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How do you like my PEs? 

 
The UA Anatomix Spawn has been popping up at discount stores like Marshall’s and Ross for $39.99 so I figured I might as well write my review on them since I played in them when they first came out. I recently picked up the lows and was pleasantly surprised. 

Traction

I have never had a good experience in these when the floor was dusty. Every  experience had me on skates.Other reviews I have read raved about the traction but I never felt they grabbed the floor as well as UA’s other models. 

  
On paper, and just by looking at the traction pattern, you’d think these would be ridiculously awesome but I found these to be only average.  On clean courts these work well but what shoe doesn’t ? I constantly had to wipe and never got the bite I wanted. What a tease. I think the problem is the grooves are too close together and the rubber isn’t very pliable.

  
 Very similar to the Lillard 2 but not as sticky on clean courts. Unfortunately, I had to shelve these because of the traction alone. 

*UA had modify the pattern and fill the “gaps” on the outsole because there were a lot of cases of the outsole falling apart. The Spawn 2 is made without the “gaps” *

Cushioning 

Full length Micro G with a Micro G insole.

There is a distinct slope from heel to toe in the Spawn and it does take some time to get used to or at least prepare for the slope… Otherwise it feels a little awkward and annoying. However it goes away once you get used to it. 

  
The forefoot isn’t as thick as the heel to enhance court feel. 
It’s been awhile since I wore the Spawn and they feel fantastic. I think these feel denser yet just as responsive as the Clutchfit Drive set up.

Fit

The Spawn had one of the lamest marketing campaigns I have ever seen 

The shoe that becomes your foot

(I wish I could find the print ad)

Really? That’s all you could come up with ?
  
 I will say that there is actually truth in UA’s marketing because the fit is amazing. A really good litmus test of an exceptional fitting shoe is how well the shoe fits when you go up half a size or a full size. I bought my normal size 11 and these fit perfect and gave me my normal finger width of space. Recently I found some interesting colorways that were 11.5 so I decided to buy them anyways and surprisingly I fit these just fine as well even with a little extra toe box space. 

  
No heel slippage , no deadspace in the toe box in either size. 
UA was able to achieve this fit by mixing fuse and mesh perfectly. 

Well done UA !
Support and Stability 

The fit definitely contributes to the support of the shoe but the Spawn Mid feels much more supportive and restrictive than the Clutchfit Drive. Keep in mind this was the first shoe Steph wore with UA so it makes sense considering he was coming off ankle injuries.

First and foremost contributing to the extra support is the heel counter.

   It is much stiffer than the Clutchfit’s heel counter and really keeps the foot locked in place. 

The upper is a blend of Fuse and mesh and the Fuse is placed only where it is needed.  
There is also a TPU frame running throughout the shoe to mimic the bones and tendons in the feet (at least according to marketing material) but I can’t complain because the shoe is definitely supportive. 

  
 
Lastly, the arch of the medial side is built up to keep from rolling the ankles inward. Some people may like this while others will not. 

  As an over pronator (flat feet ankle rolls inward)  who does need this, I did not like it at first but I got used to it and should actually play in these more to keep everything aligned properly. 

Stability is good as these passed my heel test. Not as stable at the heel as the Curry Two but gets the job done in this regard. 

Containment 

Since UA used Fuse where needed, containment was excellent. Slightly raised midsole helps keep the foot contained as well.

   No sliding out of the shoe on hard cuts at all. If the upper were made of mesh or woven, I would have slid out a lot more. 

Conclusion 

Under Armour had been making great shoes for a few years but the Anatomix Spawn and Steph really helped put UA on the map (relatively speaking of course since UA has barely made a scratch into Nike’s share). If I played on pristine courts I’d wear these a lot more but since I don’t, I can at least enjoy staring at them. Everything about the shoe is fantastic (especially the fit) except the traction on dusty floors. The colorways are amazing as well, especially the PE’s.

This is one of the few shoes that I actually prefer the lows over the mids because I found the mids almost too protective. 

If you can’t find the Spawn I, the II isn’t a bad option although I don’t like the upper nearly as much. UA replaced it with a full synthetic rather than a blend of synthetic and mesh and while the fit was good,  it just didn’t feel as natural with weird flex points. I’m sure a big reason for the change was due to durability of the mesh. Everything else remained the same though. You can still find these at outlets like Ross and Marshalls for under $40 which is an amazing deal for a shoe that “becomes your foot”.