Curry Flow 8 First Impressions

Not only is Stephen Curry returning from injury to lead the revamped (and unfortunately Klay-less ? ) Golden State Warriors in the 2020-21 NBA Season that starts this month (!), he’s also launching his own brand. And he’s starting his own brand, aptly named the Curry Brand, with his 8th signature basketball shoe, the Curry Flow 8.

And while people online are arguing about how profitable the Curry Brand will be and whether it can measure up to the brands of other famous athletes, we could care less. We just want his brand to produce awesome, high performing products.

Below, you’ll find a first look and detailed tech specs on Curry Brand’s first product, the Curry Flow 8. We’ll break down everything from the press release and give our initial thoughts. However, there’s one big caveat. Once we get the shoes in hand our first impressions can change quickly. Keep checking back with us as both detailed on foot looks, performance teasers, and a full performance review are all upcoming just as soon as we get the shoes.

Buy Under Armour Curry 8

Cushion

The Curry Flow 8 introduces a completely new cushion, UA Flow. The new foam is a collaboration between Dow and Under Armour. The two companies also worked together on UA HOVR. UA Flow was originally slated to debut on UA running shoes, but once Steph weartested an early version of a UA Flow midsole, he challenged his team to include it in his next shoe.

That story reminds us of when Penny Hardaway saw a sample of the original Foamposite in Eric Avar’s bag and demanded it become his shoe. Hopefully the UA Flow tech ends up just as iconic.

Here are the words from the press release on the new cushion technology:

“High Energy Return: The Curry Flow 8 provides amazing energy return without compromising durability, protection, and performance.”

WearTesters Reaction: The Curry 6 and Curry 7 were fantastic basketball shoes. But they both lacked one thing, bounce. If the Curry Flow 8 can deliver a bouncier midsole, it could potentially end up as the best Curry model ever.

Traction

The Curry Flow 8 doesn’t feature a rubber outsole. The traction is built into the UA Flow midsole. Here’s what the press release says:

“Traction: UA Flow contributes amazing ground traction on-court to the Curry Flow 8 with abrasion resistance similar to carbon rubber, with no skidding, no slipping, and no squeaking on the hardwood.”

WearTesters Reaction: This is a huge risk. Here at WearTesters, we like brands taking risks. Playing it safe can lead to some boring ass shoes. But, we’d be lying if we said that using a foam-based cushion and a non herringbone pattern didn’t make us a little nervous. We’ll be paying special attention to both traction and durability in our testing.

We do, however, appreciate a big shoe company backing up what we’ve said for years, that traction squeaking doesn’t mean anything in terms of grip strength. So while it’s risky, if UA Flow really grips like carbon rubber and shaves off the weight of a rubber outsole…we’re in for a treat.

Materials and Fit

The upper is reminiscent of the Curry 6’s knit build. This is what the press release tells us:

“COMFORT: The Curry Flow 8’s upper features two layers that work dynamically and independently, which allows the foot to move more freely while still being protected.”

WearTesters Reaction: We love knit uppers as long as there’s enough support. We don’t anticipate any problems if the foot sits slightly below the top of the midsole, the rands on each side help with containment, and the heel counter/lacing combo keeps us locked down. And we know one thing, the pictures make the Curry Flow 8 look like a really comfortable shoe. If the colorways are snazzy, we could see the it having casual appeal.

Overall Curry Flow 8 First Impressions

The Curry Flow 8 is super intriguing. Under Armour even says it’s “the brand’s best performing basketball shoe to-date”. Those are bold words. You can be sure we’ll find out if they’re true as we put the shoes through our typical testing process. Message us on Twitter with your questions and we’ll do our best to answer them in our reviews.

And keep your eye on the site and our YouTube channel. If you do, as soon as we get the Curry Flow 8, you’ll know. And then you can follow along as we put all the new tech to the test.