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37 responses to “Salming Kobra”

1. Seth

   January 24, 2019

   Hey,
   I’m hoping to get some advice/guidance on the Salming line of shoes. I’ve been playing with the salming race R2 in purple/yellow (love bright and loud shoes) for a very long time now. Still in decent condition but the traction is not so great anymore. I usually wear a 9 in shoes but went with the 8.5 because they were a bit more snug. They’ve since widened up and they still fit and feel amazing!
   I just ordered the Kobra in blue/yellow in 8.5 and I tried them on and in the court to hit around. They are snug but not sure if that’s too snug or not because I can feel the extra support and padding in the front of the Kobra. They also felt completely different than the Race. When I walk around it’s a heavy and quick drop from heel to the floor. Maybe that’s good and makes it quicker to get set for a shot?
   My question is…if I loved my race r2’s and I want newer Salmings would you recommend trying the vipers or the new hawks? Stick with the Kobra? I really just want a new pair of race r2 in purple or any color but can’t find them.
   I’m conflicted because I want cushioning and performance but also love to feel the court. Sizing is also a concern because the Kobras do feel snug and I wasn’t in love with them. I’m almost tempted to stay with the race r2s until the brake apart.
   Thank you in advance!

   Reply
   1. Pierre

      January 29, 2019

      Good question. I agree the Kobras feel different from the Race models. The Viper feels a little different from the Race too. Hawk I haven’t tried, but I understand it’s a completely different construction. My thought is to look at the Race X. I haven’t tried it myself, but based on the photos I think it looks most similar. Will see if anyone else weighs in on this.

      Reply
      1. Seth

         January 30, 2019

         Thanks. I may have to check out the Race X now. To update from my original post, I have a pair of Hawks in a 9.0 to compare against the Kobras (8.5). I have yet to play in the Hawks but from wearing them around they feel great. The biggest thing I’ve noticed in the Kobra is the amount of support that it has. It really won’t let me roll my foot over. The half size difference makes it hard to compare because the Kobra’s are snug. I’d be curious to see if anyone has any comparisons of the Kobra vs. Hawk.

         Reply
         1. John

            March 4, 2019

            I’d like to see a Kobra Vs Hawk comparison as well … I just recently got a pair of Hawks in the winter colour (white with the light blue transparent soles) at the end of January and as a shoe, they feel great. Very comfortable, supportive, flexible and breathable – not to mention light!
            I was liking them a lot, until I noticed a few slips I had during mid games on a couple different courts. I will write my experience in the Hawk section a little later… but as for Kobra’s .. I was originally eyeballing the Kobra 1 or 2’s in white before I got the Hawk’s, the feedback seems to be they are great shoes, however the bottom is practically the same ..Hexagrip at least in the upper half of the shoe.. so anyone else who has these shoes experience any slips on court due to lack of grip?

            Reply
         2. Jakub

            March 15, 2019

            Hi,
            Seth I have the same problem, even worst since my Race fell apart. I still love them, however the shoe is totally falling apart. I ordered the Kobra’s since I can’t get Race in my size.. Unfortunately I discovered the differences, like the bigger heel toe drop, extra extension for stability and have to say I don’t like them. What I love about Race is that they are super comfy, super soft and super light. The Kobra’s are still light but remind me more of the Asics shoes which I never liked (especially the Fireblast which Shorbagy used couple of years ago. I still have them in good condition but stopped using them the next day after a friend showed me Salming R1)

            Actually I am little bit concerned now, because when I’ll try the new Kobra’s on court I won’t be able to return them… I’m thinking if to order and try Hawk’s or not.. The problem is that the local store stooped selling Salming in my city and I have to buy them from online store, try them at home and in case return them.. paying for the shipping.

            Reply
         3. Pierre

            March 15, 2019

            I think Salming really needs to bring back the Race shoes

            Reply
            1. JC

               April 2, 2020

               I’m also after some help on this. I currently use the Race R1’s in size 8.5 and can buy either a Kobra in size 8 or a Viper in size 9. What do we think will fit best? I too would rather stick with Race but they seem to be discontinued everywhere! Tempted to keep wearing them until they break fully but I’ll need a replacement at some point.
   2. Andy Piper

      January 30, 2019

      I can’t comment on the regular Kobra’s/Race but I have owned both the Kobra mid and Race R9 mid and I much prefer the Kobras – they are lighter and harder wearing with great support. Both shoes are right sized in my experience – I am a 9.5 and wear this size in both the R9 and the Kobra mid

      Reply
2. Badminton player

   February 1, 2018

   Hi Pierre,
   Great videos on your site I got the Kobras and the superfeet carbons based on your reviews i’m waiting for them to arrive..

