{"id":97345,"date":"2010-06-18T22:47:36","date_gmt":"2010-06-19T03:47:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nicekicks.com\/?p=97345"},"modified":"2020-10-03T04:32:40","modified_gmt":"2020-10-03T08:32:40","slug":"air-jordan-6-blackinfrared-1991-2000-2010-comparison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/air-jordan-6-blackinfrared-1991-2000-2010-comparison\/","title":{"rendered":"Air Jordan 6 Black\/Infrared 1991 vs. 2000 vs. 2010 Comparison"},"content":{"rendered":"

Much talk has swirled around the web ever since the news broke about the Air Jordan 6 Infrared Pack. ?From initial photos it appeared that the shoes were hardly different from the Black\/Varsity Red retros that released in January, but we wanted to investigate whether or not this was the case. ?Beyond just the shade of red or infrared, we put together a detailed comparison between not only the 2010 and 2000 retros, but also the originals from 1991.<\/p>\n

Without further ado, we proudly present the official 1991 vs. 2000 vs. 2010 Air Jordan 6 Black\/Infrared?Comparison.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Side profile:<\/p>\n

One of the most noticeable changes from any original Air Jordan to the retro is the overall shape of the shoe. ?This is in large part to a new last having to be used for the construction of the shoes. ?You can tell from the photos below that there was a big change between the 1991 original and 2000 retro, but a very subtle change with the 2010 retro.<\/p>\n

Air Jordan 6 Black\/Infrared - 1991 Original<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Air Jordan 6 Black\/Infrared - 2000 Retro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Air Jordan 6 Black\/Infrared - 2010 Retro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

Upper materials:<\/p>\n

One of the first objections to the 2010 Black\/Varsity Red retros by our readers was the materials used on the upper. ?The shoes feature a longer brush of suede the feels and appears almost like velour rather than a shorter cut nubuck which we saw on the 2000 retro and 1991 original. ?Below you can tell that though the material on the toe of the 2010 is quite different from the 1991 original, it is more similar to the 2000 retro.<\/p>\n

Air Jordan 6 Black\/Infrared - 1991 Original<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Air Jordan 6 Black\/Infrared - 2000 Retro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Air Jordan 6 Black\/Infrared - 2010 Retro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

Heel material:<\/p>\n

Despite all of the attention being focused on the suede or nubuck upper, very few (if any) articles or posts have been written about the change of materials on the back panel. ?On the originals, the front 3\/4 of the shoe was nubuck, but the rear panel was infact a dull, yet smooth black leather. ?The 2000 retro did use a slightly different material on the back from the front of the shoe, but hardly noticeable, and definitely not a smoothly finished material.<\/p>\n

Another change that occurred between the 1991 original and 2000 retro was the underlay of reflective material that was placed underneath the perforations on the ankle and side panel. ?The first two photos below are of the original 1991 Black\/Infrareds without and with flash respectively.<\/p>\n

Air Jordan 6 Black\/Infrared - 1991 Original<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Air Jordan 6 Black\/Infrared - 1991 Original (photographed with flash)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Air Jordan 6 Black\/Infrared - 2000 Retro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Air Jordan 6 Black\/Infrared - 2010 Retro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

Heel detail:<\/p>\n

One of the most signatory features on the Air Jordan 6 is the detail on the ankle. ?There were some slight changes from the 1991 original to the 2000 retro, but the 2010 retro actually corrected some of those changes. ?As you can tell from the photos below, the perforations actually got smaller on the 2000 from the original, but Jordan Brand corrected this on the 2010 model.<\/p>\n

Air Jordan 6 Black\/Infrared - 1991 Original<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Air Jordan 6 Black\/Infrared - 2000 Retro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Air Jordan 6 Black\/Infrared - 2010 Retro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

