Performance review: Under Armour Incite and Under Armour Charged Cotton.

Step In The Arena…

Summer is the time when games get better, bodies get stronger, and athletes work harder for crunch-time performance. Under Armour has long been a staple of off-season training and this year is no different as they introduce their newest training shoe, the UA Incite, and their newest apparel innovation, Charged Cotton.

The new 4D insole. Verrryyyyy nnnniiiiccceeee…

My new favorite shoe. I know I have been on an Under Armour splurge lately, but really, they are doing everything right from where I stand. The technology is progressive, the colors are popping, and the comfort levels of their new models in running, basketball, and training are off the charts. As soon as I opened the box I had to get the Under Armour Incite on my feet. And yes, even though I usually say I hate doing this, I am going to compare them to an old favorite, the Nike Air Huarache Light, my favorite shoe of all time. I like these that much. To continue the gushing, I honestly wore these at some point in my day for a solid month and a half. Okay, I think I have written enough hearts and sparkles, I need to let you all in on the secret.

The very first thing I saw was the neon green insole that matched nothing else on the shoe. There was no green UA logo, no off-colored neon stitching on the Incite, nothing. So why the bright colors? Because this insole needs to be noticed. While most companies lately have been content to stick in an OrthoLite or EVA based insole, Under Armour has been going the extra step by using a Micro G padded insole in their basketball line and are now incorporating a new 4D-Foam liner in many upcoming models. Although the implementation of 4D-Foam in the Incite is not as dense or cushioned as a typical Micro G version, this serves a different purpose: to help keep the foot solid over the shoe by eliminating almost all slide across the footbed. The texture really works to hold your foot in place by almost gripping your socks and sticking. Under Armour 4D-Foam also assists in this endeavor by doing what the Nike Zoom Kobe VI insole was supposed to do: it molds to your foot after the first three wears and holds shape. With a dual layer of cushioning on the Incite insole, the green 4D-Foam top layer molds and the black bottom layer softens impacts. I can say after the month and a half I have had these, the insole is still in basically the same shape as the first day, minus the molding. I was worried about the durability of the texture, but so far no flaking or peeling of any kind.

Like a shoe pizza, only not as tasty…

The next aspect of my new favorite I loved was the fit. I love, love, LOVE shoes that fit like a second skin – they mold, bend, crease, and wrinkle along every curve and nuance of your foot so you don’t even know when they are on. Within minutes the UA Incite was a part of my leg. The materials used, a sueded nubuck and a thick, wide-weave mesh, all worked to hug my feet like just about no other shoe I have had (except for that previous favorite). The exposed heel counter only comes up halfway to the top of the shoe but is tall enough to cover just right below the Achilles and is shaped in a way to hold the shoe snug in the rear, so heel slip is a non-issue. Since I did use these for running as well as training, I appreciated the heel fit, as my pet peeve is a shoe that slides on my foot. It makes me think the designers don’t really use the product, and no matter how good the other aspects of a shoe are, if fit is bad, I am out. No problems there with the Incite.

Moving to the forefoot, we see the major design element come in to play: the UA trademarked “Scissorflex” point over the toes. Framed by a thermoplastic support piece, Scissorflex construction support is cut-out and strategically placed along the flexpoint of the forefoot allowing the foot to bend and push with no restrictions. Moving from the FitSleeve Under Armour has previously used, or maybe just evolving, the tongue wraps into the Scissorflex and hugs the foot. What I found it to do best was promote propulsion, as there is no resistance to movement. Couple this with the overlay-free toe construction and what you get is a free-flowing, fast-feeling shoe ready for the weight room or track.

Continue to Page 2 for the Under Armour Incite performance review…