The all-new Harper 2 cleats from Under Armour, Bryce Harper's second signature cleat. ???
WPW's Take:
I really like the full coverage of the half-tone pattern of this cleat. Its an evolution of the Harper 1, which I also really liked, and I'm excited to see what they do with the colorways. I also appreciate the simplicity of the cleat and the fact that it will look as good from the dugout seats as it does in the 3rd deck.
From UA:
According to Dave Stakel, Under Armour’s Director of Cleated Footwear:
“For bryce, the hybrid plate is all about the comfort. He was out there with metal spikes, and he would feel the fatigue in the heel and he felt it in the back of his legs. Its about keeping the back of the legs, calves, (hamstrings), etc. more comfortable. That was the initial insight, and once we started testing, we realized there were more advantages.”
The majority of traction that you need is really focused in the forefoot. You don’t need the sharpness of metal spikes to give you what an athlete needs in the heel. The focus of the power generation at the plate and first step quickness in the field is really coming from the front spikes.”
Charged foam technology gives the same cushioning used by Steph Curry (like the Harper 1) and contributes to the overall fit and feel of a high-performance basketball shoe. UA took the midsole down a bit to give the player a more stable base, and managed to take a significant amount of weight out of the cleat compared to the Harper 1. The Harper 2 weighs in at 13.2 oz vs the 15.5 oz Harper 1.
UA added some more room in the toebox, because, according to Stakel, “One thing every kid is looking for is a sneaker-like fit.” Those looking for such a fit will also appreciate the new neoprene ankle collar, and the woven textile upper. You will also notice that the woven textile is protected by a TPU coating (above photo, last palm tree on the right shows the transition) in the heel and forefoot for durability.
From Bryce:
“I’m really excited about the additions we made and the new state of the art technology that was integrated.”
Shop the Harper 2 at the link. What do you think?