Nike Renew Elevate 3 Performance Review

The big draw of the Elevate line has been the implementation of Nike’s Renew foam cushioning. Renew is the takedown version of React, both of which have proven to be very effective cushioning setups.

Nike Renew Elevate 3 Spanish Review

This year’s version maintains the previous model’s price tag and made some upgrades aesthetically. But, how did it perform on the court? Let’s jump in and find out.

Traction

The traction is the shoe’s best feature. The sole features a mix of herringbone and a radial traction pattern which gives decent coverage on all types of changes in speed and direction. The rubber is on the harder side and the grooves are deep which makes the shoe a good option for outdoor hoops (as far as the traction is concerned). The sole wraps around the toe, heel, and lateral areas of the shoe to give extra coverage on more exaggerated push-off moves in all directions.

There are two sections cut out of the traction pattern to allow the foam cushioning system to expand when compressed but they didn’t affect the all-around traction in my experience.

One slight drawback is that the grooves on the sole do accumulate dust after a while, but a quick wipe down is enough to get the traction biting the floor again.

Cushion

The cushion is decent, nothing amazing, but serviceable. In the previous model, Nike used a dual-density foam setup that featured a full-length slab of Renew foam as well as EVA. In this version, however, Nike skimped on the Renew and just used a thin, 3/4 unit. But, admittedly it still works well.

The Renew is thickest in the heel, and that’s where you will feel it the most, especially if you tend to heel strike. The forefoot is much less cushioned, but there’s plenty of court feel and responsiveness. I played with these a lot outside and I was able to stay on the court pain-free for about an hour. Anything more than that and I was hurting the next day.

Materials

The materials are easily the worse part of the shoe and affect the shoe’s fit and support, but more on that later. The shoe’s upper consists primarily of a soft and stretchy woven material that requires no break-in time. There are a couple of fuse overlays in high wear areas and two synthetic leather overlays on either side of the heel of each shoe. The woven material is reflective as well and makes the shoe look greyer in hand. All the design details are stitched into the shoe.

The shoe doesn’t look or feel bad in hand but once you start playing in them the upper turns out to be too forgiving to offer great support or fit, which leads us to the next category.

Fit

The Nike Renew Elevate 3 fits slightly long, and the soft woven upper creates significant dead space in the toe box of the shoe. I ordered a size 12 and I could have easily gone down half a size.

The extra length and the dead space on the toe are a bummer because they allowed my foot to slip forward on hard stops and jammed my toes into the front of the shoe. If this has ever happened to you before, you know how bothersome it can be, and how not fun aching toenails are.

If I had a better fit, it’s possible that this wouldn’t have been an issue, so if you can, go in and try these on or try half a size less than usual.

Support

The support on the Nike Renew Elevate 3 worked well enough, but it’s no all-star in this aspect. The shoe has a very wide forefoot with outriggers on either side which provide a solid base and no tipping. There is also a heel cup and two lace cables on either side that help keep your foot locked into place.

The problem with the support, was again the fit and materials. The materials stretch too much to contain your foot on movements with high torque, and the extra space allows your foot to slide down the footbed.

The wide base, lace cables, and heel counter compensate for a lot of these deficiencies, and the shoe does not feel unstable or unsafe in any way.

Nike Renew Elevate 3 Overall

The Nike Renew Elevate 3 is an ok shoe, nothing special in my opinion. If you are looking for a budget basketball shoe and these guys ring your bell aesthetically, then go right ahead. They will not disappoint you. But, I will also say that there are better budget options for similar pieces out there. Even if you want to stick with Nike, for practically the same price you might prefer to go with the Nike Air Max Impact 3 or the Nike Giannis Immortality. I do think the Nike Renew Elevate 3 looks better than either of those models but to each his or her own.

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