After a chart-topping entry of UA’s latest HOVR cushioning – the brand expands its way by first time ever introducing HOVR into the basketball sneaker industry with the brand new Under Armour HOVR Havoc team silhouette.

Is this will be your next pick-up preparing for new season? Let’s find out!

 

MAIN SPECS

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WEIGHT: 360 g. / 12.69 oz

TECH: UA HOVR, ENERGY WEB

TYPE: LOW-TOP

COLORWAYS: 5+ (CUSTOMIZE YOUR PAIR)

FIT: TRUE TO SIZE

RETAIL PRICE: $105

BD RATING: 8.2/10

BEST PLACE TO BUY: UNDER ARMOUR

 

PERFORMANCE

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MATERIALS

MESH THAT DOESN’T FEEL LIKE ONE

After been reviewing the latest performers that all had different types of knits for the past few months, this one was like a much needed fresh breath of air…

Keeping the price at ground-level, the HOVR Havoc features two-tone Mesh upper with TPU hot melt film over the toe area, as well as, synthetic overlays in the midfoot for improved lateral containment. And while this stuff may not sound & look premium to you – it definitely doesn’t to me – once I took them for a first spin and sort of slide through that adjustment phase, which was rather quick & painless. Then it was time for me to say – Yoo, this stuff is straight up money in the bank, man…

It packs every single great feature taken from a knit, while combining that with sturdy lockdown at the same time. As those synthetic panels on the sides acted as big difference makers by isolating my foot upon lateral movements without compromising its natural flexion. Whereas the thin layer of TPU hot melt did make this set-up a really reliable outdoor-friendly option.

 

CUSHION

PUMPED FOR THE FUTURE

This was actually my very first experience with HOVR cushioning system. I didn’t have a chance to put my hands on the UA HOVR Phantom, which I’m really upset about because I’ve read tons upon tons of great reviews about this brand new UA’s tooling. However, this fact made the HOVR Havoc performance review that much more excited for me.

Let me tell you something… I’ve never had so much fun playing in a budget performer in my entire non-professional basketball career. And that got me thinking what it’s would be like trying out its full potential in the Phantom. “But what did you mean by that?” you may ask.

To clear things up, only half of the midsole going from the heel up to the midfoot section is utilizing HOVR – forefoot being plain EVA as the whole thing in the Curry 5. As a bigger/heavier dude I tend to use my heels a lot, you know, fighting in the paint, blocking, rebounding, dunking, et cetera. So for that reason alone I really didn’t mind having this type of tooling underneath my foot. Quite frankly, after breaking in that EVA carrier where HOVR was hiding and finally activating its full power, the heel area was simply PERFECT (BOOST LIKE perfect). That sweet bounce in your step & loads of impact protection that even the lightest player could feel it, made the HOVR Havoc looking nothing like a budget model.

Obviously, as a cushion lover, I would love to see a full-length HOVR thing going on in the next upcoming UA’s basketball silhouette. But as a right now, we’re dealing with EVA in the forefoot which is certainly nothing “wow” or even close to that.

Yet, if you do prefer your forefoot to be shifty & responsive while the heel unit to be heavily cushioned – the HOVR Havoc is by far the best option out there, period.

 

TRACTION

IT’S A MURDER

Glad UA isn’t participating in that art class competition who’s going to come up with a more artistic artwork. Do we really care what’s on our bottoms? If it doesn’t perform the way it should, what’s the point of making it then? Storytelling patterns? What we supposed to do with ‘em? Read while sitting on the bench? Now obviously, if that does work well then I don’t have any problems with it. Unfortunately, nine times out of ten it fails to do that. Though, I think those Jordan brand graphics peeking through translucent rubber does look hella fresh. But that’s a different story.

Going back to the performance review, the HOVR Havoc is rocking the G.O.A.T status herringbone traction. And when it’s in the house – you don’t need to worry about nothing bro.

Clean courts? Bro, are you joking?

Semi-dusty courts? No match.

Dusty ass courts? Hold my beer.

Outdoor courts? I like fresh air.

It doesn’t matter what are you throwing at it – it’s going to eat up everything with ease. UA knows what the heck they’re doing. 10/10 if you didn’t understand already.

 

FIT

IS IT REALLY NOT THE CURRY 6?

This specific mesh set-up really minimizes the gap between a knit and something not as premium as mesh material as far as comfort goes. After going through a short break-in period (approximately a few hours or so) and afterwards fixing my laces, I couldn’t really tell much of a difference at the end – same awesome one-to-one fit, plenty of stretch where it’s needed & great breathability that serves well while balling out in hot environment.

But what I was able to notice, straight out of the box, is how much sturdier the construction of the Havoc was in comparison to pretty much the majority of latest knit set-ups. Usually with Mesh uppers you’re forced to give away some of the comfort in exchange of better containment & support – but not with these guys. I just still can’t wrap around my head the fact that these aren’t some Curry 6 or something to that nature – this is a freaking team model which puts down the Curry 5 to sleep in pretty much every aspect.

That being said, I’d recommend sticking to your true UA size for regular/narrow footers while our wide footer may want go down ½ a size.

 

SUPPORT

THE LITTLE GUY HAS GUTS

These are scary low… God damn… Not going to lie, I was more than a bit scary before touching the hardwood in them for the first time. The only thing that was spinning around in my head at that time was how to not end up busting my ankles. Luckily, the HOVR Havoc made me think twice, again.

We’d have an external heel counter covering almost the entire heel section of the shoe – that’s how low they actually area. So dealing with such a low profile the back area gets the biggest hit as far as support goes. That’s why the heel counter on the external lateral side extends quite a bit – basically almost up to the midfoot section to hold down your heel in place once lateral pressure is present.

Right after the heel counter stops – there’s a few inches of bare Mesh material that act as a flex section for a smooth ride. While the laterally arranged synthetic panels take the charge from there by protecting your midfoot against rolling over the footbed. As crazy as it may sound, I didn’t really experience any containment issues whatsoever. NONE. Giving it’s extremely low-cut – it’s a huge accomplishment on its own.

Finally, looking at the very bottom, we can find a rather wide/flat base & a TPU shank peeking through the bottom for a perfectly stable ride. As the outrigger is nowhere to be found, instead, the outsole itself protrudes to the sides (same as on the adidas Crazy Explosive 17’) doing the same job as if an outrigger, if not better.

 

OVERALL

Traction being the nr.1 highlight of the shoe & everything else just simply working flawlessly around it like a fine time peace – it’s save to say that UA got it right this time, unless in my books.

Even though we’re not getting the top of the line tech in the flag ship model from Curry’s line – Steph please gain some weight or some sh*t –  I want to see that HOVR or Micro G on the curry models. Maybe the 6 will be the one? I really hope so…

Anyway, I very appreciate the fact that UA puts the same amount of attention & craft creating their team models. I think, as right know, UA has the best bang for your buck team line with premium tech and killer performance that puts smile on your face whenever you lace them up. And the UA HOVR Havoc is the latest proof of that for sure.

 

 

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GET YOURS NOW ON UNDERARMOUR.COM

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Hope you enjoyed my Performance Review on the UA HOVR HAVOC. Will you be picking them up? Let me know!

If you have any questions don’t hesitate to comment down below!