Thomas: The biggest characteristic of the adidas Energy BOOST is the BOOST midsole. This shoe has tons of BOOSTy bouncy cushion. If you are looking for comfort over everything else, the Energy BOOST might fit the bill. BOOST as a midsole can get sloppy. adidas fixes the sloppiness by giving the outsole a full coverage web of Continental® rubber and then, if you pull up the insole, you’ll find another grid of material giving the midsole support structure on top.
The adidas Energy BOOST 4 looks like it was inspired by the Samba soccer shoes, the black and white styling is iconic. The upper fit well, I recommend going with your regular running shoe size. The heel counter is soft, held the foot in well, and did not rub the Achilles. The material over the toe box is snug but stretchy. I was a little worried about how the plastic cage over the arch would feel, however, I rarely noticed it on the run.
Running in the Energy BOOST at slower speeds is comfortable. When you pick up the pace the shoe toes off well and the outsole shines. The shoe (as heavy as it is) can do fast. It wouldn’t be my choice for a fast day shoe, but you could use it as a comfortable tempo run shoe.
Meaghan: The adidas Energy BOOST 4 is a neutral trainer. It’s designed with a sock-like stretchy upper that hugs the foot and there’s a midfoot cage that helps secure the foot in place. The step-in feel of this shoe is great. They’re comfortable right out of the box and really seem to conform around your foot. There is plenty of cushioning around the tongue, collar and heel.
The boost midsole is a dense cushioning. I didn’t feel it had a ton of “bounce”, but it’s a forgiving, smooth transition from toe off to landing. The midfoot includes a “torsion system,” in other words, a piece of plastic between the forefoot and heel that protects the midfoot. I typically hate this type of support underfoot, but for some reason it didn’t bother me.
The last notable feature in this shoe is the outsole. I don’t know what they do with this rubber, but it’s some of the grippiest stuff I’ve ever worn and it doesn’t seem to wear down.
Thomas: This shoe is a tank. The sucker is heavy at 12 oz. for a size 10.5. The upper on the adidas Energy BOOST is not that breathable. This shoe can get warm.
Meaghan: A few things to note here. 1) The midfoot cage is made of a hard plastic and when you tie the laces too tight, it causes some serious discomfort. So, don’t tie your shoes too tight. 2) These suckers weigh 10.10 oz for a W7.5. You’re basically running in boots. 3) Breathability in the upper is sub-par. Not the best shoe for mid July in Baltimore.
Thomas: If you love BOOST you’ll love the Energy BOOST. I like it over the Supernova. This shoe is a cruiser, I would recommend it to a runner that wants a comfortable daily trainer and doesn’t care how heavy the shoe is. Even though they are more expensive at $160, the BOOST cushioning paired with the full rubber outsole should get you plenty of miles. Overall the Energy BOOST doesn’t get me excited, it is just too much shoe for my taste.
Meaghan: This shoe falls into no-mans land for me. For each feature of the shoe I like, there’s another one I don’t like. I’ve actually been wearing them for everyday, walking around rather than actual training miles. I do think this shoe will last you a very long time. So, while you have to shell out $160, you won’t need to replace your shoes for quite some time.
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Hey Thomas,
Adidas Energy Boost – great option for easy and long runs for the cold Winter.
I just want to express that I’m very thankful for all the work and effort you put in your reviews and always look forward to reading and watching. All your unbiased recommendations have been bang on! Clearly, there’s a huge advantage of a shoe review coming from a site where the reviewers are actual runners. There’s just too much crap out there and ppl really need to know that “Believe In The Run” really know their stuff and it’s based on real hands on product experience.
I wholeheartedly agree with your comments regarding the Clifton 1 in that it was magical. I stock piled quite a number of them after trying them based on your review. Unfortunately, its 2018 and I’m out of original Clifton 1s. I’m currently trying the Adidas Energy Boost 4 (the Tank is how you referred to them) for my everyday easy and recovery runs. It’s been ridiculously cold in Toronto lately and you can’t beat Boost cushioning in the winter especially in days where it’s -20 Celsius where all other shoes have EVA bricks for cushioning in the cold. And, as Meaghan says with the 1080, “I’m probably not feeling the weight since I have so many clothing layers on!” When a shoe is considered an update, it should be the same weight, if not lighter. Otherwise, it should be considered a downgrade. I could have purchased the Clifton 4 but refuse to cave in – Hoka should have kept their loyal fans happy! Clifton 1 went from 7.6oz (men’s size 9) to a whopping 9.7oz. We need to start calling it on the shoe manufacturers ppl!
Yeah there are other popular sites out there like the one that dissects the shoes in half to see how much Gel is actually in the midsole …and practically writes a thesis on every shoe model in their reviews. But, you need to look closely with their assessment inconsistencies and inaccuracies like Ride x is a 96% match in all features, including price from last year but for some reason the overall score is 83% in the new model versus last year’s iconic version. They also make goofy statements like…you know… Cons with this year’s model is lack of reflective material and therefore this year’s score is 78% where it was 89% in the previous year’s model – I had no idea that reflective material has that much bearing on shoe performance…Oh also…they lack width sizing… No kidding! How many brands actually do. Do they even run with the shoes? A question you need to ask yourself if you’re trying to determine if the site is relevant is to make sure that the reviews are from experienced runners that puts the shoes through its intended use and not from “Knuckle heads” reviewing Running shoes for casual wear.
Keep up the excellent work, Thomas and Meaghan!
Thanks Roberto, It makes us happy that we can assist runners in making a product choice that will help them enjoy running more and longer. Keep those miles coming. -T