Soccer Cleats 101 Soccer Cleats News and Reviews
Although the Crazylight edition from Adidas was originally limited to the F50, the series most recent release now encompasses all four silo’s from Adidas. The new versions of the Predator, F50, Nitrocharge and 11Pro not only come with a crazy colorway, they also come with a new lighter weight. Each has a drastic weight reduction that results in a couple ounces dropped from each original version.
But these weight reductions aren’t new concepts from Adidas. Both the Predator and 11Pro each have super light (SL) versions and if you go back in time the F50 even had the Prime version which shed some weight. So, with the popularity of the SL versions fading on both the professional and recreational stages of the game, is the Crazylight Adidas’ new version of SL or “super light”?
First off, there are some distinct similarities that stand out and could potentially indicate that the Crazylight is ultimately a rebranded SL release. Obviously the most important reason is the deduction of weight and how the technology of the boots are altered. Basically, Adidas uses a lighter soleplate and a lighter synthetic upper on each version. If you think about the Predator LZ SL version, the reduction was achieved by slimming down the Lethal Zones and using the sprintframe soleplate, which is exactly how the Crazylight achieves the reduction. In fact, Superlight is actually written on the insoles of the new Crazylight boots!
The second similarities are the visual cues, the past Predator SL versions have came with some crazy colors (think Skittles colorway). The Crazylight releases have also all been visually exciting with all new patterns and designs, which give the same lightweight unique feel. Additionally, the idea that Adidas is yet to release an SL version of the Predator, which has been become customary in the last few releases, indicates that perhaps the Crazylight could be the new title of the SL concept.
But despite all the similarities, it is hard to see Adidas simply giving up on the SL version of things. In fact the first Crazylight was a limited edition run, and the follow up release for all silos seems to be designed to take advantage of the hype from the first release. As a counterargument to the question I posed in a recent conversation, Richard believes that the Crazylight will continue as limited editions to build off the market for all things light, while the SL will remain as a permanent release that sort of sits between the Crazylight and the regular releases in weight. Because of the demand for lighter versions of boots, perhaps Adidas will look to create different tiers of light in their boots.
As an example, if you look at the adiPure range, there are already three distinct “lights”. The regular version of the 11Pro weighs about 9oz which is a perfectly acceptable weight for a heritage release. It features a comfort based soleplate and a soft Taurus Leather upper. Next, in the SL edition Adidas actually dropped the comfort entirely, switching the boot over to the Sprint Frame, and making the upper a hybrid of synthetic and K-Leather. The result was the boot was knocked down to 6.4oz (22% weight loss), which is basically a lightweight boot with the fleeting feel of leather. This would serve as the “in-between” middle weight in Richard’s concept.
And last, the limited edition Crazy Light is the full fledged lightweight version in the series. Out is the leather upper and replaced by a synthetic. Out is the comfort soleplate replaced by the Sprint Frame and a weight of 6.3oz. The final changes mean you don’t have a heritage boot anymore, you have something which weighs less than the Nike Mercurial Vapor X and bears no resemblance to the regular 11Pro other than the name. So in the end the SL version retains similar characteristics to the original and the Crazylight is crazy in that it is so different in comparison. This three-tier concept would be a huge moneymaker for Adidas in the lightweight category, which is the main reason that Richard believes that the SL is here to stay and is not in fact being updated with the Crazylight.
Final Thoughts
It’s actually quite hard to tell where Adidas is going with the Crazylight release. Despite coming off as a limited edition version, its popularity could see its status vault to a permanent release. Whether or not Adidas decides to keep the SL version will ultimately depend on how they plan to use the Crazylight concept. Either way, the lightweight market for boots continues as one of the most popular areas, and the Crazylight versions will draw in many flocks of fans.
What do you think? Is the Crazylight the new version of the SL and what will happen to the SL if it isn’t? Let us know in the comments below!
