Well, if we choose to be optimistic… they could have been worse.
Traction – One word… inconsistent. I love playing on pristine courts, I really do… but I don’t get to do it very often. Dust is a major problem based solely on fact that the pattern is really tight. If they would have spaced the lines out a bit then it would have made a difference, however, if you happen to play on courts that are ‘okay’ or at least have a decent coat of lacquer finish then you’ll be alright. But, they were inconsistent enough to where I don’t keep them in my gym bag as a pair of backup kicks.
Cushion – I could use a multitude of one-worded ways to describe my feelings here, but I’ll keep it PG… disappointed. I love Boost, everyone knows this by now… I even wrote about it’s potential in the basketball world – HERE. This though… this is not how I would have done things.
The heel is great, lets just get that part out of the way. It’s everything you expect from Boost. But you put that together with a really thin & dense EVA forefoot… damn did you miss the mark. And you missed it hard… like jumping from a plane without a parachute type of hard. I suffer from shin splints due to how much I play, but I hadn’t had a stint with shin splints in quite a while because all of the shoes I’ve been testing have been pretty flexible and really well cushioned… but not these. My legs would feel like they were glass in about an hour… and me, being the stubborn person I am, would keep them on because I want to be as accurate as possible and I’d wind up in a lot of pain the following day. Wait for the Rose 5… that’s where I’ll leave this at.
Materials – The shoe isn’t all bad, the materials are actually really nice. You have a lightweight but surprisingly strong mesh upper with thin glue-like overlays for additional structural support. I know I keep saying this, but its true. These woven fabric uppers, mesh, knit etc… this is the future of footwear. It works great, feels great and requires no break-in time while being able to easily accommodate a wide variety of foot shapes. That was once leather’s job… mesh and woven uppers are where its at.
Fit – They fit true to size and lockdown is nearly perfect. Like I said above, they feel great right away and require zero break-in time. Midfoot to heel, they wrap your foot up really nicely. It’s snug but since the materials are mesh, its not a painful snug. There is no SprintFrame anywhere to be found – I was super happy about that – so this version of the Crazy Light brings things back to basics in a way. Newer construction in terms of materials, but built the way shoes used to be made.
Ventilation – Nothing I can say about the ventilation other than it was good. Not great, definitely not bad… but it was good.
Support – I’d say that this is the most supportive Crazy Light to date… yeah… without a SprintFrame too. StableFrame is probably the reason for it as well. The StableFrame cups your foot into the midsole, a great feature that I remember talking about briefly a long time ago when I reviewed the Jordan CP3.V… I said that I wished the midsole cupped your foot vs. your foot sitting on top of it. This does that and it works great. Being low to the ground helps… would have been nice if there was some cushion up front, but hey…
Everything else is pretty traditional. TPU heel counter, keeps your heel in place so it won’t shift side to side within the shoe – this is what prevents ankle injuries… not collar height. Then you have adidas’ X-bar for torsional support and a little spring back.
Overall – They’re decent. They have some really nice aspects about them but the two aspects that weren’t so good… were pretty damn bad. Inconsistent traction will immediately remove a shoe from my top picks and then the lack of cushion was pretty irritating… especially for the first hoop shoe to feature my beloved Boost. Then there is the price… $140 for heel only Boost? Really?!? The adidas Response Boost runner has heel and forefoot Boost for $100… whats up with that?
Boost is amazing, and even though I wish these had more of it… I’m hoping that the upcoming D Rose 5.0 will make up for everything these lack. If they don’t, well… then Under Armour will likely retain their current #2 seed in the performance/ sportswear department.
Ouch. luckily I didnt cop these
You and me both
Ohh no just bought a pair,,to late to know i might trade or sell
Don’t worry ’bout it the shoe is good performer, but every one was expecting an exceptional performer jest ’cause they over hyped it.
Still planning on coping a pair.
Disappointed to say the least. I expected great things from this shoe. Great review though, NW
Looks like the ones wearing these shoes will be injuries waiting to happen, not related to ankles tho’..
