With Nike and Adidas flooding the media with marketing dollars in the way of endorsements and bold advertisement stunts, noticing a boot on sheer performance can often be difficult.
But this year, Mizuno seem to be getting some recognition – producing one of the top 3 football boots of the year at this years Football Boots Awards is proof that a good boot is what the public are after, not just a professional endorsement and flash advertising campaigns.
We covered the Wave Ignitus not so long ago, so I was keen to see how it’s little brother – the Mizuno Wave Ignite stands up to compare. Is this boot good enough to forgo a sizable marketing budget to achieve recognition? Will the Ignite burn red hot for seasons to come or just fizzle out when the World Cup spotlight vanishes? Let’s find out…
Comfort/Fit
At first glance, you can™t help but to draw parallels between the Mizuno Wave Ignite and the Predator_X in terms of initial looks. The initial breaking-in process of the Mizuno Wave Ignite mirrors some experiences with the Predator_X as well. One thing the Mizuno Wave Ignite hides from the outside is the wider-than-normal fit it can accommodate.
The soleplate can feel stiff at first but does loosen up after the first couple of wears. The first thing you™ll notice upon lacing the Mizuno Wave Ignite will be how thick and padded the tongue feels. The heel and collar padding add to the comfort during direction changes, giving the Mizuno Wave Ignite a responsive yet plush distinction. The soleplate and stud configuration does quite well on spreading the stud pressure throughout the sole, creating an ergonomic fit with the sole of your foot.
The upper feels soft but would probably feel much softer if it lacked a few panels here and there. There™s only a small section on the outside of the foot “ located under the large Mizuno logo “ that escaped a panel of some sort. The upper moulded closely with the movements of my foot after roughly 2 weeks, exceeding my expectations from the synthetic upper on these football boots.
Durability
Based on the numerous panels and the Mizuno Wave Ignite™s overall construction, it would be a fair assumption that this boot would excel in this category. Artificial surfaces (3G Turf, etc.) can blemish the bright yellow exterior that captures everyone™s attention, wanted or otherwise. There are a couple black marks on the yellow upper that simply won™t come off – which is a real shame.
Other than a few black marks scattered along the boot, the Mizuno Wave Ignite feels like it has stood the test of time on multiple surfaces. There are no signs of fray stitching or any other defects that would cause concern, with the 360 Degree Bio-Panels taking the brunt of the striking and tackling abuse.
The Pebax-constructed heel counter on the Mizuno Wave Ignite feels extremely solid and has held up to the toughest of challenges, amazing when compared to others boots in its weight class. Usually boots that set their sight to break the 8 ounce barrier neglect aspects of comfort and durability but, this is hardly the case with the Mizuno Wave Ignite.
Feel
I™m not here to mince words so I think the word ˜artificial™ is the best adjective for this section. Don™t get me wrong “ the power generated from this boot feels outstanding “ yet I admit the touch was disappointing. First of all, the power and spin generated from the Bio-Panels are huge positives when you™re striking the ball.
These attributes accompanied by the rigid soleplate of the Mizuno Wave Ignite feel like a ˜dream come true™ for free-kick takers and power-hungry attackers.
However, all this power and spin comes at the sacrifice of some touch and feel. Passes and crosses rarely escape spin, which can lead to accuracy problems from bounces on firm pitches and artificial surfaces. It can be tough gauging finesse through-balls with 18 power/spin panels covering the majority of the striking surface of the Mizuno Wave Ignite. This is where I expected the Mizuno Wave Ignite to simply lose steam so this wasn™t much of a surprise.
This give-take relationship is common with design “ Mizuno simply had to compromise to provide something for everyone’s taste in football boots. For what it™s worth, I believe the added power and spin makes up for the slight lack of touch. Another positive note is the water-resistant qualities of the upper, my main reason for choosing this model over the K-Leather Ignitus. The Mizuno Wave Ignite locks out water while the boot™s upper does not absorb moisture, keeping your feet light and dry.
We™ll save the most obscure for last “ the ˜Mukaiten™ or no-spin panel. The panel is located high upon the instep to effectively take off the spin of a shot to give the knuckle effect, using the proper technique. This technique can be tough to master and can feel very awkward at first, but that won™t stop you from trying to hit knuckling free-kicks until exhaustion. Personally, the Mukaiten panel is outside of my natural striking motion so I try to avoid relying on the panel as my go-to weapon.
