Rarely in my soccer career did I get to play the total 90 minutes of a game. And while that does leave a strong bitterness and a mild amount of resentment in my heart, I’m able to look past that for my handful of fans and complete yet another stellar review… this time of the Nike Total 90 Laser III Soccer Cleats.
Physical Attributes
Nike’s T90 Laser line comes with Instep Pods along the top inside part of the shoe which is designed to ensure an even impact on the ball. A more even impact should result in a harder and more accurate shot or pass, depending on what you aim to do. Cutting-Edge Shape Correcting Memory Foam is used to create a smoother surface on the outside of the shoe. This allows for a surface that is more adept to truer strikes. No longer will you worry about the outsides of your shoes wearing down and creating uneven surfaces to strike the ball with. One thing this boot does excel at is its stability. With 14 thermoplastic polyurethane (tpu) studs, you will have excellent traction and stability on all surfaces. There is also a mystery material that resides on the upper, but in order to keep this review somewhat interesting, and to ensure you read on, I will cover that material in a later section.
Critique
There are two major criticisms that I can see with this shoe; the first being its weight. For a soccer cleat, especially with today’s trends, this would be considered a heavy boot. I for one do not have a problem with heavier cleats as I’ve worn them all my life, but that may be due to my lack of speed to begin with. Then again, maybe my heavy shoes are why I seemingly can’t outrun most youth players. This has quickly become an argument of the chicken vs. egg, so I digress. The second critique of this shoe would be the material that covers the inner side of both boots. Nike claims it is Raised TPU Fins (foreshadowed above) aimed to increase ball spin for shooting and passing, while it appears to be more of a substance off of a Marvel Comic Book Hero Suit. It just seems a little out of place to me.
I don’t personally have a problem with either of the criticisms raised above; however I feel these will be issues for certain players when looking at the shoe.
Overall, the boot is well constructed, comfortable, and good looking from afar. While I wouldn’t pay Superfly price for these Nike boots, the $179.99 price tag makes this shoe a decent second or third option when you can’t wrap your head around paying $400 dollars for a soccer shoe.
Written By: Wil, Laser Lipsanographer, soccerprose.com
