The fourth installment of James Harden’s signature sneaker line with adidas has a lot of expectations to live up to. The adidas Harden Vol. 3 had amazing traction, excellent cushioning, and was definitely one of the best on-court performers that came out over the past year. Will the adidas Harden Vol. 4 rise to the occasion or was its predecessor just too good of a basketball shoe?
The traction on the adidas Harden Vol. 4 is incredibly solid. It has exceptional floor grip and it’s definitely got you covered on all directions. Is the traction the best we’ve seen? Probably not, but it’s not something you can brush off either. The quality of the traction is up there with the best and I loved how it felt on the floor every time I put it on.
Sure, dust can get in the way of that at times but all I need to do to remedy that is some light wiping. After that, the traction will be back to gripping the floor nicely.
I was skeptical at adidas’ decision to go with the change from a solid rubber midsole with a herringbone pattern to a Lightstrike foam midsole with storytelling traction. I personally think that the solid rubber outsole is the king of traction in terms of performance. You can say that I’m biased as much as you want but it has the track record to back it up. Thankfully, I was proven wrong this time.
Cushion
The Harden Vol. 4’s cushioning system is Lightstrike, adidas’ latest cushioning technology. The Lightstrike foam was developed with the goal of balancing lightweight cushioning and responsiveness needed for the movements of the game while providing lateral stability.
The cushion was surprisingly comfortable. I never got to play in the N3xt L3v3l, so this is my first time experiencing Lightstrike and I can confidently say that I like it in the Harden Vol. 4. And even if it’s not as plush as Boost, it still has a good balance between impact protection and responsiveness. The midsole also sits low to the ground so court feel isn’t compromised at all.
The overall fit and lockdown of the adidas Harden Vol. 4 is on point. Whatever size you’re used to getting with adidas, I suggest you go with that. The shoes fit really well and I particularly loved the elastic band that goes around the top of the midfoot area because you can definitely feel it locking you down onto the footbed of the shoe. It helps give you that one-to-one fit
The adidas Harden Vol. 4 features different materials depending on the colorway. The colorway we got to test featured a Primeknit build on the upper with some synthetic TPU overlays placed on the high wear areas for protection. However, some colorways of the adidas Harden Vol. 4 like Pink Lemonade and Barbershop feature more premium materials for the overlays like suede/nubuck.
The materials have little-to-no break-in time and they’re pretty much ready to go out of the box. It wraps around the foot nicely and flexes as much as your foot needs.
The adidas Harden Vol. 4’s attributes all work together to give a supportive ride. The shoe sits low to the ground while the wide base helps prevent sliding within the shoe, basically acting as outriggers that cage your feet in.
You can also customize the fit with the lacing panels while the sculpt of the sock liner and the heel counter keeps your heel locked in.
Overall, I think that the adidas Harden Vol. 4 is a great addition to James Harden’s signature line. Despite the decision to suddenly switch to Lightstrike, adidas was able to keep all the things that was so great about the Harden Vol. 3 and improve on them with the Volume 4 with high quality materials, solid traction, comfortable yet responsive cushioning, and an excellent overall build.
At a price of P 7,000, the Harden Vol. 4 is definitely a premium sneaker but if you’ve got the money to spend, I definitely think you won’t regret grabbing a pair.
If you’re interested in the adidas Harden Vol. 4, make sure you check out your nearest Toby’s Sports store or visit Tobys.com.
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