Fowlmouths Posted May 2, 2018 Share Posted May 2, 2018 These shoes are better than Salomon Speedcross in most every way! Check them out. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=165502640799708&id=113685039314802 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHA-LEE Posted May 2, 2018 Share Posted May 2, 2018 I ordered some the other day. Hopefully they show up this week so I can give them a try this weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathanb Posted May 2, 2018 Share Posted May 2, 2018 I wore boombahs for years playing tournament softball. My only concern would be the comfort. After a full day in them my feet were always sore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TennJeep1618 Posted May 2, 2018 Share Posted May 2, 2018 I ordered some Hellcats yesterday. I've been looking for an alternative to my Asics FujiRunnegades, since mine are starting to show quite a bit of wear and they've discontinued the model with no comparable replacement. The old Salomon Fellrasiers fit me pretty well, but I never liked the feel of the Speedcross. The Hellcats were only $47 shipped (clearance on their website), so I figured I'd give them a try before I tried Innov8 or went back to Salomon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiker88 Posted May 2, 2018 Share Posted May 2, 2018 Got mine a few days ago... I’ve been using Adidas Trail Runners and the Boombah Hellcat feels wider and more comfortable for me. The thread pattern is quite aggressive too. I’ll be trying it out in gravel this weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHA-LEE Posted May 2, 2018 Share Posted May 2, 2018 My Hellcats came in today and my initial impression isn't very good. The fit is a little tight from a width perspective for me. My shoe size is between 11.5 - 12 and the Hellcats are 12. The sole has a very aggressive lug pattern that is similar in size and depth to the Solomon Speedcross. The major difference is the hardness of the rubber. The Rubber used on the soles of the Hellcat is much stiffer (3 - 4 times stiffer) than the Solomon shoes. This creates an audible clunk sound when walking around on hard surfaces. These harder rubber soles will probable cause traction issues on slippery surfaces where the Solomon shoes produce amazing grip. The overall flexibility of the shoe is way less than a Solomon as well. The shoe stiffness creates folding pinch points inside the shoe which dig into the top of my foot. I have worn these shoes for about an hour now doing normal walking around every day stuff and my feet are already fatiguing. I can feel some hot spots starting on my pinky toes and also on the top of my foot where the shoe folds while walking. Maybe they need some break in time before they become comfortable? I am going to give them a try for a little while, but if they are terrorizing my feet after only an hour my expectation of them magically getting better in a hurry is quickly fading. Right now I can't imagine how horrible my feet would feel if I did a full day on the range with these shoes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkleskiw Posted May 2, 2018 Share Posted May 2, 2018 A buddy mentioned these as infield cleats he used in softball league so I gave them a try a few years ago. They made my feet very sore when I walked around on range rocks all day. I don't remember them getting any better as the year went on. I ditched them for some Brooks trail running shoes. YMMV. Darren Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHA-LEE Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 Yesterday I wore the Hellcats at work all day. They seem to be breaking in a little bit but I still wouldn't consider them "comfortable" to wear. They are not horribly uncomfortable if I am actively walking around. But if I am standing still for a decent amount of time it isn't very comfortable. I am going to give them a try at the range tomorrow to see if I can make it all day at a match. I will also bring my Solomon shoes as a backup in case I have to tap out early. An interesting observation on the Hellcats so far is their wear resistance. Using them all day yesterday and walking on all kinds of surfaces has produced ZERO evidence of wear on the tread. I thought for sure that the street and sidewalk use that day would at least produce some amount of wear. I know that wear would have been evident on the Solomon shoes in the same scenario. This tells you how much harder the rubber is on the sole of the Hellcat shoes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Racinready300ex Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 Solomon's certainly have soft rubber, I'm worn the tread off a pair I wore everyday for a while. I wonder how much that effects grip if at all, like when you hit a wood surface or something hard like that. Thinking kinda like cars and bikes there is a trade off between soft and hard, I don't know that it really applies to shoes. Never really thought about it before Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHA-LEE Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 1 hour ago, Racinready300ex said: Solomon's certainly have soft rubber, I'm worn the tread off a pair I wore everyday for a while. I wonder how much that effects grip if at all, like when you hit a wood surface or something hard like that. Thinking kinda like cars and bikes there is a trade off between soft and hard, I don't know that it really applies to shoes. Never really thought about it before I can tell you from direct experience that the softer rubber used on Solomon shoes dramatically increases traction on slippery surfaces. For example, my Solomon Speedtrak shoes produce more traction on slippery concrete indoor ranges than any other brand of shoe I have tried. This is even with a less than optimal lug pattern designed for loose dirt traction. I haven't had a chance to test the Hellcat shoes in "Slippery" conditions yet, but I highly doubt that the harder rubber used on their sole will produce traction better than the Solomon shoes. The harder rubber sole on the Hellcat may produce better traction on loose dirt surfaces simply because the lugs will dig in instead of bend or fold over. But that advantage is moot if the shoes can't be worn all day without destroying your feet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHA-LEE Posted May 7, 2018 Share Posted May 7, 2018 Well.............. I tried using the Hellcat shoes this Saturday at the range and they only made it about 2 hours before they were crippling my feet. I gave these bad boys an honest try but they are simply not comfortable enough to wear all day at the range. If anyone is looking for a pair