I make things out of clay, I live by the bay, I like to eat hay? Thank you, Dr. Seuss
I have to admit that Adidas’s new lineup is very strong and each shoe seems to be made for a specific type of player. I decided to break down each aspect to help everyone out.
Here are the full reviews
Crazylight Boost 2016
Crazy Explosive
Weight:
- Crazylight Boost 2016: 16 oz
- CrazyExplosive: 17.5
- Rose 7: 17.5 to 18
Traction
- Rose 7 (solid outsole)
- Crazylight Boost 2016
- Crazy Explosive
- Rose 7 (translucent)
All three are excellent performers but the Rose 7 and CLB 16 required almost no wiping in dusty courts. The CE needed some wiping and didn’t bite as hard as the other two or the Rose 6.
Cushioning
This is a tough one to rank but I’ll break down heel, forefoot and overall
Heel:
- Crazy Explosive
- Crazylight 2016 and Rose 7
The CE feels great in the heel and feels similar to what you’d feel in a runner. The CLB 16 and Rose 7 both have a set up that is firmer that last year’s Rose 6.
Forefoot:
- Crazylight Boost 2016
- Rose 7
- Crazy Explosive
The CLB16 has a very even feeling from heel to toe with very little toe drop or reduction in Boost feel. It does play higher off the ground than the other two but that’s up to the player to decide if they like that feeling.
The Rose 7 feels thinner at the forefoot for enhance court feel but the main cause of that is the firm strobel board between the cheap insole and the Boost. The 5 and 6 used cloth to enhance the Boost feel. I remedied this firmer feel with a thicker insole. The Primeknit Rose 7 has a thicker insole to remedy this but it still feels cheap.
The Crazy Explosive is too thin for my taste at 180 lbs and is as thin as my Energy 2m running shoes in the forefoot. Some people will like this feel but it’s not for me as inexperienced bottoming out.
Overall:
- Crazylight Boost 2016
- Rose 7
- Crazy Explosive
If Adidas put the CLB16 cushioning on all three of these, I’d be in heaven. Just a nice balance of cushioning heel to toe.
Fit
This is kind of tricky because each shoe has its strengths in terms of fit.
Forefoot
- Crazy Explosive
- Crazylight Boost 2016
- Rose 7
No deadspace at all with the top 2. Rose 7 had a little deadspace but I fixed that with an insole swap. The Rose 7 Primeknit has a thicker insole so there is less deadspace to start.
Heel
- Rose 7
- Crazy Explosive
- Crazylight Boost 2016
The Rose 7 just sucks the heel down and back which I love. The Crazy Explosive has an inner bootie and Geofit padding to assist with lockdown but the lacing system is too easy to loosen. I experienced minor heel slip with the the CLB16 due to the cut and low padding. Acceptable but still there.
Overall
- Rose 7 with insole swap or PK version
- Crazy Explosive
- Crazylight Boost 2016
I achieved the one to one fit I like with a thicker insole swap. I don’t mind the little deadspace bubble as it doesn’t affect play at all.
Support
All three are very stable so I’ll just rank the support
- Rose 7
- Crazy Explosive
- Crazylight Boost 2016
The Rose 7 actually has some meat and strength around the ankle area while the Crazy Explosive is a runner disguised as a high. Not much difference in support with the CE and CLB16 despite the lower cut. I will say I love the extra wide flat outsole of the Crazy Explosive that makes it very stable.
Containment
Tie all great . Thank you Adidas!
Hope this little exercise helps!
schwollo.com 
This guide is very helpful great job schwollo!I was wondering which of the three(both pk and mesh versions) is the best in terms of overall durability.Thanks in advance.
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Hmm. Well Primeknit will be the least durable due to being knit. CE “mesh” should last the longest due to TPU in high wear areas then the mesh Rose 7 or CLB16.
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Thanks for replying man
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No problem
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Thanks for doing this! I’m liking all 3 models but don’t want to buy all 3.
