I can’t believe its synthetic! While ASICS is mostly known for their mainline X Fly numbered series, a few years ago they came out with the X Fly Pro. The X Fly Pro has a more aggressive soleplate and an internal heel counter as well as a kangaroo leather foot. While well received, there has been the issue that the leather is somewhat stiff out of the box and some complaints that the midfoot is too stiff. For this blog, the X Fly Pro reviewed well but it is possible to see where people’s complaints were coming from. So, ASICS decided to launch a limited edition synthetic model to solve some of ..read more

A Superb Eco-friendly Alternative Thanks to Sokito for providing the boots. Check them out here: Sokito.com In the past few years, the Big Brands have finally decided that they should invest in and create eco-friendly products. It has taken longer than expected, but it is good to see the brands starting to get their act together. They are even having parts of their boots made out of recycled or eco-friendly materials on a consistent basis. But the feeling is that they could always do more. Given their R&D budgets, overall market value and sales, there is more than enough money around for t ..read more

Impressive The X Fly series has always been one of the major reasons why ASICS remains competitive with Mizuno in the Japanese market. Almost every team has at least a couple of players wearing the X Fly 4 (and to a lesser extent, the X Fly Pro). Popularity can be a double-edged sword since any changes made to a successful formula can receive blowback and less sales. So, with ASICS deciding to change the X Fly numbered series, there is a lot of potential for it to go wrong. Fortunately for ASICS, they know exactly what they are doing, since the X Fly 5 is nothing short of fantastic. Fit and Fe ..read more

A Great Boot Mizuno’s Monarcida series is one of the reasons why the Runbird dominates the Japanese market. Coming in at a cheaper price than many other Japan made models, the Monarcida was a classic go to for people who did not want to spend the extra bit of cash on the more expensive Morelia Neo or regular Morelia series. Unfortunately, the newest Monarcida series is no longer made in Japan, and to make matters worse, the price has also risen to 20,000 yen (about $150 USD, 137 EUR, 120 Pounds). While this seems relatively inexpensive by international standards, this is 2000 yen more than the ..read more

Evolution, not revolution Aside from the regular DS Light, the X Fly 4 is probably one of the most popular models in ASICS’ line up. Almost every team I have played with or against at least has one or two members wearing the boots and almost every store seems to have them in stock. So, it is understandable that ASICS do not want to go too wild when updating the boot. And from the sounds of it they have made quality of life changes that enhances an already great foundation for the boot. Starting with the upper itself, the kangaroo leather has gone from a low density 3mm backing foam to a highe ..read more

Nike and Puma’s latest moves seem dishonest News broke recently that Nike was going to stop production of kangaroo leather football boots. In the announcement, Nike also mentioned that they had divested of their only kangaroo leather supplier in 2021. This comes only two weeks after Puma had announced that they will also stop the use of kangaroo skin for the Big Cat’s products. This news also comes hot on the heels that the US state of Oregon is set to true introduce a law that bans the import of kangaroo leather products in a similar vein to California’s current law that does the same. Adida ..read more

The Future of the King Puma has had a lot of great hits recently, with the Future and Ultra series leading the line for the Big Cat. Unfortunately, the while the first model of the King Platinum was largely seen as excellent, the follow up has left a lot to be desired. But a solution to this, coming from Puma Japan is the King Mirai. The King Mirai is more of an evolution from the previously (very popular) Paramexico series, which was normally only widely available in Japan, rather than a whole new boot. As the boot as no become available in Europe, it can possibly be seen as the better altern ..read more

With every new year comes the positivity of potential releases. We are already seeing leaks of a new Predator that looks like it has the potential to be something great and as well as seeing the first remake of the year in the form of the Predator Precision. Of course, I am sure we will see plenty of other remakes this year, as well as some hopefully great normal releases. Puma and New Balance will be brands to watch as they continue their upward trajectory, but you know adidas and Nike take things laying down. Personally, there are several things that I am hoping to see this year. Adidas Pred ..read more

It’s been arguably one of the best years for football boot releases in the last few years. We were treated to some lovely remakes, some great colourways, World Cup packs, limited edition releases galore, some good, some bad. We are still seeing release issues and some bizarre decisions, like Nike’s recent limited edition boots not coming to Japan. Mizuno finally made a killer speed boot, Adler refreshed their entire lineup and brought some fresh ideas to the market while New Balance and Puma also had some seemingly great releases. Of course, it wasn’t all good things, prices have continued to ..read more

Continuing to raise prices poses issues I am a massive fan of Mizuno. Since the first time I wore their boots bout thirteen years ago, there has never been a time when I did not have at least one pair in rotation and at least a couple of pairs in my collection. Even now, though I am doing part time work for Adler, I still have several pairs in my assortment. For me, it is not difficult to see why. Their boots are comfortable, fit my feet well and are of high quality. Plus, they always seem to offer something that bit different. The Alpha, for example, is a speed boot that share similarities to ..read more