The Curry 8 is something of a puzzling shoe for me — I love it, and I hate it. In reality, Dan is the recognised Under Armour expert [editor’s note: that’s kind of Clinton to say, but I’m not really much of an expert at all on Under Armour sneakers; I’ve just been fortunate to have been tabbed to promote them for UA Australia], but alas here we are — the second fiddle, telling the tale of two shoes.
Perhaps more accurately, the tale of two selves.
Traction:
There are no two sides to the traction. It’s tremendous, the “Flow” foam compound sticks to wood like a dream, and wears evenly outside.
It’s top tier traction, perhaps legendary and unequivocally the best thing about the sneaker. End of story.
Cushion:
Here enters my personal dichotomy. Before the torn meniscus [I’m currently rehabbing my left knee], I found the cushion lacking. There isn’t much in the way of impact protection, so when I’d go up to dunk, I just didn’t like coming down.
It’s much softer than the Curry 7, and a massive improvement from last year. I liked it very much, but felt there was still room for improvement.
Now, after my knee injury [yes, I’m playing as much as I can in spite of my doctors advice], I can’t jump in the same way. For the time being, I’m forced to play below the rim. With that play style, the cushioning is perfect.
You don’t need more, so the shoe doesn’t give you more. For the vast majority of people playing basketball on this planet, it’s a below the rim affair, and the Curry 8 is built perfectly for that style of play.
Fit:
The sneaker fits a little short, at least when comparing it to Nike’s current range. I have the 13, and it fits well when laced up tight; when it’s loosened off to wear casually, my toes strike the end.
In the mid-foot it fits a little wider, but the sock-like construction of the upper at the ankle may make it difficult for wide-footers to get on.
I highly recommend trying this shoe on unless you’re confident in your size.
Support:
Herein lies the other aspect of my dichotomous experience with the Curry 8.
The first few times I played, I was fighting the shoe. I’d plant my foot hard for a change of direction and the shoe just couldn’t hold me. The knit wasn’t strong enough and the synthetic overlay didn’t come up high enough to hold me either. Instead of stop and go, I was experiencing stop, lag and then go.
I’m slow to being with, so I don’t need that.
After my knee injury, I was incapable of planting that hard. If I did, I’d be on the ground regardless of what shoe I had on. My knee just couldn’t hold my weight [whilst bent].
So by playing slower with the ball, and moving smarter without it, I was able to get all the buckets I needed — without having to punish the shoe. When I played that way, I loved the Curry 8.
Materials:
The knit upper is fantastic. I love the way it moves, feels and looks, just not how it performs so much. It’s a beautifully made shoe.
The “Flow” foam is super comfortable, tacky and wears evenly; an absolute win for Under Armour’s R&D department.
The only material I don’t love is the synthetic used for the overlays. They look amazing, but could offer more support.
There is one thing I hate though. The massive pull loop on the back of the shoe actually wraps around to the inside of the shoe. So if you don’t have a high enough sock on, it will feel extremely weird, and potentially cut up the back of your legs. A weird oversight from an otherwise extremely well put together sneaker.
In conclusion — I really like the shoe; I don’t love it. That’s due to the lateral support — it just should be better. Fortunately, it looks like they’ve taken that into consideration for the Curry 9.
So this is my recommendation: Are you a big guy? A heavy guy? Play with power over grace? If you said yes to any of these questions, look elsewhere.
On the other hand: if you’re a lighter guard, who plays below the rim, relies on ball handling and shifty footwork over hard, powerful change of direction — go for it, you’ll love it.
Thanks for reading!
~ Clinton aka Phoenix, for HS.
Price:
The Curry 8 Flow retails for US$160 (CA$190, AU$220)
Weight:
The Curry 8 Flow in a men’s size US 12 weighs 403 grams (14.2 ounces)
Score:
2.5/5 OR 4.5/5 — this shoe is either great, or a waste of money — depending on your play style. An incredible dichotomy.
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