It must be the shoes right?
I’ll just get this out of the way: Best traction I’ve ever used. Although I could only get on a semi dusty court it might have well been clean as a whistle because it didn’t matter. If you’re a traction ho like me this might be the shoe for you. Traction is pretty much the whole reason I starting looking at shoes and I think I can stop looking in terms of traction now. However, as fantastic as the traction is the rest of the shoe needs a little work. But damn so so close.
Pros: traction, traction, traction, traction, nice blended cushioning, very comfortable overall
Cons: Upper is too stretchy and does not hold foot and ankle back (bruised toes). A little tippy, ok containment, pricey
Sizing advice: go up at least half a size. I think a full size would have been more comfortable for my toes. Nobody should size down unless you’re a masochist
Best for: smaller guards
Buying advice: $160 come on UA/Curry. Wait for sales don’t worry UA already did their fake sell out on first colorway $ 120 is fair, bottom around 75-80
Weight:
Not really what I consider super light but on par with most lows.
Traction
I don’t have access to a dirty gym right now just a semi dusty gym. If you don’t know the story of Flow, the midsole and outsole are all one piece and made out of the same material. It definitely feels like a quality foam with some spring to it (about time UA) The outsole has different depths and micro teeth so you get some clean contact at all times which I really like it’s as if the Rose 7 and Kobe AD’s had a baby to make this pattern.
This stuff just sticks like crazy. I went around no sliding (by myself of course socially distanced with a mask) for a good 1.5 hrs. I switched to some Harden V4s and had to wipe after ten minutes. Aside from not having to wipe the bite is just bulldog strength. I don’t get floored by traction often but damn. UA PLEASE PUT THIS PATTERN ON EVERY SHOE GOING FORWARD.
*one of my followers on IG said it is not good on dusty floors but I don’t have access right now so 🤷🏻♂️ *
Cushioning
Flow feels very good and is the best blend that UA has put together. Not too hard and not too soft (that’s what she said?). The best description I can think of is a thicker Dame 4 w a little more bounce yet denser feel. I know a lot of people think bounciness equates to energy return but it doesn’t so that’s why say I say bounce adds fun. There is no such thing as energy return just look it up it’s Physics 101.
Like all foam set ups, it needs volume to feel good and these sit a lot higher than something like the Harden V3 or 4 or any Curry for that matter. Most Currys sit around 20-23mm fwiw. Switching shoes out you’ll feel a difference right away but if you’re not switching shoes you’ll get used to the height.
While we all have our preferences, ride height doesn’t really affect anything but it is worth noting.
Overall, If you’re expecting Zoom or Boost you’ll be disappointed but imo it finds a very nice blend and is definitely an upgrade over HOVR and of course UA’s “proprietary foam” on the Curry 4 and 5 aka EVA. I don’t mind a firmer ride but I do like some bounce and feedback so these are right in my wheelhouse.
Fit
I bought both my regular 11 and 11.5 and the 11 had my toes at the end of the shoe. 11.5 fit like a 10.5 so I just swapped out my socks to make it work. If you have to wear thicker socks go up a full size.
Right out of the box there was no heel slip no major dead space no excess movement side to side.
However, as nice as the shoe fit, the materials and design of the shoe allows too much stretch and not enough tensile strength and my foot constantly rammed into the front even doing drills by myself.
The toe box has some fuse reinforcements below the knit so yea no fun for my toes. Overall the fit is good but so is the fit of a pair of socks. The Curry 8 is one of those socks with a sole type of shoes which isn’t my preference. I think If I worr some Zamst I’d be ok but hey it isn’t my shoe.
Material
I admit I’m old school as I come from the age of leather and patent leather and leather and saw the evolution to synthetics to fuse and to knit and mesh. PR might say it s for Mother Nature but we all know it’s about $$. Anyways the knit is nice I guess it’s like very prime knit feeling ? Does anyone ever care about knits anymore ? I’ve noticed almost all hoop shoes have moved to mesmmesh or reinforced mesh or an
Anyhoo, the rest is fake plastic leather ala AJ XI style to help with containment. Word to the wise patent works better than this stuff.
Support and stability
Support is non existent since it’s a sock with a sole and if you’re Steph you got the Zamst on so no need for any extra support since it’s maxed out already. The outsole is very wide overall and had a curious design as well.
Instead of adding an outrigger in has an “inrigger” I guess to help with pushing off the inside of the foot.
The outsole is curved slightly to promote a natural gait but I feel like it gave up some stability in the heel to do so. But since it is extra wide it almost becomes a wash. Very Kyrie esque if you ask me. Compared to my Curry standard the Curry 2, the Curry 2 is easily more stable and supportive especially when it comes to tipping. I guess UA wanted a smoother feeling shoe which I cannot deny they achieved. I’d still like an outrigger though.
