AdiPOWER Predator; adidas sells out. RIP power & accuracy

Passion for the Product- above me/footy guru
 T-shirt I made for an interview I had at adidas.

GOOD OLD DAYS...

Besides the hoopla that adidas has set the tone in 2011 by creating the lightest boot on the market, blah blah Lighter is not always better, market gimmicks make poor consumers believe that the lighter the boot the faster you are. You could put messinator and ronnie in a boot that weighs a ton and they are still going to be the fastest players on the pitch. Let me make this clear, players make the boot, the boot does not make the player. You can not teach speed and if you have ever truly been tackled so hard wearing these speed boots you will think twice about how light and rather focus on how much protection is this boot going to offer me. I am more concerned with one of the most popular boots of all time. A boot that changed the game of soccer in terms of technology, style, and comfort. A boot that in the past couple releases has begun to die little by little. What boot is on my mind....

The predator which at one time was the best boot you could buy, now days however people are walking right by it and going for the super light weight boot that looks like something you would wear to a ballet reception. Sure the trend is light weight boots, but I think the predator line has struggled to innovate and put their one of a kind technology what got them to soccer supremacy in the boot world on the back burner and focussed more on how light they could make the boot. With the new adiPower getting ready to hit a store near you, it will be interesting to see if this boot flops like the predator x did on the Footy market. The predator has always been a power boot, a boot that possess the technology to allow you to make that game changing cross or shot that changes the game. Again, the player makes the boot but the predator used to be that go to boot that elite players flocked to in order to raise their game or to get more power/accuracy around their shot. With adidas giving in and making the boots super light you have to think the power, technology, comfort, and protection this boot once produced is now gone. Lighter is not always better and if you are an elite player you need a stable boot that provides comfort/protection in order to get you through your season. Back in college I would take knocks while wearing the vapors and playing a Friday, Sunday schedule it would be hard to recover if I had a bone bruise at the top of my foot...

In the end, only time will tell but in my opinion the past couple of predators have taken a back seat to innovation. I think the power swerve technology is a interesting technology and something that combined with a new upper/rubber knobs then the predator could be the power boot that elite players go to. Making the predator lighter is not the option that I would have taken the series and if adidas was smart they would make a power boot/hybrid that was the weight of 9 oz that packed power behind your shot. I can not imagine how much power of increase in surface area you can get with a boot that weighs 5.8 oz. Should be interesting how consumers perceive this boot and technology. I still believe this boot has all the tools it needs to be the power boot it used to be but ultimately I believe adidas sold out and followed the trend of making a boot as light as possible with a sticker on the boots that says defenders please step on my foot, I have no protection.

Issues i see on the adiPOWER Predator?

How much protection will these boot provide?
RIP power, accuracy? Will this boot be a game changer or has all the technology gone into making it as light as possible?
How durable is this boot going to be? With the sprint frame outsole will the cleats be snapping like they did on the F50?
Will this be the boot/predator that people take a chance on, or will it flop like the predator X?

From the fans of the predator, are you happy where adidas has taken the predator line?

Consumer feedback regarding this post:

"Just checked out your newest blog.....love the Predator t-shirt.

Also love the post. Predators are may favorite footy boots of all time; CTR is 2nd though I have never used them; but appreciate the concept and reviews that I have read about them.

My favorite Predators are the Pulse's. I have a pair of the lower level ones and love them.
I also love the PowerSwerve ones with the ClimaCool technology (love the black and white color).

I am really disappointed in the direction Adidas has taken Predators. I thought their new release was a chance to get back to their roots and make up for the mistakes they made with Predator X........I think adiPower just took an even larger dent out of the Predator legacy. Predators are not meant to be a speed boot. they are pure power and control plain and simple. They are trying too hard to be something they are not; which is very disappointing."

-Anonymous

adidas adiPOWER Predator UPDATES

Since many of you footballers have been interested in the release/specs of the soon to be the lightest predator to ever grace the pitch i decided to do an update post which includes some pictures, specs, and information regarding the make up of the adiPOWER Predator.

In addition, with adidas also releasing the adiPURE SL, Predator SL, Prime and adiZERO II i am excited as a consumer because I have so many options/styles when choosing an adidas boot now.

Released Date: June 2011
Price:$200 USD; Reference SoccerPRO

adiPOWER Predator = 8.2 oz

Upper: Powerspine technology in the forefoot creates maximum shooting power by minimizing the energy lost while shooting. Taurus: a newly developed full-grain calf leather for a glove-like fit. Highly abrasion resistant with low water uptake. Silicon rubber PREDATOR technology for maximum swerve and ball control.

Midsole: Internal chassis construction that holds the revolutionary powerspine, providing never-before-seen shooting power.

Outsole: The sprint frame construction uses geometrical learnings and a new stud shape to offer the perfect balance between light weight and stability. A new dual-density, superlight TRAXION FG outsole for optimum grip and stud pressure distribution on firm natural grass pitches.

Inlay: Pre-molded EVA sockliner with additional anti-slip EVA inserts on the backside.

