Good, but not enough

One thing I really appreciate is that adidas has continued to release leather Predators over the past several years. While I selfishly would prefer they be a standard release instead of a limited-edition release, I appreciate that we are still getting them despite the massive push toward synthetics/knits over the past decade. This is especially true in light of the disaster that has been the Predator 26.

And the adidas Predator 26 Leather Tech is easily the best version of the current model. While it is easy to heap praise on the Leather Tech for how good it is versus the standard Predator, and how good the boots are in general, it is still not as good as the previous Predator Roteiro or even the Obsidian Strike.

Fit and feel

While adidas has used their Fusionskin leather for around eight years now, it is still impressive how soft and supple the material is, even in spite of it being a calf leather instead of a kangaroo leather. The Predator 26 Leather Tech is no different. The leather portion of the upper is nice and soft out of the box, and it feels premium.

Interestingly, compared to the standard Predator 26, the midfoot of the Leather Tech feels softer. It might be because the finishing on the material used is made of a softer material than the general release, but I didn’t expect the midfoot to feel this different.

Unsurprisingly, the breaking-in process is much easier and more forgiving than the standard Predator. The leather forefoot breaks in very quickly, and within thirty minutes of the first session in the boots. Sadly, even with the improved midfoot, it still takes around two full hours in the boots to feel comfortable enough overall for a match.

One of the most frustrating aspects of the Predator since the release of the 24 is the heel. It’s not a bad heel, but it is not good enough. I find it frustrating that even after several models and a lot of reviewers complaining about the heel not being good enough, adidas still continues with this substandard design.

What makes this even more annoying is when you look at how the F50 heel has been improved with the Hyperfast, or even at how much praise the F50 Spider remakes got for their heel; then surely adidas would have thought to make a change. I could say it’s stubbornness on adi’s part, but it feels more like a money-saving measure.

This does not even include the fact that a lot of the top adi-sponsored players have a stitch-and-turn heel instead of the standard design. Surely, adidas knows they need to do better.
Also, for me, it just makes sense for a leather Predator to have a stitch-and-turn heel because the idea of leather equals more comfort.

While I mentioned above that the Predator Leather Tech is easily the best version of the Predator 26, unfortunately, I do find that these rank at the bottom of leather Predators we have seen released from adidas since 2024. While the Roteiro is probably still the best one, even when the Leather Tech is compared to last year’s Obsidian Strike, the Leather Tech has less leather on the upper overall. It seems like the design of the Pred 26 doesn’t allow for more leather, as the forefoot doesn’t flow into the midfoot the way it did with the Predator 24 and Predator 25.

In general, as well, the leather on the Leather Tech does not feel as soft as what was found on either the Obsidian Strike or the Roteiro. On top of this, while the leather does feel premium, it feels like a slight step down from what we got previously.

I personally would have liked to see us get a full leather upper for a Predator, but I know almost every brand is averse to doing this now.

The side-to-side stability is good enough. While the Predator 26 seems to have been designed for more stability through the midfoot, I think it’s somewhat pointless because the trade-off is a less comfortable midfoot.

On top of this, while a more stable midfoot can help with overall lockdown, people don’t tend to buy Preds for strong lockdown, especially given how low people tend to wear the tongue for the vibes. So again, it’s pretty pointless. And the lockdown is decent enough, but again, nobody is really going to worry about lockdown when getting a Predator with a foldover tongue.

For sizing, much like I did with the Roteiro and the Obsidian Strike, I went half down from my normal size. So, in the Leather Tech, I went with a US 8/UK 7.5/EU 41.5/JP 26, and the fit is perfect. Because the boots are leather, there is some slight stretch to them. If you like having a tighter fit, I recommend a half size down.

On the ball

In general, a leather boot will feel softer on the ball, and the Predator 26 Leather Tech is no different. The Fusionskin feels supple when manipulating the ball and is thin enough to have a close touch, even thinner than other leather boots on the market.

Of course, one of the reasons for the touch to feel so close to the ball is because the grip elements are much thinner than previous models of the Predators. The elements feel like the back part of a toothbrush used for scraping the tongue. There is still some noticeable grip on the ball, but they are certainly not as aggressive as the Roteiro and Obsidian Strike. I still like the grip elements on the Predator 26, but I do find myself wanting the aggressiveness that we got previously. How much of a difference this will make is down to the player, of course.

The soft leather is appreciated when dribbling, as the suppleness and thinness of the upper has some lovely feedback on the ball. Of course, leather won’t be as thin as a knit or a synthetic, but given my bias towards leather boots, people will understand why I enjoy dribbling in the Leather Tech.

Grip

The soleplate is the one area of the boot that I feel has improved when compared to previous leather Preds. While I liked the previous soleplate we got on the earlier models, for me it felt a bit too basic, and the new soleplate feels more performance-oriented, in my view.

What is frustrating is that adidas did not give us an AG option for the Leather Tech, and this feels like a big miss, as demand for AG options feels like it is increasing. And while I personally wore this FG outsole on AG and didn’t have many issues, this is the norm for me, and I do not recommend these be worn on AG.

Again, I do really like this outsole, and there is some nice stability through the midfoot, and the overall structure feels better built than what was previously on offer. This is probably because, in addition to the Powerspine (which, again, is for stability rather than anything else), the heel area has an extra external piece which helps reinforce the stability of the bottom part of the heel.

Lastly, I am still frustrated that so many brands are still using wearable finishes on their soleplates. They’re pointless.

The best Predator 26, but not the best modern leather Pred

The adidas Predator 26 Leather Tech is by far the best Predator 26 model. The leather upper is easier to break in, the midfoot feels softer, and the overall quality feels a step above what else has been offered. In general, it’s a good option for a control boot, and a nice alternative to the knit and synthetic control boots on the market. In spite of this high praise, the Leather Tech is the weakest of the Predator leather releases we have seen over the past several years. While I do really appreciate that adidas does still offer several leather Predators every year, it feels like we are going backwards with Leather Tech, and we should expect more from adidas.

What do you think of the adidas Predator 26 Leather Tech? Please share this with your friends and make sure to follow me on Instagram.

Instead of my usual plug for socks or financial support for my blog, if you enjoyed this, please consider making a donation to either the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, https://www.pcrf.net/ or to the UN Crisis Relief for DR Congo, https://crisisrelief.un.org/en/donate-drc-crisis

じゃあね！