Adidas Energy Boost 2 Shoe Review

First Impression (April 2014)

I like Energy Boost 2 running shoes more than the original Boost running shoes because the toe box is a little wider. The fabric on top is still comfortable and feels almost like a sock. The drop is still 10mm and the rubber on the bottom hasn’t changed. Because the toe box has more room they were comfortable right out of the box.

I had a chance to talk with some Adidas reps and they had broken down the Energy Boost 2 and the Supernova Glide Boost shoes in order to show differences. The photo below shows the top part of the sole in each shoe. The blue part is EVA foam and the white section is of course Boost material. You can see the Glide has more EVA material to provide more support, but the Boost material is exposed to provide a cushy feel under the mid-foot. The Energy Boost has more Boost material exposed for your foot to directly contact. This allows both shoes to fill a niche, but it’s important for you to see this major difference so you can use each shoe as desired.

Last Impression (August 29, 2014)

Most running shoe reviews are written after running a week or a month in them and don’t include any follow up as to how long the shoes actually lasted. Our shoe reviews include a “last impression” which let’s you know how long they lasted and any thoughts on the shoes after having run 300-500 miles in them.

I have been impressed with my Energy Boost 2 shoes and they have lasted longer than any other running shoe I’ve worn, and I’ve worn a ton of them. I ran a staggering 600 miles in my Boost 2 shoes, which seems incredible to me. My normal running shoes give me 400 miles, so that extra expense turned out to be worth it. The boost foam is still providing a comfortable run, but the hard rubber on the bottom of my shoes have worn down to the plastic support skeleton (shown in picture below), so I’m going to get a new pair. Quite honestly, they’re lasting too long and I’m not getting my new shoe fix, but my wallet appreciates it.

The shoe still had some hiccups though that I can share with you so you won’t have any surprises. The outside collar of my right shoe rubbed my ankle the wrong way. I could tell it was going to bug me over time so I cut out the section and I haven’t had any problems with the shoes after that. I don’t know if it’s a coincidence or something with the shoe design, but Jill, my wife also had problems with her right Boost 2 shoe rubbing her foot the wrong way. It was rubbing lower on her foot where the rubber Adidas’ logo connects with the laces, so she couldn’t create a homemade solution and returned them for a pair of Supernova Glide Boost shoes, which she has loved and ran 14 miles in them the day of purchase.

The other glitch we found is that the boost material still has some weaknesses. The weaknesses showed up toward the end of the shoe’s life cycle. The first glitch is that the boost bubbles can separate themselves from the sole on the outside of the shoe. On both of my shoes the little cottage cheese like foam pieces have started to flake off. I’ve ran on these for the last month in this condition and I can’t feel any integrity loss, but the imperfection is very apparent and overtime could affect the integrity of the shoe’s ability to cushion.

The other glitch we found with the sole was that in Jackie’s Boost 2 shoes they split down the middle of the sole. She started using them a lot for trail runs and it was a month or two after that she discovered the splits. The trails she was running on have plenty of roots and rocks, but it was surprising to see that the boost sole still has some needed improvements to make. There you go Adidas’ shoe engineers, make sure you have this built into your next round of enhancements.

Summary:

Even with the homemade cuts, boost foam flakes, and sole splits, I’m still going to buy a new pair of Energy Boost 2 shoes. Getting 600 comfortable miles out of a pair of running shoes is pretty amazing and the boost cushion has maintained consistent feel over the 600 miles. The upper has also lasted better than I expected. As I mentioned previously though, if you notice an annoying rub somewhere on the outside of your right shoe, you might want to return them for a pair of Supernova Glide Boost shoes. Happy running.