Hyperdunk VS Crazy Light

For the past few days I have had the opportunity, no, the luxury of critically testing two of the newest, hypest basketball shoes. After not buying new basketball shoes since making the senior team in Grade 11, it had been six years in the same old pair of Nike Shox. This time around I was attempting to choose between the identically-priced Adidas Adizero Crazy Light, and the Nike 2011 Hyperdunk. This is (not) a commercial.

     My first trip took me to a local mall's Foot Locker. They did not carry the Crazy Lights, which I had been more excited about than the Hyperdunks. Billed as the "Lightest Basketball Shoe Ever" the Crazy Lights were growing a myth that I had to explore. Regardless, Foot Locker had the Hyperdunks in a size 13, in gray and I tried them on in the store. They fit relatively well, the tongue is almost non-existant, but the thing I noticed most initially was the forefoot bounce. The shoe directed my force and translated it upwards. It's a hard thing to describe, but it felt like there was a bouncy little platform just behind my toes. They felt kind of explosive, kind of great actually. I enquired to my assisting staff member where I might find a pair of Crazy Lights to compare, and knowledgeably he told me Sport Chek, at a different mall. So I bought the Hyperdunks, took them home to continue running tests, and with the intent to return them if the Crazy Lights really impressed me.

     While I was home wearing the Hyperdunks around the apartment, I noticed a few more things. They really were incredibly light, at least lighter than anything I'd ever worn (maybe not Crazy Light...), and felt like an extension of my foot. The heel support was pretty good, the grip was impressive, and had an overall good feel. But, despite all this I had some major concerns with the body of the shoe on the inside of the foot. The shoe is almost entirely seamless except for midway on the foot on the inside of the shoe where a large seam runs from the laces to the sole. This leaves a small triangle of the meshy flywire cut off from the rest by the seam and the semi-reinforced toe, and in this triangle the material buckled. And this was after just wearing it around the apartment, it just kind of popped out awkwardly and audibly as I generated a toe crease. I could only imagine that after some serious game-wear it would eventually become cracked at the pressure point.

     It was two days later that I finally got to try on the Adidas Crazy Light. They had it in blue, in a size 13. Stores didn't have a size 14 in anything which kind of surprised me. Who do they think is playing basketball? Big guys! The shoe was pretty flashy, and definately minimalistic, which made it very light. Honestly though, not much lighter than the Hyperdunk (come on, it's like fractions of an ounce). The grip was outstanding, and it was very breathable, but there wasn't much to it. The shoe didn't feel powerful or propulsive. I didn't feel as explosive as I had in the Hyperdunk. Plus, the shoe was kind of tight in the wrong areas. Overall they were more narrow, especially tight on my left big toe. I was already questioning the comfort after wearing them around the store for minutes. The Crazy Light comes with two types of insert, Dr. Scholl style, one that is lighter and one for more confort. Between the two,  there wasn't a noticeable difference in weight, and I still had the overall tightness problems.

     So in conclusion I decided the Hyperdunks just felt better and would increase my on-court performance more, regardless of sizing issues. A size 14 Crazy Light would have been just as minimalistic, and without the same propulsion feeling I had already fallen in love with in the Hyperdunk. Hopefully that crease will feel fine and is just part of normal wear as I break in the shoe. I tried on one Hyperdunk and one Crazy Light simultaneously at the second store, just to be sure, then I left the Adidas' behind. I already had my Hyperdunks waiting for me at home.