adidas Harden Vol 3 Black/Blue/Grey Basketball Shoes (G26811)

Product Information

They’re nowhere near as stiff now, the midfoot shank does provide strong torsional structure but there’s some flex now to accommodate better step motions, and all that internal padding & exaggerated achilles heel piece made for a comfortable, no B.S. ride. If you’ve had some adidas hoop shoes in the past – these should feel right at home with how the sizing goes. As one could suspect, on accessible courts, the enhanced traction changed into not anything brief of high-quality maintaining average traction rating.

Now, I’ve had these for over two years now, and the solid rubber pair is pretty banged up now. There are a bunch of frays along the lateral & medial sides of the outsole and the rubber looks weary. What I can say confidently is that the Harden Vol. 3 should last you at least a couple of seasons of hardcore outdoor sessions. III. CUSHION Pin image source: adidas.comDidn't have any problems here either, the great fit combined with a wide outsole means stability is good even with it being a super low-top. Although its not unstable, the cushion is pretty soft so if you don't like that feeling boost gives you maybe try it on? It is slightly firmer than regular boost though. I dunno if the strap does anything tbh, didn't really notice it while playing but I like how it looks at least lol There’s also a midfoot plate going from heel to toe which provides torsional structure. A decent choice if you’re a flat footer and need a new pair.

Now, this won’t feel like a “premium” setup to the touch but it does play nicely. Since it’s a textile at its core, we’re getting comfort and it doesn’t take ages to break these in. One gain to having tightly spaced grooves is they had been capable of % on a whole lot of the sample from heel to toe. So, while there has been dirt, and you will be in a scenario in which you cannot wipe, there has been sufficient insurance to subsequently get that chunk you would assume from this form of setup with excellent grip. Sure, you could say that about most shoes but particularly with the Harden Vol. 3, it went from questionable to awesome for me in a matter of a couple of weeks. You can already tell what The Beard and adidas were going for with these – simple, minimal, and straight to the point. That’s exactly how the shoe felt for me. While it doesn’t go all-out in one aspect (like the LeBron 18 cushion-wise or the Kyrie 5 responsiveness-wise), it provides all the qualities most player types will find extremely enjoyable.

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That’s a wrap for the Harden Vol. 3 review! I’ve gotta be honest – the 4th Harden might be a little more comfortable but if we’re talking performance AND versatility, the third one just hits home for me. The shoe felt a little stiff at first, my foot was kind of suffocated in the upper and the midfoot torsional plate also gave an impression that there won’t be any flex torsionally. Anyhow the support is great, especially because the fit is so good and the shoe wraps around the foot it moves so well with the foot, bending where the foot bends, etc. It does have a midfoot shank plate, but the forefoot is flexible(which I liked) The shoe sports a standard lace-and-loop lacing structure and there’s a large tongue for easy entry. Forget about all the one-bootie stuff, while some of those do work, I’d always prefer a traditional construction. Pin image source: adidas.com

So I've been playing very often in the Harden vol. 3 for 2-3 years now, I've pretty much worn the shoe down to the bone, it's not really even wearable anymore lol so here is my review.(My pair are pretty destroyed at this point so it feels kinda pointless to upload photos of it, so if you want visuals here is a 360 view of a new pair, here is the outsole) This shoe is a beast. It's my favorite bball shoe, and I highly recommend it. It released like 2 years ago so it shouldn't be that hard to get. I don't know what more to say lol the shoe is just so good But behind all that is superb all-around performance, a fairly competitive price for what you get, durability for some outdoor action, and versatility.But if you do though – just know that you’ll need to wipe these down a little more often and expect some slips here and there. It’s still fine. Pin image source: adidas.com OUTDOOR DURABILITY Will these make a top 10 most comfortable list? No. But they will deliver in making you forget you’ve got a shoe on while hooping. In a good way. II. TRACTION Pin image source: adidas.com This foam, usually regardless of implementation, always provides some of the best impact protection while keeping a low profile, and the bounce sensation underfoot is something that never gets old with Boost. I was playing around with these for a long time now but the last 2 months were focused on really testing it to put together a review, so you could say these have been in “the lab” for a few years now. SPEC SHEET Pin image source: adidas.com Truth is, it’s impossible for me to accurately pin-point which size you should go with but most people will end up just fine with their usual size.

There’s nothing special about how the Harden Vol. 3 fits or feels comfort-wise but in this case, this is absolutely a good thing.

IV. SUPPORT

This is not an outdoor model but still having fairly solid traction 2+ years later, including playing outdoors, is something I didn’t expect. No, the overall bite isn’t as deadly as it was out of the box but it’s still to a point where it’s acceptable for me personally. The Vol. 4 stepped away from Boost and went with full-length Bounce, which is no slouch. The fifth release in the Harden series saw the first combination of two Adidas cushioning: Boost and Lightstrike. The former was made to be a drop-in midsole with a torsional web bar for stability while the latter was the carrier. Don’t get me wrong – I love me a Harden Vol. 4 (and the Vol. 5 is on the radar too) but if we’re talking pure performance and ability to offer balance to MANY different players, the third shoe is still the king for me. Let’s break it all down in my comprehensive Harden Vol. 3 review– the 2018 hit from adidas. BEHIND THE REVIEW Sure, there are cheaper options that provide about the same thing and there are always much pricier options that have a “luxury” feel to them but if you’re here for performance and practicality, there’s nothing wrong with the build of the Harden Vol. 3. VI. OVERALL Pin image source: adidas.com