Peacoat Puma evoPower

Dropping in Peacoat and Bright Plasma, the highly-anticipated Puma evoPOWER 1.2 has made its debut. If you follow us, you already know we kind of worship at the evoPOWER altar. The first incarnation was a runaway hit here, both in terms of style and performance. Released early last year, the 1.1 rode a wave of respect and admiration to finish 2014 as one of our top two boots of the year. Now, a full year later, we welcome the next-generation member to the family.

Before we get to the technical improvements, we should evaluate the new paint job. With a navy blue “Peacoat” providing the base, the “Bright Plasma” red tint highlights the rest. Undoubtedly it’s a sharp and gorgeous colorway, but it is more of the same in terms of colors from Puma. This is basically an inverse of the launch color scheme of the evoPOWER 1.1 – just without the yellow accents. Still, it’s difficult to say which I like better, as they both have a vivid palette without getting obnoxious about it.

On Pitch: Puma evoPower

The evoPOWER is still focused on capturing that barefoot feel. AdapLite – the soft, stretchy microfiber material – remains on the upper to allow your foot to bend as much as possible. To assist your accuracy in striking the ball, AccuFoam is still around as well; its foam inserts providing a nice, clean surface to wallop the ball.

The biggest addition is the introduction of GripTex, which covers areas of the upper that touch the ball most frequently. This is supposed to (much like adidas’ Dribbletex on their brand new F50) enhance grip on the ball when dribbling in wet or dry conditions. It will be interesting to see if people appreciate the inclusion of GripTex, or consider it unnecessary. The other interesting change is the less pronounced, more streamlined EverFit cage, which is there to provide extra support and stability. Instead of last version’s bulky cage, the 1.2 features a sleeker look that is more in character with the rest of the boot. The old EverFit cage stood out in a jarring way.

Puma evoPOWER side

evoPower 1.1

Navy Puma evoPower

Much less noticeable on the 1.2

Wall of evoPowers

On the bottom, the outsole doesn’t see any upgrades on this evoPOWER edition. The Gradual Stability Frame still allows for that natural barefoot bend that Puma so craves on the evoPOWER.

In the press release for this new boot, Cesc Fabregas is quoted as saying, “Football can be won and lost in small margins”. He’s right, and Puma has gone to great lengths to prove that the evoPOWER isn’t just seen as a power boot. Pinpoint accuracy may only become part of your game with loads of practice time, but Puma wants to align this release with improved accuracy. So they staged an advertisement with Mario Balotelli (embodying power) and Fabregas (accuracy) challenging each other in a “Head to Head” matchup to find out which side wins out. You can see for yourself when these go on retail February 2nd.

Bonus Boot Reveal!

Bright Plasma Puma evoSpeed

In Action: Puma evoSpeed

Just so it didn’t feel left out, the evoSPEED saw a lovely new colorway release today with the introduction of the evoPOWER 1.2. In a reverse of its counterpart, the colors are Bright Plasma with white and Peacoat. Following in the footsteps of the black and mint green version and the recent AFCON special release, it’s another really solid colorway for the evoSPEED. You should see Sergio Aguero, Radamel Falcao, and Antoine Griezmann step into these shortly.

 

Tags: , , , , ,