Masterclass

We have been absolutely deluged over the past half decade with remakes of various sorts and colourways. It has gotten has to the point that a new release is more likely to make me eyeroll instead of getting me excited. There is just so much product on the market and it can be exhausting to keep up with. I absolutely love football boots but it can be too much at times. It needs to be something truly special these days to stand out. And what adidas and Unisport have come up with for the Adidas F50+ Spider Remake is very special. It is one of those releases that not only looks special, but once you get it in hand, you realise it is something very unique, and a masterclass in product design, presentation and most importantly, wearability.

Fit and Feel

Obviously, I was fortunate enough to be sent a pair by JayMike, Unisport, and adidas, so the presentation box I received was unreal, go check my Instagram for an unboxing video. But what really stands out first when pulling the boots out of the box is the detailing. It would have been easy for Unisport and adidas to add a ton to the design, but they have kept it simple and added neat details like the numbering on the heel, or the Unisport 30th Anniversary logo underneath the tongue, as well as some neat logos on the insoles.

One of the first things I thought of when I got the boots in hand is that the tongue design is actually more reminiscent of the original F50 from 2004 rather than the 2005 F50+. Obviously, the overall design is directly taken from the F50+, but while it seems slightly awkward at first, I have grown to appreciate the design choices they went with as they apparently even worked with the original designer as part of this project.

Naturally, I have to talk about the leather upper. It is not as soft as you would think out of the box, but it softens up so quickly that this does not matter. While it is not a kangaroo leather, it does feel like a premium grade of calf leather, so I do not mind the upper choice either. It does seem like adidas was a little restrictive when it came to how much of the upper could be leather and while I would have preferred more, I do appreciate that we still got this release.

This is because on feet the F50+ remake feels very special. There is just something about wearing the boots that gives you this unique feeling. The fit itself is excellent, with the boot following the shape of my foot almost perfectly. It is probably one of the best fitting boots this year for me, and I appreciate how nice the shaping of the boot overall is.

What is also impressive is the fact that the lockdown is really good. Part of this is because the boot is built on the F50 laceless upper, to a degree, which has good lockdown already, but the addition of the leather lace cover and the laces themselves means that there is this feeling of being nicely hugged by the boot, with almost no overly tight spots to speak of.

Speaking of lockdown and being hugged, a whole lot of praise has to go to the heel design. It is the best heel fit, shape, comfort etc., I have seen from the Big Three brands in a long time. It is fairly simple, but that is all a heel needs to be. There is a good amount of cushioning, but it does not feel bulky in the slightest. The highest praise I can give it is that it feels like a heel from an ASICS boot, who are the kings of heel design. Just quietly superb. I am not even sure I have the words to describe how much I love the heel.

In terms of breaking in, the upper does not take long to feel ready for match situations. After the first forty-five odd minute session, the F50 felt ready for anything. I really appreciate how quickly the rest of the upper broke in. We all expect leather to break in quickly, but the knit/synthetic midfoot also takes less time than expected to feel ready to go.

As far as sizing goes, I went half a size down from my normal size. This means I got a UK7.5/US 8/26 CM/41.5 EU and the fit was spot on. I should note that I normally goes half a size down for adidas boots in general, except for the non leather Predators.

On the Ball

As one would expect, the leather is superb on the ball. The only possible drawback on the upper is that towards the ball joint, the material creates a kind of dead zone. In the original models, there was leather in this spot. However, it does not take long to get used to it and interestingly, it is a fun spot to strike the ball with.

Outside of this, the knit/synthetic is nicely responsive on the ball, and for me, I feel like the 3D cage somewhat enhances the touch on the ball as it provides some extra texturing when controlling the ball. The cage area is also lower in height and volume than the originals and provides a more tactile feel on the ball. It definitely is not a barefoot feeling, but it is far closer to the ball than one would expect by looking at the boot.

The raised leather “ribs” on the outstep of the boot are nicely placed for dribbling with the ball. While it is probably strictly a design choice to mimic the original design, I like the way it is done on the F50 remake as it creates some nice 3D elements here to enhance the feel on the ball. Or maybe that is just me. But I like it.

However, the spot where I feel like the boots are the most special is hitting the ball with power. There is just this X factor when hammering the ball that feels like you can really drive the ball. While it is possible that it is a mental thing, having that large lace cover be so complicated means I can really catch the ball nicely. This is especially true when hitting the ball on the volley. I feel encouraged by the boot to see just how hard I can strike the ball.

A combination of tactile feel on the ball and the raw power I feel when shooting is really a big part of what makes this boot not just look special but feel special. It terms of on the ball feel, the F50 Remake is very unique, and almost like nothing on the market. It is a little hard to quantify, but I just want to keep wearing the boot as much as possible.

Grip

The outsole is just ripped from the current F50, which I have absolutely no problem with. It is a much better soleplate than the original Traxion FG soleplate. I understand that some people liked that soleplate, and while there is a reason adidas used the Traxion layout for so long, having worn the original, trust me when I say the current F50 soleplate is a lot better.

The Sprintframe 360 is one of my favourites on the market for a reason. There is a good amount of grip, plenty of pivoting power and well balanced. I understand it might not be as speedboot-like as other soleplates on the market, but it is far more multifunctional than those and works on multiple surfaces far better than a lot of other soleplates on the market.

Conclusion

For me, it is not a stretch to say that this adidas F50+ Remake is probably the release of the year. We are engulfed with releases constantly, and yet this F50+ remake felt like an event. The way the launch was done was excellent in its execution. I am obviously biased, but if the boot did not perform, it would have tempered the release. Thankfully, the F50 Remake is a superb boot, with an excellent upper, a market-leading heel, and brilliant design execution. It is a masterclass in product execution. On feet and on the ball, the boots feel very special. They have this magic to them that is hard to explain. While I do not want the market to be flooded with other colourways, it would be nice if we get at least one more colourway so others can experience this wonder of a boot.

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