   Just wanted to add that athleteshop- they seem to ship all over the world – have lots of the kobras in all sizes whereas the 2016 orange ones are hard to get in any sizes variations if you’re in the UK

   Reply
3. Andy Piper

   October 16, 2017

   I have just bought the Kobra Mid’s and really like them. They run true to size (I wear UK 9.5’s and have somewhat wide feet in the toe area), perhaps better than the R9 Mid‘s which I found a little tight in the toe box. They are a lot better than the new Asics models which almost universally have a tight and uncomfortable toe box.
   They are very light, much lighter than my R9’s which is surprising because they are a very deep shoe. The tongue is integrated into the shoe which makes getting my Aircast A60’s inside a little tricky but they do fit. Slightly light on padding higher in the shoe – I’ve hit my foot by accident with my racquet and it hurt! Wear-wise its too early to tell, but I am hopeful – they are much sturdier on the inside toe area which is always where my R9’s disintegrated. Overall I love them – just wish they were cheaper! Hope this helps.

   Reply
   1. David

      October 19, 2017

      Awesome thanks for the review. I really want these but don’t think I can afford theM 🙁

      Reply
   2. Andy Piper

      April 4, 2018

      Just a follow-up to my original review ib the Kobra mids, I’m still playing with the same pair 6-months later and they are wearing *really* well – far better than my old race r9 xc-mids ever did. The materials they have used in the toe area seem just about perfect and the other bits that might go – e.g. eyelets are all good.
      I still find it’s slightly too easy to over-tighten over the top of my foot, but other than that they are just about perfect!

      Reply
4. Patch

   September 13, 2017

   Hi, Pierre!
   Do you know anything more about the black-yellow model (the ‘low’ one, not the mid)? I’ve been looking for it desperately and I can’t find it anywhere.
   Will it come out in the future?
   Thanks!

   Reply
   1. Pierre

      September 15, 2017

      I looked around but I couldn’t find it either! Hope they get some more stock in, because it’s a nice-looking shoe.

      Reply
5. Barry-lee

   June 1, 2017

   Hi Pierre

   How has your wear been on the balls of your foot on the inside of both your Kobra and your R2’s? So on the inside underneath the balls of your feet.
   This is where my shoes wear away the most and often cause holes through the inner sole quite quickly.
   woudl be interested to know as I can’t make up my mind between the Kobra’s and the Wilson Xaos.
   Regards
   Barry-Lee

   Reply
   1. Pierre

      June 2, 2017

      No problems there, though I don’t normally have much wear and tear in that spot. Here’s a pic:

      Reply
      1. Barry-Lee

         June 5, 2017

         Lol….Thank you Peirre for the quick response but I actually meant inside the sole. So on the inner sole on the balls of your feet.
         sorry if i was unclear.

         Reply
      2. Rick

         February 9, 2018

         Hi Pierre,

         My Orange kobra has similar sole condition and it’s wearing out from the edges. Could it be the reason that I slip on court?
         I’m just not sure if it’s time to get new squash shoes.

         I bought the orange kobra ones last year in July

         Reply
         1. Pierre

            February 13, 2018

            Yes it could be the wear and tear on the soles that is causing you to lose grip. Unless your courts have gotten dusty or something like that. It’s a bummer they didn’t last a full year.

            Reply
6. raza

   December 29, 2016

   i have wide feet should i go for salming kobra?

   Reply
7. Paras

   November 28, 2016

   How are the Kobras as compared to Asics Gel Blast 7?

   Reply
8. Squash Player

   November 10, 2016

   You mentioned that you felt the R2s had some nice arch support.

   Do you know if the R9s have a similar feeling?

   Thanks.

   Reply
   1. Pierre

      November 17, 2016

      I have never used the R9s but I believe they have the same general design as the R2, just with more ankle support. My guess is yes they’ll have a similar feeling.

      Reply
9. mun

   October 20, 2016

   I ordered salming kobra 3 month ago.
   I found the problem.
   It might be weak in trems of durability.

