Adidas Harden Volume 2 Midway’ish Review
Written by schwollo
*Full review is done and can be found here.*
So I picked these up last week have been playing in them since last Thursday. I might put them through the ringer in a tourney this weekend but I’ve got to see how good the floor is (or how bad the comp is)
Weight
17 18.5 ounces. If you like lightweight well sorry. I wrote down the wrong number earlier.
Traction
Flat surface, sticky rubber, no flex. This has translated into slip and slide on dusty floors.. It stops and grabs wonderfully when clean or humid though. It grabs better than the V1 but it also picks up more dust. Fingers crossed it gets better.
Cushioning
More Boost! I really like how this is implemented. More Boost without instability. The set up feels pretty dense but still smooth. Your foot actually sits a few millimeters below the exterior line. It feels more dense than the CLB16, Crazy Explosive and Harden V1 during play so far and I think that’s by design. More time in these and I’ll have a better assessment.
Oh and like the McRib, the cloth strobel is back.
Sizing:
Regular and narrow half a size down. Wide footers true to size. Not quite as long as the V1 but still long in the toe box.
Fit
I think these fit differently than the V1. More padding and cushioning on the inside just let it hug the foot a little better but I still have a teeny tiny bit of heel slip.
If my foot could sit 2 mm lower I’d be set with zero slip. Once again more time may help.
I tried playing around with the lacing system and aside from the last eyelets, moving them around did nothing. Lacing the last eyelet with the “lower” set gave me some crazy lace pressure pain but I’m still experimenting.
Speaking of pain watch out for the Harden Logo it is pointy and sharp.
It’s probably how I tie laces but I jabbed the logo under my fingernail twice while lacing up. Forget about drawing fouls, these can draw blood.
Materials
This might not be called Primeknit but it feels and looks premium. Just the right balance of flexibility and strength. No pinching or popping.
Support and stability
Very good so far..The rear outsole/external heel counter is rock hard. Seriously, there is no bend but it didn’t affect fluidity thanks to how the sole is contoured.
There is also an internal heel counter in the sock so you’re double covered.
Stability is fantastic. The ultra wide outsole feels super stable like I’m sitting in a boat of Boost. These are wider overall than the Dame 4 but not clunky at all.
Containment
No issues at all surprisingly. This TPU piece really keeps the flex in check
So far I really like the shoe even though it isn’t perfect but it is really enjoyable as long as I wipe. The very minor heel slip isn’t enough to detract me from wearing them or distract me while playing. I’m going to give it more time to break in and see how if things improve or change. I’m sure other reviews will be out by then but look out for my full review next week. Keep bearding
Which traction do you prefer: Harden Vol. 2s or Dame 4s? The Dame 4s will be our team shoes for the upcoming Gauntlet but I am worried about their traction, especially since I do not want to take chances with the floors being dusty or not.
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I’ve been wrestling with this one. V2 grips better when wiped or clean dame 4 requires a little less wiping but issnt as grippy. I’ll let you know when I get them both on the same floor same day but I’m leaning toward v2. Dame 4 as a team shoe is a nice team shoe !!
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More dense than CLB16? Man I might pull a trigger on this..but the traction tho
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Yep it feels soft when walking but feels firms up when playing like charged is supposed to feel like (not that firm though)
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Hey, this kind of “midway review” would be a good idea. Because after reading the review, anyone can ask you to compare it to a specific shoe and you can let them know when you “get them both on the same floor same day” for reference. And you can have a little bit of versus between this guy and that guy… and there will be less “is the traction better than abc and xyz…
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Thanks, I had some spare time and wrote this up. No reviews yet from the big boys which is kind of weird so I thought I’d try and help out. Played again in them yesterday and heel slip is better but not totally gone. Traction was great again but played on a clean floor. Cushioning is definitely firmer than last years. Still a very enjoyable shoe .