Conclusion
This boot feels tailor-made for the attacking midfielder and/or striker, while I could see many other positions reaping the benefits from this well-constructed and protective boot. The overall package is tough to match “ the weight, traction, and power “ especially for the modest asking price.
The Ignite is a serious contender to the adidas Predator_X and Nike T90 Laser III, providing many of the same attributes in a differently presented package.
The reduced feel from œpanel-overload is my only complaint (a relative issue, at best), even though the other positive aspects of the panels could cancel out that one drawback if you should find that a non- issue. After wearing this boot for a while, you do tend to gravitate back towards something different – with a touch and feel focus “ myself, the Nike CTR360 Maestri is a steady go-to “ when searching for an alternative feel.
I wasn™t too happy about the bright yellow colorway at first but I soon realized that this prompted questions from other players, giving the appropriate opportunity to explain everything the boot has to offer. The bright yellow colorway of the Ignite is the most effective and efficient marketing for Mizuno, current users being asked to explain why they wear this particular boot out of all the other boots on the market.
The Mizuno Wave Ignite has all the trappings of a power boot on a diet, which is no surprise considering the industry-wide push to lower boot weights across the board. The Ignite boasts a page full of gimmick-sounding technology that actually works well together, a rare occurrence these days with such a push for innovative technology every couple of months.
I believe the Wave Ignite represents the tipping point of features from Mizuno, as they will continue to generate new and exciting technology to revolutionize the œpower boot range as we see it today.
took your time to review this , but worth waiting for
that’s a wave ignitus not an ignite, if i may be so bold.
harry – agreed! It’s actually tougher to get some sibling boots than their more expensive cousins!
bm – I can see why you’d say that, they’re very similar with the exception of the K-Leather in the upper – even the sockliner says Wave Ignitus on it!
Here’s a link to a better resolution version of the photos we used, so the ‘Wave Ignite’ around the ankle collar is more visible:
http://bit.ly/e1wOAc
can i take the boot without all of the fancy panels?? lol
I’m seriouslly considering getting these,
i have very wide feet and normally i stick to nike boots and wear a 10 however due to my wide feet, i normally have about 3/4 of an inch of nothing at the top of my boot.
Would you suggest dropping now into a 9 1/2? i have no way of trying these on before on and no where sells in store and i have to order online.
Thanks
bm – yeah, these are the Ignite’s. I choose the Ignite’s simply because the climate/rainfall situation in Vancouver, BC. The synthetic upper does well against moisture, much better than any K-leather upper as expected. I have friends that can’t understand how they are synthetic, so it’s a very high quality synthetic in my honest opinion.
fido – Mizuno is full of boots that are similar without the numerous panels. It was more of an observation than a warning because the panels are not for everyone. Over time you’ll adjust to the touch but initially you could develop a bit of an elephant touch.
James – I have wide feet as well(part of the reason I chose this range to try because they are wide-friendly). What other boots do you own in what size? I’ll try my best to translate them over size-wise.
Mmm Tasty. I saw someone with this boot. He said he got alot of stick for wearing but it is an unfussy boot that does it’s job well.
I was torn between the K leather version and Adipure 3.
I’m thinking the k-leather version might have all of the qualities of the synthetic as well as slightly better touch due to the density of the k-leather transmitting ball contact better?
Does anyone have the ignitius to confirm or debunk this?
kuuku – I have a couple friends with both the Ignitus and Ignite and they claim the touch is better on the Ignitus due to the K-leather’s properties. K-leather will mold and shape to your foot easily, most likely translating to a better touch and feel as expected. I have to say that this upper very nice considering it’s a synthetic, second only to Kanga-Lite in my opinion. I tend to go for synthetics because of the moisture and the growing number of turf fields in my area.
Thomas – I own the adidas predator powerswerves, nike tiempo legends and adipure i’s all in size 10. And also a pair a nike ctr’s and total 90’s in astro both in size 10.
The astros are always tight on the sides because they never use material which stretches, but the tiempos + powerswerves did widen up after a few sessions.
I’m just wondering whether these will finally be the boots to solve my problem by dropping down into a 9 1/2 and will stop giving me the added room in the toes.
kuuku – Here’s a mizuno wave ignitus review – http://www.footy-boots.com/boot-test-mizuno-wave-ignitus/, not sure if that helps :).