Containment
Not the best not the worst. The rand does a decent job but I could still push out of the shoe since the upper overall is flexible and strength. Thankfully it isn’t JC2 or Melo 12 bad but it could be better. Not an issue overall though.
Conclusion
At $160 Steph and UA think a lot of Steph’s brand. Does he need his own brand ? I mean honestly he already is UA basketball. Lebron doesn’t have his own brand yet neither does KD but I guess UA needed to separate Curry from UA to allow other UA hoopers to shine. (Other as in Embiid might be the right word).
I can buy over two KD12’s almost two KD13’s and almost a pair of Jordans at retail for the Curry 8. $160 isn’t bad but UA isn’t Nike or Jordan so they shouldn’t be pricing it quite that high. The big appeal of Curry and UA in 2014 was getting a sig shoe of a game changer for $120-130 bucks but as his stardom and titles have grown so have the sneaker retail prices. I think $140 is the absolute max UA should charge for a Curry but hey what do I know, I’m just a consumer. Add in the cheap plastic rand and heel counter and I just don’t see a $160 premium shoe other than the Curry name.
*Speaking of which of you don’t follow my IG, I had a hell of a time with UA. First there was a 25% off with Apple Pay so I tried it and didn’t get a discount even though there were no restrictions. Chatted with CS for a good thirty minutes so he gave me a code that said it would work since he “couldn’t adjust the price” 👌. Of course I tried the code and it didn’t work on Currys. I also sent back the original pair and haven’t gotten a refund a month later. The overall UA experience has sucked but sadly I expected it. *
Overall the Curry 8 is so very close to being great. I understand it is supposed to feel like a running shoe and it definitely does feel like one but to a fault. I absolutely LOVE the traction and I enjoy the shoe but sadly I want a shoe that does everything well and that’s where the 8 falls short in a few too many categories especially at $160. Once they starting hitting sales at $120 -$80’ish I might grab another pair but I’m in no rush since gyms are basically closed for a few more months.
Overall I’d give these a second team rating, almost a first team but definitely a 🐐 status for traction.
schwollo.com 
Nike epic react with fake leather sidewalls. Upper design is pretty bad aesthetically and functionally.
I also hate that new SC logo.
UA needs real designers.
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Pretty good description there lol
Agree 💯 about their sorry designers.
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I like the overall silhouette of the shoes, looks personally doesn’t really matter to me as long as they perform great.. but yeah that logo straight up looks like a chinese brand (plus the “premium” panel, and the stars and the lettering ICDAT or sth like that at the back doesn’t look good lol), I do like the idea of the logo but it’s one of those that should be scrapped cause it can’t be executed very well.
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Word. The very first time I saw these, I instantly thought of the Epic Reacts. I have a pair, and I love running in them, and there is now way I’d try to hoop in them.ord.
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Whats your rank in the currys now
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Curry 2/2.5 still tops 7, 3, 4 and 1, 6 and 5 I think
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Oops forgot the 8. Not sure where it sits bc of the foot sliding. Maybe right around the 4 and 1 spot. But that traction is so nice I’m not sure
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Outside of this being the best cushioned Curry, would you say perhaps the 6 is next in line? Looking to try and find some for cheap if the forefoot is thick enough and there isn’t too much court feel (currently playing the Lebron 17 Low and love the height and thickness of the forefoot).
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No I hated the Curry 6 . One of two worst for me. Sloppy fit cushioning was poor . Curry 7 is good though
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Very interesting, most reviews I’ve read/seen said the exact opposite (especially regarding the HOVR). Thanks for the heads up and for this fast performance review!
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It was awful for me very firm too
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Sloppy fit you name it
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This kind of ball shoes is what I have always wanted to have, cause in theory it sounds fantastic : basically a epic react flyknit (my all time favorites) with traction for ball, good cushion not too hard not too soft (that’s what she said!), knit upper + reinforcements for containment and lockdown.. but yikes, that $160+tax just pretty much killed the excitement, obviously UA is looking to be like Mike (how much did Jordan priced the Jordan 1s? I can be wrong) .. charging $160 for the first one of the line.. Anyways I will wait a year for these or at least until the Curry 9 (or Curry 2?) comes out, cause suckers are those that pay full price for shoes, right? Also you’re right, personally with $200 last month, I snagged about 5 pairs of shoes (Curry 4, Jordan Superfly 2, Epic React, KD13 and KD12, guess how much for each, lol). Great review as always, wasn’t expecting it to come out this early though.
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Also Curry last night just shows that it ain’t the shoes lol haha haha.. *sobs*
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Granted he’s got a big load to carry. Fun to see him play like Steph again though
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Ha I had it it done earlier but had no time to write . Harden v coming soon it’s a doozy
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Oh so you actually played through all the negative stuff I’ve heard about them lol? Every single review said they were either going back, being sold, or rocked casually.
