As a long-time Nike fanboy this is going to be a tough one to write…
The major players in the active footwear industry - Adidas, Nike, Under Armour - are all constantly spending billions to introduce the next greatest sneaker technology. Whether that be self-lacing shoes, fully 3d printed shoes, or the variety of other innovative shoes they’ve put into the market. However, in recent years the craze for the lightest, most responsive, comfortable, and aesthetic running / activewear tech.
I’ve gotten my hands on a pair (or more) of each and give them a go for a few months. Here’s how the stacked up.
Adidas Boost - Speedfactory AM4LDN
Under Armour HOVR - Phantom
Nike React - Epic React
The Details
1. Adidas Boost
All around had the best comfort, responsiveness and feel regardless of activity. Interestingly enough, BOOST isn’t an Adidas created technology - BASF (the German chemical company) created the core material and then fused these individual particles to make what we have today as the BOOST soles. Not only was BOOST the all-around favorite from a performance perspective they frankly have the best looking (and variety) of models between the 3 brands.
2. Under Armour HOVR
Thoroughly enjoyed these for training. Lightweight, “responsive”, and all around very comfortable. Not HOVR tech related but the sock-like sleeve on these makes for a really nice fit. Sole can feel a bit bulky when moving more side-to-side as it is a bit thicker than the others but nothing that is highly noticeable.
3. Nike React
Was hoping for big things with this one. Sadly, I didn’t see much difference from the feel of the Lunar technology that Nike put out a while ago. Nothing bad about it, I still have a few pair of Lunarglides from more than 7 years ago that I love, but there was nothing that made me think the technology had made big strides compared to the others.
Honorable Mention: Nike VaporMax
From an innovation perspective I think the VaporMax provides more comfort than the Nike React but is quite bulky when it comes to the amount of material that makes up the full-length airbag unit which adds weight and some additional height to the sole. Aesthetically this was one of the favorites from 2018 - pushing the envelope and using a bundle of Nike’s best tech.