Air unit:<\/p>\n

The Air Jordan 6 was the fourth and last Air Jordan shoe to feature Vis-Air cushioning. ?When the 2000 retro came out, something that was actually a nice improvement was a slightly larger visible air unit. ?The 2010 retro maintained this size. ?Also from these photos below you can tell that the shade of infrared is virtually identical. ?All three photos were shot with the same lighting and white balance to give you a good idea of how close the colors are.<\/p>\n

Air Jordan 6 Black\/Infrared - 1991 Original<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Air Jordan 6 Black\/Infrared - 2000 Retro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Air Jordan 6 Black\/Infrared - 2010 Retro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

Heel logo:<\/p>\n

One of the the most noticeable differences and probably most griped about on each retro release is the swap of the Nike Air logo for the Jumpman on the hell. ?The 2000 retro maintained the original heel branding, but the 2010 retro features the Jumpman Air logo. ?With black on black stitching it is hardly noticeable, but still an?annoyance?to many enthusiasts.<\/p>\n

Air Jordan 6 Black\/Infrared - 1991 Original<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Air Jordan 6 Black\/Infrared - 2000 Retro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Air Jordan 6 Black\/Infrared - 2010 Retro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

Outsole:<\/p>\n

Traditionally there is little to no change between outsoles from original to retro products, but when the 2000 retro was drafted, there was a noticeable change. ?The heel is a tad bit wider than the 1991 original and there is less tapering into the middle of the shoe. ?Air Jordans were notorious for a very narrow fit, but it appears Jordan Brand made the shoes able to fit more people with the wider dimensions. ?In addition to the heel widening a little bit, the Jumpman logo also got a little bit “heavier” from 1991 to 2000 and then a little more from 2000 to 2010.<\/p>\n

Air Jordan 6 Black\/Infrared - 1991 Original<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Air Jordan 6 Black\/Infrared - 2000 Retro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Air Jordan 6 Black\/Infrared - 2010 Retro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

Tongue:<\/p>\n

The originals did have the country of origin on the size tag, but also it was added just inside the tongue. ?This pair was made in Taiwan while some were also made in Korea. ?From 1991 to 2000, the biggest change was not the removal of this screened text, but the nylon that was stitched to the top of the tongue. ?This material served as a guard from sweat soaking in between the neoprene and rubber tongue.<\/p>\n

The tongue did slightly improve for the 2010 retro with a smoother cut of materials along the top edge. ?The 2000 retro had some rough cuts as you can see in the photos below.<\/p>\n

Air Jordan 6 Black\/Infrared - 1991 Original<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Air Jordan 6 Black\/Infrared - 2000 Retro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Air Jordan 6 Black\/Infrared - 2010 Retro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

Insole:<\/p>\n

Yes, we are getting down and deep with this comparison leaving no stone unturned.<\/p>\n

The 1991 original had an infrared insole with black Nike Air branding. ?The 2000 retro maintained the Nike Air branding; however, the logo was flipped the other direction relative to the shoe and the colors were inverted. ?Jordan Brand corrected this for the 2010 release laying in an infrared insole with a black Jumpman branded on the insole.<\/p>\n

Air Jordan 6 Black\/Infrared - 1991 Original<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Air Jordan 6 Black\/Infrared - 2000 Retro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Air Jordan 6 Black\/Infrared - 2010 Retro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

Tongue logo:<\/p>\n

With the advancement of technology from the 1990’s to the the new century, so too did stitching improve. ?For a company that relies heavily on branding of their products, this provided to be a valuable assett as Jordan Brand was able to stitch their signatory Jumpman logo to leather and other materials with cleaner and smoother stitching lines. ?This is most noticeable between the original Air Jordan 11s from 1996 in contrast to the retro 11s from 2000.<\/p>\n

You can clearly see the Jumpman branding cleans up between the 1991 original and the 2000 retro, but the 2010 looks more like the original especially not having the “4 fingers” that many Jumpman logos had from the early 2000s.<\/p>\n

Air Jordan 6 Black\/Infrared - 1991 Original<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Air Jordan 6 Black\/Infrared - 2000 Retro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Air Jordan 6 Black\/Infrared - 2010 Retro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n