IRC-Galleria

I see way too many kids go in to a shop to buy a new pair of boots where their only criterion for the new footwear is: “Neon green.”

ItÂ’s too often that people shopping for a new pair of soccer cleats go based on something that they heard was good or looked good without even giving the alternatives a look.

This will be a new series on 10 Shirt just because one post would simply be too lengthy. air max lebronAnd with that, weÂ’re off to the first segment: Uppers!

There are really two kinds of uppers with variations in each kind as you go down a level. Neither one is necessarily better than the other, it really is all about preference.

There are three major types of leather, each with their advantages and disadvantages.

First, full-grain leather: This will be the least expensive option and tends to be the most durable of the leathers. The leather will stretch a bit and breathe a little bit. air max 09 downside with full-grain is that it doesnÂ’t stretch too much. When you buy a boot with this leather, expect it to soften up a little bit, but size wise, it will feel largely the same.

Calfskin: The middle of the range. Calfskin will stretch and breathe more than full-grain leather but will also be a little less durable. The durability factor comes in because the leather tends to be a little softer and thinner.


Kangaroo : The leather that will stretch and breathe the most but will tend to be the least durable. They also require a bit of maintenance. Not taking care of the shoe will quickly decrease the lifespan of the boot. nike max air The kangaroo is the thinnest and softest of the leathers as well as, in this writerÂ’s opinion, the most comfortable. Most of the high-end leather boots will be made of this material (your Adidas Adipures and Nike K-Leather Lasers and Legends). When purchasing a kangaroo leather cleat, you want the fit to be snug all around your foot as the leather does stretch anywhere from half a size to a full size based on the type of shoe and the kangaroo it came from.

There are options as well. nike airmax 2009The Adidas Predator X is made of engineered calfskin while Kelme famously experimented with sharkskins.

Onto the synthetics:


Synthetic shoes tend to be the most durable due to their inability to stretch to the foot. That being said, once you start getting into the very high end synthetics (your Vapors and synthetic Lasers) the durability tends to go way down due to the synthetics becoming much thinner and lighter. The main thing to know about synthetics is that the way that they feel when you first purchase the shoe is essentially the way that they will feel throughout the life of the shoe.

Newer high end synthetics from Adidas and Nike do have the ability to stretch though. 09 cheap nike air maxThe Adidas Sprintskin and Kanga Lite from Nike utilize the heat from your foot to mold the synthetic to the shape of your foot.

Dying a leather can wreak havoc with the quality and feel. One thing that IÂ’ve noticed is that different colors of the same exact boot can fit and feel differently simply due to the color of the shoe. Some colors will be softer than others. This is why you tend to find many of the really bright colors on synthetic shoes.