adidas has seen a fundamental change in design and performance over the last three years, and it all starts with two words: Boost and Primeknit. What would a shoe with both feel like on a basketball court? Luckily, we already know because the word is out and the adidas Crazy Explosive is a top shoe for 2016. What is one more opinion when we already know the tale of the tape? Hopefully you’ll learn something if you are still undecided, so read on…
TRACTION – Who knew coral would make good grips? That is what adidas is calling the pattern, and it works on any indoor court surface. Not exactly biting, more of a smooth grip and release, making coming out of stops smooth and quick. Where the Rose 7 is a dig in, hold, and push off, the Explosive is more long stride and transition. Durability was not in the blueprint, however, as the rubber began peeling off the edges within about three jumpers’ time — okay, not that quick, but definitely sooner than wanted. Outdoor asphalt or rough concrete will eat these like Krispy Kreme — one quick bite.
CUSHIONING – Boost. That’s all.
Kidding, kind of. Boost has been a little different since it hit courts two years ago; it’s too unstable to pack like the runners unless there is a caging system. If the instability is cut down, the cushion properties are cut down also. A fine line to walk, but the Crazy Explosive gets it right. The heel is packed thick with pellets but the lateral side is caged in a polyurethane to keep the Boost from expanding too far out. This accomplishes two missions: first, it keeps the shoe from tipping out, and second, the Boost stays underfoot for quicker response. The forefoot is encased also, but as thin as the Boost is this may have been more for containment and design. Either way, impact was NUH-UH while response into the next step was easy and smooth with very little lag or sinking feeling in the forefoot.
There have been some “opinions” floating that the Boost is not as responsive or “dead” in some pairs. Speaking for this reviewed pair, there is no issue at all with response or impact protection straight out of the box. From the first day until now, 3 almost 3 months later, the Explosive is responsive and cushioned without feeling too soggy and mushy.
MATERIALS – It honestly gets no better if you need or want a fabric/woven upper. The Primeknit here is flexible and soft but reinforced in high stress areas with a tighter weave. No fishing line disguised as support wire, just woven upper — almost. The parts of the shoe that don’t have the brighter threads (the infrared color) have a nylon backing material behind the Primeknit for a little extra support (the mudguard basically). Those areas are responsible for keeping the foot over the footbed, but that goes into the Support category, coming later.
The Crazy Explosive also features a full length GeoFit inner bootie to form-fit the CE to the foot. For those not familiar, GeoFit is a system of strategically placed pads around the ankle and foot to secure the fit comfortably. First seen on the Rose 1 in basketball (at least by name), the pads aren’t thick but dense and keep pressure away.
FIT – Speaking of Fit, here we go: while the Rose 7 seemed to fit most people a half size small, and the Crazy Light Boost 2016 fit a half to full size too big, the Crazy Explosive is just right — no doubt thanks to the inner padding, but the wider toe box and feel overall makes the CE more accommodating to different shapes without changing sizes. Being wider, it would almost make sense for the CE to feel clunky, but the form-fitting ‘Knit keeps the shoe flexing easily with no fight of the foot, so even though the fit looks wide, it moves right with your grooves. The ankle and heel are locked in with the combo of the Geofit and the Achilles wrap around the ankle, so even without a really solid heel counter, there is no movement at all in the heel. Best fitting adidas shoe ever? Yeah, exactly.
SUPPORT – Primeknit can’t be supportive, right? Because it’s too soft, won’t hold up or contain the foot? Nope. Nuh-uh. Wrong. Like we covered in the materials section, the knit is reinforced in the high stress areas with a nylon back and a tighter weave, so stretch and pull in those areas is minimal. The huge infinity shank under the midfoot (under the whole foot, really) keeps the arch from arching the wrong way. It also helps with transition, keeping running smooth without being too mushy and slow, but also lets the Crazy Explosive bend in the right spots.
The Boost is caged in the forefoot and heel to help with this category specifically. Boost is completely unstable by itself — its foam balls made to rebound off of each other. The cages allow the Boost to compress, to a point, and hold the Boost in shape to keep the shoe from rolling over. This cage also keeps compression from completely bottoming out and pushes the Boost back into shape for quicker moves. If the Boost was allowed to expand outward with no limits, it would take time to recover and slow down the athletes. See, cages are good.
The heel is without a solid counter but the wide base and fantastic fit keep the foot from going over except in extreme cases.
OVERALL – Best adidas shoe ever? Some are saying it, but this reviewer still prefers the Rose 7 (and the Supernatural Creator, but good luck finding those). The Crazy Explosive is definitely on the list of top shoes of 2016 (which is coming soon), and to ruin the list, it is top 5. Perfect materials on the upper, almost perfect cushioning, fit is dead on, and traction is solid on any court. The main thing to hold the CE back is the durability of the outsole – it peels from indoor use after a few wears, so making it through practices and a full season of basketball with one pair may be asking too much.
If you can afford it, and with recent price drops to around the $110 level it becomes an even better value, the Crazy Explosive has everything you could ever want in a shoe, and excels in the pieces, making the whole a great, GREAT shoe. The revival continues for Three Stripes because performance and aesthetics together make for a good time. Blow it up.
Another great review!
Thanks for the review, it’s a great read. I do wonder if you would recommend this shoe for big men that have to play Center/Power Forward. It definitely looks like it’s lacking support. You wrote that the support is good, thanks to tight weave and nylon in high stress areas. But that doesn’t sound like a whole lot of support, to be honest.
Between the Rose 7 and the CE, which one do you think is better suited for big guys like me?