James – I have the Ignite’s in a 10.5 US and my CTR non-elite size is an 11 US. I had the CTR’s in a 10.5 US at first but they were too snug and narrow for all practical purposes. It’s going to be slightly different comparing these to the other boots your listed simply because I’m assuming they are all K-leather(didn’t specify on the Predator PS but I’ll assume). The stretch on these is minimal, much like the CTR. I think you would be fine in a 9.5 US on the Ignite due to the wider fit through the forefoot and the toe-box seems to be more rounded than the CTR. Just to give you an idea on weight, these at a 10.5 US were roughly 9.8 ounces(comparing to a Predator X of almost 12.6 ounces in the same size).
Go for the 9.5 and I think you’ll be happy with them. You could always trace your foot on a piece of paper and measure from big toe to heel. To give you an idea, my foot is 28.4 CM and the JPN boot size for the 10.5 US is 28.5 or CM’s. The 9.5 US should be 27.5 CM so that’s another method to consider.
Thanks i’ll prob go for size 9.5 but am going to measure them now anyway.
Yeah, according to measurements i’m a 9.5 UK, should of mentioned that earlier :p.
Looking at the weights, the weights advertised i’ve seen is
Mizuno Wave Ignite – 219G
Mizuno Wave Ignitus – 229G
Nike Mecurial Superfly 2 – 210G
Nike Mecurial Vapor VI – 230G
Why on earth would anyone go for a superfly 2 lol :P?
WHat!!!! Were these tested at Ambleside in West Van?!?!?
Alex – I just took the pictures there the other day. These were worn all over Vancouver for a couple months haha
Must say, i really like this article, well written and got the point across about the boots. And really like the picture of the boots hanging there.
I have used many boots and i mean many many boots and i haven’t found a boot that i say to myself “nothing can take me away from these boots” but everyone i know that has tried the mizuno wave say they are the best ones out there as to comfort and technology. the price isnt as high as some of the same boots in the line close as pred X but these seem to rise above a lot of boots. to bad they are hard to find locally but i must grab a pair soon.
Seven – Thanks for the kind words. You might as well add this one to the Christmas list if you’re looking a new toy for Spring. It maybe similar to something you already own, but it will surely be much different at the same time. It’s really difficult to contain this boot to one stereotyped section(such as Power, Speed, etc.) based on it’s abundant features.
To Thomas and Kyle
When will u guys if ever be reviewing the mizuno supersonic wave?
You have reviewed all of mozilla boots morelias, ignitus and the synthetic version. Mizuno also have another boot!
I asked this in the summer and it’s now u may say december!
I sent you guys a email but never got anything bac regarding this.
What’s the difference between these and the Ignitus?
Mizuno definitely deserve more recognition for their boots. The Morelia is probably the comfiest boot I’ve ever worn, and the amount of technology and forward thinking they’re putting into their other silos is amazing. Nice review, I’ll pick some up cheap in the post season I reckon.
hahaha… nice review guys 😀
the first thing that shocked me is when u mentioned a “breaking-in process”. really?? breaking in process?? my wave ignitus go straight out of the box to a sunday morning match (yes, match. not practice), so that’s a minor setback for the ignite here…
second, about the panels… well i guess it really depend on people’s preference. cuz i’m a (really really) “up far forward” type of player (kinda like inzaghi) so i only do two touches: the first is to control, and the second is to score. and whaddaya know? i have absolutely no objection about the panels 🙂
oh, a little warning about the boot’s sizing though:
i wear wave ignitus k-leather (firm ground) on 9 UK
but i have to wear 8.5 UK on their synthetic siblings (astro & indoor version) cuz they’re somehow feel wider.
(yup, they got me fell in love so bad, i wear them on every type of matches)
@kuuku: i thought u’re more of a morelia guy 😉
anyway, the difference between k-leather & synthetic that i feel the most are not in the touches, but in the fit.
as i’ve said, synthetic are a little roomy & feel sturdier -it might makes u a little awkward while doing those magician touches, but it give u the ultimate confidence when shooting cannonballs.
channo – Thanks for the thumbs up!
I didn’t mean that the boot was uncomfortable at any point but the sole can feel rigid at first(hence my comparison with the X). The fact the soleplate/stud configuration has a very ergonomic feel definitely helps out from day 1. I wore these for probably 3.5 hours my first run in them so that could have played a part.
