Under Armour Curry 11 review

Let Chef Curry's playstyle invade your hooper soul with the Curry 11 if you're looking for:

• Incredibly solid traction on literally every surface.
• A flexible yet bouncy forefoot for quick moves and smooth transitions.
• A shoe to feel comfortable and surefooted that doesn't restrict your movements.
• A pal that suits guards or any player with a quick and explosive playstyle.

If you're a streetball lover, please forget about the Curry 11. Its outsole wouldn't last more than a couple of harsh games on an abrasive outdoor surface! If you need a durable pal to hoop outside, we think you should have a look at our streetball shoe catalog.

If you're constantly changing positions and you're looking for a versatile signature shoe that includes some of the latest technologies (it features the brand's Air Strobel in the heel and Zoom Air in the forefoot), the Nike KD 17 might be exactly what you need!

At 25.8 mm, this shoe's heel stack is slightly lower than average.

But don't let this measurement fool you: we felt pretty comfortable in this shoe during our wear tests!

It was the same on the forefoot, as the stack was lower than average at 19.6 mm according to our caliper.

This allowed us to feel the court better underfoot, which works in perfect harmony with the Curry 11's overall design. In other words, this translates into better move control and accuracy; after all, we do think this UA pair is made for quick players like Curry himself.

After measuring both heel and forefoot heights, we calculated the drop. At 6.2 mm, it's just average, so we didn't have to readapt our step or get used to something different underfoot.

Now that we have a clear look at the shoe's sole structure, we're gonna take the chance to explain a couple of things:

• It features a full-bed of dual-density UA Flow cushioning. We found it really comfortable, and appreciated its shock-absorbing properties. But that's not it, it also offers some bounce!
• An internal and almost full-length shank (the black lines) that's divided in the forefoot. This detail offers stability and pop, yet the best part is that, as it's divided in the forefoot, it allows smoother moves and easy transitions.

We measured the softness of the dual-density UA Flow cushioning at 28 HA and 29 HA according to our durometer.

And here we're checking the hardness of the white foam, which is closer to the ground.

Both results are slightly higher than average, that's just true. Nevertheless, we think it's important to highlight that neither did this have a negative effect on the overall comfort, nor did it make the shoe more "brick-like". We really enjoyed our games with the Curry 11, as we felt comfortable, surefooted, and well-supported.

Under Armour kept things easy and simple in the insole.

At 3.7 mm, our caliper indicated it was thinner than average. Once again, this didn't translate into any kind of discomfort, and it most likely helped to reduce the overall weight of the shoe.

So... win-win situation, right UA?

When we measured the toebox width at the widest part, our caliper returned 103.1 mm.

This gave our standard-sized feet enough room to rest comfortably, as the structure was not too tight or compressive.

We can happily say the same about the toebox width at the big toe!

At 79.9 mm, the more round structure of the tip of the Curry 11 gave our toes plenty of space to spread as they needed in every landing. This made us feel more confident, elevating our game to new heights!

We also really liked the sole flare, as it offered protection for toe-dragging and stability for landings! Look at that white wall on the side of the toebox, that's exactly what we're talking about.

We're gonna go straight to the point: the foot containment levels of this shoe were great!

You can see it clearly in the video. Our wobbly ankles are stopped by tough walls that don't let them overextend themselves! We really liked this, as it made us feel safe when we were playing ball during our wear tests.

We've said it before: we think this model is great for quick guards, and its structure seems to completely agree! The new design of the upper brings some give-in and breathability, but overall it focuses on improving the containment and support of the Curry 10.

Following what we were saying just a couple of paragraphs before, the mixed materials of this shoe give it a little bit of everything. That's exactly why we believe it didn't get a score as high as the other basketball models on our torsional rigidity test: the Curry 11 earned a 3/5.

You can see in the video that it does give in a little bit, but if you need further evidence, let us show you one more clip.

