Our verdict
- Top pick in best outdoor basketball shoes
Pros
- Super amazing traction on dustless courts
- Heel-to-toe transition is smooth
- Well-pronounced court feel
- Fairly dependable impact protection
- Comfortable and supportive heel area
- Very good overall containment
- Laces offers exceptional lockdown
- True-to-size fit
- Easy to put on and take off
Cons
- Ventilation has to be improved
- Shoe is on the heavier side
Audience verdict
- Top 3% in basketball shoes
- Top 13% in Adidas basketball shoes
Comparison
The most similar basketball shoes compared
+ + Add a shoe | |||||
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Audience score | 91 Superb! | 84 Good! | 69 Bad! | 90 Superb! | |
Price | $160 | $125 | $120 | $130 | |
Signature | James Harden | - | - | LaMelo Ball | |
Top | Mid | Mid | Mid | Mid | |
Ankle-support | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
Weight lab | 16.4 oz / 466g | 15 oz / 426g | 13.1 oz / 372g | 14.6 oz / 414g | |
Lightweight | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | |
Breathability | Moderate | Breathable | Moderate | Moderate | |
Outsole durability | Good | - | - | - | |
Drop lab | 9.3 mm | 8.1 mm | 8.9 mm | 6.7 mm | |
Heel stack lab | 27.5 mm | 29.5 mm | 29.0 mm | 31.6 mm | |
Forefoot | 18.2 mm | 21.4 mm | 20.1 mm | 24.9 mm | |
Size | Slightly large | True to size | - | True to size | |
Midsole softness | Soft | Balanced | Firm | Balanced | |
Stiffness | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | |
Torsional rigidity | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | |
Heel counter stiffness | Moderate | Flexible | Moderate | Flexible | |
Toebox width at the widest part | Wide | Medium | Narrow | Medium | |
Toebox width at the big toe | Wide | Medium | Medium | Medium | |
Midsole width - forefoot | Average | Average | Narrow | Narrow | |
Midsole width - heel | Wide | Average | Average | Average | |
Heel padding durability | Good | Decent | Bad | Decent | |
Toebox durability | Decent | Decent | - | Decent | |
Insole thickness | Average | Average | Average | Average | |
Outsole hardness | Average | Soft | Soft | Average | |
Outsole thickness | Average | Average | Average | Average | |
Heel tab | Finger loop | None | None | None | |
Ranking | #1 Top 3% | #33 Bottom 29% | #47 Bottom 1% | #5 Top 11% | |
Popularity | #25 Bottom 46% | #45 Bottom 4% | #43 Bottom 8% | #47 Bottom 1% |
Who should buy
This signature shoe from James Harden and Adidas suits the following:
- guards who are quick on their feet and appreciate low-to-the-ground forefoot constructions
- bigger players who want impact protection and lots of lateral support
- players who need shoes that have a really strong bite on the hardwood
- athletes who play on both indoor and outdoor courts
- buyers who have a little leeway for pricier shoes
Who should NOT buy
The Adidas Harden Vol. 7 is not going to be the best pick for those who want well-ventilated kicks. They are better off wearing the Adidas Dame 8.
Another good pick that we can recommend is the Adidas D.O.N. Issue #4. Both of these basketball shoes are also lighter than the Adidas Harden Vol. 7, so those who are not happy with the Harden Vol. 7's weight may go for these options.
Cushioning
Heel stack
The midsole brought us closer to the ground, allowing us to feel the courts better. Back in the lab, we've seen that the heel stack is thinner than usual at 27.5 mm.
Because of this setup, we are able to improve our agility and control.
Harden Vol. 7 | 27.5 mm |
Average | 29.2 mm |
Forefoot stack
Just like the heel, the forefoot is also on the thinner side. Our calliper measurements revealed that it's significantly thinner than average at 18.2 mm.
Harden Vol. 7 | 18.2 mm |
Average | 21.7 mm |
Drop
The drop was measured to be 9.3 mm, and it was particularly supportive of our heel strikes and forward motions.
Harden Vol. 7 | 9.3 mm |
Average | 7.5 mm |
Midsole softness
The moment we put this Adidas basketball shoe on, we already noticed how soft the midsole is. Calling it a pillow for our feet still felt like an understatement!
After we assessed the midsole softness using our HA durometer, we were pleasantly surprised by the results. The device gave it a rating of 11.0, making it a good 58% softer than average.
Harden Vol. 7 | 11.0 HA |
Average | 24.7 HA |
Insole thickness
The removable insole is slightly thinner than the usual. Fortunately, the reduced thickness did not have any significant effect on our experience because of the uber-soft midsole.
Harden Vol. 7 | 3.4 mm |
Average | 4.8 mm |
Size and fit
Size
Adidas Harden Vol. 7 is slightly large (14 votes).
Toebox width - widest part
We have to say, the Adidas Harden Vol. 7 is a treat for wide-footers. At its widest part, the toebox measured 108.2 mm, far wider than average.
Harden Vol. 7 | 108.2 mm |
Average | 101.6 mm |
Toebox width - big toe
This shoe did not have the usual problem of tapering too much toward the tip. At the big toe, the toebox measured 85.1 mm. This width is again far greater than usual.
Harden Vol. 7 | 85.1 mm |
Average | 76.9 mm |
Stability
Lateral stability test
We had so much confidence in how the shoe clasped our feet during our test games. The sidewalls were sturdy enough to keep our feet in place even as we moved quite intensely up and down the court.
