The Curry 6 kit. Accessories not included. Some reassembly may be required
Curry is amazing, simple as that. Watch the Warriors without Curry and they are an Uber talented team but man are they hard to watch. Lots of isos, no real flow to the game other than KD going to work. Put Curry back in the game and you see a beautiful flowing offense (usually) with about 10 oohs and wows per quarter from Steph doing Steph things. “Ruin the Game”, the Curry 6 mantra, harkens to commentators, analysts, historians, ex NBA players, and other old curmudgeons complaining about his 3 point shooting. But the thing is, he doesn’t just shoot 3’s. His finishes around the rim, in the paint, and floaters is just as freaking amazing as his ability to shoot from the logo. Go ahead and go try to make ten floaters moving at full speed and see how many you make. Is it the shoes? Absolutely not.
Pros: traction, firm cushioning for guards, stability, containment, 🔥looks
Cons: some very occasional wiping needing on dusty floors, needs break in to reduce heel slip, slight heel slip still an issue for me due to design. (See fit for my partial remedy), lace pressure, dumb split sole design will lead to breakage
Best for: guards who want firm cushioning and traction
Sizing advice: true to size length wise, regular and narrow footers can go down half a size. Really best to try on, sorry too many fit issues
Buying advice: wait, HOVR might be new but it doesn’t do anything significantly better than Charged. These are sitting everywhere. $110 or less is fair, bottom around $70-80.
Weight
13.5 ounces or about average weight for a low. The Curry 3 Low weighed 13 ounces for reference.
Traction
“Split sole design”
I don’t think you can make a more appropriate name…yes mine have begun to peel after two weeks. It has not peeled to the point where I need to reglue but it will get there eventually.
You can see where is starting to come up slightly but like a loose thread, it’s going to come off eventually since that’s where the majority of foot pressure is when I cut or stop
Kids will buy anything marketers throw at them and thankfully most of my readers are adults. The split sole design is supposed to work somewhat like independent suspension so more of the sole is touching the ground. Does it work? I guess I’d need a glass floor and slow mo camera to tell you for sure but , it doesn’t work any better than the Curry 2 so who cares. Splitting up the rubber outsole doesn’t do much if the midsole and shank are still stiff. Looks cool though and yep mine are starting to loosen in the corner and in my opinion that’s just a a combo of possibly weak glue and a design issue. If you give the floor or ground an area to grab onto when you stop quickly, especially where the majority of your weight is, you’re going to have some tears and rips. If you don’t cut or are just wearing these casually you’ll be okay. UA customer service has been good for me in the past and I’m a nobody like everyone else.
This isn’t the first time UA has had soles falling apart. Yours truly had to send a pair of the Anatomix Spawn 1 back to UA due to a similar issue. The Spawn 1 had a segmented outsole similar to these and they changed the design because of this issue.
Notice the left pair is segmented while the right pair is all interconnected. This continued on with the Spawn 2.
It isn’t a big deal if you’re handy with Barge Cement or Shoe Goo but who wants to do constantly reglue a shoe or worry about it when you play a tourney? Cool looking idea, bad idea in the long term.
I will say traction is excellent on the Curry 6 with a great bite on all surfaces with only very occasional wiping. Definitely the highlight of the shoe for me.
Well done UA from a traction perspective, not well done from a design and QC perspective. What’s the saying? Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.
*2/18 Steph shoes are fixed 🤦♂️. 🖕UA, I feel bad for those people who don’t know they can contact UA and possibly get a resolution*
Cushioning
If you read my Havoc review, which you probably didn’t unless you were just reading it to read my review (ain’t nobody looking up HOVR Havoc), I was not impressed at all by HOVR in the Havoc. The Curry 6 features full length HOVR this time around and although the outer midsole looks like it’s covered in the “Energy Web, it’s just added texture and design. So much for that need to keep it in the “Energy Web”. #marketingbs
It feels like just a plain old midsole foam so my guess is the HOVR is encased inside. If the outer midsole is indeed HOVR, I guess it didn’t need that Energy Web after all.
Anyways, HOVR on the Curry 6 feels like ….drum roll please …Charged.
If you’re expecting Boost, React etc, you will be disappointed but as a fan of the Curry 2, I have never had issues with the HOVR, I mean Charged. New name, new tech, same feel and result as the Curry 2, 2.5, 3 see UA can play the retro game too!
