The Under Armour Curry 4 Low has landed and we’ve put it through its paces.
the UA Curry 4 Low is Available Now at Eastbay.com
Herringbone is missing from the Curry line for the very first time, and while we love our herringbone, it wasn’t actually missed. The spiral pattern used offers multi-directional coverage for any move performed at any time. Linear coverage is fantastic and lateral coverage is handled very well too.
The tackiness of the rubber compound used (on translucent outsole options) attracts dust like a magnet. Wiping will be very necessary if you play on a poorly maintained court, but when you’re not wiping you’ll still be able to stick until you have the time to clear things out.
(One of the courts I play on feels slick even after its been cleaned — it likely needs to be refinished — and the Curry 4 Low was still able to hold its own there.)
With the translucent rubber playing so well on some terrible courts it makes me wonder how much more awesome solid rubber versions of the outsole will perform. If you aren’t using herringbone, use this, because this was awesome.
Tech specs for the Curry 4 and Curry 4 Low have been vague. All that we have been told is that UA is incorporating a proprietary foam compound for responsiveness underfoot. Whether or not this foam is Charged, a new form of Micro G, or something else entirely is still up in the air.
However, I do know how the cushion felt underfoot and the best word I can use to describe it is minimal. Not quite Kyrie minimal, but minimal enough to allow for court feel and some minor impact protection.
You can always swap out the insole for some additional coverage (I was fine with the stock insole) but this isn’t the shoe for people that need cushioning. Much like the Curry models of the past, these are all about control, court feel, and stability. If those are attributes you require out of your shoes then you’re going to love how these play. Again, if you’re looking for something with a ton of cushion then these simply weren’t meant for you.
What I like most about the midsole tooling used on the Curry 4 Low is that it offers a minimal setup and the shoe owns it. The Curry 3 was super firm and thick for no reason. You rode high off the floor without the benefit of having a well-cushioned ride. That wound up making the 3 feel heavy and clunky underfoot. It was stable, but you can achieve greater stability by bringing yourself down to the floor; that will make you feel lighter on your feet and quicker.
This was not the case with the Curry 4 Low because what you see is what you get. I feel the perfect setup for these would have been this exact midsole setup with the addition of a Micro G insole; luckily, I still have a few of those stashed away from older UA models. That combination gives you a little more feedback from the foam insole while retaining all of the attributes the Curry 4 Low offers.
The materials are the only real change between the Curry 4 Low and high. The high featured a knit lacing area and collar while the rest of the shoe was welded to a synthetic. This time around we have two components to the upper: the inner structure and the outer layers.
Some may be happy to know that one of the outer layers is a true knit that is very stretchy and form fitting. A synthetic overlay is in place over the knit for the second layer which is overlayed at the toe and portions of the midfoot. However, this synthetic is very thin and more of a skin layer used to protect the knit and prevent the upper from stretching too much.
Under the knit is the shoe itself. To my surprise, there’s nearly half of a shoe under there which is something I found interesting. From the lacing all the way to the collar is a fuse-like material with mesh glued on top of it. That’s really what’s doing all the heavy lifting in terms of containing the foot (along with the midsole tooling) while the outer knit layer is mostly there for comfort and to ensure the shoe looks like a shoe.
All of these components worked well with one another and have been fairly durable so far. Although, they show signs of wear and tear almost instantly.
The Curry 4 Low runs very snug. It’s high top counterpart ran true to size, but the interior featured no padding. The Low is a bit different and has an ankle pillow in the rear. This pillow is a bit dense and pushes the foot up enough to make you wonder if you bought the right size.
Luckily, the Curry 4 Low breaks in rather quickly but will remain snug at all times. Given how soft some of the upper is, along with it being generously low cut, the Curry 4 Low ensures your foot and the shoe are practically one and the same.
However, I do believe there will be many that will feel the need to go up 1/2 size. If you’re wearing the shoe casually then that what I would do. For those wishing to play in them, let me know in the comments if you end up going up 1/2 size. Being that the Curry 4 Low fits as tight as it does I’m very curious to know how the shoe fits different people.
Despite being a minimal shoe, and an extremely low-cut low top on top of that, the support is solid. The overall support doesn’t rely heavily on the upper, other than the fit, but more so on the way everything works together. The way your foot rests inside the shoe, the way the midsole is sculpted in the rear and lateral forefoot — all of it works very well together and everything feels very anatomical correct.
If I were to enhance anything it would have been the internal heel counter. I would have liked it to be a little bigger and cover more area. The way it’s implemented currently wasn’t a deal breaker because I love playing in the shoe, but it’s the one thing I feel could have been improved upon.