Torsional rigidity
After doing some manual twists in the lab, we learned that this shoe is a 4 out of 5 when it comes to torsional rigidity. The firmness of this shoe's base helped us a lot in maintaining stability. Not once did we have to worry about painfully twisting our feet.
Harden Vol. 7 | 4 |
Average | 4.4 |
Heel counter stiffness
Just by feeling it with our bare hands and feet, the heel counter did not give us any reason to doubt its capacity to secure the rearfoot. After giving it a good squeeze in the lab, we were left with no other choice but to give it a 4 out of 5. This rating makes it better than the majority of hoop shoes that we've ever played on.
Harden Vol. 7 | 4 |
Average | 3.7 |
Midsole width - forefoot
A good deal of the stability that we enjoyed was because of the wider-than-average platform of the Adidas Harden Volume 7. As per our caliper measurements, the platform is 116.4 mm wide at the forefoot.
Harden Vol. 7 | 116.4 mm |
Average | 115.0 mm |
Midsole width - heel
The width of the platform at the heel is even more noteworthy. It adds 12% more to the average. Now, that's a lot of extra space for great stability.
Harden Vol. 7 | 102.0 mm |
Average | 90.3 mm |
Flexibility / Stiffness
That its supportiveness did not sacrifice flexibility is a noteworthy benefit of the Harden Vol. 7. Using a digital force gauge, we learned that this shoe needed only 34.6N of force to bend at 90 degrees. This is much lower than the amount of force needed by the typical hoop shoe.
During the games, this flexibility allowed us to move much more freely. The shoe was perfectly able to accommodate the peculiar but natural flexions of our feet.
Harden Vol. 7 | 34.6N |
Average | 38.5N |
Weight
It's such a bummer that this Adidas shoe really packed some weight. Even the Harden Stepback 3, which we already consider to be just a teeny bit on the heavier side, is lighter than this!
Our scale reported it to weigh 16.4 ounces or 466 grammes. It's definitely heavier than the typical hoop shoe. Our first steps definitely felt heavy, and it really took some getting used to.
Harden Vol. 7 | 16.44 oz (466g) |
Average | 13.79 oz (391g) |
Breathability
The Harden Vol. 7's breathability definitely has to be improved. During our tests, smoke could barely pass through the upper material. It's only the tongue that offered just a bit of aeration, and this is the only reason it got a 2 out of 5.
Even light found it hard to shine through the upper material.
Upon closer inspection with our microscope, we saw clearly that there are just no perforations in the upper.
The upper material is so closed that you might as well be wearing a cardboard!
Harden Vol. 7 | 2 |
Average | 2.5 |
Durability
Toebox durability
It's clear now that the non-breathable upper offers another good thing: noteworthy durability. Our twelve-second Dremel drilling only went through the coloured first layer. It got a 4 out of 5, and it truly deserves it!
The Adidas Harden Vol. 7 is indeed a jackpot for players who drag their toes a lot. Compared to the damage suffered by the Adidas Harden Stepback 3 after the same test, the mark on this shoe just looks superficial.
Harden Vol. 7 | 4 |
Average | 3.7 |
Heel padding durability
The durability of the heel counter padding is out of this world. Our Dremel test was no match for it; it's a perfect 5!
Post-test, the heel counter just looks like its feathers only got ruffled the wrong way. No structural issues whatsoever.
Harden Vol. 7 | 5 |
Average | 3.5 |
Outsole hardness
This shoe's outsole hardness is just around the average. It got a rating of 82.9 on our HC durometer in the lab.
Though this is not the best shoe for the outdoors, using it there once in a while wouldn't hurt.
Harden Vol. 7 | 82.9 HC |
Average | 81.9 HC |
Outsole durability
Durability really is this strong highlight. After doing some Dremel drilling in the lab, we saw that the outsole incurred only 0.5 mm of damage. This makes it 55% more durable than usual!
The 0.5 mm damage is way way lower than the damage seen in typical basketball shoes. We do not have any reason to doubt this shoe's durability, and we are definitely going to use this shoe outdoors to our hearts' content.
Harden Vol. 7 | 0.5 mm |
Average | 1.1 mm |
Outsole thickness
It's a pleasant surprise that the Adidas Harden Vol. 7 delivers all the durability that we enjoyed without having a specially thick outsole. Its outsole is only 3.5 mm based on our lab measurements, making it slightly thinner than average.
Harden Vol. 7 | 3.5 mm |
Average | 4.0 mm |
Misc
Grip / Traction
During our test games, we never had issues with grip. Whether we wanted to turn or just stop abruptly to make a stable block, we got all the help that we needed from the outsole.
A close look at the outsole revealed that it's the ripple patterns on it that ensured multidirectional coverage. It must be noted that dust had the tendency to stick to the outsole, but just a wipe or two and we were again good to go.
Tongue padding
We noticed that the tongue padding is way lower than usual. It's only 4.7 mm thick based on our calliper measurements in the lab.
Harden Vol. 7 | 4.7 mm |
Average | 9.4 mm |
Tongue: gusset type
The sock-like design of the tongue was one of the main reasons support was never an issue. It also prevented debris from getting into the shoe, especially when we were playing outdoors.
Harden Vol. 7 | Sock like |
Heel tab
The Adidas Harden Volume 7 is equipped with a heel tab that helps us to put on and take off the shoe with ease.
Harden Vol. 7 | Finger loop |
Removable insole
The removable insole afforded us more space should there be a need to wear orthotics.
Harden Vol. 7 | Yes |