Under Armour Charged Controller REVIEW: Quality for CHEAP

We now live in the “massive selection of budget shoes” era, it seems like. First, it was from Nikey, then from adidas and now we’re getting cheap options that look promising from UA as well. But if this cool looking one a worthy purchase? Let’s find out in my Under Armour Charged Controller review.

I’ll talk about the shoe’s tech specs, the fit, performance, the upper and decide it it’s worth the price. Let’s start the Under Armour Charged Controller review!

SPEC SHEET

 

WEIGHT: 315 g. / 11.11 oz
TYPE: LOW TOP
TECH: CHARGED & MICROG
FIT: TRUE TO SIZE
COLORWAYS: 8+
MY RATING: 8/10

 

THE TECH


CHARGED & MICROG

The setup here sounds pretty cool – a full-length MicroG midsole with a Charged crash pad in the heel. It’s supposed to be very versatile and provide impact protection without compromising speed & responsiveness. We’ll see if it does that a bit later.

FIT

 

CRAZY MOBILE & COMFORTABLE

Comfort, mobility, and speed is what you get in a shoe with a knit upper and a low-profile, gimmick-free construction. This is what UA should do more. I pretty much had zero complaints with the shoe’s comfort and fit aspects.

The Charged Controller fits me true to size, even though I’m a wide footer. Thanks to the forgiving upper, pretty much any foot shape can fit these pretty perfectly. Are they too tight at first? The knit will adjust to your foot quickly. Are they feeling too loose? Lace ’em up and you’re good to go.

Overall, comfort was great. No gimmicks, no dead space, no slippage. Containment was mostly fine and I felt secure while playing. It’s the type of shoe that’s very light and feels quick on your feet. Pair that with a soft upper and you got yourself a contender for one of the most comfortable shoes out there.

PERFORMANCE


CRAZY MOBILE & COMFORTABLE

CUSHION

The Curry 3ZERO cushion setup is back – and it’s solid, for the most part. If you’re expecting to feel like on clouds or like in a BOOST shoe that mentions MicroG in the tech specs, you’re slightly wrong.

While this isn’t a very firm cushion, it’s definitely not as bouncy/plush as it was on older MicroG models in Under Armour’s shoes or something like full-length BOOST in adidas models.

TRACTION

We have the Clutchfit Drive 3’s outsole here, so it plays the same. It basically can be described in two words – grippy and sensitive. It grips the floor really well, there’s plenty of stopping power on every stop, cut or change or direction. Step on a clean, premium court, and you’re golden all the time.

Step on a more dusty, 24/7 type of court, and you’ll need to wipe pretty often to avoid annoying slippage. That’s just how the outsole works and there’s no way around it.

The rubber compound is pretty durable, so just like the Clutchfit Drive 3, I do recommend trying these out outdoors.

 

SUPPORT

SUPPORT

You can’t expect titan-like from a minimal, mobile guard’s shoe with a knit upper. The Controller doesn’t provide that much support any ankle protection but it does have the basic components to keep your foot secure.

There’s an external heel counter, an exellent lacing system, some tighter knit spots on support-critical areas and there’s a midfoot shank. So it should keep you safe during movements that are less explosive and athletic.

UPPER


 

THAT WOVEN IS AS GOOD AS IT GETS

Yeah, so the upper is pure woven. That is one hell of an offer for a $100 shoe. There’s not a lot to be said about woven upper, and especially those that are done just right.

This is a very comfortable, light, breathable and mobile upper that will give you tons of freedom and speed. It’s not your standard leather – this is as close as it gets to a truly premium upper.

Obivously, knit uppers aren’t heavy on support or durability but you shouldn’t expect that anyway. Look for something more sturdy such as the Curry 3 if you want more support and reliability.

OVERALL


BEST FOR QUICK, LOWER PROFILE GUARDS

The Charged Controller is more targeted towards Curry-like players that more light on their feet and need a lot of court feel, responsve and mobility. This is a fantastic option for that, which doesn’t break the bank at all.

 

+ A FANTASTIC FIT
+ A PRETTY VERSATILE CUSHION SETUP
+ GRIPPY, OUTDOOR-FRIENDLY TRACTION
MINIMALISTIC SUPPORT
TRACTION IS SENSTIVIE TO THE COURT CONDITION

Okay, that’s it for the review! I hope you found it useful!