The last month has seen three of the biggest names in football boot manufacturing bring out a signature product.
At the end of September, PUMA came up with the first new boot of the current football season with the highly visible, and so we’ve learnt since, very impressive v1.10.
A week later and Nike added to their current collection with a brand new boot, the CTR360. What followed was one of the most impressive debuts ever of a new football boot as CTR ambassador Cesc Fabregas ran the show against Blackburn at the Emirates, setting up four goals and scoring one himself.
And this weekend, following their launch on Monday, the top names in the adidas stable will showcase the new Predator_X in the English Premier League and beyond.
At Footy Boots, we’ve been lucky enough to road test all 3 boots (v1.10, Predator_X, CTR360) and we can assure you that all of them perform.
Sure, there are a couple of design features on each of them that might grate but in the main, they each do what they say on the tin, even if some of us might question a few aesthetic aspects across the range.
So, that leads us on to today’s poll which is this:
Which brand’s new footwear will have the biggest impact on the game in the immediate and long term future?
Of course, it might be too early to tell. adidas haven’t even got their boots seen on a pitch as yet and each boot has been tailored to a different market be it speed, control, power etc. But with such a high source of knowledge, expertise and opinion available to us through Footy Boots readers, it’s a question we’re going to pose anyway!
Make your selection below and then qualify your argument by commenting below.
And ensure you come back to Footy Boots on Monday morning as we’ll be reporting on which players turned out in the new Predator_X and which colourway they chose. [poll=28]
Predators will, as they are a truly universal boot, from Wingers to Goalkeepers, Sweepers to Strikers, everyone can wear them, and they are longest standing boot of the three, being in it’s 10th generation. That doesn’t happen if the boot is crap.
Xavi actually used a black-out of the predX in the first half of Barca’s game against Zaragoza last sunday, but switched to powerswerves during half time 😀
I prefer CTR’s but impact has got to go to preds cos they are such a huge boot as far as adidas are concerned so marketing them has been lots better than Puma and Nike did for there boots because CTR’s and V1.10s are not as iconic YET compared to preds so…
I have to agree. I also like the CTR but the predator is worn by so many more players that it is the most likely to have an impact based on pitch performances. Same reason that the 1.10 will have the least impact and the CTR will be in the middle. However with a different interpretation of “impact”. Taking into consideration marketing, technologies, longevity, widespread appeal etc this ranking could be very different. I don’t see the puma at the top in any scenario though.
I’m going CTR.
Nike tried something different with this line, experimental construction, new material for the upper etc.
So even if the boot isn’t a hit, I think we’ll be seeing the technology from the CTR being refined everywhere for years to come.
yeah but the last time nike tried somthing experimental, super fly, it sucks and ripped in two games
YA MATE! i have the new ctr 360’s and all i can say is that they are phenomena, the only bad thing i say is that i have to adjust to the lacing style, otherwise top notch
It has to be the CTR simply because it is reaching toward a different player. We’ve seen the Predator and the V1 lines for years not (even over a decade for the Predator’s) and they’ve been aimed at certain players and have had basically the same make since their beginning. The CTR is brand new and we’ve yet to see what it can, and presumably will, grow into.
hmm, well to me its between the ctr360 and pred x.
both have a new element that i am very much attracted to: a new type of sockliner/inside of the boot with either memory foam or thin poron that acts to conform the inside of the boot to the foot. EXCELLENT idea, because too many times have i had a boot my foot was swimming inside (moving slightly side to side inside the boot) and causing blisters. so these new sockliner elements help glueing the boot to the foot and making it much more comfy to wear. So for excelling in boot comfort, which should be a primary concern, they both get +1.
