If you’re a serious weight lifter you might be considering the Reebok Legacy Lifters or Nike Romaloes 3. although these shoes are very different from on another, they both share one major thing in common.. and thats the price. Both shoes retail for $200, so you definitely want to make sure you get the right one for you. 

The reebok legacy lifters come in only two color ways and you can pick them up from reebok’s site with free shipping. link is in the description below if you decide to pick these up. The nike on the other hand come in 4 different color ways. and it seems the red ones are the most popular ones cause they're hard to get a hold of. 

When it comes to weight lifting shoes you’re looking for a few key components. heel hight, stability, gip, and flexibility in the toe box area. The nike romaleos 3 have a standard heel that is very similar to the one found on the romaleos 2 and adidas adipower. Nike’s heel is a honeycomb structure and is very light weight and gets the job done. The heel on the reebok legacy lifter is a whole other story. its one solid piece, weighs a lot and has a much steeper heel drop. the legacy lifters seem to have a 22mm heel drop, but after a few minutes of wearing the shoe you get used to it. I did notice getting out of the hole in my ass to grass squat was a lot easier in the legacy then in the romaleos could it be a direct result of the heel drop? Maybe…

Now when it comes to grip the reebok legacy lifter are far superior. their outsole is sticker than the romaleos. the reebok legacy also have a larger foot print than the nike romaleos. which resulted in feeling much more planted to the ground when i did my lifts. the romaloes how ever are much more flexible in the toe box area and light weight than the legacy lifters. which make them better if youre doing more olympic lifts than power lifting. 

Construction and materials are also a big factor for both of the these shoes. Over all the nike romaleos are better constructed compered the legacy lifters. The reebok legacy lifter have a lot of glue marks in the heel area of the shoe. which is just unacceptable for their price point. but over all the reebok legacy utilizes higher quality materials on the upper of the shoe compared to the romaloes. Reebok uses a good quality leather with textured patterns, metal clasps, and a much more plush and breathable mesh. while nike opted in for synthetic leather, thiner mesh, a seat belt looking metatarsal strap, plastic clasps, stiffer padding in the heel coutner, and a flimsy tongue.  if you’re looking for build quality then the Legacy are for you. The Nike Romaleos 3 should be priced at $150 with the materials they used in my opinion. 

Another big factor to consider is fit. Both the Romaleos and Legacy run true to size length wise. But when it comes to width, the reebok legacy are much wider over all while the romaleos are very narrow especially in the mid foot area. But thanks to Rebook’s double metatarsal strap system and lacing you can literally customize exactly how they fit on your feet. which is great cause when i squat i like a tighter shoe but when i do jerks and cleans i prefer to have a loser fit. On the other hand, nike only has one metatarsal strap on their shoe but since their shoe is so narrow theres really no need for it. 

Honestly, when it comes between the reebok legacy and nike romaleos 3 i have to save the legacy lifter is the better of the two. The nike romaleos just have to many quirks that prevent me from recommending them. No matter how much you adjust them, the romaleos allow your heel to slip. The tongue on the romaleos is also just flimsy and offer no padding. so when you tie them all that pressure goes to your instep, making prolong wear intolerable. instead of having metal clasps for the strap, they switched them out for cheap plastic. instead of using leather like they did with romaleos 2, they went with synthetic leather and mesh which bring prolong durability into question. and they got rid of the two metatarsal straps from the romaleos 2 which means you cant adjust the fit. The Nike Romaleos 3 are more of a step back instead of a step forward from the romaleos 2. 

So yes i recommend the Reebok Legacy lifter over the Nike Romaleos 3. They fit better, they feel more stable, they're built with better quality materials and you can customize their fit. But I know for some people getting used to the 22mm heel drop can be hard. So if you need a more conventional feeling weight lifting shoe then get adidas adipower or even romaleos 2. but if you want to try something new then definitely give the reebok legacy a try.