Soccer Cleats 101 Soccer Cleats News and Reviews
Since their original release on market, the X17+ Purespeed hasn’t garnered as much attention as one would have expected. The colorways in the series have been sharp, performance is very solid but they just haven’t clicked fully with fans. Then came the release of this Nite Stalker edition. Built using a more traditional Black/Chrome colorway, there has been a much needed added buzz surrounding them. Visually, this colorway is pretty pitch perfect; subtle Black on top with a shiny Chrome finish underfoot; some would call it perfection!
Designed to compliment players that want to “burn past defenders”, the X17+ Purespeed has been all about electric speed since release. With players such as Luis Suarez, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, Marcelo, David de Gea and Davis Alaba wearing them, they come with a solid pedigree and a lot of potential to be a top market contender.
Find important performance and design notes below. Or find this Core Black colorway available at soccer.com.
Design Notes
adidas has treated us to some slick matte and chrome style finishes underfoot on recent editions of Purespeed. But, none have looked quite as right as this version. The dark mirror like effect underfoot adds a dramatic upgrade to the primary, traditional black upper. In hand, the visual effect comes together in spectacular fashion, producing one of the best colorways in the series to date. That is, of course, as long as you appreciate the finer points of a heritage style boot.
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?
For obvious reasons, the last thing you want going into a practice session is doubts about sizing of your footwear. As far as adidas boots go, these definitely have the most spacious fit. Because of the style of the upper, they do cater to players with wider feet. Even with my medium/wide fit, I did notice a bit of movement from side to side through play. It is a personal choice but I prefer my cleats to be nice and snug, on occasion even going down a half size to get that secure fitted feel.
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, and there were no blisters even with the movement I experienced. The pure cut sock in this boot greatly adds to the comfort. Having a higher positioned tab 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
Original retail for the X17+ Purespeed Nite Crawlero is set at $279.99. Or you can check out the entire line-up of PURESPEED boots currently available at soccer.com.
