Released in August of 2018, the Adidas Men’s Icon 4 are said to be some of the best the brand has ever come up with. With a bigger price tag, these spendy cleats are equipped with Adidas’ most impressive design yet.
Although the Icon 4 has only been out for a couple of months, I’ve got quite a bit of information that might help you decide whether it’s a cleat you’ll want to purchase.
Our Recommendation
The adidas Men’s Boost Icon 4 Baseball Cleats comes in a variety of color schemes to match any uniform. It has a breathable upper with a 5 x 3 metal cleat pattern. This makes the shoe as lightweight as possible while giving you the traction you need when you need it. The energy return of the midsole keeps you fast on your feet: the more pressure you put on the sole, the more you will feel the bounce-back that you need to gain your speed. Although they run high on the price point, their durability and support can help you play your best game.
Adidas Boost Icon 4 Baseball Cleat - At a Glance
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Lightweight baseball cleat that comes in a variety of styles and colors | Mesh upper rips easily |
| Synthetic mesh upper for comfort | No-tongue design irritates some players |
| Boost cushioning in the midsole for bounce-back and energy return | Expensive |
| 5 x 3 metal cleat pattern for better traction and balance |
The Upside
The adidas Men’s Boost Icon 4 Baseball Cleats are an example of the company’s dedication to manufacturing quality shoes. With a streamlined design that resembles a casual shoe, the Icon 4 has all of the benefits of a baseball cleat with the comfort of a casual shoe.
Style Meets Comfort
The Adidas Boost Icon 4 is available in several color schemes, fitting any team’s uniform. With the appearance of a casual shoe, the Icon is a stylish baseball cleat that will be the envy of your teammates and competitors. With a synthetic mesh upper, the Icon is breathable to keep your feet comfortable on hot days during long games. The fabric interior is smooth, so you can slide right into these cleats before you lace them up.
TPU overlays are strategically placed to reinforce the sensitive parts of the feet at risk for injury, including the heel. Adidas’ trademark three-stripe pattern appears in the overlays near the toes on the outside of the foot. This protects your smaller toes from damage with an extra layer of thicker material. The combination of the mesh and TPU accents on the upper keep the shoe lightweight.
Don’t let the appearance fool you; this baseball cleat is all about performance.
Protection
Baseball is a very active sport, which can lead to foot and ankle injuries. Having a cleat with a snug fit and good support can help you avoid sprains and breaks to your joints and bones. Unlike other designs, the Icon 4 doesn’t have a tongue. The material that separates the laces from the top of your foot is constructed into the upper, resulting in a boot-like design. The heel is contoured to the natural curve of your ankle for a closer fit.
The sturdy bottom plate of the outsole is very durable, giving you the support you need during the game. The bottom of the shoe is lightweight to compensate for the heavier metal cleats. The 5 x 3 design of the spikes helps you maintain balance and traction. With five spikes that surround the toes and midfoot and three around the heel, the cleats are located in the best place for you to dig into the terrain.
These type of cleats are designed to provide superb dirt penetration so you can take off with reliable footing. Since there are only eight spikes on the bottom of the shoe, you can move faster as you take bases. They’re also specially configured to reduce pressure on the feet.
Support
The Icon 4 wouldn’t be an Adidas product if it didn’t have the comfort to match its protection. With a supportive midsole and insole, the Icon is meant to have lasting comfort during long games that stretch into extra innings.
What I particularly like about the Icon 4 is that it’s said to have a full length BOOST midsole for incredible comfort and rebound. This Boost technology is designed for shock-absorption and energy return. The further you dig into the ground, the midsole propels you up, providing the bounce you need to stay light on your feet as you run.
A cushioned insole molds to the shape of your foot for optimal comfort during long stretches of standing, running, bending, and pivoting throughout the game. The Boost Icon 4 also has internal structural support to keep you stable on your feet. So despite being a full on outdoor cleat, it doesn’t apply cleat pressure on the feet, and even feels about as comfortable as any other Adidas BOOST shoe.
The Downside
Although the Adidas Boost Icon 4 is one of the most protective and comfortable baseball cleats available today, there are a few drawbacks.
Attached Tongue
The Icon 4 uses a single bootie-type upper construction to give you better lockdown and flexibility. The material used for the uppers is breathable mesh to prevent excessive sweating and moisture. On strategic areas over the uppers, special reinforced overlays give the cleat greater resistance against abrasion. However, this design might not be the best after all.
Although the tongue is built into the design of the Boost Icon 4, some do not like this innovation. The purpose of the tongue is to stretch it up to slide your foot into the shoe. Since the tongue is part of the upper, some find it difficult to put the cleats on comfortably.
Fragile Upper
The TPU accents on the upper are a thicker material, but the mesh is very thin. With too much abuse, the mesh rips easily. This damage will make the shoes obsolete. Rips and tears in the upper might happen along the outside midstep, the interior toes, or along the base of the interior of the foot. Although the TPU accents help reinforce certain parts of the cleat, there should be more of them to deter rips and tears in the upper.
Price
While specialized sports shoes are never a bargain, the Adidas Boost Icon 4 Baseball Cleat is an expensive model. Depending on the retailer, you have protection against receiving damaged or defective items. Adidas stands by their products and authorizes their third-party retailers to provide exchanges and replacements if you receive a defective item. Although the price for these cleats is high, the protection and support they offer will improve any game.
About Adidas Cleats
If you are a team sports enthusiast, then you know that not all cleats have the same design. Baseball cleats differ from football cleats and soccer cleats. They have different features depending on the sport you are playing. Baseball cleats have rubber, metal, or plastic spikes under the outsole. This helps players gain traction in the soft grass or mud when they run on the field. While youth cleats only have plastic or rubber spikes, professional baseball players have also adopted them because it makes their shoes lighter.
Since the 1920s, Adidas has been producing cleats for various sports disciplines. Beginning as the Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory, brothers Adolf and Rudolf Dassler designed spiked shoes for sporting events. After parting ways, Adolf Dassler established Adidas, continuing to create athletic and sports shoes.
The Bottom Line
Given all the information they’ve released about the Icon 4, it’s not hard to see that it’s a baseball cleat worthy of the hype. But does it live up to all it’s flashy promises? The Adidas Men’s Boost Icon 4 Baseball Cleats carry a hefty price tag, but they are worth the investment. The protective upper saves your feet from needless injury, and the midsole’s bounce-back can improve your performance on the field. The metal spikes are ideal for gaining traction and stability on any soft terrain. With internal support and a comfortable insole, you won’t even feel like you are wearing cleats until it is time to start the game.
Resources:
“Adidas.” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adidas
“Cleat (shoe).” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleat_(shoe)
Flanagan, Alex. “All Cleats are NOT the Same. The Differences Between Soccer, Baseball, Football, and Lacrosse Cleats.” I Love to Watch You Play: A Place for Parents Seeking Balance, Sanity, and an Edge in the Crazy World of Youth Sports. October 2015. https://ilovetowatchyouplay.com/2015/10/13/the-differences-between-cleats-in-youth-sports/
Jennifer Conerly is a writer and editor with extensive retail experience in athletic shoes and fitness she never thought would come in handy.
