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Product Overview
Overall
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Comfort
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Durability
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Stability
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Breathability
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Weight
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Fit and Size
Summary
It seems that Adidas has heard the cry of their fans and critic and brought back the iconic Barricade 18. This model is great for players who want durability, stability, and support.
However, there are some areas that players wish Adidas could make some improvements in their next version. For examples, the shoe sizes, experiencing some toe jamming, and break-in period. Overall, it’s a great-looking shoe to wear on the court and potentially outside the court.
Pros
- Excellent durability
- Good traction
- Varieties of colours to choose from
- Great stability
- Very supportive
- Nice looking shoe
Cons
- Requires some break-in period
- Some players may experience some toe jamming
Adidas has released the iconic Barricade 18 again on the market. This may be a surprise for a lot of players and fans but at the same time good news for them. This is because most players have fallen in love with the Barricade series over the years with their amazing features.
But the BIG QUESTION that is on everyone’s mind is why did Adidas release the Barricade 18 again? Let’s find out in this post as I dive into the full review of this famous shoe.
Table of Contents
Design
Right out of the box, the shoe looks amazing and stylish. This makes it great to wear on the tennis court and potentially outside of the court. As someone who loves fashion and design, I would say I like the men’s Hi-res Aqua/Legend Ink/Shock Yellow version. It’s sleek looking and spot-on to wear. The women’s white/scarlet is also cool-looking as well.
Upper
Let’s take a closer look at the upper. The whole upper material and the way the shoe is shaped is to protect your foot. This is done by the use of forged mesh material. This is going to provide you with a dynamic and comfortable fit when you wear the shoe.
Also, the use of seamless bootie construction is going to offer you step-in comfort and stability. This helps with your movement and allows you to play well.
And lastly with the upper material is the breathability. It’s going to offer you good breathability which makes it great to play in hot weather conditions.
Toe Box
Similar to the Nike Vapor Cage 4, the toe box area is covered with re-inforced rubber which is going to provide you with excellent durability. However, the big difference with this one is that you are not going to feel the weight of the material.
Ankle Collar
One of the core features of this shoe is to protect your foot. The ankle collar comes with synthetic gripping material (i.e. GEOFIT) for anatomical fit and comfort. However, some players may experience some blisters when they start wearing this shoe due to how the ankle collar been hard.
Despite the pain, you may experience when you start wearing this shoe, you are going to get a lot of protection around the ankle area than the Adidas Sole Court Boost.
Tongue and Lacing System
There is nothing peculiar with the tongue and lacing system like the Adidas Stycon which is the first laceless tennis shoes to be made.
In terms of the lacing system, it has extra lacing holes to provide you with more grip and stability when you need it.
Also, you would notice that it has two re-inforced plastic shoe eyelets in the ankle area to provide you with more grip around that area.
Moreover, the round laces holes are connected to the upper to provide you with durability. And also, it makes it easy to lace through the holes quickly.
Weight
The weight of the shoe is 14.6 ounces with size 10.5. This is not going to be the most lightweight shoe on the market. At the same time, it’s not going to be the heaviest shoe either. In fact, when you play in these shoes you start to lose focus of the weight of the shoe. Also, it’s not going to weigh you down as you play with it.
Insole and Midsole
The shoe comes with a nice insole which is going to provide you with good cushioning and comfort. This would allow you to move well on the court.
Another area that Adidas did really well with the shoe is the midsole. Firstly, you would notice that it has a bounce midsole. This is going to provide you with responsive cushioning and energy return underfoot.
This is great because it allows you to hit the ball with enough power whiles at the same time maintaining your balance.
And secondly, the use of the TPU Chassis is going to offer you a lot of arch support and ankle sprain protection.
This is great because it lowers your chances of you getting any serious injury and helps to maintain your balance throughout the match.
Fit
The Barricade 18 is more suitable for players who have narrow to medium foot. Although, since the shoe is slightly long I would recommend that you go down a half size in order to get the perfect size fit. On the other hand, this shoe is not suitable for players who have wide or short toes.
Once you wear the shoe for the first time you are likely to experience some break-in period. This is likely to last for a few hours or even a couple of days. During that period, you might experience some arch soreness. However, once you break-in, you are going to enjoy the comfort, stability, and support that comes with it.
Outsole
Next up is the outsole of the shoe. Adidas did an excellent job with the outsole because it’s one of the selling points of this shoe. Let me break it down for you.
Firstly, it comes with ADIWEAR 6 rubber. This is going to provide you with excellent durability.
As a result, if you are someone who tends to play tennis on a weekly basis or aggressive on their sole, then you would definitely love this shoe. It would really keep you going for a long period of time.
And secondly, the use of the modified herringbone tread pattern is going to provide you with excellent traction on all court surfaces.
This is great because you can use it to play on different surfaces which would save you a lot of money from buying different tennis shoes for different surfaces.
In addition, you are going to get a wide heel tread base from wearing this shoe. This is going to provide you with excellent stability on both hard and clay courts.
Colour Options
Another awesome thing about this shoe is how it comes in a variety of colours to choose from. This is great compared to other shoes such as the Yonex PC Fusion Rev 4 which has limited colours.
Having more colours to select from allows you to select which ones that suit your tennis outfit perfectly. And all the colours that Adidas made were spot on.
Price
The next aspect of the shoe to talk about is the price. The cost of the shoe is between $129.95 – $140.00. This is a great price point for a shoe with high-quality features. On top of that, it’s on the same price point as other amazing shoes such as the Nike Air Zoom Vapor Cage 4.
If you feel that the Barricade 18 is expensive then I would recommend that you read the best tennis shoes under $100. These shoes listed in that post would help you to play well on the court at a lower budget.
Why did Adidas release the Barricade 18 again?
Honestly, there is no particular reason why Adidas release the Barricade 18. However, we could speculate that maybe they listened to fan’s feedback and how they love these series. Also, it could be that the release of this shoe is a stepping stone for Adidas to release more amazing high-performing shoes in the future.
Wrapping Up!!
In closing, the release of the Barricade 18 is going to be a joy for most players because they really miss it on the market. And the great thing is that it’s going to provide you with excellent features such as protection, comfort, stability, and support. And all of these features are going to take your game to the next level.
However, there are some weaknesses to this shoe such as experiencing some toe jamming, requires some break-in period and the sizing is not spot on. Overall, it’s a great shoe to add to your tennis shoe collection and would help you to play well in your matches. I would end by saying good luck in your next match with this shoe.
