Adidas Handball Sneaker
1000 sneakers were found
0 shops
0 shops
0 shops
0 shops
0 shops
0 shops
0 shops
0 shops
0 shops
0 shops
0 shops
0 shops
0 shops
0 shops
0 shops
0 shops
0 shops
0 shops
0 shops
0 shops
0 shops
0 shops
0 shops
0 shops
About
Adidas Handball Spezial
The Adidas Handball Spezial gets mistaken for a Samba more than any other model. Both are low, both suede, both on a gum sole. There is one place where the difference shows at once, and that is the toe.
Look at the toe, not the stripes
On the Samba a separate piece of rubber sits over the toe, like a cap. Here it does not: the toe is plain suede, with only a curved seam running over the vamp. That one missing piece changes the whole silhouette. The Spezial reads smoother and rounder for it, while the Samba looks more assertive with that rubber cap.
The sole is taller than you think
Set the model next to the rest of the archive and the sole stands out. The gum sole runs as a broad band around the entire shoe and is clearly thicker than on the Gazelle or the Samba. That comes from the gym: on a hard indoor floor a shoe has to absorb impacts that grass or gravel would swallow. The brand name and the trefoil are cast into the side of that sole, and the surface around them is finely speckled.
The stripes are perforated
A row of punch holes runs the full length of each stripe. That is no decorative detail but the ventilation of a shoe that is otherwise fully closed, and it is the only place air moves in and out of the upper. Ahead of the stripes the word Spezial sits in gold lettering on the suede, the trefoil set over it. At the back a separate heel patch in smooth leather holds the suede collar in place.
Where it stands
Within the brand’s archive this is the indoor shoe: thicker sole, no rubber on the toe, everything aimed at grip inside. The Campus sits closest in material but has a flatter sole, and the Stan Smith comes from a completely different corner, with leather instead of suede and stripes that exist only as perforations.
On this page you can see which versions of the Adidas Handball Spezial are running hottest right now according to the Hypescore, from what price they’re available, and how many shops have them in stock.