Rather than tell you right away how the UA HOVR™ Machina 3 Storm go, I want to start from a different angle: I want to tell you what it feels like to wear them. I’m not talking about foot feel, comfort or how they perform on the road, we’ll get to that later. Rather, I am referring to a state of mind that UAs in general and the HOVR™ Machina 3 Storm are able to generate.
I summarize it in a few words: stability, safety, well-being. These are not three adjectives that immediately come to mind when one thinks of a pair of running shoes, but it is impossible not to mention them here. Because there is also the rest, then.
Stability
Let’s face it: the landscape of stable shoes has shrunk a lot in recent years. The HOVR™ Machina 3 Storm are not overtly “stable” shoes: they have no special spurs, no anti-pronation corrections or the like (solutions, by the way, that are gradually disappearing from the running world). Yet the feeling they convey by wearing them, walking and then running with them is that typical of stable, protective shoes. The amazing thing is that they are not “big shoes”: aesthetically-beyond the distinctive, original, and refined UA design-you could never mistake them for heavy, particularly chunky shoes. Because in fact they are not: they weigh 301 g (not very little but not much either, and, more importantly, you perceive them to be much lighter) and are streamlined and compact.
Security
The feeling they convey is one of great protection and stability: the foot is safe and the sole is firm on the road, ready to take flight. The 8-millimeter drop is quiet, the space the foot finds inside the upper is snug but not constricting, and the response of the 3D-molded insole is welcoming. The generous support never throws you off balance, especially to the side. You are on the tracks, you can go. And if you run at night, you’re very visible: reflective inserts on the upper “light up” them on night runs.
Well-being
The risk is that of being too comfortable in them, which then is not a risk at all and is what I summarize as the “psychological experience” of the HOVR™ Machina 3 Storm: that desire to use them all the time because you walk well in them, run well in them, and – why not? – If it rains you don’t get your feet wet. Yeah, because you may have noticed that these are not “normal” Machina 3 but “Storm,” that is, waterproof and storm-friendly.
Generally waterproofed shoes are warmer than the version from which they are derived but not in this case. The HOVR™ Machina 3 Storm are confirmed like all the UAs I have tried by a very welcome special feature: a perfectly, truly breathable upper. Not only that: warm in winter and cool in summer. UA are shoes you can wear in any season because they adapt to the temperatures. And these HOVR™ Machina 3 Storm are no different, despite the waterproof treatment.
Technology
The HOVR™ Machina 3 Storm has also a refined Bluetooth brain: a sensor inside the midsole allows you to record data from your runs and then process it in the UA MAPMYRUN™ app, which is very useful for giving you tips on how to improve your running setup (we wrote about it here). Don’t feel like setting it up? It only takes a few seconds: you just bring your phone close to the right shoe and the matching is immediate.
On the road
The feeling of safety and stability is confirmed even and especially while running. The HOVR™ Machina 3 Storm are shoes to go a long way with-their degree of protection and comfort makes you forget you’re wearing them, and the perception is that they’re much lighter than said.
They are also very balanced, in every aspect: they are not overly aggressive, they don’t ask you to go crazy speeds with them (there are other models for that) but they assist you reassuringly for many, many miles, providing a good level of responsiveness thanks to the UA HOVR™ responsive cushioning. And, again, even while running, they know how to convey the psychological feeling of protection, safety, reliability and, finally, pleasure.
In short: they know how to be loved and how to make you love what you do, which is to run.
You can purchase the UA HOVR™ Machina 3 Storm at a list price of 170 euros at Under Armour Brand Houses:
- Via Orefici 13, Milan
- Piazza Gae Aulenti 6, Milan
- Centro Carosello, Carugate (MI)
- OrioCenter, Orio al Serio (BG)
- Romaest, Rome (RM)
- Via del Tritone 176, Rome (RM)
- Center Sicily, Catania (CT)
Or you can search for the nearest retailer, where to see live and try on Under Armour running shoes and apparel.