Foam strobel standard insole
Not much “energy return” or spring to the cushioning set up in the forefoot and some in the heel in the heel. I don’t mind it since I love the Curry 2, but if you want Boost or Zoom feel look elsewhere. Like I said in the Havoc review, I believe the the plushness of HOVR is based on the foam UA pairs with it, not the HOVR itself, that’s why the running line feels so much better than what the b-ball line has offered so far. I guess zero gravity feel is only available on the running line 😂.
Overall, it feels like Charged on Curry 2-3 which I like but it’s disappointing in the sense that HOVR was supposed to be a new and improved cushioning set up but instead it feels the same as older models.
Fit
The Curry 6, if a mullet were a sneaker. Great clean fit up front, sloppy in the rear
I would say I am shooting about 20% on UA lows. As I always say mids are almost always a safer bet when it comes to fit but let’s face it, 99% of the world isn’t buying the Curry 6 for hoops.
I had no issues with the fit up front with the right amount of space in the toe and no space side to side. But heel slip was very bad to begin with even half a size down. Three factors are really hurting the heel fit with the Curry 6, some of which may or may not be by design.
1) stiff midsole. The midsole foam carrier along with the speed plate is very stiff so it takes break in time to get the shoe to move with you out of the box. I used the ol’ accordion method to speed up the process of break in but it never got quite perfect because there are other factors at play.
2) wide ankle collar. This may or may not be by design since Steph uses a Zamst A1 DX. Although the A1DX is flexible it takes up a lot of space when you put on a shoe. I put it on and it reduced heel slip a lot. Players with wider heels and ankles will should be fine with these after break in. A traditional tongue and top eyelet placement would have helped..
3) top eyelet placement
You can see how much higher and further pack the top eyelet is on the Kobe VI. I included the Curry 3 low just bc I know UA can do it right
Once again another shoe company experimenting with minimal eyelets. The top eyelets are too low and only hold the foot down and don’t pull the ankle and heel down and back like the best lows do. The sock portion of the shoe is supposed to pull the foot down and back but once again the ankle collar is too wide.
Per usual, I looked at the idea of making extra eyelets but there really isn’t a good spot to add more without risk of tearing so i did this instead
Double lace through the top eyelet. It takes some experimentation to get it right but it helps somewhat. *warning, the laces really stays locked in place so you will need to adjust often to get the right feel without cutting off circulation*
Oh did I mention the lace pressure? Clamping it down was just plain painful because there is no padding in the tongue at all. But if you wear a Zamst or ankle brace or swap out the laces you should be ok since you’re foot is covered..hey at least we know it’s Steph’s shoe.
To remedy the lace pressure I added some mole skin and double socked which helped fill the wide ankle collar for a better fit but it never quite got to Kobe level.
Overall the fit is fine up front, really sloppy to start in the heel and gets decent eventually but definitely not locked down like the Kobe VI or even the Curry 3 low. Once again another shoe I had to adjust to not the other way around. Fit should not be teetering on the thickness of a pair of socks and should be really more adaptive.
Materials
Knit with fuse some fuse underlays. Once upon a time knit uppers were rare and considered premium but as we all know it’s mostly for profit. This knit feels similar to the 4 and 5 and has a lot of fuse underlays for strength.
Fuse underlays looks like cardboard. It’s on both sides FYI
Basically it’s the 4 but reversed. It isn’t crunchy and doesn’t need break in. The toe box is pretty much pure knit FYI.
Support and stability
Support is minimal and comes from the fit and heel counter(s). Heel clip and the asymmetrical midsole add a decent amount of support for a low.
Midfoot suooort is great since the “speedplate” is very stiff but it breaks in eventually with play.
Stability is excellent thanks to an extra wide and flat outsole.
Almost as wide as the Curry 4
No issues at all with support and stability. I’ve been saying a stable shoe is more important than a supportive shoe for a few years and the new wide outsoles and fewer tippy outsoles shows me my instincts aren’t wrong.
Containment
No issues here. At least UA gets this right consistently. The raised midsole, synthetic underlay on the lateral side really help keep the foot in place on hard cuts. Who would have thunk it?
Conclusion
“Best Curry ever” I’ll bet lots of people will say that but I am not one of those people. I’m not even sure if it’s in the top 4 quite frankly. What area does the Curry 6 do better than the Curry 2 which is still my standard for Curry’s.
Fit? Not even close
Traction? Fairly Close
Support and stability? Similar
Containment nope? Similar
Materials ? Who cares
Cushioning? Nope, just because it’s new tech with a cool new name and slogan doesn’t mean it works any better. It feels so similar to Charged to me that I feel like Ua just changed the name. Olefin doesn’t seem all that explosive in my curtains and carpet 😂
Looks? Yep it does look good
Hell, the I think the Curry 3 and 3Zero2 has the Curry 6 beat in almost every category except maybe traction.
