Adidas Harden V4 Volume 4 Performance Analysis and Review

Is this how I feel about the harden Vol 4? Read on..or just scroll to the bottom you bum.

Pros: traction when clean, cushioning fit stability containment

Cons: outsole rubber is very sticky picks up dust and needs to be wiped to stay tacky, some initial pain from strap they goes away. Can easily over tighten laces due to lots padding

Best for : any position

Sizing advice: these look huge on foot but lots of interior padding so go true to size or half size up.

Buying Advice: wait as always especially with uber discount combo of Harden and Adidas. Adidas has a 20%-30% off sale almost every month and get ready for a bunch of Adidas shoes from China at the outlets. Fair is $100, bottom around $50.

Weight

 

Adidas touts these as the lightest Harden ever and they are …but then again every Harden have been over 16 ounces. The V4 is slightly lighter than past Hardens At 15.5 ounces which is on heavier side for a low but at least a marketing claim is the the truth for once.

Traction

Fibonacci where art thou? Oh the silly marketing stories people make up and believe and push. So much for tracking the Beard’s movements to “optimize” performance. 

I found the traction on these excellent when clean or freshly wiped although there are some slick spots around the medial edges thanks to zero texture as seen above. On dusty floors I didn’t have any major issues although it would pick up dust but I wasn’t on skates and a wipe would get it back on track. There is definitely more flexibility with the grooves on this pattern than what we saw on the V1/2 and the rubber is tacky so that all contributes to how well it worked for me.

Overall these are great on clean NBA floors and good enough on dusty floors so that’s good enough for me. I’d rank these #2 behind the V3 overall followed by the V2 and V1.

Cushioning

Lightstrike strikes again and will probably keep striking from here on out.

Adidas and Harden decided to take a step back or side step (pun intended) by moving away from Boost and using Lightstrike instead. Supposedly Lightstrike is used in place of Boost to save weight and while the shoe is lighter we can’t tell if it’s due to less actual foam or the the actual weight of the foam (I’m guessing the latter).

Normal foam strobel board and plenty of padding around the ankle

Lightstrike is very comfortable and I didn’t miss Boost at all during play but it’s just another foam. Wasn’t one of the benefits of eTPU (Boost) durability and extended life since it didn’t flatten out ? I do not expect Lightstrike to keep that fresh feel for long but then again I rotate my shoes a lot. Overall Lightstrike reminds me of fresh Lunarlon with a little Micro G in it. It’s a great feeling foam that plays low to the ground. I guess it’s worth the $10 price cut ? If you love Boost I suggest stocking up on Vol 3 bc I have a feeling Adidas hoops is moving away from Boost just like they have moved away from premium materials. Adidas’s sales numbers rose mostly due to running and apparel not b-ball shoe sales.

Fit

Portrait mode on iPhone 11..

I suggest true to size or half a size up.

These look huge on foot but that’s due to a lot of materials and padding. They run slightly long (not crazylight or marquee boost long) but just a tad. The shoe fits very snugly and due to all the padding you can easily over tighten the laces like I did the first time out.

suggested that back with the CLB16

There is zero heel slip almost right out of the box thanks to properly placed top eyelets, a slightly higher overall cut and plenty of internal padding.

There is zero movement inside the shoe also thanks to plenty of padding so you are locked in in every direction. It’s almost uncomfortable at first because shoes have gotten away from padding and I over tightened the laces the first time I played in these. There is a strap that digs slightly but into the bottom of the ankle but they goes away fairly quickly. It does make the midfoot fit a little tighter than the rest but overtime that strap will loosen up for any foot shape.

Well done Adidas, I’ll take my cut for the design in the form of a retweet ..oh wait I need Twitter.

Materials

Mesh and suede panels. Sure ?

Nothing offensive or outstanding about the materials, pretty much par for the price. I think a lot of people loved the perceived value of the Harden V1 but as usual as the Harden line has gone from new to oldish in three years, materials have gotten cheaper feeling. Still no issues with materials. No pinching or weird flexing so

Support and Stability 

Support is actually kind of there due tor he higher cut and firm heel counter

I think stability is where the V4 really shines. Just wide everywhere without feeling unnatural.

It does take a wear or two to get used to the width but geez it’s worth the safety. It’s somewhat set up like the old Feet You Wear (or BYW) which some may like but it’s not overly flexible especially midfoot and back for midfoot support and it allows a nice balance between stability and flexibility.

Well done Adidas!

Containment No issues here
Conclusion
Other than some small slick spots with the traction, I really have nothing bad to say about the Harden V4. Outstanding traction when clean, great fit out of the box, very stable and safe feeling plus it’s $10 less than last years? Geez Adidas, if only retail was the bottom of the V4 pricing…
Although Boost is gone on the V4, I really didn’t miss it and Lightstrike provides plenty of feedback and bounce to make running up and down the court fun. I really don’t like the styling of the V4 but maybe that’s the old curmudgeon in me who likes simpler styling. I think Adidas finally got it right with the V4 in every aspect especially stability. All in all, I think this is the best Harden Adidas has made..you known, all four of them.
Well done Adidas!