Adidas Harden Vol. 5
Released 1/2021, Low Top, James Harden,
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Performance Ratings
6.9
EXPERT RATING
4 reviews
6.7
USER RATING
29 ratings
Performance Summary
James Harden's 5th signature shoe is a disappointing basketball shoe
Pros
Good lateral stability
Cons
Bad traction
Awful heel slippage
Best Suitable For: Only recommended for players who hoop outdoors and need a responsive shoe.
Category Performance Ratings
6.8
Traction
Pattern not specified with a standard rubber compound. Very grippy on clean courts but highly dust sensitive and prone to slipping on average surfaces.
6.8
Cushion
Drop-in Boost combined with Lightstrike. Feels stiff and bottom-heavy with good court feel but poor flex and limited impact protection and heel slip issues.
6.8
Materials
Fused synthetic upper and glued overlays. Feels plasticky and rigid, not premium, durable but uncomfortable for some players.
7.5
Support
Wide base and solid lateral containment with thick Achilles pillows. Heel lockdown is weak and insole has a stiff shank causing slippage.
7.3
Fit
Runs long and slightly large for many. Toe can be snug while heel may slip; consider dropping half a size for a better fit.
100%
Outdoor
Upper and rubber held up reasonably well outdoors. Traction felt better outside and durability was acceptable on rough courts.
small
large
Sizing
Tends to run about a half size big for several reviewers. Some went true to size but many recommend going down half a size.
narrow
wide
Width
Best for narrow to regular widths. Midfoot can feel tight so wide footers should be cautious or try a wider size.
Comparison to Similar Shoes:
 Adidas Harden Vol. 5 |  Adidas AE 2 |  Jordan Luka 3 |  Nike KD 18 |  Adidas Harden Volume 9 |  Nike Lebron 23 | Add shoe | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Expert Rating | 6.9 | 8.5(1.6) | 8.2(1.3) | 8.2(1.3) | 8.5(1.6) | 8.3(1.4) | |
| User Rating | 6.7 | 8.8(2.1) | 9.2(2.5) | 9.1(2.4) | 9.4(2.7) | NA | |
| Best Price | $129.99 | $129.99 | $129.99 $140 | $88.97 $160 | $128 $160 | $209.99 | |
| Type of Cut | Low Top | Low Top | Low Top | Low Top | Low Top | Low Top | |
| Weight | 490g - 510g | 420g - 430g | 380g - 390g | 420g - 430g | 410g - 420g | 440g - 440g |
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Expert Reviews of the Adidas Harden Vol. 5:
Expert Rating: 6.9 (ranks #382 of 383)
10 - Amazing
0
9 - Great
0
8 - Good
1
7 - Average
3
6 - Subpar
0
5 - Poor
0
7.6
February 1, 2021
The Harden Volume 5 uses "new tech" for the sake of using "new tech". At $130 these aren't super expensive, but they don't do anything better than their predecessors and that is generous. I don't recommend these.
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7.0
February 3, 2021
I really wanted to like the Harden Volume 5, but I'm super disappointed with the performance of these. I'll probably never ball in them again, and I don't recommend them.
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6.6
January 23, 2021
The Harden Vol. 5 retails for $130 and considering the problems I had, these are a no go. I highly recommend staying away from this shoe unless you are a big Harden fan.
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6.5
December 25, 2020
The Harden Vol. 5 comes in at $130 which isn't bad for a signature shoe but is too much considering the performance of these. Unless you're a diehard Harden fan I can't see anyone hooping in these.
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User Reviews of the Adidas Harden Vol. 5:
User Rating: 6.7 (ranks #335 of 383)
10 - Amazing
3
9 - Great
0
8 - Good
3
7 - Average
8
6 - Subpar
8
5 - Poor
7
6.0
October 19, 2022
I buy this shoes here in Chile one year ago, the worst things about them is It weight. It feels todo heavy and uncomfortable, My feet sometimes hurt after or during a Game. The things i like are the desing, and the outdoor performace beacuse they work very well even after hours of playing
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6.4
October 28, 2023
Really disappointed in these. Got them for retail when they came out. Wore them 3 times and they were a disappointment. I got blisters, my foot hurt a lot, traction is awful. Only great thing is cushion. Do not buy these if you care about your feet.
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6.8
August 23, 2022
A very bulky and heavy shoe.Its a great shoe for playing outdoors but not great overall.Both the traction and the cushion ain't outstanding.I wouldn't recommend this shoe.
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8.0
January 19, 2022
Very good shoe. Traction is very good after breaking in , some times need to wipe. Cushion is very bad. Very stiff
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10.0
March 12, 2022
Best shoe ever created nothing will ever be wrong with it or the beard that comes with it.
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Traction of the Adidas Harden Vol. 5:
Expert Traction Rating: 6.8 (ranks #372 of 383)
User Traction Rating: 6.4 (ranks #331 of 383)
10 - Amazing
2
9 - Great
1
8 - Good
5
7 - Average
7
6 - Subpar
6
5 - Poor
12
8.0
February 1, 2021
The traction is good on clean courts or after wiping but doesn't keep the dirt away well.
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7.0
February 3, 2021
The traction was a little weird and reminded me a lot of the Jordan 31. It's really good on side-to-side movements, but I had some slipping issues with linear moves. I only got to try these outdoors.
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5.0
January 23, 2021
The traction is absolutely terrible. On the cleanest courts I could find, I would slide to a stop, and on courts with average dust it was awful.
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7.0
December 25, 2020
The traction took a while to break in and was disappointing even then. On clean courts it was okay, but with any dust, I had a lot of grip issues.