The panels can be a double-edge sword for some users so I more or less made that observation from playing multiple positions on the field. I find that’s the most fair and objective way to gauge touch, feel, and protection.
Awesome, this must be one of the best supported football boot reviews ever. Thanks to everyone for the information!
I didn’t know footy-boots had done an ignitius review, thanks for pointing it out James.
I happen to live in Vancouver myself Thomas. I’m currently attending the Surrey campus of SFU. We often play on synthetic fields but yes, it’s really wet around here. Synthetics are a valuable tool in the armoury. I love the shoe-size tips you gave about drawing your foot, I’ll try that right away. Are you right in Vancouver city itself or the smaller places like burnaby, new west, surrey?
Oh and channo I’m probably not a morelia guy but I have no objections to ANY kind of boot. My two best attributes are speed and medium range shooting and I play a number of positions so the ignitius would suit my game quite well.
I love patronizing the “lower” brands (no nike/adidas hegemony for me) and I have some mizuno turf shoes that are lovely so I might get some ignitius if there’s a tasty deal, seems like a fantastic boot. The only thing I wondered is if they had maybe sacrificed comfort, protection and durability for weight but I’m glad to see that isn’t the case.
Sorry for double commenting I just wanted issue a retraction lol. It seems I DID know there was an igniius reveiw, considering I made a couple of lengthy comments on it! I just forgot, so thanks for “reminding” me hehe.
kuuku – Thanks man. I live in North Vancouver but play all over the metro area. I used the trace and measure technique to determine my size when ordering this pair. I recently picked up a pair of CTR Elite’s and Laser Elite’s and I’m currently breaking them in now….when it’s not snowing lately. The CTR Elite’s are .3 of an ounce lighter than the Ignite, while the Laser’s weigh .7 of an ounce more than the Mizuno if your interested based on your speed/weight comment.
Yeh with the snow my mates have all moved indoors for the meantime even though it’s much warmer this week. I broke my ankle a while back so I’ll probably join them in March. Hopefully by then all the snow will be gone. I dread the conditioning I will have to do. O_O I have my eye on the black/red/gold colourway of the ignitius for my come-back.
I don’t subscribe to the school of thought that a lighter boot increases running speed but it IS a nice thing to have a boot without unnecassary weight as long as you aren’t being extorted for the weight reduction. 😉 Nothing wrong with a healthy helping of carbon fibre and a thinner upper as long as the boot remains comfortable, durable and reasonably priced. There’s a good reason the nike-wearing professional players didn’t make a wholesale change into elites despite price being no object for them.
Will you be posting a review of the elites you picked up? That would be great.
kuuku – All the grass fields here are currently closed so turf/indoor is pretty much the only places to go. I’m just coming back from a metatarsal fracture so I know how you feel to a degree. You picked a great time for an injury, playing around 0 C in drizzle isn’t fun for anyone.
Yeah, I found that there is a point of diminishing returns in regards to weight. I’ll be honest with you – I’m not a fan of the Adizero based on the features sacrificed in the search of something that lightweight. I had some leather’s for about 2 months and just couldn’t really build the confidence in the boot enough to keep it in the rotation. I turned around and sold them for $30 less than I paid for them and haven’t looked back. I found a boot around the 9-10.5 ounce area(for a size 10.5-11US) is my preferred weight range from what I’ve owned.
I got the Elite’s for roughly half of the MSRP so I can’t complain on the pricing of them. It might be too early to tell but I’m extremely pleased with both boots so far.
I’m not sure if I’ll be writing a review on those particular boots but I hope to feature a couple more articles in the near future. Thanks for the comments.
Maybe I’m putting 2 and 2 together and getting 5 but u must be TommyGooner from the bigsoccer forums yes? I’m not registered there myself but the occasional google search leads me there.
I have another question. Which is the best place to buy boots from online so you don’t have to pay tax on delivery?
Yeah, and TommyGun on SB.
It’s hard to avoid, depending on the dollar amount. I NEVER get things shipped UPS because they have rights through the government to collect the “brokerage” which is hst, duty, tax, handling. If you ship things USPS or Royal Mail, Canada Post is less likely to ding you under the $150-175 range. Some sellers on eBay will send items as “gifts” which aren’t subject to duty/tax which is another option. I use one seller in particular, feel free to email me at [email protected] so I’m not advertising for the guy on this site.
Hi!
I have 2 questions:
How thick is the boot?
and
Is it good for defenders (full back)?