Now if we are going to compare techno-gimmicks, the preds have 2, the ctr360s have 1…preds with the spine thing and swerve pads, ctrs with their pass pods…however, i think the preds are more expensive. so all in all i think they average out in that aspect….one has more gimmicks, the other is a bit cheaper.
so far they are even in my mind.
so all i can go on now is looks lol…and i much prefer the look of the CTR360s. honestly i think its a very nice looking boot, and the two colorways are nice.
the preds i didn’t like the looks of at first, but they have been slowly growing on me.
so for me, if i were to buy one of these boots, i think i would go for the ctr360. thats my story and im sticking to it lol
predators will have the longest impact. the ctr’s dont really have a place in the game as nike has 3 other boot lines and puma just doesn’t have a very strong presence in many leagues. The predators have been around so long also, and so many different players and positions wear them.
whether some of you like it or not it’s gonna be predator. it’s the best shoe out there with adipures. i mean nike is splitting preds into 2 other shoes: laser + control. are they gonna make another shoe for swerve too? that’s ridiculous!
preds4ever 😀
It comes down to either the ctr360 or the Predator. Nike have come up with a great comfortable boot that many players have switched to and is becoming a staple in their line-up and the Predatory is used by so many pros from keepers to forwards so its close between them as Puma doesn’t stand a chance.
nike nike nike !!!
the predator change to much, but to the bad side, without the tongue, the predator tech moved back to the middle inside and without the powerpulse, thats it
I prefer the maestris, i havnt tried the predator but having tried on the ctr 360’s they felt really good and snug, fit like a glove. the predator just looks like it has too much going on and looks bulkier and wider.
they fit really well and the poron helps that your foot doesnt move around as you cut, and they actually are quite fast boots
a bit awkward at first, the ctr360 molded to the foot like a glove with a brief wearing. touch/control is impressive as well.
while preds have been the king of the hill longer, i believe ctrs will have bigger impact going forward
I will have to go with the predator x because considering the design change on removing the tongue, this enable better fit comparing to the previous model, you might feel a little loose on the heel area. This could improve your performance when passing, chipping, or shooting. And this is the 10th generation of the boot, the marketing should be easy to achieve since the boots offer what players already expect. Players in any position could wear the predator, while CTR 360 targets playmaker type of players.
CTR360 because it is the most revolutionary. It has the dampening pods which help you get a great first touch, which doesn’t appear on either v1.10s or the predators. the v1.10s only advantage over the other two is that it is a speed boot. The Preds do have the rubber silcon for more power, but without the tongue, it loses its biggest advantage, giving the lead to CTR 360 which also has the memory pads that is in the pred. Also, the CTRs have the kanga-lite leather which is like lite kangaroo leather feel which feels great! The predators were better with the PSes because of the K-leather, but now with the taurus leather it goes to CTR360. Nike congrats, you now have the lead in the speed boot, touch, and control categorie, because the preds are better than the lasers.
I have used shoes from the three brands, the powerserves, v1.08, and vapor iv. All three were pretty good for me but I really love my preds. The pumas have a wierd/ uncomofortable toe structure and the vapors lived up to their infamous reputation for dishing out blisters. Although I can’t say much for the 360’s, I think they look better than the pred x and v1.10 and seems to have an innovative upper material like the new pred x. Right now I’m saving up to get the pred x instead of the 360 so my vote goes to the predators.
Well if reading the comments doesn’t make it obvious the predator will have the biggest immediate impact because of the mass of fans who have come to expect greatness from it. As the Predator is the oldest line in the group its to be expected. The CTR360 as a new shoe with new ideas will be the most important in the long run if Nike will take it beyond the experiment that it is. The CTR has a few good concepts that I’d love to see them run with. To be fair to the v1.10s they are a much more specific shoe than the other two. I was disappointed that puma’s answer to Nike’s making their top of the line Vapor (the superfly) lighter was to make their shoe ove half an ounce heavier. In truth the only thing they did was take away the contec and add a lace cover and more material to the upper in general. Hopefully (since the v1.08 are my personal favorite shoe at the moment) puma will either keep the 08 in production and change up their next model for the better instead of devolving once again.
Im a big fan of Preds since WC98
alltough i dissapointed with the new, simply and straight cut
Predator X without no predators Typically,still i will choose preds,because they have takin a great step with elimintae tongue
YES..its such dissaponted me so
much cos lost it characteristic,
but when u see other things,just
guess that adidas were CHANGE their culture from old predator
bcome new ‘simply and classy’but
with more performance i hope.so ichoose Pred_X will rule on WC10
And course more surprising color
and feature that beter frm their
competitor.thanks