So, hunting down a “best batch” is like searching for a needle in a haystack made of, like, slightly off-color studs.
Firstly, don’t even *think* about skipping that whole rep vs. retail comparison thing. The CNFans spreadsheets? GOLD. Seriously. Spend some time digging. See what people are saying. Look at *actual* pictures, not just the seller’s promo shots (those are always, like, suspiciously perfect, aren’t they?). You’re looking for consistent flaws, the “batch flaws” that every shoe in that particular run seems to have. If every single pair has a slightly crooked stud…well, maybe that’s something you can live with. Or maybe not. Depends on your personal, you know, OCD level.
And then there’s the whole “version” thing. Ugh. It’s like the rep sellers just make up names to confuse us. You’ll see “God Batch”, “Top Tier Batch”, “Super Premium Deluxe Ultra Batch” (I’m exaggerating, but only slightly). Honestly, half the time, it’s the same stuff with a different label slapped on. *That’s* where those r/repweidiansneakers peeps come in clutch. They’re constantly dissecting these things, trying to figure out if “Version 2.0” is actually any better than the original.
Personally, I’m always a little skeptical of the SUPER cheap Valentino reps. You *generally* get what you pay for. Those studs aren’t gonna magically attach themselves perfectly for 20 bucks, you know? But that doesn’t mean you need to drop a fortune either. It’s about finding that sweet spot.
Also, a tiny tangent… I have noticed some sellers will like, say they have the “updated” batch, but then they send you the old one! So def check pictures of what people are actually receiving.
Speaking of sellers… Where to even *begin*? That CNFANS spreadsheet seems like a decent jumping-off point, linking to all those various sites. I can’t lie, CNfans is a bit clunky. AllChinaBuy sounds sketchy to me, but hey, maybe someone’s found a hidden gem there.
