No QC thread on the TN yet (Air Max Plus, the “requin”, French for shark, to many). It is a pair where three elements do almost everything: the gradient on the upper, the TPU cage that draws the lines on the sides, and the visible Air units. The rest matters too, but if one of these three is off, the pair looks fake from a distance. For the basic method (which angles, what light), the Air Max 90 thread is a good starting point: Air Max 90 QC. Where do you start?
[[PHOTO: TN vue de profil côté extérieur, dégradé et cage entièrement visibles, lumière du jour]]
Editorial summary, not independently verified.
The gradient, always first.
- Transition: gradual, with no sharp band or visible step between two shades.
- Position: the gradient starts and ends roughly in the same place as on retail photos of the same colourway.
- Symmetry: left and right should look alike. A gradient that is offset from one shoe to the other shows straight away.
Watch the light: a gradient changes a lot between warm light and daylight. Compare in daylight, with retail photos taken in similar conditions.
The TPU cage, those lines that look like ribs or palm trees depending on the colourway:
- Shape: the curves follow the retail design, no lines that are too thick or too straight.
- Symmetry between the two sides and between the two shoes.
- Finish: clean edges, no glue smears where the cage meets the mesh.
- Shine: on some colourways the TPU is glossy, on others more matte. Compare with the same colourway, not with another TN.
[[PHOTO: Gros plan sur la cage en TPU côté extérieur, bords et jonction avec le mesh visibles]]
The visible Air units. On a photo, look at:
- the size and shape of the Air windows at the front and the heel compared with retail;
- the clarity: a cloudy or yellowed bubble on a new pair is worth a question;
- the join between the bubble and the sole, with no glue marks.
What a photo does not tell you: cushioning or how it holds up over time. Nobody here can verify that from images.
A quick point on the Tn logo on the heel and the tongue: shape of the letters, thickness, properly centred position. It is a detail, but it comes up often in QCs. To check that the style code on the box label and the tongue tag matches the colourway, see the style code thread. That code confirms the model advertised, not the quality of the pair.
What varies even on retail, so you don’t panic for nothing: small gradient differences from one pair to another, a little visible glue on the inside, slightly different laces depending on the batch. What really matters is what changes the silhouette or how the pair reads from a distance: a botched gradient, a warped cage, a crooked bubble.
On sizing (the French search “tn requin taille”, “TN shark size”, comes up often): there is no universal rule, the shape and volume of the foot matter as much as the size on the label. General pointers are in the sizing and fit guide. Here we stick to QC.
Recap of what comes out of the thread:
- Gradient: gradual transition, same position as retail, symmetry between the two shoes, judged in daylight.
- TPU cage: retail shape, symmetry, clean edges, shine compared with the same colourway.
- Air units: size, shape, clarity, clean join. Cushioning cannot be judged from a photo.
- Tn logo: shape and position.
- Retail varies too: worry about what changes the silhouette, not about millimetres.
Editorial summary, not independently verified.
The “compare with the same colourway” reminder is the most useful one. A lot of doubts come from comparisons with another TN.