Under Armour Curry 5 Review

7.8
7.8 score
[Editors rating (7.8)] = (WalkJogRun) score (7.8)/10


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Editor rating: 7.8 / 10
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Under Armour is known for producing great quality products for all kinds of athletes. Whether you are just starting out or have been living an active lifestyle for many years, they are there to help you out, giving you the sports apparel and shoes that will keep you moving. The Curry 5 basketball sneakers are just another product in their long line of active footwear. Unfortunately, these shoes are not their best product, in fact, their predecessor, the Curry 4's, seems to have been a much better product than this one. Customers just weren't happy with these shoes and deemed them a downgrade from the past iteration, instead of an upgrade. They are not comfortable, with their narrow and awkward fit and they have the tendency to cause nasty blisters on the arches of your feet, taking you out of the game for a couple days while you heal. This version of the Curry sneakers also have some durability problems, with some customers saying they fell apart after only a couple of week. There are some great qualities to these sneakers, they do offer you an amazing amount of stability and support which is important in a basketball shoe. They have a fun Pi themed design that customers tend to enjoy. Unfortunately, most consumers do not think the good outweighs the bad and would not recommend purchasing these sneakers.

Editor's Pros & Cons
Pros
  • Breathable knit uppers
  • Lockdown lacing system
  • Stable and supportive
  • Fun design
Cons
  • Unreliable traction
  • Awkward fit
  • Questionable durability
  • Stiff underfoot cushioning
  • Causing uncomfortable blisters

Uppers

The uppers of the Under Armour Men's Curry 5 basketball sneakers are made using a full knit mesh material to ensure you get a supportive and comfortable feel while you are wearing them. The mesh will also help ensure the sneakers have amazing ventilation while you are wearing them. They feature a lockdown lacing system to help make sure you get a locked in and secure feel while you are wearing them. Additionally, Under Armour designed these sneakers with Anafoam containment zones located from the front lateral wall of the shoes around to the heel. This is going to work with the lacing system to ensure your feet stay locked into place, no need to worry about your feet sliding around inside your shoe or potentially falling out while you are running up and down the court.

Midsole

The midsoles of the Under Armour Men's Curry 5 sneakers are made using EVA cushioning underfoot to help give you a little bounce in your step when you are wearing them. The foam gives you a little bit of a responsive ride which is ideal for many customers, as it will help you save a little bit of energy while you are running up and down the courts. When you take a step your feet will sink into the foam of the midsole and then it will quickly bounce back to its original shape, propelling your forward, saving you some energy that you can then use to play harder and longer.

Outsole

The Under Armour Men's Curry 5 basketball shoes feature an interesting outsole design to help give you decent traction when you are hitting the court. The sole features a pattern of overlapping squares and circles which is designed to give you better traction on the court. The square and circle pattern helps maintain complete ground contact to help keep you from sliding around the court.

The problem, however, is that they do not always offer the best traction. When the court is dusted and clean these sneakers work phenomenally, keeping you on your feet throughout your game or practice. They seem to have a few traction issues when it comes to an unclean or dusty court. The outsole tends to attract and pick up the dust around it, which then causes you to slip on the court. No one wants to be in the middle of a big game and have to worry about if the floors have been sufficiently dusted so they do not fall on their face.

Weight

Weight is important when it comes to your sports shoes. Since you are going to be in them a lot and you are going to be doing a lot of running you are going to want to make sure that you find a pair that is going to give you everything you need in a pair of shoes, while still weighing as little as possible. You do not want to be in the middle of your game or workout and start to get the feel of having weights attached to your feet holding you back.

That being said, the Under Armour Curry 5 basketball shoes are not exactly the lightest on the market. They are running right around the average to just a tad bit higher when it comes to weight. They weigh in, on average, at 341 grams (12 ounces), basketball shoes try to stay right around the 12-ounce ranger or lower. The Curry 4 sneakers were a little lighter weight than this iteration which makes customers less than pleased. They prefer the lighter weight of their predecessor.

Comfort

Customers are less than pleased about the comfort level of these sneakers. Their predecessor was comfortable enough so people were disappointed when this version was released and was strictly worse in that area. Many reviewers mentioned that the underfoot padding was a bit too stiff for their liking.

One of the biggest problems, however, with the comfort level of these shoes is that they have the tendency to rip up the bottoms of many customers feet when they are wearing them. The fused seams on the medial side of the shoes will dig into the arches of their feet causing awful and uncomfortable blisters. Some reviewers had to stop wearing them after only a couple of times because the blisters were just too bad.

