adidas will continue to tweak the Harden Vol. 1 for as many iterations and builds as it deems necessary. The latest swaps the full-length Boost cushioning for Bounce.
The upper has also changed — gone is the nubuck and Primeknit. Both materials have been replaced with a well-ventilated layered mesh. The toe shroud has also been removed in favor of a small leather toe cap, and a large tumbled leather shroud wraps the midfoot from the medial to the lateral sides.
The use of leather retains the Harden’s affinity for natural materials while the outsole hasn’t changed — a good thing, since it received the Starting Five mark in our performance reviews.
The Bounce cushion should provide a different feel than Boost — it’ll probably be a bit more springy, but we’ll only know for sure when/if we get them on-court.
The adidas Harden B/E is on retail shelves overseas but there is no word on when or if this new Harden build will land Stateside. If it did, would you pick it up? Let us know.
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I own 4 of the Vol 1’s, they are the most comfortable and stylish basketball shoes I have ever worn. But I will not be picking up a pair of the B/E’s if they come stateside, the replacement of bounce for boost is simply a horrible call. That boost foam is the most comfortable material I have ever worn when it comes to basketball shoes. The other brands haven’t figured out a way to replicate the feel of the boost foam. Ill be waiting for the Uncaged version of the Harden 1’s.
This is likely a budget version of the shoe.
I believe so, I hope any budget version of a signature shoe should retain its traction coz that’s the most important one, you will hurt your ankle if it has poor traction though
Anyone reminded of the KD VI?
Becomes a less attractive shoe, but at least they reinforced the lateral lace eyelets.
Searching through web i’ve found some info for the B/E ‘s . .
A HARDEN-INSPIRED SHOE THAT PAYS TRIBUTE TO HIS ROOTS.
Preseason, you’re a team. Mid-season, you’re family. These juniors’ basketball shoes are inspired by the words James Harden lives by, “Brothers Through Everything.” They have a patterned air mesh upper with textured leather overlays for extra coverage as you Euro-step your way through traffic.
BOUNCE™ cushioning provides enhanced comfort and flexibility
Air mesh upper for maximum breathability
Textured leather toe and midfoot overlay for protection
Comfortable textile lining
Asymmetrical lacing system for maximum lockdown and support
Rubber outsole inspired by the geometric Fibonacci sequence to engineer tread pattern for ultimate grip on court
Textile and leather upper / Textile lining / Rubber outsole
Honestly I think these might even be a better performer than the original hardens*
*if you dont care about cushion at all
I have the harden 1s xeno and they’re an amazing pair but the problem i had with those is that they felt too bulky for a lowtop for me. They were heavy (in fact heavier than some high tops out there), and definitely not the lightest shoe (due to “premium materials and boost cushion”). The harden 1s also felt hot after awhile (no ventilation whatsoever with the toecap and no holes on the upper)
However, this budget model comes in with the same design (same traction, shape) except that it looks considerably lighter (cheaper, less premium materials = less weight) and that ventilated mesh upper looks so much lighter than the original premium upper. Bounce might be even better than boost in this case because you can actually feel the bounce with the Bounce, but the boost in the hardens is too responsive imo and you cant feel any bounce.
Again this is just my opinion, I dont value cushioning for my knee or feet that much and im all about traction and lightweight soo thats my basis for saying such a statement, but if we’re taking it into account then the boost cushion would obviously be better than bounce in terms of impact protection.