Puma King Finale Play Test
The King Finale football boots are the latest release from Puma, and the next to carry the world famous 'King' name. Puma King football boots have built a reputation for quality, comfort and performance, and as Puma have told us the Finale is set to rival the adiPure and Legend, we thought we'd see how they perform in the SoccerBible Play Test...
Initial reactions to a boot can be a very personal thing, as the aesthetics may not appeal to everyone. But with the Puma King Finale in hand, there is universal agreement that the boot is made from an incredibly soft and comfortable feeling leather upper. There were a few eyebrows raised over the new tongue, which seems to grab everyone's attention, but apart from this the boot looks great.
Okay, we'll fess up from the start as the eagle-eyed amongst you will have noticed the boot we play tested were the hard ground versions. At the time of doing the play test (which you may notice is dry and even sunny!), these were the boots our friends at Puma were able to supply for us. But to be honest, apart from the outsole these versions have the same construction and materials as the firm and soft ground versions.
When first trying the boots on we were genuinely, not surprised but impressed, at how comfortable the new Puma King feels. The boot feels soft and there are no areas where the foot is constricted in any way, thanks to the new wider boot last. This initial comfort is always a good sign for a new boot, if there's a hint of the much sought after out-of-box performance, then the chances are the boot will be a good performer.
After a gentle warm-up session, it was time to bring a ball into play to see what kind of touch and feel the King Finale offers. With a quality soft leather upper you get a really good feel for the ball, just ask fans of the Tiempo, Morelia, adiPure and Pantofola d'Oro football boots, so does the King Finale compare? Well yes it does, where the previous King XL had a boxed toe area, Puma have addressed this with the Finale and it's all-over soft toe area, instep and outstep give you a great touch for the ball.
Let's be honest, the type of player who's going to wear the new Puma King Finale isn't the type of player who's going to wear pink Superfly's or green adizero's. But you need to know that if you're going to be on the same pitch as these players, you have a chance of keeping up. We did various sprints and turning drills, and the boots performed well because of the comfortable snug fit which made turning at high pace quite easy. Our only gripe though, is that Puma have retained the rounded stud sole-plates, which don't give the best possible traction, and instantly give the boots a dated look.
The Puma King football boots owe a large portion of their fame to such wearers as Pele, Maradona, Eusebio and Cruyff. What all these players have in common is being great attackers who scored spectacular goals, for this reason the King will always has certain expectations. In a modern boot market that features a host of innovative technologies and materials, it won't surprise you to hear that when our play testers started to strike the ball there wasn't anything spectacular. But there was universal agreement that the Finale won't let you down in front of goal, plus the new heel counter provides a stable platform for the planted foot.
The Puma King Finale boot was comfortable to start with, and remained comfortable throughout our play test session. There doesn't seem to be a 'breaking in' period, just ask Mikel Arteta he'd agree, and the boots didn't cause any pains, soreness or rubbing. There weren't any obvious signs of particular wear and tear on the boots, so we think these King's follow previous versions as being a durable boot.
