As the Umbro GT Pro is a speed boot, you would expect a thin, tight fitting boot, and that is exactly what get. As soon as I put the boots on my feet, it immediately reminded me of the same fit that the much loved Nike Mercurial Vapor III had. The toe box is small just like the Vapor III and really does feel tight around your entire foot. The fit is also partly due to the quality of the synthetic used.on these boots. They sport the same tejin material used on the Vapors, but is slightly different. The difference is the softness of the material out of the box. The upper on these shoes is so soft and pliable right out of the box, making the break-in time non-existent, as they are super comfortable from the second you tie the laces up. Another unique feature of this synthetic material is the inside of the boot.
The inside is lined with a very thin mesh like material that gives for an unexpected amount of softness from a synthetic upper shoe. The shoe also features an A-frame cradle that is similar to Nike`s flywire concept. Does it work? I would say that it does it`s job, but it doesn`t provide that same wrapped around your foot feeling like a flywire shoe would. This shoe fits at about a normal to narrow width so if your foot is on the wider side, I would recommend trying these on before purchasing them. I wore my usual size 9US for this review.
Weight
This is an area that will get mixed feelings from most people. As this is categorized as a thin speed boot, you would expect to be light weight. Unfortunately, these are not overly light shoes. They weigh in at 9oz, which isn`t heavy at all, but doesn`t hit that 8oz minimum that has been made the norm for all speed boots. To be fair, these shoes still do feel light, but they just aren`t super light. Although they aren`t extremely light, they do use the extra weight to provide a thicker tongue as well as a much more comfortable insole as opposed to other speed boots.
Traction
This is another unique feature that you can only get from an Umbro boot.This shoe sports the same sole plate and stud pattern as the Speciali line, and therfore provides some unique qualities. The shoe has a hard ground stud pattern, made of pretty short and slim round studs. They aren’t dramatically smaller than a firm ground stud pattern, but they are slightly shorter. It is a more traditional style stud pattern, but that’s not the problem. The problem is that they really are made mostly for hard ground. In any kind of softer ground conditions, you will slip. In a firm ground environment, you shouldn’t have any problems. The way I see it is, if you almost never slip in firm ground shoes, you won’t have any problems wearing this hard ground stud pattern. I would also highly recommend this shoe for turf, as the shorter studs are the perfect length for turf.
Touch
This is an area where the Umbro GT Pro gets it right. The upper is soft and thin, giving that sock like feeling, but still provides some unique protective qualities. The upper feels nearly identical to a pair of Vapors, which has become known as the ultimate in thin synthetic uppers. You feel every bit of the ball when it touches your foot. Because the upper is so soft, I feel like it creases and bunches up much less than a stiffer synthetic would normally do. I also really liked the matte finish used on the upper. It allows you to be able to push and drag the ball when dribbling and will never stick to the ball.
Shooting
This shoe provides that same bare-foot feeling that you get from most speed boots. There are no shooting gimmicks on the boot, it is just a bare bones surface. When the upper is so thin you feel as if curling the ball becomes easier and you really feel the connection when striking the ball. The one thing that I can say that differentiates this speed boot from others is the slightly thicker tongue. The tongue is double the thickness of a vapor and for me, is a good thing. It`s nice to have that little bit of extra padding when striking the ball.
Durability
This shoe feels very well built when holding it in your hand. Umbro really does have some of the best build quality in the game, and it really shows on this boot. There is really no stitching on this boot to tear and the lack of gimmicks only makes for less things that could break. If you are looking for a shoe to last you the entire season, there is no doubt that you will get your moneys worth with the Umbro GT Pro.
Protection
As the upper of this boot is so thin, it will not provide the best protection that you can get, but it does provide more protection than you would get from the average speed boot. The thicker tongue will provide some protection from getting stepped on as well as the hard interior heel counter.
The Verdict
This is a very high quality boot coming from Umbro. It falls under the speed category and provides one of the best synthetic uppers in the game. If you are looking for an alternative to Nike`s vapor line, you can not go wrong with the Umbro GT Pro. Another consideration should be the low $150 price tag, making this boot one of the best values on the market.
| Comfort/Fit | 9 out of 10 |
| Weight | 7 out of 10 |
| Traction | 7 out of 10 |
| Touch | 9 out of 10 |
| Shooting | 8 out of 10 |
| Protection | 7 out of 10 |
| Durability | 9 out of 10 |
| FINAL SCORE | 56 out of 70 or 80% |