If you’re truly in it for “performance” do yourself a favor and buy the Curry 2 or 2.5.. or even the 3 or even the 4. I’d take all of those over the 6 while saving me some money at the same time. If you really love the looks of the Curry 6, don’t worry buy the colorways you like. New and sexy sells simple as that.
As for pricing, aside from the limited releases, these are sitting around in cyprespace and can be had with no problems. Look on Stock X and you can get these for under retail easily so expect the same to occur at retailers especially after the initial release hype dies down. Fair is $110 or less, bottom around $70-80. The Curry brand holds some weight while the UA brand does not. If you don’t believe me, go look at all the non Curry b-ball shoes sitting around at all your favorite sneaker shops. There are plenty of other options out there that I’d take over these at the $130 retail price point, most recently the Kyrie 5, Harden V3/v2. But hey if you’re a a Curry fan like me, there’s only one Steph.
The Curry 6 is far from perfect but at least it has great traction and is is very stable but the constant lace pressure, heel fit, and a really dumb outsole design will not allow me to give it a first or even a second team rating and this is coming from a super Curry fan. Oh well onto the Curry 7 come June.
Funny enough, my experience with the 6s so far have actually been pretty positive. My last pair of Currys (Curries?) were actually the 2s, and although the traction and fit was very nice, I just never really enjoyed them. I actually didn’t like the cushioning much, and I will always have a bias for lows. With that said, all the problems you mentioned you had with the 6s, I’m not surprised at all. Even though I personally didn’t have any issues, it’s pretty easy to see why lots of people will get heel slip or lace pressure from these. My main gripe with the current trend of basketball shoes is the one booty upper and overuse of knits. When it fits your foot (thankfully these do for me), these designs feel awesome. But the fit is just too finicky to fit most people, and the booty design and knits don’t allow for a comfortable and customized fit for most people. If the shoe doesn’t fit you to near perfection, you’re basically SOL. And in regards to the cushioning, the 6s to me do feel better than the 2s, so my guess is it’s probably a QC thing with their foams (hey, even Boost and Zoom can feel different on the same models but different pairs, like your HD2016 mid vs low), which of course, isn’t ideal as well. I felt absolutely no cushioning with my 2s, but the 6s I feel are pretty nice for me. I’m also a lighter dude though, so there’s that. Anyway, thanks for putting in the work! (and Nike needs to drop those BB4s ASAP)
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Glad they worked out for you. I think the 6 looks great so all is not lost for me. I’ll keep balling in the 2 . One size fits one just annoys me, I could go up to a full size with the PG2 and be totally fine since it’s a traditional set up.
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Schwollo-
You don’t understand how appreciated your unbiased reviews are.
The loudest, most arrogant, know it all and biased sector of the shoe review community is out here giving “first team” ratings to this shoe, while you’re 1000% spot on with the “third team rating”.
I know a lot of people appreciate the work you put into this without any compensation or YouTube ad revenue… but I come to to the comments section every few months just to reinforce how grateful I am for your efforts! Thank you so much for keeping it honest!
Salute to a guy that can’t be purchased!
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Amen
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AGREE 1000%.
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It’s pretty funny that people used to think “all serious bball shoes should be hightops” but nowadays most bball shoes are lows. I blame Kobe 4’s popularity for this era.
Lowtop + thin n soft upper + minimal padding + minimal lacing is like a perfect recipe for fit issues, and that’s exactly how the majority of bball shoes are made today.
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Yep. Lows are great if you get the right fit. Nike does it best by far, adidas is getting there and UA just hasn’t worked for me.
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Exactly, a major goal of my testing badminton / tennis shoes is to find some other companies that can put out great fitting lows constantly. Recent nikes like Kobe AD mid and exodus have some fit issues for my feet, mid’s upper being too thin and exodus’ midfoot being too narrow (I have fat flat feet). Adidas is certainly catching up tho, not perfect but very much acceptable.
I’ve come to a conclusion that most basketball shoes are designed with off-court use in mind instead of on-court performance. Some of them may perform great like the marquee boost (loving them), but often times things don’t work as all performance oriented shoes should.
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I think that we have to blame Steve Nash for the low-top basketball sneakers! He was the one who has started the low-top era!
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Low tops can be done right but UA and Adidas are a few steps with the fit. I think the Kobe IV was the catalyst for lows although Nash was one of the first !
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Hey schwollo nice review per usual. Just wondering what happened to the pro bounce review cos I think the page could not be found whenever I click the link in my email updates and it’s not on your home page as well. Thanks!