This is the Adidas D.O.N. Issue 5. Look at our fingers struggling to bend it even half an inch. That's what a 5/5 in torsional rigidity looks like!

Even though a higher torsional rigidity means a shoe is well-structured, as well as more support, it also comes with a break-in period. In other words, the materials need to give in with time so you can enjoy their full comfort levels.

The Curry 11 might not have the toughest structure out there, yet it still felt stable to us. Additionally, it was quite comfortable right out of the box! This is something that we really appreciate, as it meant we could just put it on and go play some ball straight away.

Yep, we're just gonna say: we ADORE the Curry 11's heel structure! Let's go with the heel counter stiffness test first, and then we'll dive into our love.

The sides gave in a little bit, but the back of the heel didn't move that much! Why? Well, because it features a 3D-molded TPU heel counter that we're obsessed with. It offers a lot of support and stability, but it also improves the overall fit!

But wait, don't jump into the next section just yet, we're not done here! Look at how well the sides surround the ankle; this means the joint has full and unrestricted mobility. Then, we've got a big wall right in the Achilles, adding support and surefootness.

We think UA nailed it with this design! 

At 118.3 mm, the Curry 11's midsole width in the forefoot is wider than average.

A wider base always equals a more stable ride, which is something we absolutely love! We appreciated it a lot when we went for daring layups that ended up in unstable landings. After all, this shoe gave us the confidence and speed to try them out, even though you pretty much always end up hitting a defender on the way!

The Curry 11's heel followed the same stability path as its forefoot.

At 96.0 mm, our caliper indicated it's a wonderful 6% wider than average. Which, trust us, is a lot!

After our wear tests, we already knew the Curry 11 wouldn't get a high score on our flex test. After all, we felt it bent comfortably with our feet, following our moves smoothly.

At 27.7N, it's definitely way more pliable than average. After seeing this result in the lab, we came to appreciate even more the divided shank this shoe features, as it gave us not only stability, but also easier transitions.

During our wear tests, we felt pretty fast in this shoe. If you know a bit about Stephen Curry, you'll be familiar with his quick playstyle and nimble footwork. And that's exactly what this shoe gave us!

When we took it to our lab, our scale returned 12.0 oz/340g, which is a weight way lower than average. We believe that part of this is thanks to the mixed materials of its upper, which give the Curry 11 durability, breathability, and comfort right where it needs them.

As it's a solid 13% lighter than average, our feet felt really fast. We could go up and down the court easily, and whenever we played either point guard or shooting guard, we found it ideal. It followed our moves nicely and it never slowed us down!

The incredible breathability levels that the Curry 10 showed us are absolutely unforgettable. With that being said, of course we had high expectations when we grabbed our smoke machine and got down to business. Like, who wouldn't?!

And the Curry 11 didn't disappoint! Even though most of the smoke came through the shoe's sides (and not through the toebox itself), the results were still wonderful. Especially if we compare it with the Nike Book 1, which is basically a toaster.

All in all, we gave this UA pair a solid 4/5 in breathability, which is much higher than average!

Remember what we were saying about the sides? Well, look at our light test! That means airflow, trust us!

When we grabbed our microscope, we checked the knit of the Curry 11 to see if the brand was using the same material. Its IntelliKnit is here once again, yet not around the whole upper like in the previous version. We believe this is a smart decision from UA to increase the 11's durability.

The tightly woven knit wouldn't let the air go through. Nevertheless, we found it pretty comfortable during our wear tests.

To verify if our hypothesis regarding the Curry 11's breathability-durability ratio was correct, we grabbed our feared Dremel and went straight for the top layer.

Even though we could see the materials fly away, we kept our hopes up... and we were right!

The tool managed to do quite some damage, yet it didn't break through the whole golden layer. Additionally, this didn't have a negative effect on the shoe's integrity, so we gave it a well-deserved 4/5 on our toebox durability test.

Here, on the right, we have our Curry 11 and its colored upper. On the left, our poor Nike Precision 6, which ended up getting destroyed by the Dremel. We couldn't give it a grade higher than 1/5!

