Yes Puma released this way back in 2016 but it was recently super discounted. It was retailed at SGD 299 when it launched and now only SGD 99 at Weston. So I grabbed it and here’s my review.
I
‘ve been using it for 1 year plus already. And my review is completely unbiased as I’m not paid.
Puma as a brand has always lagged behind Nike and Adidas not in terms of quality of their boots, but in sales. Even though this is my first ever Puma boots, I have never doubted the quality. And so I was right..at least for the first 6months.
My first impression of the boots is it is so light! Very lightweight but it’s a top end model so that is to be expected by today’s standards. The upper material is also very soft with Puma’s proprietor material called AdapLite which mimics real leather very well. The soleplate is also extremely flexible yet solid in mid foot for good responsiveness. And I just loved how it looks in general with the side lacing system to create a bigger striking surface.
When I wore it the first time, my god was it snug and the material wrapped around and fit me pretty nicely even though I have very wide feet. It took a couple of games to break into but once broken into, it was honestly the best boots I have ever worn up to that point. The upper softens when moist and it accufoam technology gives you a padded yet slightly barefoot feel and I love it. The most noticeable thing I realised from all my previous boots which usually had a rubber striking material (Mizuno wave ignitus, Adidas predators) is that it is very lightweight on feet and coupled with the super flexible soleplate I really honestly felt like I am 20% faster already. Yeah it might be placebo effect but i really do feel faster especially the first 5 meters of acceleration where the soleplate bends to a sprinting esque shape of the foot when you accelerate off.
The first 6 months was heavenly and I absolutely adored the boots. However, as I wear it more, there is inevitably going to be wear and tear and that is normal. What is not normal however is the synthetic material actually stretching too much. I realised the boots got bigger and I started having more space in the boot so I would readjust the laces to tighten it. As I played more it started become apparent that the boots is overstretching and that affected my performance as I have to continuously adjust my foot in the boot while playing. A good pair of boots is when you wear it and play, you don’t know it’s there at all. But for this pair it’s starting to get annoying. It came to a point where I had to wear double socks to fill the extra stretched space and it was then I knew I should just retire it altogether.
A slightly disappointing end to a fantastic pair of boots that was well worth all the SGD 99 I paid but for SGD 299 retails price I actually expected better durability. I have always worn takedown models and this was my first top end model. So maybe top end models aren’t made to last? I don’t know. But what I know is after wearing a top end boot, there is no going back to takedowns. You can just feel the vast difference in quality. Some people might say if you’re a good player, you’re a good player no matter what grade your boots is. I do however feel personally that top end boots does really invoke more self confidence and gives you a mental edge over your opponents. For that alone I would think it’s worth going for a top end model, if you can afford it of course.
My conclusion is please if you have the money, go for older heavily discounted top end model boots than the newest takedown models. It is an advice I wish someone had told me earlier.