More than meets the eye

Athleta as brand are more well known and more popular for their apparel and their futsal shoes rather than their boots in Japan. Having used and enjoyed a lot of their apparel for some time now, I was always interested in trying their boots but had never gotten around to trying them. With their newest release of the O Rei T6, I finally got around to giving them a try. I am very glad I have done so now, because there is a lot to like about the boots.

Fit and Feel

As is normal for this blog, the first thing that is noticeable on the Athleta O-Rei T6 is the kangaroo leather. It is surprisingly soft and supple especially given that price-wise it competes with other mid-range football boots. There is decent but not too much padding and it has these raised lines running across the midfoot that are there to somewhat aid with touch, but also with lockdown.

Probably the stand out piece of tech on the boots is the Grid Shell 2.0 system. It is designed to help increase lockdown and stop the foot from rolling side to side inside of the boot. It is stiffer than one would expect but on feet it is comfortable and does not cause any soreness.

Having mentioned the lockdown, it is pretty good in the O-Rei T6 and there are no issues with foot staying in place except during push off. The reason is that Athleta uses what they call the Natural Motion Lace which are laces designed to move with the motion of the foot. They are stretchy but unlike other stretchy laces they have a lot of tension so that they do a good job of helping with lockdown. However, like mentioned before, there is some noticeable stretch when pushing off for a sprint.

The heel is very sturdy and is lined with a brushed faux-suede material that does a good job of gripping the back of the sock. There have been some hotspots but those quickly went away after breaking the boot in. The only possible issue with the heel is that because it is so sturdy, it might create heel pressure for those whose heels are structured differently or prefer a more flexible heel counter.

What is impressive about the Athleta O-Rei T6 is that the break-in time is fairly minimal, only taking about a one hour or so session to make the boots feel like they are ready to go for a match situation. The leather softens up nicely and there is some stitching on the side of the forefoot to help the upper retain its shape. Again, the leather is really nice given the fact that the boots are relatively inexpensive compared to most top level leather boots and it can be argued that the kangaroo leather is even nicer than what is found on some of those boots.

In fact, with the amount of adjustability that the laces provide and given that the forefoot is wider than other leather boot options, it is easy to describe the boots as a good wide foot option. Something that is also appreciated is that there are multiple different laces holes. This allows for a lot of adjustability in how the laces are done up. There is a slight wish that the lace system would go a little deeper so that those of us with slightly narrow feet could get a little bit of a tighter fit in the forefoot but has not been a big issue.

As an aside, it is appreciated that there is some rubber coating on the front edge of the forefoot so that the leather does not wear away as quickly and does mean that the boots are great for artificial surfaces.

As far as sizing is concerned, I went half a size down from my usual size and found the fit to be perfect, with no space in front of the toes as per my usual fit. So, a half size down is recommended.

Touch

With such a supple leather upper, the touch on the ball is excellent. While there are the raised areas in the forefoot of the Athleta O-Rei T6, they do not get in the way but do help provide a nice, cushioned sensation on the ball. In some ways, the leather is somewhat reminiscent of the days when companies were looking to make the leather uppers on their boots soft and supple as possible, rather than focusing on making the leather as thin as possible. This is not to say that the leather feels like it is overly cushioned, but it is more cushioned than a lot of other leather boots on the market. Still though, the feel on the ball is great and enjoyable.

The midfoot section of the boots does have the raised cross section to aid with the lockdown, but it is covered with a somewhat rougher surface, and that little bit of friction is noticeable and more so in wet conditions. It is not super grippy, but it is there and just noticeable enough.

As far as dribbling goes, rather than a second skin feel, it is more cushioned, and the boot feels designed to be that way rather than trying to have some sort of crazy thin touch on the ball. For some people, this may mean that the boots feel a little clunky when dribbling but for me there have been no issues.

Passing and Shooting

The cushioned leather also means that a lot of the sting is taken out of the ball when hitting it. It does not mean that the feeling is dull, it is just a more supple feeling and does give some nice feedback when hitting the ball. For some people this may mean that they might feel slightly disappointed when hitting the ball, but it does mean that long range hits and passes feel like they have some more oomph to them.

As it goes for shooting as well. There are no shooting aids on the boots so how the boot performs is down largely to the wearer. Again, the supple upper does mean there is some good feel for the ball when hitting it. And again, the thicker upper does make it seem as if you can hit the ball with more power, though that might be psychological.

Grip

The studs are of a very basic shape and layout, but they are taller than other classic leather boots and perform well both on grass and synthetic surfaces. The rounded shape of the studs does mean that there is a lot of pivot power available and on artificial ground the Athleta O-Rei T6 never feel stuck in the surface or anything like that.

The soleplate itself is interesting because it is stiff almost like a speed boot and there is a surprising amount of springback available when pushing off. This is not to say that it is as aggressive as a speed boot, but it is still stronger than a lot of leather boots on the market and helps with the overall performance of the boots.

Conclusion

Overall, the Ahtleta O-Rei T6 is a surprising boot. The leather is very nice, the lockdown is good, and the soleplate is simple yet stronger than some others on the market. In pictures, the boot seems simple and like there is nothing to suggest that the boot is a much better than average performer, but once on feet the boot impresses and is probably the most premium option given its mid-range price point. If you are looking for something more premium that does not break the bank, the Athleta O Rei T6 is a great option.

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