Otherwise, the way the outsole sits on the floor, moves with the upper, and moves with the wearer’s foot feels effortless.
The Under Armour Curry 4 Low is a very good performance model, much like its high top counterpart. I’d normally say how much I prefer the low top version of *insert shoe name here* but this time around I actually prefer the high top.
The materials are something I feel should have been featured on the high top, but the fit is something that I found to be a bit more comfortable in the original version of the shoe. This is mainly due to the heel pillow. My right shoe broke in nicely but the left shoe hasn’t quite given me the same experience.
If you like your kicks to be snug, and I mean really snug, then you’ll probably have nothing but love for the Curry 4 Low. This is great traction and stability for low-to-the-ground guards that prefers to be quick on their feet.
Just out of curiosity, what would it take for a shoe to receive the “benched” badge for cushioning? I wanted to like the curry 4’s and gave them a fair run, but that cushioning is disrespectful lol! How it could be anything other than straight up benched is beyond me. UA won’t elaborate on what it is, which leads me to believe that it’s the cheapest, nothingest, crappiest thing they could find that would increase their margins. Aesthetically the lows and highs are dope but Curry has tweaked his ankle 3 times now in these after a 3 season run of no ankle issues since his original injuries to the ankles. This is no coincidence!
If you feel it deserves to be labeled as benched then by all means, leave your thoughts. However, for me, this setup is nothing different than other low profile setups such as the CrazyQuick’s which most people enjoyed and did not complain about. For some reason it seems that when UA does something that bigger brands have done they don’t quite get the same treatment. Instead people show bias towards the larger brands and say the Kyrie is for court feel. Which is what they are for as well. Curry hasn’t tweaked his ankle in these out of nowhere. It’s been forced from someone elses foot. Whereas when he had ankles issues in his Nike’s it was sometimes when he was simply moving or landing after a shot. Again, just another example of consumer bias towards big brands vs the smaller ones.
For the keyboard warriors that read anything I type as me being an asshole… I’m not. Someone wrote something and I wrote something back. We’re currently having a conversation — not screaming at each other over something trivial like shoes.
Ok so a couple things (and yes we’re just having a convo, which is good):
– under armour is a billion dollar company that is publicly traded on the stock market so by nearly every metric on earth, they don’t qualify as a “smaller” Brand. Sure their market share is smaller than adidas and Nike, but calling them a small brand is wildly misleading as UA’s resources are not limited at all.
– you didn’t answer my original question regarding what qualifies as “benched” cushioning. I get that UA was tailoring these to a players requests, but they are selling the shoes for everyone to use- therefore the expectation would be that X amount of people would find them comfortable enough to play in and not JUST walk around in because these are considered performance shoes (the jury is still out on sales figures of this model but we both know these aren’t going to break any records even at the reasonable price point). And I get what you want from a shoe is different from what I want. However I don’t think you’re 23 years old and those things provide almost no cushion, so when you say it’s adequate, I dunno to me that sounds like less than “6th man” and seeing as the 6th man by definition could step in for an injured starter (think Lou Williams) and score 50 (shout out Lou Williams!) or in our case step in for a pair in your regular rotation the expectation would be that these don’t leave you wildly sore the following days.
– last thing: Curry tweaked his ankle yesterday in warmups vs the clippers in the 4’s and it was a non contact thing. The original injury against the Pelicans occurred on a closeout, where on the second camera angle it appeared that he stepped on a player’s foot, but he didnt. So like Mars Blackmon would say- “it’s gotta be the shoes” lol!
The conversation thing wasn’t directed towards you. We have a lot of trolls on here acting as if I’m out there biting peoples heads off when they’re simply reading things they way they’d like and not how it was intended.
His ankle is still healing from the roll he did last month. Strength is likely not at 100%. If its the same ankle then it’s more likely to be the ankles strength and not the shoe. Ligaments will be tender for a while, especially during a warm up, until the area warms up throughout a game.
Badges are up to the person and how that aspect of the shoe feels to them. Everything that comes from a review is subjective to the reviewer and not an end-all-be-all blanket statement. If you wanted to know what the benched badge means then you can visit the menu bar and there is a page explaining the badges. There are people that thoroughly enjoy the lack of cushion in the Kyrie models (except the 1 & 4) whereas I do not. I feel sitting lower to the floor feels and plays better for me rather than being on a thick slab of foam and calling that court feel. But again, that is up to the person. One mans trash is another mans treasure. There is no blanket statements when it comes to reviews.
