Since no one asked I'll give you my initial impressions between my two pair of lifting shoes. I've worn the Reebok Crossfit Lifter Plus 2 a couple times and found them to be extremely comfortable and pretty stable when put through the paces. However, I felt like they weren't making a huge difference in the one area I really got lifting shoes for in the first place, which is the squat. So I've had an alert set on ebay for awhile now to try and find a pair of the Nike Romaleos 2 for a decent price, since they were my first choice, but nothing has come up until recently. I ended up getting a pair, albeit not in my chosen color, for about 50% off retail, which works for me. I received them today and proceeded to put both pairs on and do a movements in the apartment with the powerblock dumbbells I have and some body weight movements just to see how they compare. IMO, there's a night and day difference between the shoes, which is a good thing for me because I really didn't need two pairs of lifting shoes that feel identical underfoot.
The Reeboks have a bit less of a heel and are more comfortable overall. They provide a moderate level of stability along with a high level of comfort for a lifter. I can move, jump, and do just about anything I'd want to do in a regular crosstrainer in them with only a few caveats. Mostly that I have to be careful when landing due to the rigid heel (no cushioning for landings) and they are definitely heavier than any crosstrainer I'm aware of. However, they're a great general workout/lifting shoe, but not for HIIT days or anything where there will be a ton of agility stuff or running. They are supposed to be more of an Oly shoe after all.
The Nike's live up to just about everything I've read on the internet. They feel like bricks underfoot, they're very stiff, they have more of a heel than the Reeboks, and the upper strap feels like it does a whole lot of nothing, at least so far. However, I love them and some of the stuff listed above is what makes them the perfect squat shoe. You can tell as soon as you put them on that they've been designed from the ground up to provide as much stability as possible and to give the person wearing them supreme confidence that when you land or plant your feet, they ain't goin' nowhere. This is really what I've been looking for in a squat shoe, along with the extra heel height and would've made them worth retail price in my book, but the fact that I was able to get a good deal on them, makes them that much better. Can't wait to get back to the gym and put them both through their paces.
