Adidas D.O.N. Issue #6 review

Don't let the D.O.N. Issue #6 get away from you if:

• You only trust shoes with top-tier traction.
• You want to enjoy wonderful support and containment without the heavy build.
• You need something breathable but you don't want to give up on durability.

Even though it's neither too long nor too harsh, this Adidas hooper requires a break-in period. In the first games of our wear tests, this shoe was slightly reluctant to bend alongside our feet, but it got better after a while. Personally, we didn't have this problem with the Issue #5, which is also an incredibly solid performer.

In our opinion, the Issue #6 felt quite comfortable, but just don't expect the softest ride out there. It's not like stepping on a rock either, but if you're yearning for that cloud-like experience, we also have some plusher pairs.

You can rely on the D.O.N. Issue #6 for sufficient cushioning and impact protection as it returned standard shock absorption measurements of 102 SA in the heel and 77 SA in the forefoot.

But don't expect a pillowy sensation from this Adidas shoe either as its Lightstrike foam is pretty firm. It will protect your joints upon landings but the priority is to keep you quick on your feet.

The low-rebound nature of the Lightstrike foam is another reason why the D.O.N. Issue #6 feels so grounded. Measuring its energy return in the heel, we got a notably low reading of 48.1%. It can feel dull and underwhelming if you are used to having a lot of bounce underfoot.

But on the bright side, the shoe's Lightstrike Pro unit in the forefoot helps to add some spring to the toe-offs. It is reflected in a higher energy return of 58.1% under the toes but it is still slightly lower than average.

Even though this Adidas didn't offer much court feel, we really enjoyed the impact protection of its average stack height. At 28.9 mm, we can't say it's one of the tallest hoopers we have reviewed, but we were really happy with its cushioning during our wear tests!

Our caliper returned 20.9 mm when we measured this shoe's forefoot stack, so it follows the same logic as the heel. It's only slightly lower than average, but it was cushioned enough for us to be protected from harsh impacts. We were fine even after jumping for a rebound in traffic and getting hit mid-air.

There's not much difference between the rearfoot and the toe area, so the D.O.N. Issue #6 doesn't have a super steep drop. We did our math and saw it was average, at 8.0 mm.

A high/low drop is neither good nor bad, and this choice is all about your personal preferences. Just in case you want to know more about it, here you have our super nerdy and helpful guide on the topic.

The nice impact protection we felt with this hooper comes from its cushioning. It features Lightstrike Pro foam at the forefoot and then regular Lightstrike everywhere else, which is what we measured.

Our durometer returned 32.1 HA, and even though this result is notably firmer than average, we didn't really feel this hooper was like a brick underfoot.

To know more about this shoe's fit, we created an accurate mold using our special gel. In order to create a 1:1 replica, we poured it into the shoe and froze it. Then our caliper could get the most precise measurements!

At 94.3 mm, this shoe's width surpasses the average by quite a bit. During our wear tests, we really enjoyed this extra space, especially when we had been playing for a while and our feet started getting swollen.

At 67.4 mm, the D.O.N. Issue #6... tapers. So, yeah, we can't say we had plenty of space to wiggle our toes around. In fact, this shoe is pretty stiff, so don't expect it to give in like crazy after a couple of games!

The thing is that this hooper sits slightly low, but our standard-sized feet didn't really feel uncomfortable in it though. At only 21.7 mm, there wasn't room for us to push our toes up. Also, as we have already mentioned, the D.O.N. Issue #6 doesn't have stretchy materials, so what you get is what you see.

Despite its moderate price point, the D.O.N. Issue #6 exhibited top-tier traction in our lab tests!

Sliding its forefoot against a specialized basketball court surface, our machine recorded some of the highest friction coefficients we've ever seen in hoop shoes - a whopping 0.99! It even undercut the high-end Nike LeBron 22 at 0.95!

You can trust the razor-sharp treading of this Adidas shoe to stop on a dime in any direction and any scenario, no matter if the court is clean or dusty. It's an unbelievable value for money!

The Issue #6 features a circular pattern with two main pivot points. The thing is that those lines don't always follow the same direction, as they are divided into 6 different sections.

Why? Well, because the brand's designers might have either played basketball for long or studied the sport pretty closely, as each pattern adapts to a different move you perform on the court with each part of the foot. Way to go, Adidas!

Yes, the D.O.N. Issue #6 requires a break-in period and you shouldn't expect the flexibility of a yoga teacher here. Measuring how much force it takes to bend this Adidas hoop shoe, we got a standard reading of 21.3N. This is on par with the average of our lab-tested basketbal shoes.

However, after only a couple of games, we noticed that this Donovan Mitchell shoe started moving more smoothly.

During our wear tests, the D.O.N. Issue #6 felt quite fast on foot. Its break-in period wasn't neither too long nor too harsh, so we got used to it pretty quickly. After a couple of games, it followed our fake shots and quick steps easily despite its rigid structure.

We were pretty happy with this performance, but we were even happier when we took the hooper to our lab and saw our scale return 12.91 oz/366g. Surpasing both the Issue 4 and the Issue 5 in lightness, Adidas has definitely levelled up its game once again with such a structured yet fairly quick pair.

