PUMA KING SL – BOOTS REVIEW & VIDEO

The Puma King range has always been one of the go-to boots for Sunday footballers. Alongside the Copa Mundial, there’s always been a purity to it’s design that’s drawn players in.

So, does going Superlight help or hinder the legendary King? We find out in our Puma King SL review.

Comfort & Fit – 4/5

Building upon the legacy of the King Finale, the Puma King SL is wonderfully fitted. Thanks to the Aptolast design, it’s snug around the instep and heel, with a nice amount of room in the toes.

Unlike the boxy Puma King XL, the King SL has a more ’rounded’ feel that has been slimmed down to a more streamlined shape.

As mentioned in the video, there was some rubbing in both heels when wearing them for the first time – something I was tempted to mark the King SL down to a 3/5 for, but ultimately that super-soft vamp on he toes wins a point back for these true-to-size boots.

Feel & Touch – 5/5

A no-brainer. After wearing the synthetic (but still exceptional) Predator LZ for over two weeks, slipping on the Puma King SL‘s was really something special.

As I hope you can see in the video, once that front section is broken in, it practically collapses around the toes, giving an unbelievable level of feel on the ball.

Looks – 5/5

Everyone that saw the Puma King SL was quick to comment on what a handsome piece of footwear it was.

The old guard enjoyed it’s distinguished level of King class, whilst even the Mercurial-mad crowd were caught stealing jealous glances at the metallic sheen of the Formstripe on this Black / Corsa rosso colourway.

Maintenance – 3/5

As this is a K-Leather boot, it does need looking after if you want to get the most out of it, hence the middle-of-the-road score.

I was also concerned (read as: upset) at the ‘King’ logo wearing off the toe so quickly, particularly on the right boot – though in such a high-wear area on a right-footed player like me, it was perhaps inevitable.

Performance – 4/5

Another great performer that excels on the pitch – but in a different way to the Predator LZ and Vapor VIII.

At 225g, they’re light on your feet – but the Puma King SL isn’t about feeling fast like the Vapor or and adiZero, it’s more about a ‘natural’ feel on the foot.

The flexible soleplate and shape of the boot give it a great close-to-the-foot feel, whilst the tongue is essentially paper-thin for a great feel when striking and hitting crosses.

If I had one request for Puma for the next version, it would be to add a suede heel lining or an extra lace eyelet to really lock the foot in place.

Value – 3/5

As I usually mention in this section, the median price for a top-end boot at the moment is somewhere around the £150 mark.

At £160 / $200 US, I was going to mark the Puma King SL as a 2/5 in this department – but the fact that you can pick up both the launch colourways for a more-reasonable £119.99 at the moment, earns them an average score.

Conclusion – 25/30

Boot fans are really spoiled for choice, with a landslide of great footwear available out there at the moment.

Puma have made it even harder for fans to choose with this outstanding boot that delivers a lightweight option for fans that like to have a bit of heritage and class to their football boots.

Whilst lacking the flash of the Vapor or evoSPEED and the high-tech appeal of the PowerCat 1.12 or Predator, the Puma King SL proves that a boot doesn’t have to have either of those things to still be a top performer.