Well we’ve been waiting for this one for some time, but Adidas have finally released the Adipower Predators, and I have to say, we’re pretty impressed. Often times the color or the look of the shoe is what sells it, not the fit, or how it plays. Now don’t get me wrong, I love the way these new soccer boots look, but for the Adipowers, its all about how they play. These cleats are full grain calf leather, so they’ll fit your feet like a glove, and you can notice the superb feeling as soon as you put them on. the first thing I noticed about them, besides the leather, was how lightweight they are. They feel like they weight the same as the Adipure SL’s, and feel very similar on your feet. They’ve also got great stability, due to the Adizero Sprint frame and cleats.
They feel good on your feet, not quite as good as a Nike CTR360 Maestri II, but they’re the closed I’ve tried out this year. The previous iteration of the predators had a big problem with comfort and took forever to break in, and its good to see Adidas listening to feedback. The heel has a soft gel like lining which is really comfortable, and a molded EVA sockliner which wicks away the sweat and prevents slippage. The Powerspine is still an integral part of these soccer shoes and is visible on the bottom just like all of the Adidas Predators.
Once I took these out on the field, I liked them even better. The Predator element on the front is molded from some sort of rubbery material, and while its not as big and the one of the Predator X, it works just as well. I was really able to get a hold of the ball when shooting off the element. I’m not sure if it really helped me swerve the balls trajectory at all, but it definitely helped me get some power behind it if the cries of my friend in goal are to be believed.
I was also really happy with the cleats and padding on the sole of the boot. I didn’t slip on the grass, and it felt like I could really push off and grip the ground on the run. The cleats also don’t have any little nooks and crannies for dirty to get stuck in so I didn’t have to spend ages trying to get them clean afterwards. My one complaint was with these boots is with the area where the element connects to the leather. In my opinion, I found this area need some breaking in before it was flexible enough to play in a proper match. It didn’t give me blisters, but it fell stiff, and energy return off it was a bit strange to feel on the top of my foot.
Overall, they’re a great pair of soccer shoes, superior to a Nike Vapor or Puma Powercat, and at $179.99, you can’t be the price.
Written by: Matthew Wall, editor, soccerprose.com