Our Dremel still had some work to do, so we moved it all the way down to the heel. At 5K RPM and with 3.2N of force, we attacked the heel padding for 4 seconds.

Honestly, the results were pretty good. Just look at the difference between the Reebok Answer DMX and the Curry 11 on this same test. Wow!

The Reebok model scored a sad 1/5, and just by looking at that picture, you'll most likely understand why. On the other hand, we decided to give the Curry 11 a 3/5, which is a pretty good score!

It almost made it to the 4/5 on our scale, yet there's some part of the damage where the tool managed to go slightly deeper.

The Curry 11 follows its role model regarding the outsole hardness. Our durometer scored 58.4 HC, which is a crazy low result compared to the average!

In other words, the Curry 11's outsole is a whole 29% softer than average. Here's where we started trembling, is the Dremel going to completely obliterate this shoe's rubber? Even if it actually happens, we're pretty positive this UA pair will offer crazy good traction.

To make it simple: A harder outsole equals more durability, and a softer outsole translates into a better grip.

The results of our outsole hardness test were already hinting at something, but we're here to provide actual facts and move past simple hypotheses. That's why we grabbed our Dremel and started the Curry 11's last durability test.

At 10K RPM and with 3.2N of force, the tool attacked this shoe's outsole for 22 seconds. And the results... were pretty scary.

Just look at that! Our tread gauge returned 4.2 mm, which means the dent is an incredible 74% deeper than average. Among the basketball shoes that got the VIP pass to enter our lab, the Curry 11 is the one that ended up with the deepest dent. In other words... it's got the weakest outsole!

So we really, REALLY advise you against using this UA pair to play outdoors. Streetball might be a little bit too much for the Curry 11, and the abrasion of the sport would definitely make it suffer way too much.

In order to compensate for the awful results of our outsole durability test, we believe the brand went for a thicker-than-average rubber piece.

Our caliper had to open wide to reach the 8.5 mm of the outsole thickness. Even though this definitely means that there's more material to wear down, we still can't say this pair is made for the streets!

This is just another characteristic of the Curry 11 that had us mesmerized: its traction.

As it features a very soft outsole, we already knew the shoe would focus on grip and not so much on durability. But when we tried it out during our wear tests, we couldn't keep our mouths closed.

Its irregular pattern with two big holes bit the floor as if its life depended on it. It's not a squeaky outsole, though, but it does its job quietly and wonderfully. This helped us a lot when we tried to speed up our game, get past our defenders, stop abruptly to shoot, or go for change-of-pace dribbles.

We loved the openings we could create with these moves!

This is not a shoe to play streetball, so it doesn't really need any reflective elements. Gyms need to have the lights on to play bball!

We were just talking about comfort, right? Well, there you have it: a super padded tongue!

Our caliper returned 11.1 mm, which means the Curry 11's tongue is more padded than average. We loved the comfort this provided, as we could tie our laces as tight as we needed. The tongue was there to protect us from any kind of lace bite!

Overall, this shoe has padded interiors that evolve into a comfortably snug fit. And our feet loved every bit of it.

Thank you, Under Armour!

A fully gusseted tongue gives the overall comfortably snug fit of this shoe its final touch.

We also didn't have any problems when putting the shoe on. As its structure is not super rigid, everything worked out with comfort as a priority!

Anyways, some extra surefootness for us once again! We really liked the fact that the Curry 11 didn't need ultra-stiff materials to provide containment and lockdown.

Instead of a finger loop or a lace, this UA pair features an extended heel collar.

Even though we didn't find the shoe hard to put on, this elongated structure definitely helps!

Yes! A removable insole!

As we mentioned in its corresponding section, the Curry 11's insole is thin and simple. The official website mentions it's molded for long-lasting and step-in comfort. Which we agree with, of course, but still... we found it pretty average.

Anyway! What we want to say is that, if you want to change it, you're free to do so!