At the half way stage, we’ve had over 1,200 votes on which is the best Power Boot of the generation, and the Predator_X is just inching it by 3% of the votes over the Laser III.
If you’re a Laser III fan you’ve got until next Friday to try and swing it Nike’s way before the Poll closes.
As for team Predator, you’ll have to watch your backs, as a mere 45 votes would see an upset!
Team Puma: Where are you guys? The PowerCat is a phenomenal football boot, so it must have some more fans out there somewhere!
It is a phenomenal time to be a player who loves power. Here we are in March , and already the 3 biggest brands have been making their presence known with 3 new football boots in the last 5 months. We’re spoilt for choice!
So, we’ve decided to take stock of the last few months, and give you a chance to tell the world which is this generation’s most potent powerhouse! We’ve got a run down of each football boot below to help you make up your mind, with the FootyBoots Power-Poll at the bottom of the page for when you’ve decided.
We said we were spoilt for choice, well now it’s time to choose!
Predator_X
The reigning King of Power, the Predator_X has a lot going for it, new Taurus Leather upper, improved low-profile strikezone and fantastic fit are all reasons why this should be the best Predator yet. But it’s taken a while for amateurs and professionals alike to accept this as a worthy successor to the mighty PowerSwerve range, and some Pro’s have even been spotted with the Powerswerve’s Soleplate on the new Predator_x upper – controversial!
POWERFUL:
Best Soft Ground Traction of the Three:-'Â Uniquely-shaped studs make them the best in this category for grip.
The New Powerspine:– There are many claims made by football boots to ‘boost’ this and ‘enhance’ that, but the Powerspine offers something tangible; it stops the foot bending back as much when striking the ball.
Fantastic Fit: adidas’ Optafit system means the boot is a much more snug fit than previous incarnations,
POWERLESS:
Maybe Not As Good as the Powerswerve?:– Adidas will tell you that the Predator_X offers a 7% increase in power over the Powerswerves, but many players are still wearing the older model.
Should Adidas have kept the PowerPulse system?:- Eagle-eyed Footy-Boots fans have got in touch to say they’ve seen the likes of Anderson and David Beckham playing in Predator_X’s with the PowerSwerve soleplate – clearly that 5g of Tungsten powder was loved by pro’s'Â – was it a mistake to get rid of it?
The Laser III was released to much controversy, getting rid of the radial rings that served as the hallmark of the Laser range upset a lot of fans and then launching it in an Electric Green/Red/Black colourway was like salting the wound! But since then, the popularity of the Nike boot has been boosted by the unstoppable form of Wayne Rooney who has championed the boots (in the original luminous green) since their launch.
POWERFUL:
Great for Swerve:- The Laser III has rubber fins to increase friction which is designed to increase accuracy and swerve.
And for Power:'Â Nike have also added firm silicon pods to give the boot a smooth surface to strike the ball with, increasing power.
Memory foam: Making the leap from the successful CTR360, Nike have added memory foam to the toe and tongue of the boot, to ensure the striking area is as close to the foot as possible.
POWERLESS:
Does It Try To Do Too Much?:- The design of the boot makes it something of a Jack-of-all-trades, with many fans of the Laser range wishing the boot was still a more focused Ace of Accuracy & Power
Colour & Design not For Everyone:-'Â We quite like the design, but many of you guys left comments on our reveal of the boot basically saying ‘It’s a bit all over the shop’!!
The newest boot to enter the fray, the Puma PowerCat is a replacement for the V-Konstrukt series. Taking the focus away from player protection and putting it on Power and Accuracy was a bold move for the German brand – Now is your chance to vote and tell us if it’s paid off!
POWERFUL:
3DPST Is a Great Piece of Tech:- Working in a similar fashion to the old Laser rings, or a really stripped down Concave SweetSpot, 3DPST gives you a big firm surface to strike the ball from
Best Upper of the Three:- Puma have really nailed the K-Leather upper on this boot, it’s soft, durable and with plenty of give for players with wide feet.
Arguably the Best Looking of the Three:- The two colourways that Puma have released have been classics, solid main colours, using the secondary colour to highlight the technology.
POWERLESS:
Why drop the DuoFlex Power system off the V-Konstrukt?:- Markedly similar in theory to the Predator_X’s Powerspine, DuoFlex was the best feature of the V-Konstrukt, here’s hoping Puma bring it back for the PowerCat 1.12!
Where are the Power Players?:- Adidas have Steven Gerrard, Nike have Wayne Rooney, Puma really need a powerful player to endorse these boots to get the brand out there!
No Increase in Friction for Accuracy:- Both the Laser III and the Predator_X have areas to increase friction for improved accuracy and swerve, but Puma’s latest does not.
So, you’ve got all the facts – and we know you’ve got an opinion! Just click below to place your vote for the best Power boot of 2010, and we’ll post the results next week! [poll=33]
In the mean time; why not leave a comment below to try and convince some undecided readers, or shoot us a Tweet and let us know what you think!
1. Predator
2. PowerCat
3. T90 III
well considering it’s all about POWER i would have to probably say the Power-Cat followed closely by the Predator with the Laser some way behind. Without having tried any of these boots though it’s not really for me to say. Although between PowerSwerves and Konstrukt III’s (both of which I have) I’d have to say the Konstrukts offered more “power”
haven’t tried the other two, i voted for predator x. wasn’t really fair i know, but anyways…
i heard umbro just release another new boot after the England away speciali?
