I finished testing the Adidas D.O.N. Issue 2s a couple of months ago, right around the time my son Miles was born.
It has been difficult to prioritise writing this review, but with the D.O.N. 2s being out for over a year now, and the D.O.N. 3s having now being released (I actually have a pair of D.O.N. 3s on the way as we speak), I thought I should really write a review — especially with me having done the performance testing.
As with the late review of the KD13s, I believe this review should be able to inform your decision on whether to get the D.O.N. 2s and/or the D.O.N. 3s (just like the KD13s and/or KD14s), because you should be able to expect similar fit, cushion and overall performance.
Before we get into the review, a couple of programming notes:
- We have a performance review of the Nike Cosmic Unity by Clinton coming later today;
- I got the Anta “Go Crazy 5, Sweep 3” in today, so that will be the next performance review from me;
- I eventually hope to review the D.O.N. Issue 3s as well as the 2s, but we’ll see how it goes.
Alright, let’s get into it!
Traction:
- Tacky rubber
- No squeak
- Good bite across indoor & outdoor surfaces
- Rubber compound feels firm & durable, and suitable for prolonged outdoor use.
Cushion:
- Full-length Bounce foam midsole offers a consistent ride from heel to forefoot
- The foam offers a stable base with good impact protection
- There is enough feedback from the foam balanced with just the smallest amount of spring-back
- Best described as a “neutral” cushion, but this is a very good thing as it’s well-rounded and should offer something for all different players
- Overall really, really good cushion set-up.
Fit:
- The D.O.N. 2s fit true-to-size; they fit like a traditional Nike, slightly on the narrow side and more narrow through the mid-foot
- Wide-footers will want to go up half-a-size, and there’s not such an excessive amount of length up front at the toe to where this will be an issue
- Normal footers can consider going up half-a-size if they like a bit more wiggle room, but if you like a snug fit and your toes to be at the edge of the sneaker, then go TTS.
Support:
- Support on the D.O.N. 2s comes from all the usual features of modern performance basketball footwear
- The midsole foam cups & cradles your foot, especially at the lateral forefoot for those hard side-to-side movements
- Synthetic overlay materials aid with the lateral containment
- The forefoot base is wide and acts as an outrigger
- Internal heel counter
- The heel/Achilles area of the shoe is extremely well padded and heavily sculpted, so it really feels as if your heel is sucked in and locked into place. For a low-mid sneaker, the D.O.N. 2s are extremely supportive.
Materials:
- The materials are quite decent, considering this is a $100(US) shoe
- You have textile mesh and synthetics, but the mesh is nice and is almost like a knit, while the synthetics aren’t too shabby either
- The mesh used at the forefoot reminds me of the “Forged Fiber” material Adidas use for the Pro Bounce 2018 and Harden Vol. 2, which is just textile mesh reinforced with stitching overlay. It’s a material I really like, and I enjoyed it being here on the D.O.N. Issue 2.
That pretty much takes care of it for my thoughts on the D.O.N. Issue 2 from Adidas.
Little bit of a different style for the review today, but I think it quickly and accurately gets the information across.
The D.O.N. Issue 2 is a great overall shoe that does everything pretty damn well. They are an excellent value proposition as a $100 shoe, and if you can get a pair on clearance now that the 3s are out, I definitely recommend that you do so!
Stay tuned for the Go Crazy 5 Sweep 3 review, and I’ll talk to y’all soon — thanks for reading!
~ Dan aka Hoops Sneakers.
Price:
The Adidas D.O.N. Issue 2 retails for US$100 (AU$180)
Weight:
The Adidas D.O.N. Issue 2 in a men’s size US 11.5 weighs 474 grams (16.7 ounces)
Score:
I give the Adidas D.O.N. Issue 2 a score of 4.7/5.
Hoops Sneakers 