scotus' review: adidas barricade 5 & 7 vs babolat SFX

[scotus]

Here's my comparison of Adidas Barricade 5/7 and Babolat SFX.

The reviews are based on the original (not re-issue) B5 & B7 and the blue SFX. I am sorry the review is not timely, but I had some time to kill and thought I'd share my view on these shoes.

1. FIT

1a. Width
I believe the soles are about the same width. However, the SFX's synthetic upper has numerous slits that allow the upper material to stretch like Gumby over the top of the foot. This essentially makes the SFX much roomier in the toebox, which is good for some individuals and not for others. The Barricade has a more stable and tighter toe box but it can also be stretched with a shoe stretcher to accommodate wide feet.

1b. Length
It is generally thought that the SFX runs a bit big, so that you should go down a half size. I normally wear the barricade in 11 and the SFX in 10-1/2, so this sounds like good advice.

1c. Heel Fit
The SFX is wide in the toe box and snug in the heel, whereas the Barricade is medium in the toe box and rather loose in the ankle/heel area. Basically, I get more heel slippage with the Barricade, which requires that I lace up the Barricade tighter, but my heels never slip out of the SFX even when I don't lace them up tight.

2. CUSHION

2a. Heel Cushion
The Barricade has an incredibly high heel, but the material in the heel is rather hard and not very shock-absorbing. The SFX, on the other hand, provides excellent shock absorption in the heel.

2b. Forefoot Cushion
You can't have it all, I guess. The SFX has great cushioning in the heel but not enough in the forefoot area. When I first switched from the Barricade to the SFX, my heels thanked me, but then I soon realized that my forefoot area was taking a beating. When I switch back to the Barricade, no more aches in the forefoot. An ideal shoe would combine the Barricade forefoot with the SFX heel when it comes to shock absorption.

3. DURABILITY
The treads on the SFX are very shallow and can disappear in no time. The Barricade treads are far more pronounced and would last at least 3X as long.
* Having said this, the SFX also features the Michelin rubber and would last a long time until you can put a hole through the insole. I would say the Barricade is probably about 50% more durable overall, but if you are the type who requires grippy treads on the outsole, the Barricade is definitely the way to go.
* Lastly, B5 and SFX have some things that may come off rather easily. I have lost some Barricade "Claws" and the gray rubber pieces on the side of the SFX, but I really don't notice any difference when they are gone.

 

[mad dog1]

thanks for sharing...i wore a 9.5 in the B5s and 9.5 in the SFX work fine for me length wise. the SFX toebox is alot wider and roomier but I don't find them to be substantially longer. for me, the B5 toebox was tight and took forever to break in while the SFX toebox is a tad large but thicker socks take care of this.

i also thought the B5s had very good heel cushioning. i agree with all the other points.

i've worn out my SFXs in about 2.5 months.

 

[Ramon]

i also thought the B5s had very good heel cushioning. i agree with all the other points.

To your point on Barricade cushioning, I would agree with that, and I have the Barricade 7's. They definitely don't feel soft, but they do offer protection. If I rate cushioning in terms of comfort and soft feel, the Barricades would score low, but I rate the cushioning high for protection because of the lack of pain in my feet after a match compared to other tennis shoes. The opposite example would be casual cross trainers that feel pillowy soft, but if you played on hard courts with them, your feet would be in pain. When I was in high school, I couldn't tell the difference, but now that I'm 49 I can easily tell the difference.

 

[Chotobaka]

A word of caution on the SFX: I bought my first pair when they first came out in my usual size (10) and was absolutely swimming inside them, so TW's recommendation of going a size smaller was spot on. I take those comments with a grain of salt, but in this instance the advice to size-down was correct.

I exchanged them for a 9.5 and while they were still roomy, they felt great. Lots of room in the forefoot and a great overall fit with Thorlo III's. The combination of this shoe and the thick Thorlo's gave me out of this world cushioning and I was happy with every other aspect of the shoe's performance. I happily rotated these with my T-22's.

Fast forward: I bought two additional pairs of SFX's on sale in the same 9.5 size and put them away without trying them on. Guess what? Now they fit true to size -- actually snug for a 9.5. There is no way in hell I can fit in them with Thorlo III's and can only use super thin socks (like Feetures!), which still results in a snug fit.

I have never had an issue with tennis shoe size inconsistency with the same model before. I did have this happen when Keen changed production facilities for the H2 sandal (which have turned to ***** now) but never with any other shoe.

Maybe TW can comment...

 

[scotus]

mad dog 1 and Chotobaka.

Thanks for your input. Perhaps maddog's SFX are the same kind Chotobaka bought the second time.

If Babolat issued a correction to a model mid-production, that is sure to throw people off in terms of fit.

Better to try on the SFX before purchasing them. Of course, TW offers free returns, so that's not too big a deal.

 

[Ramon]

Babolat was probably losing sales because the SFX was too big, and as far as I know, shoe companies normally don't announce things like, "we made a stupid mistake in our fit and sizing, so we are correcting that".

Adidas is guilty of that also. The V Classic supposedly has a different fit from the original V, and the 8 and 8+ are drastically different in fit from previous Barricades.

 

[scotus]

Just got my warranty replacement for the Babolat SFX in precisely 3 weeks since I mailed it out.

Considering the shipping time both ways and the time it takes for them to cash my check, I'd say that was quick service.