I tried these on at the store this past weekend, the forefoot cushioning blows, I didn’t feel any, actually. I can’t believe Adidas would charge $140 for these, what a ripoff. I will say, like you have mentioned, the boost cushioning is great, and the heel cushioning in these was really nice, until you went onto your forefoot…felt like you were walking on a piece of rubber. No thanks, I will take the D Rose 5 though.
bruh, 140 dollars is nothing. Jordan be charging 225 dollars for their 29’s and people are slobbering and hyping all over the place for them.
The XX9 is a solid hoop shoe, these are not. The XX9 has cushion where it benefits the player, these do not. There are heel and forefoot Boost models for $100… these are $140 and feature less for more. That is all.
Companies like to chalk up basketball shoe prices.
love that special effect with the tech fit tongue!!!
This is even more of a reason for UA to stay rising above Adidas. They really shouldn’t have made the forefoot feel so poorly, with it being their first Boost basketball shoe to hit the market.
I agree the way they executed the first boost basketball shoe sucked. When Slam interviewed one of the guys at adidas who is like in charge of the boost product line or something he said that he thinks people will like boost in basketball because it works and people like things that work. Yeah well these don’t work…
well I guess I should say they don’t work as “advertised”.
Love the new review format with the notes at the bottom of the screen. keep it up Chris!
thanks!
@Nightwing I’m debating between the crazy light boost or the Nike Run the one….what is your choice honest opinion and why? Cushion in forefoot really isn’t a issue for me.
Thank you
Thanks for the review. Well done as always, and I’m digging the new format too. Bummer about these kicks though. I love the silhouette, but forefoot cushioning and traction being that bad is let down.
you are absolutely right, the traction is really bad for a $140 basketball shoes. I feel kind of slipped when playing on the indoor court, especially with dust on it (maybe that is what adidas wants to do to make us feel Quick with it, haha.) You would be better to clean the bottom of the shoes every time you wear it.
Nice review hit everything right in the nose ! I sent mine back bc it felt like there was no cushioning in the forefoot.
and yet another reason I don’t wear adud
as
Well a lot of people were going to buy the shoe regardless of the forefoot cushion because of the fact that it was the first boost basketball shoe and currently the only one avaliable. If they released the Rose first then these wouldn’t have sold as well. And if these forefoot boost then less the people who are gonna buy the rose just for the boost won’t have to. I like Adidas strategy with this to get more money. It’s all about business which is much respected in my book. Do what you gotta do.
Nice and very informative review!
Considering that I have the luxury of playing in mostly clean courts, plus that long post I had in the Low’s comment section detailing my philosophy about cushioning, this is a must cop for me once the price goes down. I can use that $140 for other things. Fit and lockdown are my top 2 performance aspects. Gonna check em out in person time permitting. Thanks for the review!
Shin splints are aggravated by the “slapping” of the forefoot when we heel strike heavily. Insuspect that with boost in the heel, we end up slapping our forefoot much more and there is minimal forefoot cushion to absorb it.
Hope u cud try slipping spenco GRF basketball insoles in these and see if they’d help.
Shin splints are aggravated by the “slapping” of the forefoot when we heel strike heavily. Insuspect that with boost in the heel, we end up slapping our forefoot much more and there is minimal forefoot cushion to absorb it.
Hope u cud try slipping spenco GRF basketball insoles in these and see if they’d help.
Thanks for the review and another great work!
Hi NoQ,
How’s it going? I was talking about insoles with another member here a couple of days ago. I’ve never tried any replacement insoles before and I want to buy two pairs of different ones to try out.
I can’t decide what to get though. The other member here recommended the Spenco Polysorb Cross Trainers http://www.theinsolestore.com/spenco-polysorb-cross-trainer-insoles.html
Do you have any recommendations? Do you use any in either your Basketball shoes or running shoes?
Hey ice!
