We’ve pitted together two of the most popular indoor shoes of the season against each other. So if you’re after a good quality indoor shoe, this post is for you.
Adidas Freefootball Boost Vs Nike LunarGato II
If you play a bit of indoor football, you’ll know that the kicks you wear can make a significant difference to your game.
We put in a fair few hours of indoor football each week and decided to match these two heavyweights against each other.
The basis of the test was simple – spend one hour in each shoe, at the same location playing for and against the same teams. This way each shoe should get a very comparable outing.
Style & Material
Before we get into action, lets take a few moments to admire the beauty of each shoe and see what it is made of.
Adidas Freefootball Boost
Colourway: Urban Peak / Dark Grey / Semi Solar Yellow
Material: A synthetic upper, which is very leather-like, a suede toe, mesh heel and rubber outsole.
Nike Lunar Gato II
Colourway: Black / White / Poison Green
Material: Goat leather vamp forefoot, with a lightweight fused mesh panes and a gum rubber outsole.
Looking at both the shoes, they are both very pleasing on the eye. The more traditional looking adidas shoe looks more like a leisure shoe, but the Nike boot looks like a football shoe.
Whilst the Adidas Freefootball Boost is no ugly duckling, the shapely Nike Lunar Gato II wins hands down. The two stand out aesthetic features of the Lunar Gato are the quilt like leather pattern on the forefoot and the amazing speckled paint effect on the rest of the shoe.
Performance
As you would expect, both shoes performed really well, but they are different.
Neither can be faulted in terms of grip and traction. Each gripped the hard surface without failure or slippage, so full marks there.
Striking the ball divides the two though. Nike let you feel through the strike, and the stiffer Adidas shoe seems to really help you get behind the ball, particularly when striking hard.
Touch and control would have Nike over Adidas, the snug fit and shape of the Lunar Gato II means the shoe is almost glove like.
The upside for Adidas is the protection. You feel a little more armoured in the Adidas shoe against the regular foot and leg contact you get in indoor football.
Cushioning is a feature of both shoes with both brands featuring their cushioning technology in the name of the shoe. Adidas and the Boost technology and Nike and their Lunarlon tech.
Adidas say; “Boost features thousands of visible energy capsules that store and unleash endless energy every time your foot hits the ground.”
Footy Boots say; “The Boost offers great cushioning for hard surfaces.”
Nike say; “Lunarlon cushioning absorbs energy on impact for premium comfort.”
Footy Boots say; “They’re comfortable, but not as much as the Adidas shoe.”
Wear and Tear
We didn’t expect much wear and tear to report after only an hour of use, but how wrong could we be.
Firstly the Nike Lunar Gato II. On inspection after the hour, the only markings on the shoe was some paint, possibly off of opponents shoes, on the outsole. Pretty impressive.
Sadly the Adidas Freefootball Boost didn’t fare as well. Around the toe area on both shoes, the upper and sole has started to come apart. For it to happen with both the left and right shoe after only an hours play suggests that this is a real weak spot.
Summary
Playing in each of the Adidas and Nike indoors shoes was a real joy. Both pieces of footwear felt great on the ball, gripped well and had good cushioning.
The Nike Lunar Gato II was faultless. It looks terrific with the speckled paint finish, but the shape and snugness really made it stand out as a good indoor shoe.
The Adidas Freefootball Boost promised so much, with its incredible cushioning and rugged feel, but let us down drastically with the materials splitting.
The Nike Lunar Gato II wins hands down as our best indoor shoe.
Current Prices:
Adidas Freefootball Boost £52
Nike Lunar Gato II £65
Been wearing those Gato IIs on the cement courts of South America since they came out. The only shoe that has even come close is the Joma. However, to get some additional comfort out of them I actually add another insole on top of the one it has. Makes a huge difference. I’m sorry to see this boot go away. Hope Nike’s new X boots hold up, particularly the Magista which looks to have the best chance on cement.
That’s another good shout for the quality of the LGII, thanks.
Good tip about the insole too. I’ve found insole’s have a shelf life, replacing old insoles is a good cheap way to bring an old pair of shoes or boots back into ‘comfort zone’.