Adidas D.O.N. Issue 3 Performance Review

 From the first time I saw them, I liked the D.O.N. Issue 3, aesthetically. Given they were reported to feature a Lightstrike foam midsole, that made me even more excited to try them, as the Dame 6 Lightstrike is one of my all-time favourite cushion set-ups. Moreover, I’d recently had a good experience in the D.O.N. Issue 2, so I had no reason to expect otherwise with the third iteration.

Let’s get into it!

 

Traction:

The outsole rubber used feels firm and seems very durable, even for extended outdoor play. The outsole works well outdoors, offering consistent bite and good grip across multiple outdoor surfaces.

It works well indoors on the hardwood too, again offering a consistent stop and change-of-direction. Like the D.O.N. 2, it’s a silent traction with no squeak. It doesn’t pick up a lot of dust, but a light wipe here and there won’t go astray, either.

 

Cushion:

As mentioned before, the D.O.N. Issue 3 offers a full-length Lightstrike foam midsole.

For those of you that like Lightstrike, you may be a little bit disappointed.

However, if you were worried about Adidas implementing Lightstrike in the D.O.N. 3, you need not be.

This iteration of Lightstrike feels just like the Bounce foam midsole used in the D.O.N. 2. It’s a lot more dense than the Lightstrike on the aj 1, to be sure. It is firm to the touch as well, but it doesn’t feel incredibly firm underfoot. You do get a nice small little bit of bounce in your step, paired with good impact protection. I found the foam cushion to offer a smooth ride throughout from heel to toe.

Overall I would say it’s a very well-balanced cushion set-up, and a good option for outdoor with it being full-length at an affordable price point.

 

Fit:

Just like with the D.O.N. Issue 2, if you’re a wide-footer like me, or you like an additional bit of wiggle room, you’ll want to go up half-a-size.

The D.O.N. line fits more like a traditional Nike sneaker, rather than some of the other Adidas offerings. While many people go half-a-size down in Adidas, citing additional width/length/toebox volume, you don’t need to do that with the D.O.N. 3. Those people should go true to size.

If you’re like me and usually go up half a size in Nike, that’s what I would recommend here. There isn’t even a lot of additional length at the end of the toe, just enough to where you avoid toe-jams (I’m someone that likes some length at the toe for that reason). If you’re someone that likes their toe right at the end of the sneaker, and you love a super-duper snug fit, you could consider going down half a size, although I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it.

I personally removed the elastic mid-foot band that sits below the laces and above the tongue. I felt this was way too tight and constrictive for me, and they felt much better after removing this. I also did feel some slight pinching & rubbing at my pinky toe for the first couple of wears, even despite going up half a size, but the materials broke in nicely and I didn’t notice this for very long at all.

Support:

The D.O.N. Issue 3 is an extremely supportive sneaker, and comes equipped with ample support features expected of any modern performance basketball sneaker.

The outsole is flat and the forefoot base is wide. You have the lateral TPU piece that extends down & around between the midsole foam and rubber outsole as the torsional support shank. You also sit within the midsole quite a bit for added lateral containment.

The upper material doesn’t stretch too much, while the support wings integrated into the lacing system aid with lockdown. There’s an internal heel counter with sturdy material overlays externally. Moreover, the heel area is extremely well-padded and really sucks your heel in and locks it into place. I found the heel/collar area of this sneaker very comfortable.

I never once experience a support issue with this sneaker.

 

Materials:

Nothing ground-breaking here.

The materials are textiles and synthetics, with a main build of a textile mesh upper, paired with synthetic overlays.

I must admit, the synthetic nubuck-style material at the eyelets and for the wing piece feel nice to the touch, kind of soft and buttery. It’s actually quite a nice material for an Adidas sneaker, especially at this price point. I’m not sure if other colourways feature the same sort of material, but mine did and I’m glad about it.

That takes care of it for my thoughts on the Adidas D.O.N. Issue 3.

If you liked the D.O.N. 2, you will like these very much. I’d say it’s an almost identical experience from 2 to 3 — which is not necessarily a bad thing.

I highly recommend the D.O.N. Issue 3 to those looking for an outdoor hoop shoe. The price (US$100) paired with the full-length cushion, durable rubber outsole and textile mesh upper all make for a sneaker that will hold-up without breaking the bank — and hopefully give the knees some reprieve for those harsh & unforgiving outdoor surfaces.

One last thing I will say before I finish up on this review — the insole that came with the Adidas D.O.N. Issue 3 is terrible. It was really thin, it was all scrunched up even when I first got them and took them out of the box, and I immediately removed them and replaced them with the insole from the D.O.N. Issue 2, which is much nicer relatively (still not a world-beating insole, but better than the ones I got!)

Price:

The Adidas D.O.N. Issue 3 retails for US$100 (AU$180)

Weight:

The Adidas D.O.N. Issue 3 in a men’s size US 11.5 weighs 440 grams (15.5 ounces)

Score:

I give the Adidas D.O.N. Issue 3 a score of 4.7/5.