UA sells shoes and products for everyone to use, but that doesn’t mean its been tailored to everyones preferences. Same is said about the LeBron line, or any other line. What works for one person may not work for another. This particular shoe suits a particular need. Looking solely at the score without reading the description which contains the actual information one seeks is misleading. It shows someone is looking for a number and not a description. If you’re looking for a shoe with a setup like the one this shoes offers then you’ll get the 6th man badge. If you’re looking for a setup like this but you want a bit more cushion then this is clearly not the shoe for you and something like the Kyrie 4 would be. Two shoes with the same goal and different approaches as well as two different scores reflecting that.
I’m not 23 but I’m also not sore after playing in the shoe. No more than usual at any rate. Some players are heavy stompers. That could affect their feelings about the shoe and they’d likely give the shoe a benched score. Subjective.
UA is a large public company but they are small in the footwear world. Very small. They may have the resources but you and I do not know what goes on behind closed doors. To say anything as if it were fact and not speculation wouldn’t be right. What they have shown is that they are going in the right direction. May not be the direction you like but from what I’ve seen I feel it’s right. Hiring the right people is the first step and they’ve been doing that. Guys are leaving the larger brands left and right to brands that are actually innovating. You may not be seeing the results just yet but thats whats happening.
Fair enough, however I wasn’t looking for a number in the review, just a better understanding than what’s defined as “benched”. It’s still pretty vague even after reading all the badge descriptions, but it is what it is.
You mentioned that “luckily” you still have some micro g insoles from older models stashed away.
The need/want/suggestion whatever you wanna call it to modify the shoe from its standard issue retail state to a more forgiving one kind of implies that something is lacking, at least in your opinion.
Furthermore UA’s hardline stance to not give details about the cushion is a little dubious. I guess they’re under no obligation to elaborate but what’s the big secret? It’s obvious that there is almost nothing there and the cushion isn’t a selling point, so why the secrecy from them? I know this isn’t an isolated incident and brands will withhold certain info about shoes but this doesn’t happen frequently with a brand’s highest profile athlete…
Those are questions I have as well. I have been blunt about me questioning the reason and the secrecy as well. Both in writing and verbally in videos. I think being open and honest with consumers is the best way for them to decide. Unfortunately, there is no brand that offers that which is where a proper review comes into place. Assessing things and then giving an opinion based on their experiences.
Yes, there can be times when if someone is adamant about buying a certain product even though its not what they really need. When things like that happen modifications can be made to better suit the person’s actual needs. Mentioning these things I feel adds more information rather than withholding it. I’ve done this with all brands. Whether it be adding an insole to the Hyperdunk 2017 or original Hyperfuse to provide better cushion or adding cushion where its missing. Something sizing up because their feet are wider than the last the shoe was built upon etc.
Don’t forget the part where I critiqued the shoe and said “I feel the perfect setup for these would have been this exact midsole setup with the addition of a Micro G insole.” Context is key when quoting someone. One single word out of a full statement is dubious in itself.
For sure. Context is key, and to your point, your suggestion that improvement could be made, just further strengthens my belief that the cushion on these qualifies as benched, generally speaking.
But again it’s your opinion. Everybody has rectums and opinions, right? Lol!
Exactly lol. You think it’s bad and I think it’s good enough while letting people know there isn’t much cushion.
Just hopping onto this, UA has actually updated the product information on the Curry 4s, and as suspected by many, it states that it’s simply plain EVA
They look like trainers :/
I went with my natural size in this color way and the forefoot was tight right out of the box. I played in them once and the materials broke in. Now I’m glad I got my true size because half a size up would’ve been too big for me
how does this compare to the kobe 11 em? if at all.
Kinda wish the highs had a more elaborate heel setup like this. It’s pretty bare in that version and you’re mainly counting on the elastic knit material to keep you locked vertically. Also got a bit of dead space laterally.
It could boil down to foot shape and general way we all individually make cuts, but the forefoot got sloppy (for me) on the medial side after the break-in. It’s interesting that the Low revises the lacing to reach a bit lower, as well as revises the materials. Overall still playable (and actually comfortable tbh), but not quite the ideal fit I imagine others are getting out of it.
What do you use to wipe dusty outsoles?
I was trying these on in stores, and I typically wear 9.5 for basketball shoes. But when I put on the 9.5 I felt pinching on top of my forefoot and the top of the eyelids when I tie the shoes down. I tried on 10 and I felt no pinching and it was still slightly snug. My question is, should I get 9.5 and maybe the pinching will go away? My fear is that although the 10 feels better with no pinching, once I break it in, the shoes may not fit like they should. Any thoughts?