Under Armour Spine Blur Carbon 3 Leather – The Review

The Under Armour Spine Blur Carbon 3 Leather is a very interesting football boot, offering a lightweight speed boot that incorporates a very generous amount of Kangaroo leather. These also feature carbon fiber on the soleplate and a carbon “wing” on the outside of the boot, so there are definitely some interesting features on these boots and they certainly offer something different.

See current UA Blur III Leather boots on offer.

Unboxing and First Impressions

I have received these in a very nice black/chrome colourway, and the first impressions were extremely positive. I wasn’t a huge fan of the synthetic colourways and there are not many clear pictures online of this colour so I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, but these definitely have a classy yet very modern look that I am a huge fan of. Under Armour include two sets of laces, with one of each already laced up so you know how they will look, there are black pair and a yellow pair, I personally prefer the black but both look good. The two most impressive things visually on these boots are the soleplate and the supple k-leather, a couple of things I noticed where these differentiate from the white leather colourway is that the white boots have stitching on the in step and also the UA logo is on the front of the boot and a laser transfer, where on these there is no stitching apart from the logo which is stitched and located further back on the instep. The amount of leather used on these is incredible, and of a high quality so fair to say I was excited to begin testing these out.

Comfort/Fit

Unfortunately due to the vast amount of preseason games and lack of training, I took these straight into a game. And at first these were comfortable, after about 35 minutes I experienced some major discomfort on my small toes on each foot causing them to blister. This was caused by friction against the synthetic outside of the boot. I would definitely recommend breaking in any boots before a game, especially leather so this was partly my fault. Another thing to note is that the sizing on these is a bit off, they are about a half size smaller than most other brands, I measured the length of these and a few other boots of the same size (8.5) and these measure half an inch shorter in length, these also fit very tight. There is also no tongue on these and the way they are laced up is different to anything I have experienced before. The heel liner has horizontal lines running across it that does an excellent job of keeping your heel locked in place. The insole is one of the highlights of this boot offering a comfortable and cushioned feel. There really are no other boots like these and your feet need to get used to the shape of the boots, so break them in before taking them straight into a game. After around an hour or two of wearing these the leather really softens and molds to your feet offering an amazing fit and comfort.

[Also: Under Armour Blur III Review]

Traction

Under Armour advertise these as “The ultimate direction changing machine” due to the players ability to change direction whilst wearing the UA Spine Blur CBN 3 Leather. To be fair to Under Armour I did notice a difference whilst wearing these, the molded studs are at the front are quite long the and blades on these have a low profile and offer fantastic traction. The carbon fiber on the wing is designed to prevent you from rolling your ankle and also helps when pushing off from the ground and the soleplate has a very solid feel to it, using carbon fiber and Pebax. I was a big fan of the traction and feel Under Armour have definitely achieved the desired effect.

Touch/Striking

The amount and quality of kangaroo leather used on the Under Armour Spine Blur Carbon 3 is very impressive, especially considering how light they are (around 7.5 ounces), and as you would expect with high quality kangaroo leather the touch on the ball is fantastic. As there is no stitching on these and the fact you have a very snug fit you really get a great feel on the ball when dribbling and passing. There are no striking gimmicks on these just nice soft leather so striking the ball was pretty unspectacular.

Durability/Maintenance

If you have read any of my previous posts you will know how strongly I suggest you take care of your leather boots, and these are no different. The fact that there is no stitching, you can really keep these looking fresh if you take good care of them. I haven’t noticed any durability problems and these seem like a very solid pair of boots, it will be interesting to see how much the leather stretches as there is no stitching, but only time will answer that question. I was dubious as to how strong the lace holes would be but I’m pleased to announce they are extremely durable.

Would I buy them and why?

This is a tricky question for me to answer, I wouldn’t personally buy them as I prefer the feel of heritage styled boots, also these are not best suited to wider footed players, but at the same time I would highly recommend them. The leather is top quality and loads of it, the traction is second to none and the insole is incredibly comfortable. If you are on the market for a new speed boot and don’t have wide feet I would highly recommend buying these. Under Armour have definitely produced a top quality boot that offers something different from anything else available, if they keep producing boots of this quality then they should become a major force.

Please leave any questions or comments below. Do you like the look of these boots?

The leather version of the Under Armour Blur Carbon 3 is currently available at Soccer.com.