already see the wear on the pair I purchased 3 months ago. Paid about $60.00 a pair. I can get the SST 8 for about $120.00. Interchangeable soles/heals for custom performance is a no brainers at this point.
Just got mine yesterday. Just want to say thank you. I uploaded a video I love them. Sorry if my reaction too much. But I really love it. Hope you get to see my video. Because without you. I never would have tough of buying them. You and 1 more youtuber. *THANKYOU*
Lol I can't ever tell when people are joking or not, you'd be surprised the kind of stuff that's actually serious . . and lol, nope, no orange unfortunately. The new 3G Tour Ultra/C is orange and black, but don't come in LH and still have that dumb sole stitched around the outside of the "slide" shoe, so no go for me.
I'm not impressed....I've had mine for 14 months....I have never had a pair of Dexter's that fell apart. And the most expensive. The whole shoe has separated from the soles. And I only bowl league one night a week
That's why I said I'm not a good judge of longevity, I'm still using these shoes, they're still in amazing shape despite all the filming, league, and tournaments. I just now after 3 odd years am having to replace the insoles. Might take a look at the 3Gs instead, I'm getting a pair of the tour Blacks and will be reviewing those soon. Again of course, I'm not a good judge of longevity lol, nothing falls apart for me unless it's truly awful
Literally this made me feel so much more confident cuz I ordered these shoes a couple days ago. Thank u so much they will be in Monday
Exactly. I did it. But I need a proffesional view. He was it. No one talking too much about it online or youtube. So yes. Thank you
Been using mine for a week now and nothing but praises from me.
Foot type: Narrow, Flat NO arch 10.5 shoe size
If your on the fence and have similar feet to mine do it you won’t regret it. I did have to go down half a size to a 10.
I'm still using my SST6s from 2002. Some shoe glue over the years but they're still going. Looking at The 9s as a replacement
I bought The 9 non-BOA back in late 2019 and absolutely love them. The lightness & breathability makes them the best shoe I've ever worn.
Having said that, our company is sponsoring our team for the summer league. Not only did they pay for our league fees, but they also let us upgrade our shoes. Obviously, I went with the color shift BOA's. I didn't think they would top my old 9's, but they certainly do. They not only fit better (I also have narrow feet), but the coolness factor is through the roof.
Yeah if I was still righty I'd still be using them. Used them hard for 2 years and were still in great shape
The sst 5 were the best I would do anything to find a new pair of those I’m still using my sst 5 I bought them in 2006
I just ordered mine a few days ago. When you first started the review I was very worried because I thought you were going to trash the shoe from here to next Wednesday and I wasn't sure you were going to like the shoe until the last two minutes of the review. So hopefully it will be a good shoe.
Yeah I try to just do objective point by point examinations, my personal opinion of like or dislike shouldn't hold too much weight, I want to make my professional thoughts the most important part. I really liked them and still have them, again I went back to them after the tennis shoe experiment, and they're still in great shape.
I bought these about a year and a half ago, my left shoe completely split on the bottom. Kind of disappointing. (I am a lefty as well) I just purchased the red and black Dexter the 9s, will use them for the first time tonight in league.
Dexter makes a great shoe. Another great review Luke!
I have a pair of these a pair of storm sp3's and the 9 st, the storm shoes were kinda meh my feet got way to hot and day one the lace holder ripped out of the tongue. The boas and the st's both amazing shoes it gets very hot here in the summer so the st's are my go to shoes plus i get a lot of compliments on them. The only wear issues I have had are my fault i can sometimes be hard on my toe dragging it but that was the draw for me to the 9. The other cool part is everything between the 3 are interchangeable. Of the 3 the ST's were the cheapest and and I think the best bang for the buck close 2nd the HT. I wouldn't really recommend the SP3's I ended up giving them away. My only complaint on the HT really is the color change I'm a big fan of all black shoes. Little heads up for people buying I found both mens and womens dexter shoes tend to run a 1/2 size larger than regular shoe sizes.
I’ve been looking at the sp3 ($95) storm essential boa (I believe an sst 8 boa $130) or the non boa the 9 ht ($125). Is it worth paying the extra money over the sp3 for either a mesh upper or the boa system?
Thanks! Helpful review 🙌🏻😉
Nice review Luke. I had a few pairs of The 9s and they warrantied the first pair, but not after that for the base of the shoe cracking all the way through where your's is just starting to, both times it was on the push off shoe only. I have SST6 Boa's now, and they are holding up great except the silver tearing (pure aesthetic issue). I really like The 9s comfort better than the 6, but just can't trust them to not break again.
