A great foundation

Skechers are fairly known everywhere for their general footwear and have in the past even made football boots, but they could never be seen as high performance products. With last year’s launch of their newest football line, things have changed. Skechers is now pushing the envelope and while they do have a challenge when it comes to changing the image of their brand, the talent of designers they now have that their disposal plus their massive financial muscle means they could very well shake up the market. And what better place to start than in some of the most competitive markets in the world. And speaking of competitive markets, launching a speed boot in a very crowded space is a bold move but the Skechers Razor is certainly a great way to start.

Fit and Feel

The first time holding the Skechers Razor is positive, they are light, soft and the overall shape and design seem like a proper speedboot. It should also be appreciated that while there is knit on the upper, the Razor instead has a synthetic forefoot that harks back to the pre-knit era of speed boots. Given my own inclination for some speed boots like that, it is welcome.

One of the other things that Skechers has focused on during development and their advertising is “comfort that performs” and as soon as the Razor is on feet, the comfort part of this is obvious. This is because the Razor feels comfortable from even the first wear and is complimented by a nice, cushioned (but not overly so) insole. At least for my foot shape, the Razor feels like it was designed to fit my feet while at the same time still having enough adjustability to where it will fit multiple foot types.

Sometimes in the past, speed boots with synthetic uppers were known to have really stiff synthetic to allow for the boots to still be lightweight, however the Razor has a soft synthetic forefoot that is not harsh on the feet at all. It also breaks in fairly quickly, only taking a couple of sessions, and (more on this later) feels great on the ball. The boot manages to stay wrapped around the foot without feeling like it is squeezing the foot too tightly.

Long time readers of this blog will know that the fit and comfort of the heel can make or break a boot for me, and it is pleasing to report that the heel on the Skechers Razor fits well and is comfortable. It is not as cushioned as some other speed boots on the market, but it does not need to be when it fits the heel this well. There are no gaps around the ankle as well which helps enhance the good fit the rest of the boot has.

The carbon infused heel does not seem to add anything extra other than some extra stability, which is always welcome. And speaking of stability, the rest of the soleplate does feel nice and Skechers have not tried to do anything crazy with the soleplate but rather it gives a nice, comfortable ride. There is even some good snapback in the forefoot as well.

For the sizing, I stuck with my normal size and found it to be perfect. I have a narrow to medium foot so the fit is excellent, but it does feel that if your feet are slightly wide you should still be able to wear these.

Touch

The Skechers Razor obviously has taken some inspiration from speed boots of the past and the synthetic material on the upper has this nice microtexturing on it that gives a bit of extra grip on the ball. The upper itself is fairly thin but not overly so. There is just enough thiness in the upper to really feel the ball when manipulating it and while it couldn’t be called barefoot, it is excellent.

There is this dynamic feel on the ball that makes you feel ready for the next touch and because the boot fits so well, you almost always want to have the ball at your feet. The midfoot section also has some grip added to it and while similar to the forefoot in that it is not over the top, it still gives a bit of extra confidence when controlling the ball.

Even in wet or in my case, snowy, conditions the touch on the ball is still really good and dribbling is enjoyable because the upper is so soft and pliable. The forefoot having a uniform feel also means there are no weird surprises when running with ball at speed and in turn gives a assurance that the boot will do what you want it to do when you want it to do it.

Passing and Shooting

In a word, brilliant. The Skechers Razor just performs very well in this area and the performance is par with, if not better than some boots other speed boots on the market. Going again back to the fit of the boot being so good that there are no weird bulges in the upper when hitting the ball, giving you a clean striking surface. There is a little bit of a pingy sensation when hitting the ball with power and there is still that more raw, speedboot like sensation when striking through the ball.

Shooting is really enjoyable in the boots, and I especially enjoy curling the ball with them, which seems to be a theme with Skechers boots. I set up a set piece session for myself and really enjoyed the performance on offer from the Razor. So much so, that they might sneak into my match rotation for this coming season. They are that good.

Grip

A lot of times companies feel the need to go crazy when designing a soleplate, especially there is nothing wrong soleplates that have been previously used. While some could argue that Skechers have played it safe with the soleplate design on the Razor, I would in turn argue that going too crazy could cause issues. Especially since the soleplate used on the Razor is very good.

The soleplate provides plenty of grip on multiple surfaces and the is also a good amount of springback in the forefoot. The studs are not overly tall either, so this means that there is not much stud pressure to speak of. Side to side grip is also very good and even on AG the studs did not feel like they were dragging in the ground. The soleplate feels very agile a manages to follow the movements of the foot without twisting the foot into weird shapes. A very enjoyable soleplate.

Conclusion

Given that this is Skechers’ first proper attempt at a speed boot, it would have been easy for them to go wild with the design and tech, however with the Razor, Skechers has shown that companies do not have to go crazy to make an excellent speed. By focusing on comfort and performance they have given themselves an awesome speed boot which will provide a solid foundation for future productions to launch off of.

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