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I have been . Pretty awful
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Yeah, the concept sounds pretty good on paper, but I doubt that they can execute it especially since it’s adidas. Anyways do you have any plans for picking up new ball shoes? I’m looking at the Lebron 18s, Kyrie 7, especially the 18s’ cushion, they sound pretty damn good but that price tho 🤮
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No I only bought this to check out the new “tech”. Didn’t buy anything in 2020 and probably very little in 2021. No point if court time is so limited.
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How does the traction and cushion hold up compared to the Curry 2?
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Only played semi dusty but better than Curry 2. Cushioning is softer too .
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Love your reviews man. I too have a pair of Zoom Soldier 6 that are barely holding on. Have tried so many different shoes the last 8yrs that just don’t do it for me the way the soldier 6 (and kobe 6 and OG Zoom BB, my top 3 shoes all time) does.
Any suggestions on new/current models that give me that low but bouncy feel in a light-ish shoe that is also super stable? (Currently in dame 5 and trying Jordan React Elevation)
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Wait for Kobe 6 protro. Kd 12 is a good way to go for that zoom bb feel and is lighter as well. Hard to find any recent shoe w big zoom bags like the soldier 6.
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Thanks man, yeah Kobe 6 protro for sure, hopefully I can snag one. Unfortunately KD12/13 toe box runs a bit too narrow for me.
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Try sizing up half a size you’d be surprised how quickly you get used to a slightly larger size
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Wait what about the PG3? IIRC you really enjoyed the zoom in those as well as the traction.
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Yea those are good too. I was just working off the top of my head .
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Is the containment worst than on the KD 9s/10s?
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No much better than that bc of the rand
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That traction is really tempting..i hope they change the upper for the next Curry9 and retain the tooling. But If I see these dirt cheap towards the end of the year, I might grab a pair just to check out that traction.
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They aren’t going anywhere so good idea.
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What shoe sits the same as the curry 8?
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Probably something like a lower sitting Lebron
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Pretty much as expected, except the GOAT-level traction 😅👍 Curry’s have been hit or miss for me since the 2s, and as usual, I ain’t paying retail for these. Thks Schwollo for taking one for us 😉
Performance-wise, I can accept a shoe that’s not quite up to mark, but I can’t accept shitty customer service, and sadly UA seems to have one of the worst in the business; sorry to hear about the shoddy experience 😑
It really shouldn’t be so difficult to say, “oh, the Apple Pay code didn’t work? Let me make some calls and get back to you”, then make sure it WORKS. If that’s not possible, then give one that DOES; expecting a client to pay premium for a sig experience, than leave it short by giving crappy CS is just unacceptable.
And when we return the kicks, it shouldn’t take more than a week to give us our money back; hell, you took the damn money pronto when we swiped our credit card didn’t u 😓
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Yea no excuses for poor customer service. Never had a return take this long to show up .
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Got mine. Traction is as what Schwollo says.
Bites likes no other shoe I’ve ever tried.
Luckily for me the foot sliding is not an issue, so this is pretty much the goat level shoe for me.
For me the traction is so dominant that it does make me play quicker.
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Traction is king ! Glad they worked out for you .
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is it pretty high off the ground?
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Hi Schwollo! Are you planning on doing a performance review on the puma clyde all-pros? They’ve gotten rave reviews from other reviewers. From what I’ve gathered, they seem to perform similarly to the curry 8s but with better lock down/containment. I look forward to your thoughts if you do ever to hoop in them!
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No plans to at this moment not enough court time. Might as well wait till time to hoop again for real
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Interesting that the traction actually works. Is this the first time? I remember one of the Answers (3?) having it and my cousin said the traction was trash. Reebok also had it on one of the last Kemp shoes. If Flow cushioning is more like react and way less than Hovr (which was really bad in the Havoc 2), it might be a decent shoe. Not for me, but for somebody. teres
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Are you reviewing the Embiid 1? 😀
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No I’ll wait for clearance if anything. Looks solid all around though
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Thanks for the review! This shoes look great! Would you recommend ankle wraps (e.g. Adidas Adizero Speedwraps) to wear with the shoe or does the shoe already have enough support?
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I think it is just stable enough but you can definitely experiment and see what works best for you. I’d personally wear one just in case since it is almost tippy.
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I had to go up a full size to a 14 and my toes are still at the edge. I can see how these can really bruise your toes any minor jab in a 13 hurt my toes like crazy. I’ve always had fit issues with Curry’s and a 13.5 is nearly impossible but the 14 seems like it’s a better option especially with the cushioned socks I wear. Have no where to play at the moment but traction is crazy good and I really like the cushioning even though I’m not really a foam guy nothing is better than zoom to me but overall a very comfortable shoe might be the most comfortable in my collection could end up buying more.
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Yep sizing is really small length wise. Definitely a comfy shoe though and fun to see Steph being option 1 again in them
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These of the first clutch fit drives?
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I’d go w these based on traction alone
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And cushion wise?
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I’d give the nod to curry 8 s
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