   Reply
   1. JLB

      October 21, 2016

      Mun,

      This seems to be the case with most salming shoes. I am on my 4th pair, most recently I was looking at getting the Kobras but due to the £100+ price tag here in the UK I was put off, but managed to pick up the orange vipers for cheap so went with those. Theses arrived 1 month ago, and already showing significant wear on the toe and in step of the shoe. However, my previous vipers (green) went through the similar process, wear appears quickly on the upper but then doesn’t get too much worse. The problem I had was the sole, the in step wore down so much there was barely any rubber sole underneath my big toe (these were bought in Jan 2016 and I had to ditch them by August).

      However, I must say they are comfy and light and flexible. By far the best shoes I’ve played in, and would recommend Salming to anyone, but warning them of their durability.

      Reply
      1. mun

         November 9, 2016

         I purchased viper as well ago 3 month
         I experienced problem in the sole within 1 month.
         The sole tore one part.

         Reply
   2. Pierre

      October 31, 2016

      Ouch, thanks for sharing though

      Reply
10. Jon Catuccio

    September 1, 2016

    The Salming Vipers have a fatal flaw in that the sole is not one piece. I’m on my free replacement from Salming and the sole on my non-lead leg is ripping off again after 1 week. Granted I play hard and scramble, but if you look at most court shoes the sole is molded as 1 piece. The Viper has a piece overlaid and glued? onto the bottom. BAD design.

    Reply
11. Rene Spaanderman

    June 24, 2016

    Great looking shoes, as always with Salming!

    Looking forward to the reviews, as I’m really curious whether Salming has finally managed to make these more durable. I’m on my 3rd pair of Race R1’s within 18 months, which I think is pretty poor for the price…

    Reply
12. Darren McCann

    June 9, 2016

    I’ve used the R1, R9 and Viper. I completely agree with Piere, the Viper has a really low profile and therefore very little padding in the heel and ankle area. R1 shoes were incredibly comfortable. I’m currently using the R9 just had a season in them and I’m very pleased. They are similar to the Prince shoes with the higher profile and more support around the ankle.
    I’m very interested in the padding situation of the Kobra too. If they are like the R1 or R9 I’ll be getting them for next season as they look great!

    Reply
13. Matt

    June 6, 2016

    I must say as a person that’s actively looking at Salming shoes for something with padding/comfort (continually get heal bruising in my cheap mizunos), i find their lineup, naming and number system quite confusing. I’ve seen elsewhere on here and the net that the “race” models are considered some of best for padding/comfort/support, but then there are i think 6-7 different versions, and then there’s the other models like viper, kobra etc…

    Anyone know the actual difference when it comes to comfort/padding, and why i would buy an R1 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 over an R9 2.0 or R2 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 etc….

    It seems the R1 3.0 would be the current choice as it’s the latest version of the R1, and based on pricing with R1s a bit higher than R2s, it suggests the R1 lineup is meant to be better than the R2.

    Reply
    1. Pierre

       June 6, 2016

       Yeah it’s a bit confusing I have to agree. I don’t know about the Kobra and Adder as they are not out yet. I’ve personally worn R1, R2 and Viper. I feel Viper has the least padding so I’d rule that out for you. I couldn’t detect a padding difference between R1 and R2 but I’ve heard some say R1 is a little better. Then within R1/R2 they have version numbers but I don’t believe there’s a big difference between the recent versions (i.e. between 2.0 and 3.0), so I’d just get whatever’s available and looks coolest to you. Lastly the R9 is similar to R1/R2 but has more ankle support if you want that. Hope that helps.

       Reply
       1. Matthew

          June 7, 2016

          Thanks, seems the sizes i needin ether (UK 12.5/13) are quite rare, and even rarer in any shops near where i live to actually try them. May have to just do a blind purchase and hope they fit fine.

          Reply
14. Unet

    June 3, 2016

    Will Salming keep the existing line (Viper, Race R1, R2) besides the new models (Adder, Kobra)?

    Reply
    1. Pierre

       June 3, 2016

       Yes, there’s a new version of the Viper (3.0) in blue. I haven’t seen any others yet!

       Reply
15. Rodney Foster

    June 1, 2016

    where can we buy these bad boys!!!!

    Reply
    1. Squash Shop by SportHive

       June 1, 2016

       August 1st. But you can preorder them starting this beginning ofJune.

       Reply