Soccer Cleats 101 Soccer Cleats News and Reviews
Designed to allow players to “burn past defenders”, the X17+ Purespeed FG is all about electric speed. We have said this before, but still the stand as one of the least talked about adidas boots in recent times. Given their streamlined appearance and sharp designs, that is something that is slowly shifting. The list of players wearing them is pretty impressive. Luis Suarez, Karim Benzema, Marcelo, David de Gea and Davis Alaba are just a handful that call them their boot of choice!
Here is what you need to know about the latest version released as part of the Pyro Storm colorway. You can find this colorway currently available at soccer.com.
Design Notes
These could honestly be the most perfect Halloween style boots on the market! The official colorway is listed as Core Black/Solar Red/Solar Orange to match the burnt wood concept of the Pyro Storm pack. But they could just as easily be listed as a Pumpkin color. The upper is so distinct with what is almost like a tri-level of texturing. The bottom, main upper layer offers the solar red coloring, with a perforated black layer that sits on top of that. That top layer then has slightly raised dimples for added texturing and improved grip on the ball.
Performance
For a boot that is built primarily for speed, the upper (although not cushioned) has a nice natural feel when controlling the ball. Since the laces are hidden underneath the upper layer, the flatness and smoothness doesn’t allow much room for excuses when failing to control a pass, something I sometimes greatly depend on! The sprintframe outsole along with the stud configuration allows you to change direction quickly, and with the right sizing should be adequate to stop you from sliding inside the boot or rolling your ankle!
How do they fit?
Unfortunately this is a case of companies having different sizes when you compare UK to US shoe sizes. I am usually a US 9 (UK 8) however, with this cleat the US 9 is actually a UK 8.5. It is quite noticeable for me looking down on, and going into a training session the last thing you want to have doubts about is the sizing of your footwear. It might have been a case of the placebo effect but I was aware at all times that these cleats were too big for me. The cleat does cater to players with wider feet, I would be an average foot size when it comes to width so I did notice a bit of slipping inside them from side to side. It is a personal choice but I prefer my cleats to be nice and snug, even going to take a 0.5 size smaller on some occasions.
I will give Adidas this, for a cleat that is built for speed, they are surprisingly comfortable. There was no breaking in period, I did not have to put them in a hydrocollator initially, which is usually the case with new cleats, and there were no blisters even with the sliding inside and wearing the incorrect shoe size. The pure cut sock in this boot greatly adds to the comfort. Having a tongue at the back allows you to easily maneuver in and out of the cleat.
Durability
I haven’t worn this particular colorway, but my recent experience with the silo went as following:
“I have worn these cleats for training every day for the last 3 weeks in approximately 5-6 sessions every week. Although wear and tear on cleats is normal, it can happen that after a short while you start to see the signs of their demise. I was concerned initially with the material that the upper is used with, whether it could stand the tests of high temperature and high intensity training, not to mention a few wild tackles from certain teammates without there being signs of deterioration. I have been impressed that there isn’t a single scuffle on them.”
Retail Details
To date, there have been four key colorways released in the series, all of which have a super sharp look. Original retail for top tier X17+ Purespeed silo is set at $299.99, with the JNR model available for $149.99.
You can see the entire line-up of PURESPEED boots available at soccer.com.
