CONCAVE FOOTBALL BOOTS PRODUCT TEST

For those wanting to get an insiders view on the new Concave Football Boots, look no further…..

Adam Henry is one of the lucky few to get his hands on a pair of the eagerly awaited Concave football boots. We caught up with Adam to get an in-depth review of his findings.

Initial Thoughts

The presentation of the football boots was good. The glue attaching the box together could have been stronger as, when the boots arrived; the box had fallen apart (which may have been down to a rough delivery). Also, the booklet and the shoe bag were nice touches.

When I tried on the football boots I was very pleased at the snug and comfortable fit. I walked around my house with the football boots unlaced and my only fear was that, due to the lining, I would develop blisters. My fear went away once I had laced them up and found the football boots to be very supportive. The lacing system makes the fit snug throughout the forefoot and I found the insole to be very springy which adds to the boots’ comfort. I hardly noticed the stud pressure from the blades which is a positive sign.

The only negatives that I could find with the Concave football boots are as follows:

1 The insole makes a “squeaking” sound when the wearer walks around (it rubs against the lining material) which could irritate some.

2 The tongue is hard to put underneath the lace-cover.

All-in-all, the football boot feels stable, comfortable, durable and protective. I find them to be attractive and the materials used are of good quality. The synthetic has a matte finish, which is different to any synthetic football boot that I’ve worn before, which hopefully suggests that the football won’t skid from the football boot as much in wet weather.

The leather isn’t too soft and doesn’t feel as if it will mould as well as the Kangaroo leather that brands like Nike and Adidas use but I think that the quality of the synthetic makes up for it. As the football boot is not fully leather, I don’t think that the quality of the leather is a big problem.

I was very shocked with the protection features of this football boot. The middle of the football boot feels extremely stable and the MetaGuard is amazing. To test the MetaGuard I stepped on my own foot and I couldn’t feel a thing, very impressive.

Suggested improvements:

Change the lining material to calf leather.
Change the tongue to a “Nike Vapor-esque” style – you could still grab it to pull the football boot on when using the shoe horn but you wouldn’t have to worry about tucking it in.

First Wear

I slipped on the football boots and tightened the laces as much I could. I started juggling with the football and immediately I noticed the difference in kicking power. Every time I kicked the ball I was over hitting it because of the added power. I was astounded.

After wearing them for about 2 hours I noticed that the laces loosened significantly and the football boot was becoming loose in the heel. My foot started slipping around I started to develop blisters on my heel. Thankfully, I went home before any serious blisters formed.

I took some free kicks (as I normally would) and I felt that I had more control over the ball. When I got into a match, shooting from distance was much easier because I could get more power behind the ball when I hit it “toe down”.

The firm ground soleplate was good. My foot didn’t slip at all and I felt secure. Also, I wasn’t constantly picking mud from the plate because it didn’t seem to have mud sticking to it.

I didn’t really notice the squeaking when I was walking around. Perhaps the squeaking was due to the insole moving around but when I’d worn the football boots for longer, the insole was compacted downwards. Unfortunately, I still found the tongue difficult to tuck under the lace cover.

I would stick with my suggestions of changing the tongue and the lining material but I’d add the following suggestions:

Make the lacing more like the original Adidas F50s – they had a similar concept (having a lace cover attached to the boot using the laces) but they had laces all the way down the boot.
Use thicker laces made of a different material so that the football boots wouldn’t loosen over time.

I think that if you made these improvements, it would improve the comfort as it would reduce the risk of the football boot loosening and causing blisters.

Any Wear Thereafter

2 days later – Still impressed with the improved swerve, control and power. The insole has stopped making a squeaking sound completely. Major concerns over football boot loosening 3 days later – Wore thicker football socks today and the blister issue was not as worrying.

Final Review

I have only been able to wear the football boot for a few lengthy spells (some not listed in the “any wear thereafter” section) as I went on holiday.

My final thoughts were that the football boot is a very solid, durable boot – perfect for those entering the game, looking to improve their skills or even those just wanting a comfortable new football boot.

The lace cover did seem to be adding distance and power to my shots. I was hugely impressed with the benefits of it. I felt as if the ball would swerve more when I hit it too.

The MetaGuard and the SBS (Shank Balance Stabiliser) were nice features – I only wore the football boots for training so I didn’t feel their protective benefits (no hard challenges) but it was nice to know they were there.

The outsole was a typical, 13-bladed, FG soleplate. The same used on the iconic Adidas Predator line, the soleplate gave great traction and I didn’t feel any stud pressure.

The only thing that really distressed me was the lining material of the PT1. Being a bit of a “boot addict” I have worn many different football boots and only a rare few have caused me blister problems.

All-in-all, the football boot is top class, I would definitely choose to wear the PT1 over any football boot in the current market.

Read more about the Concave Football Boots

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