Contrary to what our feet had to suffer with most hoopers, the Issue #6 didn't make us sweat like crazy during our wear tests. Even though that's what we experienced in the court, when we took this shoe to our lab, our light test was definitely not that positive about it.

There was no way our LED could shine through such a solid structure, but we didn't give up. That's why we grabbed our smoke machine, and... look at all the smoke coming out of the shoe! It's not like we didn't expect it after our play tests, but the structure of this Adidas just looked like it wouldn't cooperate much.

As you can see in our video, compared to the Issue 5 and its sad 2/5 on breathability, this newest iteration showed great airflow. If it wasn't for this test, we would've never said that a hooper like this would be ideal to play ball in the summer.

Our microscope agreed and it gave us one last hint. As you can see in the close-up picture, we're talking about a multilayered upper with small openings. So... of course the air would have it easy to come in and out!

After our experience and all these tests, we have decided to give the Issue #6 a fantastic 4/5 on our breathability test.

We felt really stable during our playtests. The solid materials of this shoe kept our feet right where they were supposed to be, and we were never scared of our ankles overextending themselves. All in all, this Adidas seems to have joint safety as one of its top priorities... despite being a low top model!

The solid support and containment we felt during our wear tests comes, partly, from this Adidas' solid upper. When we took it to our lab, we tried to twist it using our fingers, but it was futile. It just wouldn't move! Consequently, we gave it a 5/5 on our torsional rigidity test, but we could've given it a 6, or a 7... or a 10.

The double heel counter is also pretty rigid. When we pushed it with our fingers, it didn't move much, but it cooperated a little bit more than the overall structure. All in all, we decided it deserved a 4/5 on our stiffness test.

After hours and hours playing basketball with these hoopers, we can tell you we felt pretty stable. In fact, we were surprised when we took them to our lab and found out their midsole is not on the wider side! At 114.9 mm it's just average, but we didn't really feel like we needed a more generous base for our landings.

The heel is way narrower than average, and even though our caliper returned 88.7 mm, our standard-width feet didn't feel like they needed much more space. Even though a wider base is always appreciated for harsh landings, like the ones you have to deal with when you score a 2+1 or 3+1, we can't say we were dissatisfied with this shoe's platform.

We're really happy we can say the great breathability of this Adidas pair did not mean its upper would be incredibly flimsy. Even though the microscope was already giving us some hits, we grabbed our Dremel and started drilling the Issue #6's upper with 2N of force and at 5K RPM.

The green protective layer shielded the upper faithfully, yet the red material couldn't do much against the abrasive power of the tool. As, somehow, the shoe managed to survive the Dremel's attack, we decided to give it a 3/5 on our toebox durability test.

The heel told pretty much the same story. Even though the Dremel managed to mess it up, we were satisfied with its performance, so we decided to give it a 3/5 on our durability test. Nothing spectacular, yet strong enough to withstand constant use for a while.

Our durometer marked 74.0 HC when we measured this shoe's outsole hardness, which is way lower than average. As this indicates the rubber used is on the softer side, it usually translates into a great grip yet lower durability.

Even with the durometer's low score, this hooper's outsole fought the Dremel with all its might. We can't say it won the battle cleanly but, once again, the results weren't so bad.

When we measured the damage with our tread gauge, it returned 0.9 mm. Honestly, we're pretty happy with this result, especially if we take into account how soft the rubber used is!

Most likely in order to reduce weight, Adidas didn't go for an extra thick outsole. Our caliper returned 3.2 mm, which is slightly lower than average. So, even though you can play streetball in the Issue 6, it might not be the choice if you want it to be by your side for a while!

When we cut this hooper in half, we were welcomed by another standard insole. At 4.1 mm, it's slightly thinner than average, so it doesn't add any extra points to the cushioning.

This hooper features a very simple and standard insole (we absolutely loved the spider logo, though), so we can see why you'd want to change it!  Luckily, it's removable, but as the structure of the shoe is pretty snug, we believe you should be careful choosing a replacement.

This hooper won't shine like crazy when the sun goes down, but the reflective touches on its eyelets are a nice little detail that we appreciated!

When we measured this shoe's tongue padding, our caliper marked 11.0 mm. This score is higher than average, which might lead to some thinking Adidas overdid it. Nevertheless, when we cut the shoe in half, we saw the padding was mainly on the top of the tongue, which is where we tie our laces.

But we weren't really surprised by this, as the D.O.N. Issue #6's whole structure follows the same logic: there's extra padding right on the key areas!

The fully gusseted tongue of this hooper offered great containment. If we add the plush piece at the heel (black in this colorway) and the padded tongue to the equation, the result is: no playing around for our feet! The rigid structure and the extra eyelet at the top helped a lot with lockdown too, so we felt safe and sound during our wear tests.

We believe the D.O.N. Issue #6 has a fair price. It's not among the most expensive hoopers out there, yet its features and playability are wonderful in our opinion. Not only its X-plate, but also its support, solid structure, and out-of-the-norm breathability make it definitely worth a shot.

In order to make our experience easier with such a rigid and snug hooper, Adidas decided to add a practical finger loop at the heel. It helped us a lot with this fully gusseted design, as we believe it would have been hard to put the shoe on otherwise.