By Chris Edwards

Carrying on the ClimaCool tradition, the adidas CC Boom offers superb ventilation in a lightweight package. Extensive mesh throughout allowed my feet to breathe very well in this shoe, no matter how hot the weather or how long my hit. The mesh in the vamp provides an especially supple feel. It gave the shoe excellent flex at toe off and made it feel very light, fast and airy. Think comfort, think speed, and you'll be thinking along the lines of the CC Boom.

I was really impressed by the cushioning system in this shoe. At first glance, the cushioning system is very eye-catching, but on court it's performance that counts. In the CC Boom, style meets performance, and I found excellent heel cushioning and a responsive feel in the forefoot. The cushioning system under the heel provides some nice rigidity to an otherwise very supple and flexible shoe. I could feel lots of lateral support from the chassis, and the flex point was positioned nicely under my toes.

For the first few wears I did note some heel slippage, but this went away as the shoe broke in and I started to get a little more flex from the chassis of the shoe. Lateral support was surprisingly good. There's just enough material in the forefoot to hold my feet in place and make me feel confident even during extreme lateral lunges. The shoe felt very stable in the heel, and I had no fears of rolling an ankle. Once I had them broken-in I felt locked in and secure -- very impressive considering how light and fast this shoe is.

Hard court traction was equally impressive. As I've found from every shoe that features the adiWEAR rubber compound, this shoe grabbed the court perfectly. I had all the grip needed for quick starts, stops and direction changes. The shoe also flexed well in the forefoot, ensuring the outsole could stay in contact with the court, even when I was loading up my weight toward the lateral edge of the shoe.

I must admit, when I first started wearing these shoes I thought I was going to have to save them for match play. They were so light and fast feeling that I thought they'd never be durable enough for long training sessions. I was wrong. I've been blown away by how durable these shoes have been. OK, so they are never going to offer Barricade-like durability, but as far as lightweight speed shoes go, you are going to be hard pressed to find one as long lasting as the CC Boom.

As you can tell, this was a really enjoyable playtest for me. These shoes look great and they offer superb ventilation, a light and fast feel, tons of grip and better than expected durability. In my book that makes the CC Boom an absolute winner, and I highly recommend them.