Adidas F50 adiZero II Synthetic Review

 

The F50 adizero II synthetic is one of the lightest, fastest boots to hit the field. The adizero is essential for players who want to quicken their footwork and accelerate with the ball.  Sprintskin drastically reduces the adizero’s weight. Innovative internal TPU support bands in the upper offer support and stability. Ultralight sockliner is carefully designed to not add bulk. Comes with second pair of comfort sockliners. Sprint frame for lightweight stability. TRX TPU outsole has a new stud configuration that improves your balance at top speeds.

This is the alternative upper material option for the Adizero II. This shoe uses the same synthetic upper as the original Adizero with a different finish. It is still made of the single layer Sprintskin that is fairly soft right out of the box. The fit also remains the same to the original synthetic Adizero which is good, but is still not going to fit like a second skin like that of the Adizero Prime. That being said, Adidas has improved the tongue of the shoe, making it a little longer and slightly thicker to eliminate some of the lace-bite. I wore my usual size 9US for this review.

They are incredibly light and make it feel as if there is literally nothing on your feet. This sense of lightness, mental or not, does make you feel like you are a little bit quicker, which is entirely possible considering the weight of these shoes. Their really isn’t much else out there, apart from the Primes, that can match these shoes in terms of weight.

The stud configuration on these is different. The studs  are pretty widely dispersed triangular shaped studs that are unusually tall. 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 really where you should make your choice between synthetic or leather in the Adizero line. I much preferred the synthetic version in the original Adizero, but Adidas has improved the leather version for the Adizero II and really making them pretty equal in terms of quality. If you like a very thin upper that will eel like your barefoot, go for the synthetics. If you would rather have a more cushioned touch on the ball, go for the leather ones.

Shooting with these shoes is actually pretty good. I like the feeling that you can get more power with a shorter swing of the leg due to having less weight. They give you the confidence to attempt the quick shot while the ball is in tight on your body which is a good thing. The lightness also seems to give you the ability to move your ankle a little bit quicker, allowing you to adjust your foot more quickly to make that deceiving in-close shot to slide it past the keeper. This in close accuracy feeling is great if you’re a quicker player. I did also feel that I did lose a little bit of distance when striking the ball down field.

These shoes did seem to hold up pretty well actually. I anticipated them falling apart pretty quickly because of their weight but they did hold up pretty well. I do have to say that the synthetic version did seem like it would hold up better in the long run then the leather version.

If you are buying a 6 ounce shoe, protection should not be your main concern, especially in the synthetic model. Plain and simply, these are thin shoes and it will hurt if you get stepped on. If you are going to be making a lot of tackles out there, these are probably not the right shoes for you.

Adidas have really not changed the core of the synthetic Adizero II. It is relatively the same shoe as the original with minor improvements. The fit is good and you can’t get a lighter shoe in that price range. I still do think the Primes are worth the extra money, but if you don’t have that to spend, these are a great alternative.

 

 

Comfort/ Fit   7 out of 10
Weight           10 out of 10
Traction          8 out of 10
Protection       6 out of 10
Touch              8 out of 10
Shooting         9 out of 10
Durability       6 out of 10