I’m assuming your cushioning ranking is with the stock insoles? With the thicker insole in the Rose 7, where does it then rank for you with forefoot cushioning?
Thanks
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It would still be 2 in the forefoot rank. I still like the clb evenness the most
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Also: I found the forefoot cushioning in the Rose 5 to be thin and firm. I could sometimes feel pressure under the ball of my foot from that. Does the thin forefoot cushioning feel similar to that? If not, how does it differ?
Thanks again!
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It feels similar in terms of thickness
Maybe a little thinner but the CE is softer and expands so I’d bottom out
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I love that even feel the clb 2016 cushioning has and it’s my go to shoe for sure. The fit is tricky but it’s so stable it becomes a moot point once you get the sizing right.
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Yea I really liked the clb but couldn’t get that fit right .. So close
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I got lucky. My foot feels good in it but had to go 1/2 size down. No real slippage for me.
Excellent details in your review by the way.
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Nice!
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I really enjoy these type of comparison-articles. Great work Schwollo!
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Thanks Greeksneak!
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Thanks for the review. Really very informative. I know you are tired 🙂 because this year is the best year, probably ever, for BB shoes. However, it would be great if you could do another post, similar to this, about DRose6 vs. 7. That would be awesome!
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I touched on the Rose 6 in the Rose 7 review but in summary the Rose 7 has better traction, slightly firmer cushioning overall (Rose 6 has better cushioning in forefoot). Better fit overall since I didn’t have to modify anything like the Rose 6. Does that help?
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Yes. I loved Drose6 traction, I do not know how it could be better.
Because I need plush cushion, especially in the forefoot, I guess I’ll buy few DRose 6 for the years to come 🙂
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Ha you gotta love it when you love last year’s model. Save some money and get more !
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I loosened up the clb 16 heel counter by bending & folding the back 1/4 of the midsole. 10 mins on both sides and heel slip is gone.
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Nice! I tried everything and it just never went away but extra breaking in did help a lot
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Thanks Schwollo. This is great and very helpful. Really appreciate your reviews and comparisons.
I half expected you to officially put the Rose 6 in the comparison since that is the baseline for awesomeness from last year.
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Haha I only touched base on it in my Rose 7 review but the Rose 6 only beats out the 7 in terms of plushness and forefoot cushioning .
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love these reviews. I am thinking of trying the drose 7 pk for my first Adidas performance pair. currently playing in some recent Jordan xii retros. any thoughts in comparison in regards to cushioning/traction?
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The retro xii is a great show but the Rose 7 has it beat. I always found the xii to be springy underfoot but a little clunky to play in. Rose 7 is more nimble and has better traction. It’s also more flexible overall. Cushioning on the Rose 7 is better to me because the boost can compress more than the Zoom although the xii is one of the best in terms of Zoom. Hope that helps
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Thanks for the great reviews and comparisons Scwollo! I’m curious, since the clb16 have the highest ride, would you consider them the worst in terms of court feel?
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Compared to the other two yes but court feel is still very good with the clb because of the firmness of the boost. I think it’s a perfect balance of cushion and court feel.
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Thanks for the great reviews/comparisons Scwollo! I’m curious, Since the clb16 rides the highest would you consider them the worst in terms of court feel? Really debating between these models, might grab all 3 eventually.
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Hey, Schwollo! Just got to read this (in response to your reply on your Rose 7 review) and I must say that this really cleared up my decision on these three! I think it’s pretty clear now that the Rose 7 is the best fit for me since the CE would bottom out under my weight and I don’t really like low tops lol. It also helps that I like the Rose 7 design the best, especially the Bred colorway that looks super fuego. Man, picking between these was like picking which starter Pokemon I had to take on my journey and this comparison was the Gamefaqs that helped me with my decision.