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Cushion of the Adidas Harden Vol. 5:
Expert Cushion Rating: 6.8 (ranks #375 of 383)
User Cushion Rating: 6.6 (ranks #328 of 383)
10 - Amazing
2
9 - Great
5
8 - Good
1
7 - Average
7
6 - Subpar
7
5 - Poor
11
6.0
February 1, 2021
The drop-in Boost insole was a big problem for me. There was a ton of slope around the heel that didn't let my foot sit properly in the shoe and caused a ton of heel slip. Even worse was the stiff shank on the bottom of the insole. It never broke in and was super stiff.
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7.0
February 3, 2021
There is no exposed midsole cushion at all, but there are Boost and Lightstrike drop-in soles. There is some slight compression in the heel, but everywhere else you don't feel anything. I think the drop in insole was just too thin.
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7.0
January 23, 2021
This cushion setup is pretty similar to the Pro Boost and I got a lot of court feel and responsiveness, but the impact protection was definitely lacking. I also don't like how hard it is to flex this shoe.
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7.0
December 25, 2020
With the combination of Boost and Lightstrike, I expected this cushion to be great. Unfortunately, it is bottom-heavy and rigid. Pretty comfortable and responsive, but just doesn't flex well.
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Materials of the Adidas Harden Vol. 5:
Expert Materials Rating: 6.8 (ranks #379 of 383)
User Materials Rating: 6.7 (ranks #333 of 383)
10 - Amazing
2
9 - Great
3
8 - Good
3
7 - Average
9
6 - Subpar
7
5 - Poor
9
8.0
February 1, 2021
These materials feel like a throwback to 2010 or 2012 and aren't premium to the touch at all. I didn't have any issues with pinching or hot spots though.
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6.0
February 3, 2021
The materials are pretty bad. The upper is super fused and glued down which provides a super-stiff feeling - not cozy or comfortable at all.
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7.0
January 23, 2021
The upper is very plasticky and doesn't feel great to the touch or very premium. It offers a lot of containment because of how rigid it is, but I'm not a huge fan of the materials.
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6.0
December 25, 2020
The materials are just not good. They are very hard, not flexible, and not breathable. They do not feel very premium and overall are disappointing.
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Support of the Adidas Harden Vol. 5:
Expert Support Rating: 7.5 (ranks #354 of 383)
User Support Rating: 6.9 (ranks #331 of 383)
10 - Amazing
4
9 - Great
5
8 - Good
3
7 - Average
5
6 - Subpar
7
5 - Poor
9
9.0
February 1, 2021
I had no issues with support and stability. These were just a wide as the Volume 3 in the forefoot and wider in the heel.
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7.0
February 3, 2021
Lateral containment is really really good in these, but heel lockdown is terrible. Even with the nice Achilles pads, my foot wanted to pop out the whole time. I had no issues with lateral stability.
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6.0
January 23, 2021
The support in the Vol. 5 was not good. The Achilles pillows felt nice, but didn't do their job very well and I had a ton of heel slippage. I could easily slide my foot out of the shoe even with the laces cranked down. These did have decent lateral support though.
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8.0
December 25, 2020
The lateral stability is good with a very wide base. I did have heel slippage even with the thick Achilles cushion pillows, so I had to tie down the laces a lot.
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Fit of the Adidas Harden Vol. 5:
Expert Fit Rating: 7.3 (ranks #364 of 383)
User Fit Rating: 6.9 (ranks #334 of 383)
10 - Amazing
3
9 - Great
1
8 - Good
9
7 - Average
6
6 - Subpar
6
5 - Poor
8
7.0
February 1, 2021
The Volume 5 is a lot bigger than normal sized shoes and was hard to feel nimble in. I did like the lack of headspace in the forefoot and there wasn't any side to side movement on the footbed. Again heel slippage was an issue.
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8.0
February 3, 2021
These run super long, so I went down half a size. The toe box is really snug and the overall fit is okay.
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8.0
January 23, 2021
The fit is pretty good and the materials conform nicely to your feet. The overall fit was decent.
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6.0
December 25, 2020
The Harden Vol. 5 a little long in the toe, but not enough that I had to go down half a size. Overall they just weren't comfortable and I had a lot of pain in my midfoot to the point where I had to stop playing in them.
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Durability of the Adidas Harden Vol. 5:
User Durability Rating: 7.5 (ranks #301 of 383)
10 - Amazing
6
9 - Great
2
8 - Good
6
7 - Average
2
6 - Subpar
3
5 - Poor
6
Outdoor of the Adidas Harden Vol. 5:
Expert Outdoor Rating: 100.0 (ranks #18 of 383)
User Outdoor Rating: 72.9 (ranks #112 of 383)
Good (100%)
18
Fair (50%)
3
Bad (0%)
5
good
February 3, 2021
Durability was good outdoors.
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good
December 25, 2020
These held up better outdoors than they did indoors and the slipping wasn't as bad.
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Width of the Adidas Harden Vol. 5:
very narrow
3
slightly narrow
4
regular
12
slightly wide
11
very wide
1
regularly wide
February 3, 2021
These were normal width wise.
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slightly narrow
January 23, 2021
If you have wide feet be cautious with these because it is a bit tight in the midfoot area.
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Size of the Adidas Harden Vol. 5:
very small
4
slightly small
2
true to size
12
slightly long
13
very long
2
true to size
February 1, 2021
I went true to size.
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true to size
February 3, 2021
Go down half a size from your Adidas size.
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½ size large
January 23, 2021
These run a half size big.
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½ size large
December 25, 2020
True to size worked, but if you like a snug fit go down half a size.
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