Mike McClure I've heard that a few times, so can't argue there. BOA is definitely the real deal though!
Love mine, the boa system is awesome.
Dang, those are some heckin sweet kicks! Lu-Tang walking into the lu-lanes looking lu-fly!!
Thanks for the review... was looking for a good review to get this shoe... Again Thank You 🙏🏼
Currently using a pair of Strikeforce Raptors, these would be quite the upgrade (that i will most likely make next month), just a shame that i won't be able to re-use the slide pads that i've been using since my SST6's when they first came out and after that on the Raptors
Very good shoe. Size 13 and fits great
Great review. Thanks for this!
Can the soles and heels be swapped right out of the box to accommodate a left-handed bowler or do you immediately have to buy new parts to use the shoes? I can't seem to find this information anywhere.
Yeah they aren't specific handed, so you can just swap the pads on each shoe to have a lefty pair of shoes. I don't remember what kind of accessories it comes with, probably just the pads on the shoes but that's all shoes any more. I've gone back to using these, I wear the tennis shoes out too fast and since I don't slide, I just stuck a couple traction soles on the bottom and I'm good to go
They should’ve given the shoes a scent also!
Just purchased a pair and looking forward to trying them out, I as well have the original T.H.E 9 and was not looking for a new pair, but I noticed that with narrow feet it's hard to get the shoes to fit correctly without having to tie them a few times. On a side note I have never heard of the BIG4 socks, can you send a link and or let me know where to get them. Thanks
big4socks.com/ Like I said, I also have narrow feet, and as long as you squeeze down at the bottom of the lace section while you're turning the dial to tighten, they'll snug right up where you want them to, so I've found them very comfortable.
what do I do if I break the dial when I have to tie the shoe?
I'm not really sure that happens . . they're pretty sturdy. The system has a lifetime warranty too, so they'll just send you a kit to replace it if it breaks, but I'm not sure I've heard of that happening.
@Luke Rosdahl I had just ordered a pair but was just wondering 🤔
i don’t slide much if not at all but would love to buy these shoes or any other shoe with interchangeable soles. thoughts ?
They have all different levels of slides for however much or however little you slide. They're super comfortable.
That electrical outlet behind you is crooked, driving me nuts!
LOL yes . .
Lol, makes me think of the old tv show Monk.
It is known all over the world that 10 American equals 8 Mexican ... and that is how all shoes work.
The question is, why do my boa the 9 number 10 American come as 8.5 Mexican ????
now I have to sell them and buy again at 9.5 American ??
I have no idea . . I didn't know it worked like that, and that would be a question for Dexter . . I really don't know.
Mine finally split after almost 8 years
That's a pretty good run
Just ordered mine yesterday!
same!
are they still holding up well?
I do have toe drag. Do you have drag or can you help me understand what challenges I’d face switching over from Linds?
Shouldn't have any challenges, I push off the side of my toe and on all my shoes before the 9s, I'd wear down one side of the toe, but these toes are quite a bit more durable, and the good thing about these shoes also is that if you DO wear down the toe, you just need a new slide pad because the toe cap is connected to the pad, so you wouldn't need new shoes, just a new pad.
Mine started ripping on the side a little bit. Disappointing for the price
A lot of my friends have this pair and it’s happening to them too
@@noahclark1064 Dexter will replace them. I've never had an issue with them, but again I typically don't unless something is straight up awful, I just don't really wear stuff out.
@@LukeRosdahl Well, I ordered them off of amazon, does that matter ?
I don't think so, it's a manufacturer thing, just means you'll have to go directly to Dexter rather than having a pro shop take care of it.
So it’s been a min. How are they working out?
Really great. I moved to a pair of regular shoes, I don't slide anyway, but I had a pad fail on me so I just started wearing tennis shoes. The pad that failed was a pad from my FIRST pair of 9s that I've had since they came out like 5 years ago, so it definitely exceeded a realistic life span and the shoes themselves are still in great shape 2 years later despite all the use.
@@LukeRosdahl I don't understand. You moved from wearing a pair of 240 dollar bowling shoes to just wearing tennis shoes? I don't get it.