Quick question though: do you feel a big difference between the CLB forefoot vs the Rose 7’s? Or does the Rose 7 have enough impact protection all-around for a heavy guy that it wouldn’t matter anyway? I’ve only got to experience the Curry 1 and HR 2014, if ever you think either of the two can be used as a point of comparison in your description. The Curry 1 for me is very very adequate in the sense that it’s just enough to save my legs, and the HR 2014 feels very soft for me which is super fun to play in but difficult to manage when making hard movements especially lateral ones. Thanks again!!
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There is a difference in feel between the clb and Rose 7 but you’ll be fine if you like the curry 1 cushioning. The rose 7 is still softer than the curry 1 easily and sits a tiny bit higher off the ground than the curry 1 in the forefoot. If you feel it isn’t enough just swap the curry insole into the Rose 7. I just tried it today so thanks to whoever suggested it!
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That’s great! I don’t really “enjoy” the Curry 1 per se haha just that it’s enough to not kill me every time I use it. I assume you were able to remove the Curry 1 insoles easily? Or did you have to do minor surgery to remove them? Lol
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Haha yea it’s easy to remove it has a little glue in the forefoot but just dig under it and it will pop out
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This is also really random but have you ever tried the Peak DH1? May be a hidden gem especially for the heavy guys (although from Duke’s review, they’re not that good for slashers)!
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No I haven’t. Last Howard shoe I tried was the adidas Howard 3 or 4 only bc it was 30 bucks . Peaks dh1 looks pretty good though.
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JC3 cushion vs CLB16 cushion. Which is firmer? Which has better impact protection? Which would you prefer in terms of cushion?
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Clb is firmer . Jc3 shoe as a whole wasn’t that great and plays high off the ground. Both are fine for impact protection jc3 feels softer though . As a guard I prefer the clb feel. I think adidas nailed it with clb cushioning
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Got it, thanks! Also, have you tried the moving air technology of reebok? Are they the same as those in the 90s? They are now marketed as walking shoes, like this one: http://www.reebok.com/us/dmx-max-supreme/AR3242.html
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I have not tried them but they sounds like the 90’s ones which I did not try either lol
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I like your review but I love the fact that you answer to all (!) questions. Keep up the good work!
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Haha glad to help and chat !
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Hey Schwollo, did the Rose 7’s hurt your toes when you jabbed? I tried it on in the stores and it hurt when I jabbed. Had the same problems with the 6’s.
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Like bumping the front ? If so No bc I have a finger width of space like I like to have.
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So it’s a sizing issue of me going too small? Meaning if I go up half a size it should remedy the issue?
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Possibly . How much space do you usually leave for the front?
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Might have found the problem then, close to no space up front. I’ll think about that next time I try on a shoe, thanks Schwollo
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No problem !
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Great reviewseeing Schwollo! Will any of these shoes go on sale on Footlocker.com? Because I can’t wait for Footlocker price drops.
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Hey my friend, if you see here (http://weartesters.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/CrazyExplosive28.jpg) it seems the CE is very similar to the DR7 in terms of boost in both the forefoot and the heel. Any new thoughts about cushioning comparison (CE vs. DR7) given this new picture?
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No new thoughts i experienced what i experienced. The boost isn’t as dense as the clb or Rose 7 so maybe thats why I could bottom out stil. I will contact adidas for an exchange though maybe I got a bad pair? Will report back if so. Thanks for the info!
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I tried the Crazy Explosives and Rose 7 (I can’t do lows, so the CLB was out by default). If they could’ve given the traction pattern or rubber to the CE, it would’ve easily been my favorite ball kicks of all time (knocking out the Zoom BB 1). Unfortunately, those outsoles pick up dust like a Swiffer mop, and probably are really suited for courts that get waxed and polished on a regular basis. On top of that, they wear out QUICK!
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Yep the outsole just likes to shed its rubber one piece at a time. Don’t know why the chose that compound since it doesn’t stick that well. Upper is nice but materials and cushioning aren’t all there is to a good shoe. Zoom bb 1 still in my rotation:)
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