We all love a top-tier football boot, but one thing that the rapid rise in boot technology has meant is that entry-level soccer shoes are now better than ever. Take the adidas Predator Absolado LZ – one of the best 'take-down' football boots we've seen in recent years.
Realistically neither the Predator LZ or Absolado is going to turn turn you into Xabi Alonso. To the untrained eye, it would be a difficult game of spot-the-difference. You'd struggle to pin-point the exact differences that qualify the Predator LZ as a top-end boot.
For many footballer's, it's easy to fall into the trap of becoming a 'boot-snob' (we've been guilty of that ourselves!) But nowadays turning a blind eye to any take-down football boots would be a mistake. As the adidas Predator Absolado LZ shows, entry-level boots are no longer just wannabe look-a-likes.
While the construction between the two is impressively similar, if you're a strong believer in boot technology then this is where the Absolado understandably falls short. While adidas have done their best to replicate the Lethal Zones of the top-tier Predator, any performance benefits will noticeable lower on the Absolado.
The Predator LZ uses a silicon rubber material for each of the five Lethal Zones, providing enhanced ball touch across the shoe. But for the Absolado LZ, while the Drive and Sweetspot zones do offer a similar raised platform for ball contact, the Dribble and First Touch zones are an embossed print application.
At a fraction of the price the Absolado LZ may not offer you all the bells and whistles of the Predator LZ, but certainly offers a lot of value. At just £55.00, its hard to to think of a better budget boot. Importantly adidas' miCoach technology is not limited to its top-tier boots. From entry-level up, each boot comes with a miCoach cavity cell.
For the upper, the Predator LZ uses a newly engineered Hybridtouch material which combines the benefits of leather and synthetic. This advanced synthetic is 40% lighter than natural leather, benefiting to the boots weight of just 225g. The Absolado uses a lightweight synthetic leather upper – a material that keeps the boot light (255g) but one that wont match the performance benefits of Hybridtouch.
So if you've already blown your boot budget on a summer holiday this year, don't dismiss adidas' catalogue of lower-tier football boots. For an entry-level boot, the Predator Absolado LZ is as impressive as they come at just £55 GBP. After a little bit more? The middle-tier Predator Absolion LZ is also available at £80 GBP.
