The best 4 me...so far...... (Adidas Predator)

Member Name: desmond79

Product:	Adidas Predator
Date:	11/12/02 (1874 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Durable, great product, great looks

Disadvantages: A tad pricey, high maintaince

I brought my pair of Precision 2 FG a month ago at a low low price of $109, normally the retail price of a pair of Predators is around the $220 range. They can be considered the most expensive soccer boots in town. My brother told me the shop were clearing out the Precision model because they are introducing the latest Mania model.

However, they are worth it!

Normally I wear a US size 8 or 9 but for some reason I needed a size 10 and it fitted like a glove. I gave it a test by jogging and jumping a few minutes, the boots felt very comfortable and didn't feel awkward anyhow.

Next I tried passing and juggling the ball, I'm not much of a juggler because i'm more of a touch and pass player. However, the boot seem to balance and control the ball better than my previous pairs of all leather boots. I can stroke the ball around with minimal use of strength (which is good because i just came back from surgery of my knee, that made my leg pretty fragile). The removeable insole is a big plus because that made washing and maintaining the boots easier.

I turn better with the Traxion blades and feel more confident when I am sprinting and stopping suddenly. I remember slipping when I was wearing studded boots. The laces where hidden under the velcro-able tongue which also means that your laces have less chances of untying itself when you are wearing them. The very hard heel area prevents injury to the heel if you are challenged from behind and the high leather heel also prevents nicks from another players boots. It hardness makes blackheels and shimmies more responsive too. Having the entire heel area made of leather is great because I had a extremely bad exprience with another pair of boots that had that part made from synthetic material which cracked and render them un-usable.

I tried shooting, crossing and doing freekicks......'ol blemy! I couldn't believe the curl I could make on the ball! I'm an average free
kicker but after wearing these, i couldn't believe the accuracy and the amount of suerve i could put into the shots. Also the hard exterior of the boots made it that more power was put into the shots, whether the ball is stationary or moving. The fins/jets did the job, no doubt!

I brought FGs (firm ground version) because most of the turf i play in is hard ground that means that i don't encounter any incidents of the blades falling off because FGs have molded blades not removable ones. So far the boots look fine but I am worried of the fine stitching along the fins and am worried whether they will stand wear and tear. So far they are doing fine.

As for maintaining the rest of the boot, leather shoe polish is a must for the Kangeroo leather upper. I'm not shy about putting a few layers on the 3 white stripes because if i neglect them, the leather will crack over time.

Most importantly I don't overdry the boots in the sun, I keep them in a cool , dry area and periodically take them out and make sure they are okie. Predators, to me seem not to need much care because the materials they are made from are very durable. The soft leather also take the boots less time to be worn in. Infact, they feel great just out of the box!

I would recommand this pair to any soccer player. It might be a little costly but if you can grab one on any clearance sales, it's a big plus. It doesn't matter which model you buy actually, as long as it's a Predator, it's worth your dosh!

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