Nice to hear from ya! I actually emailed NW awhile back about the Spenco GRF basketball and how they made it able for me to play in Crazy 8’s despite my knee issues. Those are really good and even sell off fast in my country because pros hoard them (only one store chain sells spenco here). Only thing is that you will lose fedback since the cushioning material is gel-like, but absorption and impact dispersal is definitely improved even om the low profile crazy 8. Weight is also affected since these are a tad heavy.
Although i haven’t tried the cross trainer, i have the spenco polysorb total support and the rigid arch support, and a Midas custom insert. I used them on the Bron 8, 10, kobe 8, hyperdunk low and the crazy 8. Im a 5’5″ 145lbs guard and i often move front to back, no longer ‘eurosteppin’ my way. Thus the transition and fast breaks don’t beat up my knees as much with these on because they help control my overpronation.
HOWEVER, during sidestpping and any lateral movement especially on high profile cushion shoes there is much instability. The running insoles help you move front to back easily but someone cause you to underpronate. Now the cross trainer i think would have less of this problem. The GRF is marked basketball only because the mix of soft and hard cushioning under it is totally opposite the polysorb; the rigid areas are along the lateral side of the foot not medial like the polysorb.
Hope this helps! How’s your mizuno hunt? Did they work well for ya?
I don’t care how stupid I sound. This shoe is a BS introduction to something that is supposed to be revolutionary.
Is the D Rose 5 gonna be full length boost?
Yes and what I know right now it’s gonna be great
I’m simply torn about this shoe…the Dame Lillard PE colorway has been in my cart on the adidas store for weeks now and I was only waiting for Nightwing’s review to make my decision…
I love the way it looks but it’s too much to overcome…
actually the traction is good remind me of 1st crazy light (counterkicks also agrees on this)
the forefoot issue depends on individual if u r a teenager or in early 20s should not be a problem,
those older ppl like me need help with their forefoot lol.
To be fair, NW probably cuts harder than me (j/k). I did my testing on inside courts at 24, like he does, but we all know those courts suck one day and are clean the next.
You could always try an insole like Nightwing suggested in the video. A more cushioned insole might make a difference.
I added an insole from an old TS Commander with the forefoot adiprene+ and heel adiprene inserts and it helped a ton, but really, for $140, I shouldn’t have to do that.
Yeah, true. For that price, you shouldn’t have to buy an insole. Sounds like that TS Commander one is a good insole to use with the Adiprene+.
Same issuse, been holding out on purchasing the dame player edition, but……Will still buy just cause I’m a homer.
I’m 32 and in great shape but I’m coming from a severe ankle sprain (by recklessly playing on a pair of Lebrons 10 Low) and not in the mood for taking chances 🙁
I really wanted to get but it will be a no-go…
I bought these and put a more cushioned fore foot insole in them. And I have never had an issue. They actually feel really good. Great court feel. Just put in a cushioned insole and they are amazing
What insole did you use?
I used the thick cushion insoles I got with my rose 2.5s
Also like NW said if you wipe at dead balls and between games the traction works fine as well
Its not horrible traction, just inconsistent. Inconsistent to me is unreliable and I’d prefer something that I can count on.
Was thinking about buying an insole to go with these but that would bring the price up a lot. I think I’ll wait for d rose, lol.
I felt these two let down areas could have easily been addressed by adidas with the amount of r and d I’m sure they do. Herringbone and better insiole and or more eva or adiprene… So simple. I’m sure they are aware, perhaps there is some sort of reasoning for it.
Like others are stating, I’m sure that a more cushioned insole would help but think about it. How much is that really good insole going to cost? Maybe 20 dollars on the lower end for a “GOOD” one. That means that you pay $160 for heel boost and an outside insole. There have got to be better options today or in the very near future for that money.
You are right about that there should’ve been a full length BOOST instead of just the heel. I tried these on when they first came out and the fit felt flimsy and the cushion was just a total disappointment. I bought a melo M10 instead that was on sale for $84. I also use a SPENCO GRF insole on all my basketball shoes but the shoe itself is flawed from the start in regards to cushion and shock absorption. The insole shouldn’t have to do much of the work for you.
