It has been called the greatest shoe ever made. Man! That is a lot of hype to live up to for a shoe! But, a strong argument can be made that the Nike Air Force One is the greatest shoe ever made. Produced in over 2,000 colorways and counting, the Air Force One was the first sneaker to use the Nike “Air” technology. The sneaker was named after the Air Force One airplane that is used by the President of the United States. It is virtually impossible to track how many versions of the shoe exist. It has been rapped about by more than one famous R&B artist. Hype be gone!

The Nike Air Force One was originally made for the basketball hard court. It was produced as a mid-top basketball shoe and subsequently as a low-top sneaker. Technology in footwear certainly has come a long way. Especially when it comes to performance footwear for basketball players. There are now Air Jordan's and the Hyper series(i.e.Hyper-dunks, Hyper-fuses, etc.) that Nike offers as high fast cash loans performance basketball shoes. And, high performance they are. The Air Force One has not been seen near a basketball court since, well, the 80′s.

On the other hand, as a casual shoe there is no equal. The Air Force One has used denim, patent leather, and horse hair among many other as elements of their production. Some versions of the shoe are classy enough to be worn as a dress shoe. As a casual shoe, these are certainly are Nike shoes, basketball shoes they are not. And that’s alright.

The ultimate compliment that a shoe, any shoe, can be given is personalization. Not only can you personalize the greatest shoe ever made, but to do so, there is only one place that you can do it in the entire country. 21 Mercer in New York City. 21 Mercer is a one of a kind Nike-id Studio. Here, you have the opportunity to use a large variety of colors, styles, and materials to create your dream kicks. In addition, at this one of a kind sneaker shop you can take advantage of a program they call Bespoke. Bespoke offers 1 on 1 consultation with a Nike designer to create a one of a kind sneaker. And it is one of a kind, you are the only one you makes it and the only one who wears it. But be prepared to spend some money, a Bespoke Air Force One can cost you up to $1,000.

If the “greatest” is measured in both quantity and quality, the Nike Air Force One measures up. If calling the Air Force One the greatest is taking it too far, it would be more than fair to say this shoe is the best sneaker ever made.