Adidas SL20 Full Review: Is Lightstrike the New Boost?

7 years ago, when Adidas introduced their Boost foam, it was a marvel. There was nothing on the market that was as bouncy and responsive. Since then, Boost has been overtaken by other technologies that are lighter and even more responsive such as Nike's ZoomX, Reebok's Floatride and Saucony's Pwrrun+ foams.

Adidas fell asleep and didn't innovate for many years so now they have to play catch up. 2020 is the year of Lightstrike. Lightstrike is the new TPU foam from Adidas designed to compete with the modern super foams of today.

Lightstrike was first used by Adidas in their basketball shoes and has been filtered through to the running sector.

The SL in SL20 stands for super light and while not much lighter than other tempo running shoes, it is much lighter than Adidas Boost shoes which is a step in the right direction.

The SL20 is a fast, tempo running shoe so it competes with the Nike Zoom Rival Fly, the New Balance 1400, Skechers Razor 3 and even Adidas’ own Boston Boost. This is confusing because the Boston Boost has got Lightstrike in its midsole combined with Boost. So which is the superior Adidas shoe and how does the SL20 fit in the Adidas running shoe range?

Lightstrike was supposed to be Adidas’ next big thing but it falls short. It feels stiff and too firm to be a super foam that competes with the ZoomX and Floatride foams of the world.

The SL20 is a competent tempo running shoe for distances less than 10km but it suffers from a very narrow fitting upper.

So where does the SL20 fit into the Adidas running shoe lineup? It doesn't. There isn't a single reason to choose the SL20 over the Boston Boost. Yes, the SL20 is firmer and faster but then the Adios Boost is the better choice.

The SL20 is not a shoe worth getting excited about and not a shoe that I look forward to running in with so many better options out there to choose from in the tempo running shoe category.

Adidas will have to keep on searching for their new Boost.

Видео Adidas SL20 Full Review: Is Lightstrike the New Boost? канала Brandon Law