Astonishingly brilliant

ASICS has had a seemingly meteoric rise over the past few years with their continued push with new tech for their boots as well as the fact that support and performance tech remains at the core of their football collection. For the most part though, many people have seemed to gravitate towards the X Fly 5 especially. And while it did win my boot of the year in 2023, I have always personally preferred the fit and feel of the X Fly Pro series. The issue was that the X Fly Pro did not seem to work for everyone and the boot really needed a killer update in order to break through and start to make a place for itself. And what ASICS has delivered with X Fly Pro 3 is a borderline masterpiece.

Fit and Feel

What is especially striking about the ASICS DS Light X Fly Pro 3 is how remarkable the upper is. The new Silkywrap is a synthetic leather, but the way it feels in hands and on feel bears a striking resemblance to kangaroo leather. It is soft, pliable and takes very little time to break, about 15 minutes or so of wear and the boots feel ready to go.

The Silkywrap upper feels like the fulfillment of the potential that so many of us have been hoping for from synthetics for so many years. That is a synthetic that feels almost exactly like leather without having some of the drawbacks of leather. An example of this is that the Silkywrap upper has a slight stretch to it that molds to the shape of the foot but there is no feeling of overstretching and the boot as whole feels wrapped around the foot perfectly. The upper allows for no dead space and if you know that feeling of a boot fitting you immediately out of the box, the Pro 3 offers that.

Of course, it is one thing to have an excellent upper but if the rest of the boot does not have a great fit or feel then it can be a letdown. But this is an ASICS boot, so of course the rest of the boot has a superb fit. This starts with the midfoot that is slightly stiffer than the forefoot in order to provide a good hold on the rest of the foot. The material used here is still really soft but still feels solid, if that makes any sense.

As per usual for any ASICS boot, the heel on the DS Light X Fly Pro 3 is extremely outstanding. Literally every single brand on the market should learn from ASICS when it comes to heel design. I’m not kidding. Whatever magic ASICS uses to design their heel fit, I hope everyone else at least tries it. The heel is soft yet supportive, cushioned yet not bulky and has great lockdown without feeling uncomfortable.

Naturally a great fitting heel can be let down if the lacing set up is not right, but again, it is an ASICS boot so not only is there a nice deep central lacing system, but there is also an extra pair of laceholes at the top of the shoe that allows for a runner’s knot.

The insole is also pretty good. It maybe could be a little bit more cushioned but overall, the shape and feel underfoot is good and the splendid soleplate does a brilliant job of absorbing pressure, giving the wearer a comfortable ride when playing.

Looking at the boot from the soleplate, it is easy to see that the shaping of the boot is more anatomical than previous models in the Pro series and the feels like a great decision as it helps accentuate the top drawer fit of the upper.

It is difficult to not to get giddy when wearing the boots, but they are really that good and a joy to play in. It is absurd how much I love these boots, and they are a (very early) contender for boot of the year.

When comparing the ASICS DS Light Pro 3 to its predecessor, the overall fit is better and slightly wider. This does allow for more different types of foot shapes to fit in the Pro 3 and even as much as I love the previous models, the Pro 3 is a giant step up in every area.

Going back to the fit, I wear the same size as I did in the previous Pro model, which is a US 8/26 cm. This is a half size down from my normal size and as mentioned, the boot is slightly wider than previous, and it is also every so slightly longer. My recommendation is to go down half a size.

Touch

As one would expect with a boot that has such a soft upper, the touch on the ball is brilliant. The upper is fairly thin overall but has a nice little bit of cushioning to take the sting out of the ball. The touch feels natural, and ASICS has done an excellent job of not overcomplicating the touch on the ball by adding much extra to the upper. There is a slight tackiness to it but in play it is unnoticeable unless you really try to find it. This means that the upper feels very much like one would expect from a k leather upper of the same shape and style, but the flip side is that the Silkywrap has far less water uptake and therefore is able to have more consistent performance, even when the conditions are not ideal.