of slightly used size 12 Hellcats on the cheep, let me know. Be warned, their soles are hard and the shoe has a narrow fit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fowlmouths Posted May 8, 2018 Author Share Posted May 8, 2018 CHA-LEE needs to change his name to tender-foot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TennJeep1618 Posted May 8, 2018 Share Posted May 8, 2018 My Hellcats were delivered yesterday. They are definitely wider than Speedcross' and have much more cushion than my current Fuji Runnegade's. I ordered them a half size bigger than my "normal" size and they seem to fit really well. I only wore them for a few minutes walking around my house and yard, but I didn't notice any hot spots or pinch points during that short time. I'm going to try to get them out to the range this weekend and see how they feel, but right now I'm optimistic. @CHA-LEE is dead on about the outsole and tread being much stiffer than Salomon's, but considering that almost all of my shooting is done on dirt, sand, grass, and gravel, I think it will actually be a benefit for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWprotected Posted May 8, 2018 Share Posted May 8, 2018 I don't disagree with CHA-LEE about the shoes being stiff, it took me about 3 or4 times wearing them to get to the point I felt them to be comfortable. I wear a size 12 4E in New Balance shoes and have to disagree on the width aspect, these are the only trail running style shoes I have found that will work for me, I did go up to a 12.5 and that may be why I don't have the same issues. I like the fact that the rubber on the bottom is harder, they should last longer. If I need a shoe for concrete any number of suitable alternatives are available, but for the best traction I have found for most outdoor surfaces the Hellcats work for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigboy69 Posted June 5, 2018 Share Posted June 5, 2018 I got mine the other week. I wore them around the house for a couple minutes and they are definitely cut wider then the salamons. I didnt wear them to a match yet, but so far they have more cushion and fit much better then the salamons. I normally wear a 14 so thats what I ordered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MemphisMechanic Posted June 5, 2018 Share Posted June 5, 2018 (edited) They are comfortable for my feet when wearing them all day. They are insanely slippery on hard paved or wooden surfaces when things are wet. No way I’d want to step on a fault line or pressure pad activator in the the rain. These are for dirt, mud, and gravel bays ONLY if it’s rained that day. Edited June 5, 2018 by MemphisMechanic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigboy69 Posted June 5, 2018 Share Posted June 5, 2018 3 hours ago, MemphisMechanic said: They are comfortable for my feet when wearing them all day. They are insanely slippery on hard paved or wooden surfaces when things are wet. No way I’d want to step on a fault line or pressure pad activator in the the rain. These are for dirt, mud, and gravel bays ONLY if it’s rained that day. Im sure once theyre scuffed they SHOULDNT be slippery anymore Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MemphisMechanic Posted June 5, 2018 Share Posted June 5, 2018 (edited) 49 minutes ago, bigboy69 said: Im sure once theyre scuffed they SHOULDNT be slippery anymore I’m wearing them in a tough mudder this coming weekend. By my estimation I’ve run 8 to 10 miles this week in them on dry asphalt. They’re broken in. Without a noticeable change. They’re designed purely for dirt and excel there. Much better grip than an Innov8 or Salamander... but you do pay for it on hard wet surfaces. I don’t think I’d take them to a major match where I couldn’t predict the terrain. Oh, and order a half-size large if you have a medium D-width foot. My 11.5s fit my size 11 feet perfectly. Edited June 5, 2018 by MemphisMechanic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigboy69 Posted June 6, 2018 Share Posted June 6, 2018 16 hours ago, MemphisMechanic said: I’m wearing them in a tough mudder this coming weekend. By my estimation I’ve run 8 to 10 miles this week in them on dry asphalt. They’re broken in. Without a noticeable change. They’re designed purely for dirt and excel there. Much better grip than an Innov8 or Salamander... but you do pay for it on hard wet surfaces. I don’t think I’d take them to a major match where I couldn’t predict the terrain. Oh, and order a half-size large if you have a medium D-width foot. My 11.5s fit my size 11 feet perfectly. Wow, I thought they wouldn't be slippery by now. Good to know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vluc Posted August 21, 2018 Share Posted August 21, 2018 Working/shooting A8 this week, taking both the Boombah's and the Speedcross (just in case of wet). I'll give a progress report but after shooting several weekends with the Hellcats, I'm enjoying them. Total of about 36-38 stages on them so far and they are outstanding in gravel and dirt. Then again, so were the Speedcross, the difference being that my feet now feel a whole lot better at the end of the day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vluc Posted August 29, 2018 Share Posted August 29, 2018 Hellcats were great. Shot early Thursday with some wet grass and some soggy spots, did not find any issue hitting wooden fault lines. Saw a lot of shooters with Hellcats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jschweg Posted August 29, 2018 Share Posted August 29, 2018 Any more opinions on how these are on smooth surfaces like concrete? I shoot in a fair bit of indoor matches and wondering if regular running shoes would still be better in those conditions.Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrewtac Posted August 29, 2018 Share Posted August 29, 2018 I did a review in the 2018 footwear thread. Any moisture on a smooth surface and they are very slippery. If indoors regular running or tennis shoes would be much better; these are off the hard surface only for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadyscott999 Posted August 29, 2018 Share Posted August 29, 2018 I have been wearing hellcats for a couple months now. I find them superior in every way to both my salamon speedcross 3 and fellraisers. They are also better than my inov8. I have been very happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaryOwens Posted August 31, 2018 Share Posted August 31, 2018 I’ve been real happy with Boombah. I’ve got 4 pair and all of them are great. Not to mention half the price of Salomon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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