Puma Evo Power 1.3 review

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.

Razer Phone 1 review

The Razer Phone..one of the most anticipated phones in the year 2017. Yes it’s some way back but I thought I want to share my thoughts on the phone after throughly using it.

Yes i used another non-Razer phone to take this pic obviously

First impressions: The box that came with the phone is so premium. From the magnetic seal on the box to all individually packed items each with their own packaging black sleek cover, the whole item feels super premium like it should.

Surface of phone is extremely smooth and matte. However, I do not quite like the non-ergonomic shape of the phone as it is somewhat difficult to get a proper hold of it especially with one Asian hand.

Performance: Let me just start out with the specs here which in comparison with some of the flagship releases by Samsung is actually pretty much on par with the specs. However, it is how you utilise and optimise these hardware components that make a good performing phone.

From my experience thus far, the phone is performing well when gaming and watching videos on Youtube and what not is smooth. The 120hz option is the selling point here, as heavily advertised by Razer. I would say it is the main and most important function that separates this phone from the sea of high performing phones. The 120hz once turned on, YOU CAN NEVER BACK. It IS THAT GOOD that I have to use caps. It’s really a new experience, surfing net with this one, is buttery smooth. However, most app games and Youtube videos only offer up to 60hz so is it really something that should be taken into consideration when purchasing a Razer phone? I would say if you have never experienced it before, you can live without it so no, it should not be a deciding factor. But for people like me who has experienced it and used it on a regular basis, I can never go back to any hz below 120. I have tried using my wife’s Note 9 and it just is not the same anymore.

The software support for me here is the killer. From my 1 year plus of using the phone it has given me so much problems that I really was comtemplating to just sell it off and be done with it. I shall not delve too much into the little problems here and there with the software but with the main issue i had.

After an update of the Razer drivers, I realised that the top of the screen (about 15% of the screen) became dead. The phone did not have any major trauma damage or water leaking in prior so I was pretty sure it was the software update. You would not notice how important the top of the screen is until u lose it. I had SO many problems with that…being unable to click the “x” on most apps is the killer..i was unable to skip ads when the buttons appeare as well. Some apps do not allow you to switch to horizontal view so it made it impossible to use some apps and it had cost me. The Razer support is not helpful as well. Their response was always asking me to factory reset the phone which do not solve the issue. I finally got to have a one to one exchange to resolve it. Terrible experience.

Final verdict – I love the idea behind making a gaming phone. However, real gamers know that you can really play a great game on a phone. And coupled with the terrible experience i had with the software support, I am not sure if I would want to upgrade to the Razer phone 2. However, it’s hard to ignore the 120hz. For now i shall continue using this phone until the competitors come up with a 120hz phone.