Hey Channo!
Yeah, it’s the Stealth Pro – http://www.footy-boots.com/umbro-stealth-pro-7288/
Back on topic, I’m going for the Laser III’s, I love the new rubber fins and they’re great for comfort!
For me none of these are true “power” boots. A power boot should make itself useful not only when shooting, but when dribbling, tackling and being tackled as well.
The ultimate power boot requires a mix of comfort, durability, PROTECTION and shooting/passing power. It should basically make you tank-like without feeling that way. Most of these miss the protection part. If the konstrukt III was there I would vote for it. The predator and the laser are on almost the same level, laser has the edge in technology and predator has the slight edge in the powerspine and better traction. A hard call. I would personally not be able to decide which I was getting if offered both at the same price and in a similar colourway. I’m more a CTR360 man myself.
So rather than make a learned vote and informed decision; let me let something trivial bias me, the looks, powercat looks nicest. >_<
kuuku – we love your reasoning and thoughts on the boots.
And as for your conclusion? We’re all just happy you agree that the PowerCat is the most handsome!
To me Nike Total 90 Laser III. Despite the colour, always Nike.
I have tried all the power lines of above three company.
I have Predator Powerswerve, X
and Nike Laser I and II
I have not tried Laser III so I can’t say its bad or not,
but recently I bought Puma Powercat v1.10, it is the most comfortable boots I have ever worn other than the Powerserve.
The shooting power of the Powercat is explosive!
I think
Power wise
Powercat = Predator X > Laser II >= Powerswerve > Laser I
Swerve wise
Powerswerve > Laser I = Predator X >= Laser II > Powercat
i agree with KUUKU, and i think its too soon to vote for the best POWER boot, the puma PWR have little time out, and lot of us havent test all the boots, but if i decide just with their strong points, i must say the puma PWR wins, because is the closer to a power boot. the PRed X, is one step back to the Powerswerve, taking out the tungsten and movin too back the swerve zone.
and the laser III too, takin out the hard plastic of the laser II
Predator X is the best boot I have ever worn, it just makes me feel like I can put my foot through the ball better as it is such a nice, close, tight fit. I love them so much, I have had many ranges of boots in the past, from power to speed to heritage, and I will say that the Predator X is the best I have ever worn.
hi Kyle, somehow the stealth pro doesn’t looked like a speed boot to me. it has the appearance of a badass tough looking boot. it doesn’t looked really fast…
which brings me to my today’s thought: today’s football boots looks have to resemble well its characteristics aren’t they?
look at laser III. we can easily tell that they are power boots, cuz they have those badass looking fins. or the powerswerve cuz they have those dangerous looking vamps.
while the speedy vapors & F50s always comes in slick design & colors, just to warn us that whoever wears it, might just beat a bugatti veyron in a flash. superfly II even cheaply sells the “flicker effect” caused by its combination of colors when in running motion.
if this is one of the criteria, then i’ll have to say that the powercat are too low profile on their contact zone and go for laser III’s (very) badass (and mean) looking fins. (it even scares me >_<)
IMHO predator x’s contact zone are better on beckham’s version. cuz it have those meaner looking tribal graphic, rather than merely letters that says “p.r.e.d.a.t.o.r” on the original versions.
@kuuku: a true sign of a CTR360 man, always consider options available and go for the best 😉
I’ve always seen myself as a “power-player” and therefor I wanted to get power boots. And I thought it would be hard to choose boots for this season. But since I play on AG the choice was easy, Adidas Predator X were the only boots available with real leather and at the same time AG soleplate. If I wanted T90 I would have had to buy T90 shoot AG wich are just cheap, plastic and fake. Puma PWRcat aswell. But Preds were available in AG with taurus leather, powerspine and all that so I ordered my Preds today and I hope they arrive soon! 😀
i agree with channo the nike t90’s look mean and awesome but they are also really good the k-leather version superb
I’ve hear a lot about power in terms of predator X… I really don’t understand why they took off the kangaroo leather element of such a traditional boot. a bit disappointing but I guess it really does reduce weight of the boot.
Sitting here at work I have 2 shoes calling at me from the shelves and bith happen to be in this poll. having a habitual bent towards speed boots two power boots catching my eyes at once is an odd predicament. Nike laser have tended to be on the lighter side of power boots and the laser III seems to be calling to like a lady on stage dancing with not quite enough clothing on to be appropriate anywhere besides the beach. the laser IIIs really decided to go on and mimic there direct peer the predator, and in my opinion they have surpassed them.
however the puma PWR cat seems to be sitting off in the corner occasionally catching my eye and winking at me. With a much more subtle look (although i enjoy the laser’S juxtaposition the more i look at it) and a much more natural feel to me. perfectly done leather and puma sneaked in a bit of a speed boot lightness to their boot. ive been told theyre heavier than the lasers but thats not what me feet tell me.
my vote has to go to the laser III by default because i feel the pumas are more of a hybrid between the speed and power catergories.
as a post script to my novel up there, ive always felt that the predators were like a girl that all my mates fancied, but never really did anything to interest me. anyone else feel that way? i know vapor fans get the tag of fanboys, i feel that “predophiles” deserve a little poking at as well.
the predators are the best boots if we talk about POWER.Not only provide comfort but also style and durability which are important features that i look for in a boot.
Adidas predator beats the other ones.Second place:Puma…and nike in the third.