Thanks in advance,
-pac
I’m in the performance footwear industry, (mainly running shoes) and the word support is often thrown around very loosely. Some consider it cushioning, some consider it presence of arch under foot and some consider it over wrapping around your foot. I’m curious what you’re concerned with when you say support. I play in a pair of these. I feel like all those areas for me are covered thoroughly. I’m 5’10 200lbs (I’m dense, overweight, but not tubby), so not really a big dude, but I never take these off with any aches or pains.
Hi and thanks for getting back to me. What I mean is basically lateral support. With my old Adidas Isolation shoes I rolled my ankle twice. Every time I had to stop playing for at least 4 weeks after consulting my doctor.
Since I use the D Rose 6, I’ve never tripped sideways again and I attribute that to the strap system around the collar. But eventually I’ll have to replace the DR6 and I do wonder how these perform.
-pac
Pacman, I would say these are closer to the Rose 6 cushioning than the Rose 7. The rose 7 is like an updated rose 5.
Thanks Duke, for your reply. I guess the Rose 7 will probably the shoe of choice for me then. Ankle stability is simply my main concern. But then, the Nike Hyperdunk (high) seem to provide that, too. Decisions, decisions…
🙂
-pac
Mike, I’m the same size and build as you, it sounds, and I agree – no problems at all with aches from these.
The Rose 7, to me, is a more structured shoe, especially with the tighter lacing and stronger heel and ankle areas. The mesh doesn’t give a such as primeknit, so keep that in mind as well.
I was wondering: how does the boost in the forefoot compare to the D Rose 6? Also, do you think widefooters can squeeze in there?
I play in these with a pretty wide foot. They’re really tight at first but after 20-30 minutes, the knit forms really nicely around your forefoot and there’s no pressure.
Good to know. Sounds like the D Rose 6 PK- a little snug but felt fine after some use.
Kwame, the Explosive is very Rose 6 like. The Rose 7 is more like the 5 – lower and quicker – than the rose 6. And yeah, wide footers, just a little wider than normal, will be good.
Sounds good. This shoe seems to have everything I want, except for outsole durability. When that solid outsole one comes out I’ll be all over that.
Adidas keeps on making performance hits. Good performance review by Duke.
Hey, I have a bit a a dilemma about which hoop shoes to go with. As we all know, boost is awesome. I am a young player, and I am not sure if I should go with the Crazy Explosive or Rose 7. Both non-pk versions are on sale for about $100. I want the springier boost in the CE but I want the durability of the Rose 7. It’s got to last indoors 2 hours/day, 5 days a week for 4 months. Obviously longer than that would be nicer. I have watched your reviews and read every single one about these two shoes on weartesters.com. I’m leaning towards the CE but the lack of durability in traction is scaring me off. Any advice or thoughts?
The bounce of the explosive isn’t WAY better than the rose if you need the durability.
Great read from Duke as usual. I just wish that these could have hit on ALL the major ones for me including outsole durability. It’s so rare to find that shoe that fits with everything that I would like but when it happens, I grab a few pair for a rainy day. So far this year, it looks like it may be the KD9 that I grab at least 3 pairs of. My foot just loves them and the outsole, while not the MOST durable, is more durable for indoor/outdoor play than I expected. I just hope that they can hold up and that the price drops sooner than later.
Trezz, did you see the black pair on my IG? Don’t remember if it was continental, but it is solid. Neoprene upper though.
I still feel like the shoe is a little clunky and wide in the forefoot. Otherwise, perfect.
Thanks for the review Duke!
Just hope Adidas is reading reviews here at weartesters, so they could release a continental solid rubber version,
The outsole durability is the ONE thing preventing me from buying this amazing shoe.
Hey duke
Does the boost in these feel like the rose 6 ? I read schwollo’s review and he said he could only feel the boost from heel to midfoot. Im considering buying this pair so please answer me. Thank you
Yeah, I feel it, and to me it feels like the Rose 6, or closer than anything else does.
Duke, since you mentioned the sizing of the Rose 7, I’m having an issue with mine. My right shoe seems to fit a little longer than the left, which causes my foot to slide up and hit the front of the shoe. I’m right-handed, so my right foot is slightly bitter than the left. Did you have any issues like that?
I like Porzingins PE the best. It has 2 additional lace loops and shoe looks more compact and the colorways are awesome.
A little, but not bad enough to worry. Could be the lacing starting back on the foot doesn’t lock you down like it should. I lace super tight so mine aren’t moving now.
Thanks. I’ve only played in them twice, and I’m still trying to get that “just right” fit with the lacing.
Hey Duke, you dont post video reviews on your YT channel anymore? Been wondering where you went.
Great review. Overdue for grabbing a pair, but on top of deciding color, still not sure if I should go half size down. I hover between TTS and half-down more so than others because I have a narrow foot. For the record, all sizing discussed on WT (by all reviewers) has been consistently accurate. Just gets hard to judge because this is Primeknit. Just have no idea how it’ll wear in time.
Any input on the sizing length? That’s probably the make-or-break for me. Can’t size down if the shoe is too short.
I too prefer the rose 7…has all the cushion you need to keep you from aching and doesn’t have any ‘mush’…i always felt like i was moving and reacting slower in the rose 6,,,super compfy though
Great shoe in almost all respects, including fit (tts), comfort, cushioning, transition, stability. Only major drawback is weight…I haven’t worn a shoe this heavy in a looooooong time. You can really feel the weight when accelerating.
You thought these were heavy? They felt perfect to me. The way you feel about the weight on these is exactly how I feel in the Rose 7.
Just played in mine for the first time tonight. Most comfortable shoe I’ve owned. The boost is legit. I have the neoprene model, so it’s definitely lacking in the air flow and breath ability department, however, the traction is awesobe. While all my buddies were complaining about the dusty court, I was making squeaky cuts. Another great recommendation from Weartesters!
is it good for guards