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Review: Under Armour Shadow Elite 3

Ian Ebbs

Nike. adidas. Puma. Nike. adidas. Puma. Sometimes it does seem like there’s not much of a choice really when it comes to the leading football boots. But when you have New Balance producing the likes of Furon and Tekela, and Skechers bannering the SKX-01 and Razor, things can get pretty much exciting!

And excited I am to try out and review another alternative to the Big 3 silos, which is the Under Armour Shadow Elite 3. I know, I know. Under Armour has been a hit or a miss with football boots. And with the recent departure of their biggest (and perhaps sole) superstar in Trent Alexander-Arnold, things look rather bleak. But hey, I don’t think it hurts to test out their latest silo and see if it can generate some buzz behind the Under Armour brand again.

Boot Composition

So first things first, let’s see the tech and features that comprise the Under Armour Shadow Elite 3. What we have is a knit-based one-piece upper using UA’s IntelliKnit, its answer to the likes of Nike Flyknit, adidas Primeknit and Puma Evoknit. Name-wise I like how IntelliKnit suggests that it knows when to stretch things out and where to put more structure. We see then that IntelliKnit is strategically overlaid by a coating on the forefoot and heel, and a TPU-skinned minute knit elements across the ribbings of the upper.

With the big brands going back to synthetic (and leaving just a few full knitted options like the Nike Phantom Luna/GX 2), I would characterise the entry of UA’s Shadow Elite 3 and its IntelliKnit as proper timing. Only a handful so far has tried to fill the knitted void (e.g. NB Furon and Tekela, Skechers SKX-01), and for that I see Shadow as giving that needed variety in this category.

Internally you get the UA Charged Cushioning for the insole, an internal heel cup and a suede heel padding. And when you flip the boot check under the hood, UA brings us a full-length carbon fibre soleplate that is then dominated by a bladed stud configuration. I believe the most exciting part of the Shadow Elite 3 is the soleplate, actually. We’ve been clamouring for Nike to bring back carbon fibre outsoles, so I think Under Armour scored plus points simply by addressing that demand.

IntelliKnit Upper

I can say that IntelliKnit is elastic on the tongue and significantly less stretchy for the rest of the upper. However, across the entirety of the material, I think it just has that rich and plush composition compared to other knit materials in the football boot market. I feel that IntelliKnit is more dense than the proprietary knit of the leading brands. If you like a knitted football boot t offer more richness as far as the material goes, I’m pretty sure you’re going to feel at home with Shadow Elite.

It’s also good that there is some amount of weatherisation attribute through the ‘never-wet coating,’ seen below in red. It’s intended to optimise touch even in wet conditions. I’m guessing it works best when the only thing you have to worry about is the moist from the natural soil. Since ‘never-wet’ has some cutouts on the sides of the boot, it won’t be able to significantly prevent the knit from soaking up when it’s raining on match day.

With that said, I find that these additional features on IntelliKnit causes additional friction to prevent the ball from sleeking away. I wouldn’t say that it is Gripknit and Strikeskin-like in terms of ball grip, but it does offer enough that will help maintain your touch. And it might be more dense and rich, but IntelliKnit, to my mind, is still able to provide that sock-like, barefoot touch on the ball. Because of its knitted nature though, I sensed that there is less ping during strikes compared to the more solid vibe of synthetic boots.

Carbon Fibre Soleplate and the Blades

UA might have scored points on nostalgia by bringing back carbon fibre as a soleplate material, but it will only be a hit if it performs well. And perform well it does! It ticks all the boxes of my checklist for great soleplate attributes. Stable yet torsionally movable? Check. Functional forefoot flex? Check. Responsive snapback? Check! But I do need to caution. You might be more impressed with the Puma Ultra 5 Carbon if you’re priority is having the greatest snapback from a carbon-based soleplate, as the forefoot flex of this carbon-fibre soleplate somehow falls on the flexible side.

If we can just see each step on a microscale, I am certain that the bladed stud configuration would slice through the natural firm ground with ease. And with good surface depth, the carbon fibre helps prevent any stud pressure from piercing up every now and then. I did find the unusual formation of the heel blades off-putting, but ultimately it did not affect how aggressive Shadow is in terms of traction. Which is the reason why I find the Shadow Elite3 on AG as a case-to-case basis. If the depth is enough, then perhaps this might be playable. But if your synthetic pitch is the older, more shallow earlier generations, I’ll certainly have doubts if I could wear them.

Fit and Feel

As for the shape of Shadow Elite 3, it’s what you would expect a modern speed boot would be like. It’s sleek, it has a nice grab on the heel, and overall has that close wrap around your feet. You might think that Shadow would be suited only for narrow-feet players, but actually it is perfect for wide-feet as well. IntelliKnit has that elasticity that allows the material to stretch and snap back into place as soon as it forms around your feet, not to mention the cutout of the coating on the sides to allow a bit more of that sideway stretch. With the laces tied tight, the fit, structure and lockdown of the boot are all optimised.

I don’t think any of today’s boots are heavy in the strictest sense, but weighing at 226 grams at a size 9.5 US, it certainly one of those that weighs up the most especially when compared to speed boots. Nonetheless, it’s still a lightweight boot that is easy on the feet. I like how there is a bit more insole cushioning in the Shadow than other leading football boots. It vibes well with the comfort levels of the rich knitted upper, and whatever minimal bounce it generates will only complement the snap back of the outsole.

Final Thoughts

Personally, I view the UA Shadow Elite 3 as a solid boot option in general. And with most of the mainstream brands reigniting the influx of synthetic boots, Shadow 3 value proposition as a knitted football boot significantly increases. It is not outside the realm of possibility for one knitted boot shopper to be looking at UA Shadow Elite 3 together with the NB Furon and Tekela plus the Skechers SKX-01, instead of the boots from the Swoosh, the Stripes and the Formstrip.

Author

Ian Ebbs

Founder of FootballBoots.co.uk back in 2010, Ian went on to create and host their YouTube channel which now has 1.5million subscribers and over 300 million views, he also hosts their podcast which you can find on Spotify. He regularly plays masters football, coaches girls and boys teams and is President of his local club. Taking his over fifteen year experience in the football industry, Ian wrote the book: How To Choose Your Boots (find it on Amazon) where he looks to help footballers of all levels find their perfect pair.

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