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I didn’t finish writing it but it was on my scheduled posts lol. Great shoe !
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I’ve been waiting for Probounce review from you just to see how you like it. For me It’s one of the best if not the best perfomer of 2018.
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I liked it a lot easily the best bang for the buck shoe.
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Wow…UA so close yet so far once again. Does it mean the Marquee Boost Mid will get the nod for SOY then? I’ve decided to face reality and come to terms with the fact that I won’t be able to play in guard shoes only anymore and mines have been dreamy so far.
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It’s going to be an adidas shoe just not sure what . I like the tmacs hardens v2/3 also. Protro In top five though
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Hovr has been disappointing for me
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Great review as usual Schwollo.
Like Thebe said, your unbiased reviews are the reason why this is easily the best site for performance reviews. It’s easy to see this is a labor of love and to help others who share the same love for the game.
With Steph being one of your favourite players, it would be easy to write a favorable review on these. But nope, you give us honesty and I think everyone appreciates that.
Quite disappointed with this shoe. Love the looks but just everything else seems like it’s too much of a hassle. Was a big fan of the Clutchfit drive and Curry 2’s and have been waiting for a Curry shoe to bring me back but these are not it.
Too old and I have too many foot issues to deal with so much headache lol
Keep up the great work
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Haha thanks Dw! I really wanted to like them but man they are just too sloppy unless you wear an ankle brace. The sole design is going to cause UA some headaches . HOVR has been junky for me so far as well. Oh well curry 2 works awesome still and I’m stocked up anyways. Hope you’re staying warm in Canada!
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Will you be reviewing the new Westbrook shoes? I’m excited to hear how those shoes test out!
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I plan to!
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How do you apply/use shoe goo in a way that it doesn’t get messy? Tried to use it on old Jordan XI and they look awful. 😂 Thanks!!! Looking forward to your reviews!
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It is sloppy . I usually scrap the excess off after I apply it as soon as I can then I take off the dried excess by just peeling it off. Barge cement is much easier to work with but my results have been mixed with it. YouTube it and you’ll find some really good techniques
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Longtime lurker. Love your reviews! I do got some quick questions for you 🙂
I heard the marquee boost was too flat in the front of the shoe making it hard to run. Is this true?
Is the air jordan 31 low solid rubber better or air jordan 32 low? Also heard the 31 and 32 both had containment issues. Are the 31 low’s still in your top 10/.
Does the crazy explosive 2017 solid rubbers perform well?
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I don’t know what too flat in the front means but no no issues
32 low sticks better than the 31 solid but not by much
No containment issues in either though the 31 could be better if it had a taller raised midsole. The 31 low is still in my top 13 since I had to make room for a few new additions this year.
Ce 2017 works better than translucent by a little bit imo
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“Too flat in the front” affecting heel to toe transition. Running shoes curve upward to help make running more natural, but basketball shoes do this also to a much lesser extent. I’ve heard from friends that the entire outsole of the Marquee Boost low is super flat like a brick with minimal curving at the front, which is great for stability but makes transition clunkier.
Also, why don’t the CLB 18 get more love? They fit large but its just a better CLB 16 which was shoe of the year if not for insane heel slip.
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No no issues with heel to transition not clunky at all.
I gave the clb18 a second team solid shoe all around especially on sale. Fit wasn’t great didn’t have time to try half a size down. Really just the clb16 with new eyelets like I already made. Hope that helps
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I really like how these look but still waiting on a cw that really grabs my attention.
2.5s are still my fave of the line performance wise. Visually the 4s were my fave but I could never play in them much because it just didn’t have enough cushion for my personal taste. These 6s are prob right up there visually but I’ve yet to try them out. A bit worried now because usually I find my personal experiences align close to your reviews.
I skipped the 5s just because I couldn’t get a good fit plus I just disliked the way they look too.
Are you gonna be reviewing the return of the anatomix spawn? I’m pretty excited they’re bringing that line back
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You’re not missing out on anything lol
Spawn by name doesn’t look or sound anything like the original . I might grab a pair but not sure yet
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Once again a very informative and to the point performance review! Under Armour has made huge progress as far as the design of their performing models is concerned but it seems that they have some serious issues in the building process of their newest silhouettes. Personally speaking, i am eager to see the Zoom Freak 1!
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Haha who isn’t waiting for those ?
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Hi, why the shoes get such a high scoring since half people are complaining about splitting soles? How many of you had issue with falling of the sole?
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You’d have to ask them not me. Sole ripping is a real problem if you look at ua.com reviews
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i got them 999999999999999 years ago and im dead.
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