Keys Facts:

Name: Adidas adiPOWER Predator

Release date: June 2011

Price: $200 USD

Weight: 8.2 oz

adiPOWER Predator TRX FG

With All the hype surrounding the adiPOWER vs the Kinetic debate, i believe that since adidas tradmarked the adiPOWER name/slogan that the Kinetic label is just simply smoke. Above is a recent image from an adidas catalog. I believe the Predator series will consist of the adiPOWER and the adiPOWER SL/ ELITE version of the boot to make two different price points. 

adiPOWR Predator: $220

adiPOWER Predator SL: $350

Adidas adiPOWER Predator Promo Specs

AdiPOWER Predator-
Master the ball in the lightest Predator ever. Features Traxion outsole, sprint frame construction and proven Predator technology for skillful touch on firm ground. Upper: Power spine technology in the forefoot creates maximum shooting power by minimizing the energy lost while shooting. Taurus: a newly developed full- grain calf leather for a glove -like fit. Highly abrasion resistant with low water uptake. Silicon rubber Predator technology for maximum swerve and ball control. Lining: Nubuck touch heel lining for super soft comfort. Inlay: Pre-molded EVA sockliner with additional anti-slip EVA inserts on the backside. Midsole: Internal chassis constructions that holds the revolutionary power spine, providing never-before-seen shooting power. Outsole: The sprint frame construction uses geometrical learning’s and a new stud shape to offer the perfect balance between light weight and stability. A new dual-density superlight Traxion FG outsole for optimum grip and stud pressure distributed on firm natural grass pitches.
Size: 5.5-13.5

Consumer Feedback!

Just wanted to share a recent email I received that meant a lot to me. The goal of this blog is to allow Footy fans like myself a chance to see the new and upcoming boots and to use this blog as a platform to share their opinions/thoughts about certain boots or ideas they have about the soccer industry. In the end, it means a lot that this site is helping people in their pursuit to find their next pair of boots. Just wanted to thank you for visiting Footy guru and sharing your opinions with me.

Recent feedback:
"To start off I would like to say your website is great for people in search of a new cleat or undecided about what they want. I know for a fact I was completely lost on what I wanted.
Im a huge fan of the Adipure and Predator line and thats exactly what im going to stick to now that I see the future releases of these two lines and the information provided just made it easier for me to continue with these two boots. Fantastic website and hope it continues for a while."

2011 Boots!

adiPOWER Predator, adiPURE SL..

So it is final and all the speculation about what adidas has in the works for 2011 can be put to rest with this post. In my opinion, with the combination of the adiPURE, F50, and the new Predator adidas has improved on all of these styles and has also added an elite version of boots to compete with Nike’s line. For example, the picture below feature the adiPURE style but utilizes the F50 sprint frame to decrease the overall weight of the shoe.

Could 2011 be the year that adidas becomes number 1 in soccer due to Nike’s inability to improve the Vapor and their other boots?

Furthermore, what was called the Predator Kinetic will now be called the adiPOWER Predator and from this image and the other images I have shown you, is that this will be the lightest Predator to date weighing just 8.2 oz. adidas was able to change the upper, midsole, and outsole to decrease the weight of the boot. Here is what the tech sheet says about the boots:


AdiPOWER Predator-
Master the ball in the lightest Predator ever. Features Traxion outsole, sprint frame construction and proven Predator technology for skillful touch on firm ground. Upper: Power spine technology in the forefoot creates maximum shooting power by minimizing the energy lost while shooting. Taurus: a newly developed full- grain calf leather for a glove -like fit. Highly abrasion resistant with low water uptake. Silicon rubber Predator technology for maximum swerve and ball control. Lining: Nubuck touch heel lining for super soft comfort. Inlay: Pre-molded EVA sockliner with additional anti-slip EVA inserts on the backside. Midsole: Internal chassis constructions that holds the revolutionary power spine, providing never-before-seen shooting power. Outsole: The sprint frame construction uses geometrical learning’s and a new stud shape to offer the perfect balance between light weight and stability. A new dual-density superlight Traxion FG outsole for optimum grip and stud pressure distributed on firm natural grass pitches.
Size: 5.5-13.5

AdiPURE SL series will feature the adi outsole sprint frame to decrease the overall weight of the boot for the elite players looking to get a boot that is very light. adidas did this to compete with Nike's elite boots, but I am hoping that adidas price points are much more reasonable... Only time will tell.

Adidas Predator Kinetic?

2011 Adidas Predator 'Kinetic'

Here are some pictures of the next Predator that is poised to launch in 2011. The name floating around that people are calling the boot is the Predator “Kinetic”. It features a hybrid design in that it looks like adidas went back to its roots and put a combination of three boots into this next boot. Its retro design reminds me of the adidas World Cup/Copa Mundial with a sole plate of the new F50 adiZERO. In the end, I am excited to see how this boot turns out because to me as a player and a footy fan the Predator X lacked style, innovation, and was not ground breaking like you come to expect with the Predator series.
If I had to guess, I think this will be the lightest Predator ever made…