This is the lightest adidas adiPure SL ever, only 7.0 oz.! Full kangaroo leather upper for the ultimate in fit, comfort and ball feel. OneTouch upper construction for a softer feel, less water uptake, and a more breathable, lighter boot. Supports natural stretch of the leather for best fit yet keeps consistent properties in wet and dry conditions. Padded super soft collar for best comfort & snug fit. Ergonomically pre -molded sockliner with cushioning inserts in the heel for additional comfort. X-Static silver threads. X-static is a fiber that is antimicrobial, all natural, heat transfer, anti-static and therapeutic. Full plate outsole with Traxion technology for optimum grip and stud pressure distribution on all surfaces.
Comfort/ Fit
The adipure SL is an attempt to blend a modern “speed” boot with a traditional styled boot, a combo that has yet to be done correctly, until now. The boot is made from extremely soft kangaroo leather upper that is surprisingly thin. When you put the boot on, you will immediately notice how soft and comfortable that the boot feels. This is partly due to the liner that runs along the inside of the entire boot. The material is very thin and is super smooth and soft to the touch, making it nearly impossible to get a blister from rubbing. Although at first glance the upper appears to be the same as the standard adipure IV, there is one major difference, and that is the lacing system. Although most wouldn’t notice this change from just looking at the boot, you will definitely notice the change once you pull the laces tight. Basically the lacing system goes a little farther down toward the front of the boot, giving you a very custom fit in terms of how tight you would like to wear your boots. Another major comfort and fit element for me is the tongue of this boot. The tongue is very padded, I would guess it to be twice as thick as the rest of the boot. Where some people may not like this feature, I found it helped immensely in how the boot fit. Because the tongue has such thick padding, you can pull the laces as tight as you want without getting any lace bite at all. Because the tongue is so thick, it will also take a little bit of getting used too, but after kicking the ball around for about half an hour it’s no longer an issue. Sizing is an important thing with this boot as it does fit a little on the large side. I wore a size 9US for review, but I would strongly recommend going a half size down in order to get a tighter fit, especially after some minor stretching.
Weight
This is an area where this boot is unique from any other kangaroo leather, traditionally styled boot, because it only weighs 7oz. The reason for this is the adizero soleplate that takes the place of the standard adipure IV soleplate. The boot feels really light, and for the type of boot and the quality of leather that you get, it is truly remarkable that this kind of boot can be this light. Immediately people will make the comparison between this boot and the leather adizero, but take note that they are not even close to the same boot. The adipure SL feels like a true leather boot, where as the leather adizero feels like a thin synthetic with a slightly cushioned feel at the front of the boot.
Traction
The stud pattern and soleplate is the exact same as you would get as on any of the adizero boots. They do a good job of grip while running forward, but because of how tall they are, I found myself not slipping, but having a hard time changing direction at high speeds. But as long as the fields you are playing on are not rock hard, you should find these shoes to grip quite well. The stud configuration also does a good job of keeping mud from sticking to the bottom of your shoes. This is a stud pattern that will work well on any type of surface from firm ground, to turf and even in soft ground conditions, the adizero stud pattern is very reliable.
Touch
The touch on this boot is great. The kangaroo leather is fairly thin, but it still manages to give you that nice padded touch on the ball. The leather on this boot is unique to what I’ve used and seen on other boots, as it is still very soft but doesn’t have the same volume as most kangaroo leather boots have. The only way that I can explain what I mean is by example. On a traditional kangaroo leather boot, you can clearly see and feel the natural thickness of the leather, where it compresses along the stitching and than puffs back out along the outside of the stitching. I think most people will understand what I am trying to explain. On the adipure SL, you don’t see or feel that extra bulk, even along the stitching lines. The touch of this boot is very clean and smooth, giving it the feel of kangaroo leather and some of the feel of a synthetic. The other thing to note, like I said before, is that the tongue of the boot is very thick and padded. It will definitely feel awkward at first, but you have to give it time to break in and compress into the custom molded shape of your foot. I found that once it broke in, it provided a nice amount of cushion when controlling the ball.
Shooting
Once again, as with most heritage styled boots, there are no real gimmicks that benefit your shooting ability. The leather upper feels great when striking the ball and the adizero soleplate provides a good amount of stiffness. The one noticeable thing that I found with this particular boot is the tongue. The little extra padding felt great when striking the ball with the laces. Other than that, you won’t be too surprised with how hooting feels with this boot.
Durability
The build quality of this boot is really good. By just holding the boot in your hand, it feels really solid considering how light it is. Adidas has also managed to find a stitching pattern that doesn’t allow the leather to stretch very much at all. Because it is made of such soft leather, the life of the boot is never going to be as long as it would with a synthetic. Whenever natural materials are used, durability becomes largely dependent on the owner caring for his or her boots. These boots come with a cleaning cloth and leather cream, and if properly taken care of, these boots could have a lifespan of well over a year with proper care.
Protection
For such lightweight boots, the adipure SL will provide quite a bit of protection. The leather upper is slightly cushioned and the padded tongue is one of the most protective pieces that you can get on any soccer shoe. Coupled with the external heel cup, I would say that this boot is pretty protective and is certainly one of the safest boots in its weight range.
The Verdict
People were really excited for this boot when it was first released, but some mixed reviews and some unclear opinions made many people look elsewhere. If you are going to compare this to the leather adizero, don’t, because it is not even close to the same boot. If you are looking for a classic style and feel with some modern technology thrown in, the adipure SL is definitely for you. There is nothing else available that I would compare to this boot, and I would highly recommend one of the only boots that is truly in a class of its own.
| Comfort/Fit | 9 out of 10 |
| Weight | 10 out of 10 |
| Traction | 8 out of 10 |
| Touch | 10 out of 10 |
| Shooting | 8 out of 10 |
| Protection | 8 out of 10 |
| Durability | 7 out of 10 |
| FINAL SCORE | 60 out of 70 or 86% |
