Bargain

TLSS have been making a nice niche for themselves in market over the past year. This is mostly because the brand has made it a focus to offer a lot of tech and quality in their boots for prices that are far lower than elite boots from other brands. Not every boot has managed to work out the way most people probably want, but at the same time it is hard to ignore the fact that TLSS can become a huge market disruptor going forward. For most people, the Tactician will probably be their go to boot from the brand, but we cannot overlook what is on offer from the TLSS Striker 723. It is probably one of the best bargain speed boots on the market since it retails for $150/€130/£110, and while not perfect, has a lot to offer.

Fit and Feel

What is interesting about the Striker when first getting it in hands is how soft the upper feels from the get-go. While the Teijin synthetic upper does not feel as premium as some other Elite level synthetic boots on the market, considering the Striker’s price, it feels much nicer than other options at a similar price. There is also an additional grippy T-Gecko texturing on the upper that is a nice bonus, but more on that later.

Another positive is the fact that the heel is nicely cushioned. There is also some nice cushioning in the midsole in the form of TLSS’ T-Flash Foam, which is located in the heel area of the midsole. The insole does feel pretty nice in terms of the materials used, but I feel that it is a little too thin given what they are trying to accomplish comfort-wise.

Despite that, on feet the Striker 723 is comfortable, and I have not had any hotspots to speak of. In fact, the upper gets soft pretty quickly, and the break-in time is relatively short. This is because the material only took around thirty to forty minutes to feel full ready to go. The upper is also forgiving with the fit and has a bit of stretchiness to it. I would not say it is an overly wide fitting boot, but at the same time people with feet on the wider side should not have any issues wearing the boots as they are fairly lenient.

The overall lockdown is fine. The knit tongue is a premium material and nicely hugs the top of the feet. I personally would have preferred a deeper lacing system, but not everyone will feel the same way. There is a slight raise across the end of the lacing system, but it is not as obvious/obnoxious as the Nike Hypervenom remakes.

Where the lockdown does struggle is the heel. The heel itself has some nice cushioning and certainly does not cause discomfort except for the fact that it is too wide. While the Tactician has a similar issue, that boot also has an extra lacehole to help mitigate the issue. The Striker does not and as a result I can feel my heel shift about when I do hard cuts and turns.

In spite of that, I do appreciate the stability through the sides of the midfoot of the boot. So, while my foot does shift slightly in the heel the sides of my feet do not roll over, and I appreciate the apparent thought that went into this aspect of the design of the boot. That is, giving us a soft upper that breaks in easily, but still has stability where we need it in the midfoot.

Obviously, I could cover this under the grip/soleplate section, but it is worth talking about the KaRVO insert in terms of stability here. The KaRVO is a material that acts in a similar manner to a carbon fibre, meaning it is lightweight and adds stiffness to the midsole, but it is a bit softer and more inexpensive than carbon fibre. And the application works well here as one would hope. The forefoot has nice springback, with some nice stiffness.

This is undermined by the fact that the midfoot shank (or lack thereof) is overly weak. What happens is that the midfoot has a lack of stability and the soleplate bends in awkward ways when making hard cuts. I personally would not mind going without the KaRVO if that meant we got a stiffer midfoot shank.

For sizing, I went true to size, which for is a US 8.5/UK 7.5/EU 41/JP 26.5 and found the fit to be perfect. So, I recommend going true to size.

On the Ball

This is where the Striker 723 really shines for me. The Teijin T-Gecko upper has a nice, thin touch on the ball with some slight grippiness. The is somewhat what simple in its execution but on the ball, there is just enough grip to give some additional confidence when controlling the ball, especially in bad weather conditions. It snowed and sleeted during two of my testing sessions and the grip was great throughout. There is even enough grip to give confidence when bending the ball for shots or crosses.

Understandably, the T-Gecko grip is not as aggressive as Nike’s GripKnit, or adidas’ Predator Strike Zone area, but for some people they might actually prefer what the Striker has on offer as the adjustment period is not as long as what you would experience from the other two uppers. Sure, part of this is down to the fact that the Striker is more of a speed boot, but I find myself enjoying the less aggressive grippiness of the Striker’s upper.

Additionally, the thin upper also means that there is not much between the foot and the ball when striking it with power. There is not really a pingy sensation as you might find from some other speed boots on the market but for me, as long as it feels satisfying to strike the ball in, I do not feel like it is a requirement for speed boots to all feel so aggressively thin on the ball.

Controlling and dribbling the ball is nice as well, even with the 3D part of the T-Gecko grip on the upper, the upper is still thin enough to have a close feel to the ball. This is probably one of the best parts of the boot.

Grip

The outsole and stud layout are the same here as every other TLSS boot, but I actually do not mind that. It means that the brand saves money on creating multiple soleplates, which keeps costs down, and they seemed to have passed some of those savings onto us, the consumer.

Besides, the stud layout is nice and multifunctional, and while I recommend their MG soleplate if you play mostly on AG, the FG outsole can definitely work on AG if needed. Though again, I wouldn’t recommend it for long term AG use. And a quick thing, I really do not like chrome finishes on soleplates. It looks cool but wears off quickly and feels like a waste of money. Plus, the clear blue colour underneath the chrome plating better matches the boot overall.

Like a lot of other parts of the boot, the Pebax used for the soleplate feels good quality and it is obvious the TLSS have engineered the material to offer stability and support while still maintaining the overall lightweight feel of the design.

Conclusion

The TLSS Striker 723 has a lot to offer many types players. While there are areas that could use improvement, when factoring in the price, there is a lot of Elite level tech on a boot that retails less than a lot of Pro level boots. In a lot of ways it does feel like you are getting a lot for your money with TLSS boots overall, and the Striker 723 is no different. I hope the boot and brand does well and continues to improve because TLSS could really bring a much-needed shake up to the boot market.

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