I’ve only played in one Under Armour shoe so far – the Micro G Clutch – and while it was good in some areas, there were some down sides… mostly traction and ventilation. Under Armour has slowly tweaked things here and there but never really enough to warrant another review… until now that is.
Traction – The traction looks leaps and bounds better than what UA had used the last time I wore something from the brand. This time they have cut away a lot of the excess rubber and left only what is needed. Not only does this reduce some weight but it also allows the traction to hit the floor and the traction alone.
Their Micro G Clutch was a decent performer but the traction grooves were cut into the rubber – leaving it a smooth flat surface with lines cut into it – so it didn’t do too well on dusty court conditions but these look like they could work out just fine.
Cushion – The Micro G midsole is their cushion setup. I think they have been tweaking their formula because the midsole on the UA Clutch was more dense than this one until broken-in whereas these feel broken-in already… something that I will appreciate while playing in them.
I read somewhere that they came with an Ortholite insole… I’m pretty sure this isn’t Ortholite but it is comfortable.
Material – Synthetics are used along the entire upper. It soft yet feels fairly durable so I’m curious to see how it’ll hold up. Just like the midsole, the materials feel broken-in already so I appreciate that greatly.
Fit – They fit snug. Not width wise but length wise… I’m going to say they fit a little short overall so you may want to go up ½ size. I personally like the snug fit and the materials aren’t restrictive feeling at all so I don’t see it being a big issue at all. Once they are laced up you feel secure and firmly attached to the midsole so if the material can take a beating then these could be a solid performer.
Ventilation – It’s definitely an upgrade from the UA Clutch but may not be what most have been accustom to with all these lightweight/ ventilation wars going on amongst other brands. I will say that the perforations do actually puncture the material and the tongue is going to offer your feet the greatest amount of ventilation while the perforations will mostly allow heat to escape.
Support – The overall fit will give you some support but there is also a TPU shank in place along with an embedded heel counter. Pretty basic but that’s all you really need… once you start adding on all the bells and whistles then you see that price jump up quite a bit.
I really like how they feel on foot…. both from a fit perspective and a cushion perspective. I’m going to try and get this review done as soon as possible since this is one of the rare times I have an affordable option that comes from a brand often overlooked… plus they have team colorway and I’m sure you guys who hoop on School squads will want to know if these are on-court worthy.
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You’re right, those insoles aren’t Ortholite. Thus far, for UA basketball shoes they have used Ortholite for only the UA Micro G Bloodlines. Those are a superb comfortable ride.
The traction is the same as the outsole on the micro g juke, their previous shoe. that shoe had a few reviews on the web and i was lucky enough to have a friend that purchased those shoes. the traction was real good, said it was similar feel like the kobe vi, and it also came with and ankle sleeve support that actually supported the foot a little. The shoe sold out tho, it was the same price too. I hope these do better overall.
This shoe from UA looks promising.
Just bn said the traction on the juke was really good, better than the Kobe vi . You’ll really like these nightwing if these feel anything like the juke
Phylon: a heated and compressed EVA foam cushioning compound that is light and resilient. Phylon is Nike’s own patented version of EVA and is more dense than the standard fare due to the heating and compression. Phylon is usually used in the forefoot area of Nike’s midsoles, but can also be used for the entire midsole.
i don’t know why i posted this on an UA first impression but it’s interesting and cool.
if its not ortholite it may be a micro G based insole. i have read in some sites that some shoes from UA’s insole are another layer of micro G.
I don’t think they use MicroG insole anymore.
It was featured in the Black Ice, but there are complaints that it was too bouncy.
Nightwing please do a review on hyperfuse 2012 i really love your riview !!
do you like these for outdoor use? will the traction last enough?