In some ways, while the boot overall is very technical, the actual stitching on the forefoot is fairly classic. This actually works to the boots advantage because on top of the upper material providing a natural feel on the ball, it also means that there are no surprises when dribbling at speed or in tight spaces. I actually prefer this since it means there is no weird material or an overly grippy upper that you have to get “used” to. Instead, it performs as one would expect and is very reliable when it comes to little touches.

This has been said with a lot of boots, but it is definitely the case that you get out of the X Fly Pro 3 what you put in. No surprises, no silly gimmicks, just an excellent performing boot that lets you do what you do without being intrusive.

Shooting and Crossing

Having that more natural feeling upper means that there is nothing crazy about shooting with the ASICS DS Light X Fly Pro 3. While some people may prefer the grippier and more aggressive feeling we are getting on some boots these days (and there are times when I prefer that too), it is nice to have a boot that again, lets you do what you want with the ball without feeling like it needs to be the center of attention at all times.

While the Pro 3 is the speed boot in ASICS’ lineup, and certain things make that obvious (more on that in the Grip section of the review), one of the things that makes the boot different from a lot of other speed boots on the market is the feeling when hitting the ball with power. There is none of that pingy sensation like a lot of other speed boots and while there are a lot of people who like that feeling, I personally prefer this more cushioned feeling of the Silkywrap upper. Then again, I almost always prefer a leather boot over a synthetic so a synthetic that mimics the feeling of leather always gets my approval.

A quick note on the soleplate when it comes to the shooting experience, its perfect. Gives good anchoring in the ground without feeling like you are going to be stuck in place. The best compliment I give it is that you do not notice it, because it all feels so natural.

Grip

The soleplate on the Pro series has always been one of my favourite parts about the boot, so changing the formula could potentially put me off but the thing is, ASICS have made it even better. Initially, there were some concerns because the soleplate is not as snappy as the previous model. However, in action there is not a noticeable difference in the springback.

In fact, the improved design feels more aggressive, more agile, and more reactive than previous generations. One of the factors behind this feels like the fact that boot is more anatomically shaped overall and that better fit feels with the feeling when running. This also means that the forefoot studs are positioned slightly differently, and I think this is a great decision on ASICS’ part. I also think another part of this is that the soleplate feels as if ASICS has finetuned the whole layout slightly. This finetuning feels like the boot is easier to run in overall. It seems like this is a big part of what contributes to the more agile feeling that the boots when changing direction.

Of course, visually it is different, and the middle of the forefoot cutout now has less of the underneath material coming through. While the previous models you could feel, and get very dirty, the material, the new soleplate covers it far more.

The changed design has also led to the overall shape of the boot pointing slightly upwards, much like a running shoe. It is interesting because the shape would make you think that the touch on the toe would take a little bit of getting used to but because the upper is so soft a natural feeling, I did not have any issues.

Lastly, while the soleplate is more aggressive overall, it still is perfect for multiple surfaces. It does not feel overly grippy on AG, and there is never a feeling of being stuck in the surface. On HG, it is obvious that the studs are all balanced and the soleplate relies on its shape rather than the studs themselves to feel reactive.

It is a little difficult to explain but, with a lot of speed boots the studs will have various heights, even if they are on the same part of the boot. In the Pro 3, studs in the same zone are the same height, which stops the boot from feeling wonky or unbalanced on harder surfaces.

Naming

ASICS, I am begging you, please change your naming system.

Conclusion

A lot of times, a lot of brands need a “killer app” in order to make impact on the market and while previously ASICS has made a lot of great products that arguably should have been more popular, the case has never been stronger when it comes to the DS Light X Fly Pro 3. This is the boot that should put ASICS on the map worldwide and it shows that ASICS could make a good space for themselves in multiple markets. The Pro 3 is a speed boot, but still feels natural, the touch on the ball is fantastic, but you still get a very speedy soleplate. I am re-reading this review and still am wondering how I can get across how brilliant this boot is.

The ASICS DS Light X Fly Pro 3 is a standout product and even at this early stage of the year, it has gone straight into my rotation and top of my list for potential boots of the year. If you have never tried ASICS and always wanted to, get this boot. If you have tried ASICS, get this boot. If you love football boots, get these boots. Just an utterly fantastic piece of work.

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