Size and fit are extremely important when it comes to your shoes, you need to make sure that you have the best fit for optimal comfort and support. Many customers have mixed reviews when it comes to how these feet on their feet. Most can agree that they are running pretty true to size, which is nice. The problem is, even though they do not run too big or small, they are still rather narrow and fit tightly around the forefront and midfoot areas. If you have wide feet then these are not going to be the best fit for you and you might want to consider something that will suit your needs a little better.

Durability

When spending any kind of money on a product, including your shoes, you are going to want to make sure that you are getting your monies worth out of them and they are not going to fall apart too quickly, causing you to have to replace them. Unfortunately, there were a couple of customers who had problems with premature wear and tear when it came to the Under Armour Curry 5 basketball sneakers. One reviewer stated that after only wearing them a couple of times the sole of the shoes started to peel away. There are a lot of customers who were happy about the quality and durability of these shoes, but it is important to note that there are some occasions when they just did not hold up very well so that is something you might want to keep in mind when considering these shoes.

Support

One of the better features about the Under Armour Curry 5 basketball shoes is that they offer a decent amount of support and stability which is important for these types of sneakers. When you are out playing basketball there is a lot of stopping and going, quick turns, and pivots. You want to make sure that your shoes will give you the support and protection that you need to handle running in those conditions. These sneakers are designed with basketball players in mind and as such will provide you with what you need to help keep you protected.

These sneakers feature a well-balanced platform that gives you better stability and more control over your movements. The mesh overlays that don the uppers are not stretchy work with the midsole wings to help keep your feet protected from lateral movements. You will also get those secure mesh overlays in the heel for a more rigid feel, mixed with a couple of small plastic wings on both sides of the heel to act as an external heel counter. You will get a locked in and secure fit thanks to the Anafoam containment area that expands from the heel around to the forefront lateral wall. This containment area mixed with the locking lace system helps ensure you get a snug and secure fit so you will not slide around inside your shoes or potentially fall out of them all together.

Flexibility

Flexibility in your shoes is important. You want to make sure that your movements are not being restricted and you will have the freedom to move your feet as freely and naturally as possible. You will get a decent amount of flexibility with the Under Armour Curry 5 sneakers. You might not get as much freedom as you might from some other shoes, but when compared to other basketball sneakers it is right on par. The overlays on the uppers are stiff and do not stretch, but that is so you can get the support you need from the shoes. There is always some kind of give and take. What these shoes do offer, however, is as much freedom and natural movement as possible while still giving you the stability and support that you will require from shoes like these.

Breathability

The Under Armour Curry 5 basketball shoes are made using a mesh knit material that will allow an amazing amount of air to flow into the foot chamber. This is important for helping keep your feet both cool and dry while on the court. There is no need to be distracted during your game or practice because your feet feel like they are overheating and suffocating inside of your sneakers. The mesh allows the air to flow into your shoes to help cool your feet down, but it will also help the sweat on your feet evaporate more quickly and escape your shoes, keeping your feet as dry as possible and healthy while you are on the go. This is one of the better features of these shoes that customers can appreciate.

Style

The Under Armour Curry 5 basketball shoes have a very interesting style and design to them that will make your inner math nerd very happy. They are inspired by Pi, using a squaring the circle type theme throughout the sneakers. They have a circular construction that helps frame the 90-degree angle that your foot creates. Even the soles of the shoes feature a squared circle pattern on the bottom to help increase the traction. There are a few other Pi related elements designed into these shoes, including the symbol located on the upper, the date "3.14.18" is seen on the aglets, and the Pi number sequence is found along the outsole. The Curry 5's went all in on the Pi theme, even including a special, limited edition colorway to celebrate Stephen Curry's birthday, and Pi Day, releasing 314 pairs of the black and metallic gold version of these shoes.

In addition to the special edition colorway, these shoes are also available in blue and white, black and white, or elemental and overcast gray. Customers do seem to like the sleek design and great look of the shoes, there are not really any complaints on how they look.

Bottom Line

Under Armour seemed to really miss the ball with the release of the Curry 5 sneakers. Many reviewers mentioned that these seem to be a real downgrade from the previous versions and were really disappointed with the outcome, suggesting that there is no reason to 'upgrade' to this newer iteration. Yes, they are going to offer you an amazing amount of support and stability while you are playing ball, but is that really enough? They are not the most comfortable, fitting narrow and tight and causing some nasty blisters on your arch. They are also not the most durable, a few customers had to return them after only wearing them a few times. Unfortunately, not many customers can recommend these sneakers to others, as they are just not that great.