Another great review from the top reviewer. Happy i red this and i didnt waste my money as my performance needs are similar to nightwing’s. Nightwing please help me… I dont want a low right now so Kobes and KDs are out of my list..Jordans have problems with broken zooms(superfly 2, M10, XX8)I am between Soldier 8? Hyperdunk 14? and Jordan Flight time 14.5? Whats are your thoughts?
Does anybody else can help me please??
May I suggest Anatomix Spawn, my go-to kicks for serious games and competitions, great support and sweet cushion and you might be able to get it on discount. FYI, my usual rotations include Hyperdunk 2013, AJ 13 retro, Adidas Crazy 1.
I ve played in Jordans 13 for 2 seasons (breds 2005 and flints 2012) and they were almost perfect…i will look up for the spawns as i had great experience with under armours (Blk ice and Prototype Double Nickel)…Thanks for the response
NW! Is the X-bar the same as the Torsion System? or more like the Z-Torsion from the Howard Super Beast?
So on traction was it about the level of the lebron zoom soldier vii or the crazylight two sry to reference an older shoe it just seems like a similar pattern.
I tired these at an adidas store and they were one of the worst shoes i have ever worn. The forefoot was so dense and thin that i would be afraid to wear them on the hardwood. I am a pro basketball player and i have a lot of experience in basketball shoes. Do not buy this even if it was cheaper. You ll make bad to your feet. Even a pair of Converse All Stars has more cushion at the forefoot….
Adidas really messed this one up. Could have contested for shoe of the year with 2 of the easiest fixes.
First, put another boost pod in the forefoot instead of the standard foam, obviously, cushion would have been much higher, around a 9.
Second, change the traction to something like the XX8, almost exact same shoe design. Traction would be more like a 9.
Ventilation really isn’t a massive contributor to the overall so this could have easily been a shoe of the year
It seems like WAY more NBA players are wearing these versus the Rose 5’s. I wonder if Adidas has requested/demanded that their signed athletes do that to try and help sales. I cant really think of any other reason why players would choose these over the Rose’s. Unless the Rose’s are a huge disappointment and dont perform well.
Here in Rio de Janeiro, Adidas set a Test Drive to anyone who wants to wear these shoes.
Playing more than 2 hours in a reformed asphault outdoor, I have to agree with this Performance Review.
Best Crazylight ever…but the Boost in the heel won’t help to put my money on the Adidas table.
And the 2014 Hyperdunks are cheaper. C’mon, Adidas…
JMD, players dont wear the Rose 5 because they are not allowed to yet. D Rose only can cause it is his shoe. Players will begin to wear it after it has been released and colorways have been released for their team.
Thanks for the info. I thought that might be the case.
Like a beautiful woman with a bad case of the super monkey AIDS.
I heard all of the bad things about these. I still bought them because I liked them visually and they were on sale plus I had a discount. I thought “how bad can they really be?”. Big mistake. I honestly dont think I’ve ever returned a pair of basketball shoes I’ve bought online (Other than for price adjustments) but I think I might have to with these. I just cant see myself wearing them. Even casually. The upper material is awesome and I wish the Rose 5 featured it. The heel boost is OK. But the StableFrame hurts the hell out of my foot (maybe because I have wide feet) and the forefoot “cushion” actually makes the ground feel harder. I dont know what kind of voodoo Adidas has used with this EVA but it somehow makes the ground harder. After trying these on I had to immediately put on my Jordan xx9’s to help heel my feet and knees and let them know I didn’t hate them. Stay away. From the Crazy Light Boost. Not the Jordan xx9. They’re AMAZING
About the cushion, which is better these or the last model (CL 3)? Thx for the answer!
Just heads up for everyone. Adidas tent sales are starting today. It’s either 30 or 35 for a pair of any adidas shoes.