Comfort/Fit
These shoes are actually pretty comfortable. The k-leather on these is very soft which makes the comfort level go way up. The shoe out of the box fits a normal width, but will stretch a fair amount, around a half size. The heel area of the shoe is actually really wide, which made for some minor rubbing blisters on the back of my heels. Another thing to note on the leather version of this shoe is that the heel is lined with a suede material, unlike the synthetic version. Other than a few minor break-in blisters, these shoes became extremely comfortable. I wore my usual size 9US in these shoes, but would recommend going a half size down if you’re looking for a snug fit.
Weight
These shoes, in the leather version, are listed at about 12oz which actually one of the heaviest top end shoes that you can buy. Fortunately they don’t feel too heavy, but they definitely don’t help that much during quick starts. On the bright side, I did feel that the little bit of extra weight did give that feeling of a little more power in your shots, which is what is supposed to be asked of from a “power” boot.
Traction
The stud pattern on this shoe is actually not that bad. You will get a bladed stud configuration, with blades that are actually pretty tall for firm ground shoes. The pattern is not terribly different from regular bladed stud patterns, except for the two front inside and outside blades. These two blades are located very close to the toe of the shoe, which makes for a very aggressive, on your toes feel to the shoe when accelerating from a stand still. This is very good, but I did find the studs to wear down to almost half after about 20 hours of use. Laterally you will get decent traction, but I did slip up a couple times on slightly soft field conditions.
Touch
Due to the softness of the k-leather on these shoe, all of your touches on the ball feel very soft and controlled. The main concern that I had with these shoes was how the entirely rubber instep was going to feel on the ball, which was surprisingly quite good. I am normally not a fan of rubber elements on shoes but these are for sure the exception. I never found myself having too much grip on the ball and tripping up. This is due to the small fins that stick of the side of the boot that almost act as a release from the boot upon making contact with the ball. They almost seem to cushion the ball and than push it away slightly. This made for a great experience while receiving hard passes. The other great part of the all rubber instep is the amount of grip that you get on the ball in wet weather. They lose very little grip on the ball in the wet, which helps that little bit extra in slick conditions. The overall feel of the boot is very cushioned and everything that comes in contact with your foot seems to settle nicely. This mostly rubber shoe also makes for a very protective shoe as you be out of the game after getting stepped on.
Shooting
I was excited to try this shoe out for the shooting alone. They have those big robber pods placed right on the strike zone that just feel really good when striking the ball. They provide a perfect amount of padding for shooting. The shoes seem to give a feeling of a little more pop off your shots if you know what I mean. The small fins on the instep of the boot also provide some noticeable differences in bending the ball. I’m not saying that they will allow you to bend the ball that much better, but they do seems to ease the process. These shoes were made for striking the ball with power, and Nike gets it totally right with these shoes.
Durability
This is the downfall of these shoes. The k-leather is too soft and after only about 10 hours become over-stretched, giving the shoe a floppy feeling on your feet. They become very wide and seem to shift around while running. I also experienced separation from the sole along the front of the shoes on both feet, which is not what you expect from a shoe after one month. The other down fall of this shoe is the sole plate. It is nice and stiff out of the box, but that doesn’t last long until you begin to feel pretty large amounts of stud pressure due to the softening of the sole plate.
The Verdict
These are great shoes, one of my favorites. The problem is that they are not great for that long. Durability is a major factor when buying this shoe. They are a high performing shoe for sure, but if you’re looking for a reliable pair to last you the entire soccer season, I would go for the synthetic version. They are fantastic shoes, while they last.
| Comfort/Fit | 8 out of 10 |
| Weight | 6 out of 10 |
| Traction | 6 out of 10 |
| Touch | 8 out of 10 |
| Shooting | 10 out of 10 |
| Protection | 8 out of 10 |
| Durability | 6 out of 10 |
| FINAL SCORE | 52 out of 70 or 74% |