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Yeah I thought it was weird that up to this point there haven’t been any other reviews of these yet. Really odd. When you say there’s a little heel slip do you mean like Foamposite heel slip or harden v 1 heel slip? Also I just wanted to say that I 100% appreciate the integrity you’ve maintained on this site. I always know I can get a BS-free review here. None of the lame agendas and none of that “I’m gonna pretend that [insert shoe name] isn’t straight trash so that they can keep sending me free product” crap. Thank you Schwollo!
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It’s very slight. Harden V1 heel lockdown is better . Appreciate the love !
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It’s funny you’ve mentioned the “big boys”. It’s clear to me no one wants to be the first to put their reviews out there no more because the big thing right now is “we actually test it for 2 to 3 weeks” etc blah blah blah…if you’re the first, you get a bad rep since you’re not really testing it. I get it, you got to really play in them on different floors, on different floor conditions, wait for the materials to break-in…I get it. But this forced hide and seek game is so phony. As soon as the first one goes online, we’ll see a flurry of them. Meanwhile, we come to the best site on the web (yours) to get the truth.
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Haha I think some ppl just got their pairs while others have had for weeks. These will be a love hate kind of shoe imo. Too stiff and heavy for a lot of ppl . And thanks Dante you’re awesome !
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I had a really hard time with the V1. For me both fit and comfort gave me an issue on those. Can you tell me: 1) how does the transition feel?from my reading it seems a bit clunky due to the cushion and weight. 2)flat foot bed or arch?not all of us can get shoes in hand to try so maybe you can mention that somewhere in future review. would highly appreciate that! 3) since you compare the boost here like charged foam on the curry. would you rate these a little better than the Curry 2 cushion?or about the same?as always appreciate all the great work you do and keep em coming!
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Transition is smooth even though it’s heavy for a low. Cushioning is stiffer than older models but is still smooth as well. Flat foot bed and I had no arch pain like last years. I like this cushioning feel wise better than charged but I still love my curry 2 more overall. Review is done just need to write it up btw
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These sound relatively promising. The only bothersome aspect to me seems the weight of the shoe, but it’s really not that big a deal.
Side question: What shoe(s) do you feel offer a wide/stable base that also offer excellent traction. Just coming back from a pretty severe ankle sprain, and like the feeling of the wide and stable base.
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It is heavy relatively speaking but not an issue for me. Curry 2 why not all wide both wide and. stable
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Are you gonna test out the CLB 2018?
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I’m not sure. Looks exactly the same except a diff upper and extra eyelets like I did. Depends how bored I am I guess hahha
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Hey Schwollo, mines arrived today. Once again I’m glad I went TTS because these things are snug as hell, which is something I really like! Maybe my once narrow feet are getting wide, idk man…Can’t believe I’ve had 2 straight adidas shoes with such amazing fit (Dame 4 being the other) going TTS on both. I guess I’m on A roll. This will most def be my recovery shoe for 2nd legs of back to backs when my legs are feeling the effects of Father Time rather than Father Prime. The only thing that you can’t help but notice is the weight. Good gosh they’re heavy, I mean…Shawn Kemp circa 99 heavy. I wonder if this will have the opposite desired effect and kill my tired legs for good once I’m tired.
PS.: all of the reviews are out on the wild at once! Just as I predicted…
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Haha yep. They are snug but I think adaptive. My wide feet fit true to size and stretched out over time for a more comfortable fit. They are heavy in hand, a lot of friends held them in hand this weekend during our tourney. And yep the reviews are coming out all at once alright mine is done just writing it up. I like it more than the v1 but not so sure everyone else will.
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I’m not that sure the weight will play that huge of a factor as well. But it really caught my attention once I took them out of the box. That’s why I felt the need to emphasize it LOL. I will play in them tonight, let’s see…and I do agree with you regarding the Vol. 1, the V2 has a much more natural fit, V1’s toe cap and laces killed them for me.
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The weight is fine but I know lots of ppl want light weight. I had no issues all weekend in them.
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