When our US based tester Matt first spotted the F50i being player tested by Higuain a little over a year ago in Madrid, he was so impressed he put his name down straight away to be the reviewer. Here’s how he got on…..'Â
I was excited about testing the F5oi. It was August 2008 when I first saw the football boot whilst watching the Real Madrid pro’s training. Ever since I’ve been looking forward to lacing up the F50i and seeing if it lived up to my high expectations.
Adidas F50i Boot Test
The F50i tested – Leather in the white / black / red colourway.
Aesthetics
The all important looks. adidas has positioned the world famous three stripes brilliantly, giving the football boot a very sleek look in design. I like the look of the F50i, I think it flows well from heel to toe. Some say the silhouette doesn’t match the streamlining effect of the stripes making the F50i look slightly bulky. I don’t see that though.
Comfort/Fit
The football boot has no defining shape that hugs the foot to the upper and sole, I found this made it a little uncomfortable first up. The soleplate was surprisingly rigid and, being on firm ground, I felt pressure points from the studs all over the sole of my foot.
I was impressed with the lace cover, it is very well designed. It allowed easy access to tighten the laces which really helped improve the fit.
Durability
The leather is thick, so there’s little chance of it wearing thin in a short time span. Having said this, the stitching does pull at the leather and cause small tears on the instep of the boot. I found the leather stretched about 1/4 of an inch after a few weeks of use, so you may need to wear thicker socks over time. That said, with a little stretching the football boot can become more comfortable.
The studs are replaceable adding longevity, no problems there. It’s also been reported that TUNiT soleplates have been prone to snapping and cracking. During and after the testing, I saw no signs of potential soleplate problems.
Touch
Having worn the synthetic version of the F50i, I was expecting a very thin ult k-leather to be used in order to mimmick the SprintSkin material. That wasn’t the case. The ult k-leather is pretty thick and importantly, provides a great feel for the ball.
In fact the ult k-leather is very plush, it covers all areas of the forefoot. In my mind it makes these football boots ideal for dribbling and cushioning the ball.
Traction
The soleplate of the TUNiT line is a bit suspect to criticism in my opinion. There is little arch support offered and whilst I’m being really picky,'Â the “Allesklar” material used in the heel counter and sole plate doesn’t shave off much weight.
Another big plus is the ability to change your studs to suit the surface of the playing field, it can save you having to buy specific boots for different turfs. There’s no need to worry about your studs being worn down either as you can simply buy a new set. And, in my tests, the studs stayed tight throughout, though I always recommend checking them before each use.
Conclusion
The biggest point of note for this football boot is the great touch it provides, an essential consideration for any serious footballer.
The downside for me was the comfort when first used, and the fit.
I think adidas will improve on a few features going forward and with the likes of Messi, Villa, Young, Robben and Defoe all acting as boot ambassadors, it’s easy to understand why this football boot has been such a huge hit since it’s release back in May of this year.
Have you used the F50i? If so, drop your review in the comments section below.
I bought the F10i about a month back and I agree that the boot does have comfort/fit issues in the beginning but after a week’s usage the boot moulds to the shape of the foot and one gets used to it.Also,the forefoot area of the boot is amazing is very conducive to dribbling and shooting.The lace cover is helpful too.All in all,adidas has come up with an excellent boot!
i got the F50i and the lether tears to easily, not as light and comftable as the vapor so all round they are poor boots and better of getting vapors
Dosent seem too protective… but I suppose it can help cushion any impact on the forefoot with thick leather used haha .
Yes I have these boots but in Black.
I was the same at 1st they felt uncomfortable so i only used them to train in. after 3-4 weeks training they are fine..
U just need to bed them in well.. the leather is smooth and to keep it looking new i treat it with silicone..
They are however a little heavy.. this is definately a –
team mate of mine had the synthetic version played 2 games and the toe ripped so he sent them back got another pair and the toe ripped in the same place again! an awesome looking boot but not sure on the durability
I am sad to say that another website beat you and they have already added the predator x video,the real ad,because i love footy-boots so much i wont name the website 😛
One thing to keep in mind when considering the tunits is that the stud holes let in water, limiting their usefulness in wet conditions.
I got the f50i at the end of the summer, and they feel great. As pointed out in the article, they do take some breaking in to make them comfortable; I found the arch to be very high and rigid (not necessarily bad for quick sprinting)
I don’t really like the soleplate, but if you wear’em a lot you’d probably get used to it, but the first impression is that they are a bit stiff on the forefoot. But the feel when you shoot the ball is nice.
please review the nike total 90 laser 2s and strike 2s! thanks for the review, it confirmed what I thought of f50s, they look good, but in terms of comfort from the beginning other boots do better.
the only thing that saved these boots from being completely slaughtered is the fact that the reviewer actually fell in love with them from first sight…and the fact that messi kills wearing them
the thing is, messi doesn’t care a whoot for durability since he probably wears a new one for most matches. Also, his are perfectly engineering to be comfortable for him and so he doesn’t care about their comfort either. This is why he kills wearing them.
I don’t see any point in getting these. They fall behind in the comfort and durability stakes and with such strong contenders as the predator x, maestri and more comfortable vapour these just don’t cut it for the general masses who are looking for a quality boot and don’t just want a boot based on looks or who wears em. It looks good, messi wears them……..that’s about it for the plus points. The interchangeable studs are actually a problem becuase you can lose them, and the difference is only in the construction, there isn’t much difference between the SG studs and the HG/FG studs….in the end not a very useful feature though it seems amazing at first.
messi probobly does’nt wear a new pair every game because every boot takes time to break in, if he were wearing new boots every game i doubt he’s play his best, i just bought a pair of black leather tunits, the are the best boot ive ever owned, they are comfortable and light, my only worry is that people are saying the leather rips easily.
Right. i was thinking about getting these boots as leather boots tend to be more comfortable. I am also thinking about getting the black vapor V but am a bit worried about everyone saying that they give you bad blisters.
So would i be better off getting the vapors (do they give you blisters or not?) or the leather f50i that everyone says they are uncomfortable (are they actually uncomfortable?)
jase, as long as you go with leather, the f50is are actually very comfortable. my personal experience is that vapors DO give you blisters, I also dislike the lace cover on them. I would go f50s.
Tim, what is it that you dont like about the lace cover about the vapors? I had a pair of vapors ages ago and i had one blister and that was it. So am willing to give them a go again.
I had a pair of mkv steam mercurials which consistently blistered me until my predator xs replaced them. Am considering f50i synths in red then buying the street studs and light chassis and sockliner. Any problems with them?