@@MarkDavidBlack What happened is that replacement traction pads for that pair of shoes are $40 apiece, and since I had one fail, rather than replacing that pad and then having to subsequently eventually replace pads periodically at that price, I thought I could just switch to a pair of tennis shoes I already owned, that of course I could wear indefinitely. What I didn't anticipate is how quickly I would wear the tennis shoes out, so as it turns out, replacing pads on bowling shoes as necessary is cheaper than replacing a pair of tennis shoes as they wear out.
are your tennis shoes using their standard heel or did you glue velcro/slides to the bottom? @@LukeRosdahl
@@Naregnemyes They were just the standard heel since I didn't slide. Like I mentioned in one of the comments above, I didn't know they were going to wear out so fast, so I've gone to the C9 colorshift BOAs and really like those. I still actually have this pair as my backup and they're still in great shape.
how do they slide out of the box.
Just fine, I like a little more slide righty so I bought a slicker pad, but it's pretty ok out of the box
i see you changed the slide heel.
you didn't talk about it
I like the ht dexter bow 9
Yeah I've been happy enough with mine that I'm getting another pair here pretty soon. I put a lot of traffic on them doing reviews, so I'm going to get another pair to keep nice for leagues and tournaments. They're holding up super well though!
Do the shoes fit to size?
These are actually the closest in bowling shoes I’ve had, usually I have to go down a full size from tennis shoes but I think I only went down a half size. My feet are pretty long and narrow though so you might want to get a couple more opinions
Wear a 17 so... clown shoes for me🥺.
Need to get your shoes off fast just wear the same cheap pair for 6 years and you never have to retie them either lmao. In all seriousness though how much different is it to have super high-end bowling shoes vs say a $40 pair of Dexter's?
DTepel RUclips Night and day, not even close. You get what you pay for. Super comfortable, durable, soles and heels are interchangeable, etc.
@@LukeRosdahl first off I want to say thank you for the reply, I do Ponder though is it worth it if I bowl 95% of my games in the same house throughout the year?
DTepel RUclips Part of it is that if something happens to the slide pads, if you get them wet or dirty or if they wear out, you just put different pads on instead of having to buy a new pair of shoes. Also different times of the year can make the approaches more slick or more tacky, and instead of just whatever slides come on the shoe, you have different levels of slide with the assortment of different soles and heels so that you can control your slide amount.
I'm on my 2nd pair of Dexter Pro Am ll in less than 16months. The slide pad rolled up on the 1st pair and I can already see the wear on the pair I purchased 3 months ago. Paid about $60.00 a pair. I can get the SST 8 for about $120.00. Interchangeable soles/heals for custom performance is a no brainers at this point.
Just got mine yesterday. Just want to say thank you. I uploaded a video I love them. Sorry if my reaction too much. But I really love it. Hope you get to see my video. Because without you. I never would have tough of buying them. You and 1 more youtuber. *THANKYOU*
Appreciate it, glad you like them!!
@@LukeRosdahl love them!!!. Took 2 days to break in. Tho. Def. Change my game... and also. Now looking for performance socks. Next. Ty sir. !
Sunlight will make these pop……Umm, no sure how these will be used outside?
Obviously . . it was just an observation. They pop pretty good in good light inside too.
@@LukeRosdahl just poking at ya Luke….you do a fabulous job. Thanks as always. My guess is that these did not come in Orange ?
Lol I can't ever tell when people are joking or not, you'd be surprised the kind of stuff that's actually serious . . and lol, nope, no orange unfortunately. The new 3G Tour Ultra/C is orange and black, but don't come in LH and still have that dumb sole stitched around the outside of the "slide" shoe, so no go for me.
@@LukeRosdahl I could only imagine! Thanks again
Cuz your always bowling in the sunshine
Some lights in the centers are pretty bright, these really sparkle inside quite a bit too, but LOL yeah I get what you mean.
what pads are on the sliding foot?
An 8 sole and a 5 heel come with the shoes.
I'm not impressed....I've had mine for 14 months....I have never had a pair of Dexter's that fell apart. And the most expensive. The whole shoe has separated from the soles. And I only bowl league one night a week
That's why I said I'm not a good judge of longevity, I'm still using these shoes, they're still in amazing shape despite all the filming, league, and tournaments. I just now after 3 odd years am having to replace the insoles. Might take a look at the 3Gs instead, I'm getting a pair of the tour Blacks and will be reviewing those soon. Again of course, I'm not a good judge of longevity lol, nothing falls apart for me unless it's truly awful