In the early 2000s, the Adidas Stabil reigned supreme in the squash world. With Gregory Gaultier at the helm, they quickly became a cult classic shoe. Fast forward to 2024, and Adidas has now released a brand new take on the Stabil – the Adidas Stabil 16.
We got our hands on (and feet in!) the Adidas Stabil 16 to bring you our latest squash shoe review. A big thanks to the folks at PDHSports.com for sending out the shoes for this article.
Purchase the Adidas Stabil 16 at PDHSports.com
The Adidas Stabil – a cult classic
To this day, vintage Stabils are revered by many as the best squash shoes of all time. So much so, that you won’t find any pairs for sale any time soon.
Rumour has it that Gregory Gaultier has Adidas’s entire warehouse back-stock locked away in a safe storage unit. We couldn’t comment.
The Adidas Stabils were a rare win for function over form. What they lacked in style, they made up for with extreme comfort, support and durability.
Many versions of the Stabil followed, but each struggled lived up to the once great reputation of the original Stabils.
Adidas Stabil – Previous versions
We’ve reviewed numerous iterations of the Adidas Stabil here on Squash Gear Reviews, which can be found below:
Adidas Stabil X – A chunky, high top shoe. Extremely comfortable and supportive, but overly cumbersome.
Adidas Stabil Next Gen – A lower profile, lighter take on the Stabil. I liked them a lot, but their reception online has been mixed.
Adidas Crazyflight – not a ‘Stabil’ by name, but certainly a spiritual successor to the Stabil Boost from 2015. One of my favourite squash shoes, ever.
First impressions of the Adidas Stabil 16
On first impression, the Adidas Stabil 16 is a clear homage to Stabils of yesteryear – namely, the Stabil 7 from 2005.
Adidas look to have taken the essence of the 2005 shoe – a chunky, durable, ultra cushioned shoe – and updated it with the latest and greatest materials available in 2024.
Taking the Adidas Stabil 16 on the squash court
How does Adidas Stabil 16 fit?
Adidas shoes consistently run small and fairly narrow. I’m a UK9, however I’d always size up at least half a size. For me, the 9.5 fit snugly. I could comfortably go up another half size and still feel secure in the shoes.
Cushioning
Take one look at the midsole on the Adidas Stabil 16 and you know you’re in for a smooth ride.
The Stabil 16 is chunky. And it’s filled to the brim with Adidas’ very own Boost material – arguably the best midsole material available across the entire shoe market.
The impact absorption and energy return this provides is enormous. Hard landings are cushioned away into nothingness. And the feeling of bounciness is second-to-none.
This cushioning won’t be to everyone’s taste. Those who prefer lower profile shoes, such as the Asics Gel Fastball, may want to look elsewhere.
Compared to the previous Stabil Next Gens, these offer a much softer, rounded and cushioned landing. The Next Gens, while still featuring Boost material, feel much flatter and harder underfoot. A big win for the new shoes.
Support
The first thing I noticed when trying on the Adidas Stabil 16 is the material inside the heel/ankle section. It’s a really grippy kind of fabric, almost like a low-profile Velcro. This meant that my socks, and therefore my feet, felt locked into the shoes.
She shoes offer a snug, supportive fit, but remain flexible enough to still feel comfortable. The mesh fabric on the sides moulds well to the shape of your feet while offering excellent breathability.
The sole of the shoe is nice and wide as well, giving a decent sized platform for you to land on, helping to avoid stumbles and ankle rolls.
Durability
Durability is hard measure without using the shoes for several months. But first impressions are solid. There’s tough rubber material in all the right places to slow down wear-and-tear. The only concern is the thinner rubber material on top of the toe box, which is liable to wear away quickly, exposing the material underneath.
Previous versions of the Stabil have always excelled here, so similar performance is expected from the Stabil 16.
Speed and Weight
You can’t have your cake and eat it, unfortunately. All the cushioning and support provided by the Adidas Stabil 16 is at the expense of additional weight. And while they aren’t ‘heavy’, they’re far from being the lightest shoe available.
In a UK 9.5, each shoe weighed around 425g. For reference, the Adidas Stabil Next Gens weigh 400g. A box-fresh Adidas Crazyflight weighs 365g. And an ultralight shoe such as the Salming Viper weighs 320g.
While I personally didn’t notice this additional weight in practice, if ultra-light kicks are your preference, these won’t be the ones for you.
Grip
The underneath of these shoes is a piece of art in itself. It’s clear Adidas has taken great strides to design a shoe that offers excellent levels of grip, no matter how or where you land.
Both the heel and front foot have extremely deep ridges designed in a circular pattern. Whether I was moving laterally (side to side) or linearly (front to back), I felt extremely confident whichever way my feet took me.
Looks
How a squash shoe looks is arguably the least important factor when choosing a shoe. But we’re a fickle bunch, and we all want to look our best on court.
‘Chunky’ shoes are having their moment in the spotlight, and right now, I don’t think these would look too out of place away from the squash court.
While the Royal Blue colour we were sent for review is a little bold, the white and black pairs offer a much more understated look. You can also expect more colours to be released over the coming seasons.
Undoubtedly these will be a divisive pair of shoes. While I’m personally in the ‘big fan’ category, you’re welcome to make up your own mind here.
Summary: How good is the Adidas Stabil 16?
If you’re looking for a pair of shoes which offer top-tier levels of cushioning and support, as well as bags of grip, then look no further.
If you’re looking for a lightweight, low profile shoe, then these aren’t the ones for you.
The Adidas Stabil 16 makes no apologies for being extremely cushioned and supportive. Personally, I’m a huge fan. I would go so far as to say these might just replace the Adidas Crazyflight as my favourite pair of squash shoes. A bold statement!
Editor’s update after three months’ use: After putting these shoes through their paces, there’s a significant drawback that, for me, has really hampered my enjoyment of the shoes.
It’s only through playing tough matches that I’ve found this issue. When lunging hard in to the front corners of the court, I’ve found the toe boxes really hurt my toes due to their rigidity. I suppose this is a price to pay for durability, however, if you’re a big mover on court, you might want to look at alternate shoes to avoid long-term toe pain.
Purchase the Adidas Stabil 16 now at PDHSports.com
Is the Adidas Stabil 16 worth the money?
At launch, the Adidas Stabil 16 has a recommended retail price of £140. That’s an eye watering amount of money for a pair of squash shoes.
Are they worth this much? It depends how deep your pockets are. ‘The Law of Diminishing Returns’ is evident, whereby higher prices for squash shoes lead to only smaller gains in quality.
These are a premium product though, so if you can stomach the investment, you’re getting one of the best pairs of squash shoes on the market.
With last season’s Crazyflights now appearing for under £70, this is a phenomenal option for those on a tighter budget.
Nice one mate. Very happy to see them back! Stabil 5 were my choice then and that was a time when the Barricade was taking the tennis world by storm too. Quite unlikely we’ll see these over this part of the world though.
While the Next Gen stable had been a total waste of money, these Stabil 16 are awesome again. …there is just one point. The grip is disappointing… If there is a small amount of dust on the ground those shoes begin to slip and slide. Even the Next Gen had a better grip. Not sure why Adidas made the grip so bad, especially on the edges it is slippery as hell. So …clean the ground before the match starts and those shoes are perfect. I am using them for Badminton;)
Interesting that you found this – personally I’ve found them really grippy! Could well be the shoes not agreeing with the surface of badminton courts? (I’d be lying if I said I knew what the surface of a ‘proper’ badminton court is like!).