Nike Metcon 6 Mat Fraser Shoe Review

The Nike Metcon 6 Mat Fraser CrossFit shoe has been launched!

This shoe has been delayed a bit due to the lockdown – but now it’s here – and we’ve got an exclusive in-depth look.

Here’s some of the styles we are going to look at:

Nike Metcon 6 Mat Fraser – Video Review on our YouTube Channel

Why read when you can watch? Check out this hands-on review of the Nike Metcon 6 from our YouTube channel:

The video includes on foot, detailed tour of the features, and a side by side comparison with the Nike Metcon 5 from last year.

Nike Metcon 6 Mat Fraser Shoe – Overview

Let’s give you an in-depth tour. We’re going to assume you’ve never seen a Nike Metcon shoe before and explain the key elements.

If you want to just know what’s new and improved – jump down to the next section where we compare and contrast to the Nike Metcon 5 Mat Fraser.

Let’s start from the ground up.

The outsole (or sole) is the part where the rubber meets the road.

And in this case, Nike uses an all rubber outsole that is very flat for maximum contact area with the gym floor.

Further to that, two kinds of rubber compound are used. There is a softer rubber with more grip up front for traction.

On the other hand the heel is very firm and the rubber is more durable as well (harder rubber tends to wear less quickly than softer rubber).

You’ll notice too that that tough rubber outsole wraps up around the mid-foot of the shoe -that’s what Nike calls the rope wrap.

Continuing on around the heel of the shoe – you can see there is a TPU heel counter. TPU is a plastic material that is tough – and slick.

It is shaped in a way to have a knife edge on it for the Nike Metcon 6 – this means less drag against the wall when performing HSPUs – Hand Stand Push Ups.

You’ll notice the 4 bullseyes on the heel of the Mat Fraser edition represent Mat’s four Fittest Man on Earth wins at the CrossFit Games.

The upper is all new on the Metcon 6.

It’s made from a very breathable mesh type material. How breathable? I’m going to go out on a limb and say this is going to be the most breathable Metcon shoe ever.

The mesh continues around the front of the shoe too.

The Nike Metcon 6 uses regular laces – and that’s a good thing.

Nike’s foray into the laceless Nike React Metcon was not a good thing – in my opinion – I couldn’t get it tight enough.

There’s no problems like that on the Nike Metcon 6 – these old fashioned laces just work.

Nike’s FlyWire system returns in the Metcon 6. These tough little Vectran filaments look like little strings that wrap around the laces at the eyelets – these run through the body of the shoe and help tighten up the whole thing when you tie the shoelaces.

At first glance the tongue looks to be perforated like the breathable parts of the upper, but there is actually a 2nd layer of material – so it’s not a see through mesh like up in the front.

On the inside, the Nike Metcon 6 has a dual-density drop-in midsole.

(The midsole is the piece between your foot and the outsole – and it’s job is to serve as the cushion).

The dual density foam used in the midsole means that you get an extremely firm heel – and a much more cushioned forefoot.

This means you can squat, clean, jerk, etc and still use these shoes for sprinting, jump rope, box jumps – and just about anything else.

Having said that, I don’t consider these shoes (or any cross trainers) to be stellar long distance running shoes – there just isn’t enough cushion.

What’s the heel to toe drop?

Probably 4 mm, although we haven’t confirmed that with Nike yet.

Want more heel raise? Pop-in the Hyperlifts and get an additional 8 mm of drop.

These are little wedges you place inside the shoe (under the midsole) and they raise your heel up.

Why would you want these? They help reduce the ankle flexibility needed for squatting type movements – squats, cleans, thrusters, single leg / pistol squats – etc.

So, that is your whirlwind tour of the new Nike Metcon 6.

What do you think? I think they look pretty sharp.

Nike Metcon 6 Sizing

The Nike Metcon 6 is shaped similar to the Nike Metcon 5.

In fact, the general dimensions seem to be the same.

As such, we are recommending that you consider going 1/2 size up to get the maximum of room in the toe area.

I owned several pairs of Nike Metcon 5 – and after having bought the initial pair of Size 11, I bought all the others in size 11.5.

There’s really no reason to believe the Nike Metcon 6 will be any different – as so many of the aspects are the same.

We’ll dive into that comparison next.

Nike Metcon 6 Versus Nike Metcon 5

I was lucky enough to score a pair of the Nike Metcon 5 Mat Fraser last year.

Let’s use those to compare head to head with the Nike Metcon 6.

You’ll see a lot of similarities.

The outsoles are the same.

The Nike Metcon 5 Mat Fraser was translucent and you could see Mat’s signature through it. That was an eye-catching feature that got LOTS of compliments. But, it did yellow over time with wear (see photos above).

The Metcon 6 outsole is functionally the same, but it’s just plain black rubber.

The similarities in the shape of the shoe are apparent from the top too.

the big difference is the upper though. The Metcon 5 Mat Fraser was very solid – and not very breathable. The Metcon 6 is a whole different ball game, of course.

The upper is going to be much more breathable on the Nike Metcon 6 – thanks to the perforations so big you can see through them.

There are some different styling details on each shoe, of course.

Overall, both are very unique looking shoes.

Really the upper is the key difference between the two versions.

All the features you know and love – the dual-density midsole, high traction outsole, laces, Flywire, are largely unchanged.

Nike Metcon 6 Mat Fraser – The Box and Paper

Here’s the box and paper that came with the Mat Fraser Personal Edition shoe.

Nike Metcon 6 Versus Reebok Nano X Froning Shoe

Guess who else got their own edition of cross trainer this year – Rich Froning.

How does this shoe compare to the Nike Metcon 6 Mat Fraser?

Like the Nike shoe, it’s chock full of little shout-outs to Rich and his career.

However, at the core of it – the Froning edition is a different upper when compared to the regular shoe.

The “bootie” construction means there is no separate tongue. This is a tight-fitting slip fit shoe, with a pull tab on the heel.

The forefoot strap looks nice – but doesn’t really do much because it is anchored with elastic on one end.

That said it is a sharp-looking shoe and the upper is very detailed and intricate-looking.

There’s a 3 string lace embellishment that pays homage to Rich’s dominance on rope climbs.

Overall, it’s a good looking shoe – and will probably sell out.

But, it is mostly visual enhancements.

Nike Metcon 6 Mat Fraser Shoe – In Summary

The Nike Metcon 6 is here.

The changes from the Nike Metcon 5 are minimal – but there has been a big change to the upper.

We look forward to seeing what great new colorways Nike will release in the coming weeks.

Nike Metcon 6 – Men’s Updated

Nike added two different sets of colors to its already existing colorways – LT Smoke Gray/DK Smoke Gray/Summit White and White/Black/Gum Dark Brown/Gray Fog. Metcon 6 is known as the best all-around CrossFit shoe because of its functionality and stability.

From CrossFit to jump rope and sprints to the rock wall, Nike Metcon 6 is an excellent training shoe that carries well across a series of activities. Metcon 6’s standout characteristic is its enhanced airflow that surmounts all the challenges of various kinds of workouts.

Photo Credits

Some product photos on this page are property of Nike.

This website is not affiliated or associated with CrossFit, Inc. CrossFit is a registered trademark of CrossFit, Inc.

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We are an affiliate of various companies that sell this shoe. If you buy the Metcon 6 after clicking the links in this article, we receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps us to bring you in-depth information and content on these great training shoes.