The Nike Vapormax received a huge amounts of hype and publicity when they first came out because of their radical design. Sneaker heads lost their minds. But a lot of people keep asking which is better, the Nike Vapormax or Adidas Ultra Boost. They’re both priced the same and a lot of people say the Vapormax is Nike’s answer to Adidas’s run away hit Boost technology. So lets compare the two and find out. 

Like i mentioned earlier, both of these shoes are priced fairly similar. The Ultra Boost 3.0 usually retail for $180 while the Vapormax retail for $190. prices might change cause of color ways and materials used. But these shoes are definitely up there when it comes to price. I’ll have links in the description below if you want to pick up either one of these shoes. 

Lets talk about the uppers first, both of these shoes use some type of knit material that make them very comfortable to wear, light weight and very breathable. Nike uses their Fly Knit which can be found on a lot of other shoes. As always the Fly Knit is a little stiffer and helps give the shoe a much more structured feel. Adidas on the other hand uses their prime knit material which is much more elastic than Nike’s Fly knit. Adidas’s Prime knit makes for an extremely comfortable shoe if youre going to wear the Ultra Boost 3.0 as a casual shoe but it does leave something to be desired if you’re going to go out running in them. It just feels like your foot dosnt have the proper lockdown when you run. The Vapormax also has Nike’s Fly Wire System that really helps with lock down when you tighten your laces. The Fly Wire system compresses your whole foot evenly unlike the cage used on the Ultra Boost. If you tighten your laces on your ultra boost before you go for a run all you get is a little bit of pressure on the instep of the foot. 

Now lets talk about the actual Boost and Airmax units. style wise, the vapormax is very polarizing. some people love the look of the new Air Max units because they look so futuristic while other people absolutely hate them because they look like giant bubbles. Theres no midsole on the Vapormax so its literally just your foot right on the Airmax Unit. The new Airmax uses a very durable rubber and theres extra rubber placed around the unit to help reenforce it. Time will tell how it’ll actually hold up. The adidas Ultra Boost on the other hand has a much more conservative sole which can be worn almost anywhere. its also a much more low profile. The Ultra Boost outsole is also made out of continental rubber which has really helped with traction and durability. 

Actually wearing either one of these shoes feels completely different. The Nike Vapormax has a very bouncy ride and it does take some getting used to. It also feels really high cause the Airmax units are so thick. so it kind of feels like you’re walking on stilts. I also mentioned in my initial review that the way the Airmax unit cups the bottom of your heel feels a little off, and after wearing these shoes daily for almost a week it still feels weird. The Ultra Boost on the other hand have a much more comfortable and softer ride. When you walk in the Ultra Boost each step you take dosnt feel squishy like the Vapormax. And since the Ultra Boost Mid sole has a lower profile you foot wont get caught when walking up a flight of stairs. 

Fit wise the nike Vapormax size like many other nike shoes out there. They tend to be a little narrow but run true to size length wise. Where as the Adidas Ultra Boost run true to size but if you want a slightly snug fit you can always go down a size. Now don't get me wrong, the Vapormax is a decent shoe and its pretty performance oriented. The stiffer fly knit give the shoe a very structured fit and the fly wire really help with lock down. The Vapormax is a great shoe for distance runners that like a lot of padding. But if i want something to wear casually and use as a daily driver i’ll be defaulting to my Ultra Boost.