A re-engineered rendition of the Harden Vol 1’s data-driven pattern was utilized in the Harden Vol 2 and it didn’t pan out the way I had hoped.I never received the same bite that I had experienced on the Harden Vol 1, despite the rubber compound being nearly identical between the two sneakers.
When it gripped I was very pleased, however, I wasn’t pleased the majority of the time while playing in the shoe.Excessive dust collection is a major issue for this pattern and keeping it free of debris will be your number one priority on the court rather than playing.
Surprisingly, I never felt too high off the ground or unstable.
Packing more Boost pellets into the midsole made it firmer, creating more stability while also increasing overall impact protection.Some may not enjoy this setup because it won’t give you that bouncy Boost feeling, but you don’t always have to feel something working — as long as it actually works.
Luckily, Boost actually works, and works really well, so if you were interested in a shoe that provides you with stability, court feel, and tons of impact protection then the Harden Vol 2 might be for you.While I was initially disappointed that a premium or raw material was left off of the Harden Vol 2, once I started playing in it I never once thought, “Some premium leather would enhance my overall experience right now.”The textile mesh at the forefoot required no break-in time while the additional stitching throughout increased the material’s strength quite a bit.
I was very impressed by this and wondered why we’re just starting to see this implemented when we’ve had mesh on basketball shoes for a number of years now.