Adidas Dame 4 Performance Review
First Opinion:
Dame, Dame, Dame. Adidas and Damian Lillard just surprises us all the time with the Dame line’s design. From Lillard 1 to the Dame 4s, the designs have been changed drastically every single time. At first glance, the Adidas Dame 4 went back to having a simplistic design and stepped away from the synthetic overlays seen on the Dame 3s.
Featuring Adidas’ Bounce cushion like in the Dame 3 and Lillard 2, the Dame 4’s cushioning should be performing around that same level. Traction is a little suspect just from a visual standpoint and the shoe does look a little roomie. We shall go test all this out and see how the Dame 4 hold up against its predecessors and other basketball shoes!
Significant Tech Present in the Shoe:
– Variable Multi-material Upper
– Bootie Setup
– Internal TPU Heel Counters
– Internal TPU Shank
– Bounce Cushioning
Materials & Aesthetics (8.5/10):
Like previously mentioned, we are back to simplicity. Gone is the synthetic-heavy and futuristic look from the Dame 3. Instead, a Neoprene compression collar is in place, coupled with modified mesh. The compression collar is well-padded and provides a snug ride in the back area of the shoe. From midfoot forward, different layers of mesh, coupled with a TPU-thread layer makes up the rest of the upper. This setup provided one of the most comfortable and flexible Lillard/Dame model so far.
Something that Damian Lillard wanted Adidas to do, is keeping the shoes affordable. Hence the Bounce instead of Boost and regular materials instead of PrimeKnit. Initially, I thought that this idea would either fade away with time or restrict the shoe in terms of looks or performance. However, it seems that looks wise, it’s so far so good. Seeing that different materials are on different colourways and the shoe is customizable on MiAdidas, you should be able to pull off this shoe both on and off the court.
In the NBA, many players have been rocking the Adidas Dame 4. Some notable players are Damian Lillard (Portland Trailblazers) himself, Jamal Crawford (Minnesota Timberwolves) and Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz) who suited up in tons of customized colourways of the shoe.
Fit (10 /10):
The Adidas Dame 4 fits true to your Adidas sizing. If you’re new to Adidas Basketball, you will usually find yourself going for half or a full size down from your Nike sneakers. As previously mentioned, the toe cap does look a little roomie and turns out it really was the case. However the extra toe space isn’t something that is very obvious and won’t throw you off your game.
Lockdown on the Dame 4 is what surprises me the most. The compression collar is so well-padded and snug that it was not possible for me to it any ankle brace or similar items. If you want will be wearing those regularly, you might want to go with a bigger size. Best would be for you to go down to the store with it. Other than that, the simple and effective lacing system keeps your feet securely within the shoe. There were no slippages whatsoever during motion. Break-in time is not required due to the simple materials being used.
Support (9/10):
The Support on the Adidas Dame 4 comes from various factors. As usual, the great lockdown will play a large part since great lockdown means the shoe will move perfectly with your feet and cause no hindrance in motion that might cause injury. Another factor is that the internal setup of the shoe is on the lower side and hence you will be lower to the ground and stability is increased.
Other than that, the midsole wraps up the sides of the shoe which provides some additional containment and lateral support. There is also an Internal Heel Counter and an Internal Shank that gives your feet heel support and torsional support respectively.
The base of the Dame 4 is not flat like in the Dame. However, it is pretty wide, hence stabilizing the shoe.
Cushioning (9/10):
For the third time in a row, the Dame line has incorporated Adidas’ Bounce cushioning. Being a purely foam-based setup without much added tech, Bounce is often seen as a lower-tier technology as compared to Boost. However Bounce has been well received by the general public and is now used in many models that players in the NBA wear.
The bounce on the Adidas Dame 4 required a little bit of break-in time. It starts off stiff but after a few wears, it will start to soften and fit your feet better. The responsiveness of Bounce is not as great as Boost but it is still adequate. As for overall comfort and impact protection, they are above average.
There is a difference in the cushion thickness from heel to toe with the heel being thicker and forefoot being thinner. This means that court feel will be the focus at the front and impact protection will be the focus at the back.
Like I’ve mentioned in the review for the Dame 3, Bounce is an up-and-coming setup in my opinion. Having a lower price point than Boost, I can see it being more widely used from here on out.
Traction (9/10):
Story-telling traction has been a thing used commonly in the past. Now, people are more focused about the effectiveness than the meaning and aesthetics when it comes to traction. That being said, the traction on Dame 4 is a story-telling traction that actually impressed. The wave-like traction pattern featured groves that have varying spacing. Most of groves are considerably wide apart whereas a few are thin. This traction pattern gripped the floor very well and there were no slippages during change of direction or sudden stops.
The rubber does not really attract dust but some dust does get trap in the thin grove spaces time to time. However, after a few wipes, you should be good to go.
The rubber compound used is soft and pliable which is good for performance but not good for durability. I would not recommend this for outdoors at all. I miss the Continental rubber being put into Adidas models so hopefully Adidas brings that back soon.
Final Conclusion: (9.1/10)
Overall, the Adidas Dame 4 really surprised me. However I felt that this shoe is still behind the times. If this tech was put into the Dame 3 instead, it might be able to reach the level of the Rose 7, Crazy Light and the first Crazy Explosive. However it seems to have only caught up now when a new Crazy Explosive, Rose and Crazy Light are out. That being said, it is still an encouraging sign to see Damian Lillard putting his earnings on the line to make sure more people are able to have good basketball sneakers.
Comparison to Inspired Version:
The inspired version of the Adidas Dame 4 have very similar materials compared to the authentics. From a look and try on perspective, the compression collar seems to be pretty decent and the so does the rest of the materials. The cushioning takes a little longer to break in in the inspired version but that also means it will take longer to bottom out. Traction is more or less identical.
Share this:
Like this:
Like
Loading…
