Shine Through Hypervenom Phelon

The Look

Right out of the box, the blue soleplate grabbed my attention. These are from Nike’s Shine Through collection, which dropped late last year and all had a mainly white upper, which really makes the soleplates stand out. The Nike swoosh has a mix of the same blue found on the soleplate and a reddish-pink color. I had the opportunity to take these out to the field after some snow and these truly do shine with the white, snowy background. Now these won’t look as nice as the Hypervenom Phantom, because they are the third takedown model in the line up, but the design and look of the shoe are a lot more similar than most other takedowns. For $75 dollars, it truly is hard to find a takedown boot that looks as good as the Hypervenom Phelon.

The Touch

Hypervenom Phelon closeup

When I first pulled these bad boys out of my soccer bag, the synthetic was much softer than I thought they would be. It’s called a Ten.O trophy synthetic, used by Nike in lieu of their Nikeskin. Now don’t get me wrong here, it’s nowhere near as soft as a Phantom or Mercurial Vapor but as far as a cheaper boot goes, it’s pretty soft.

The weight of the boot is not an issue either. They are fairly light, but once again, nothing like a higher end model.

The fit is actually surprisingly nice. I had no issues with discomfort and I never had to readjust the shoes while playing.  Being a “striker’s” boot, the Phelon gives you a clean striking zone with the laces being pushed towards the outside of your foot. The soleplate has conical studs on it, which helps give you more ability to make more quick and agile movements.

Playing in the Phelon, I experienced no issues. I was able to play normally and found the boots quite nice to perform in. I did miss the higher synthetic while playing and I did not feel as close to the ball as I would have wanted. The Phelon is a tough one to judge as it is not a horrible boot, but it isn’t one I would automatically grab to go play with every match. Durability is no issue in the Phelon, as I pushed these to the limits and they only showed signs of wear. As far as performance goes, the Phelon is good for a lower quality boot, but nothing that will be competing with higher quality boots.

The Feel

Nike Hyperevenom Phelon outsole

These fit surprisingly well on my feet. I have average to slightly wider width feet and I had very few issues during testing. I experienced some tightness around my foot for the first few sessions I played in them, but this went away after some time in the boot. After the break in was fully complete, the boots where actually fairly comfortable and caused zero issues during the rest of my testing.  The boot needs a bit more time to mold to your foot since it is a lower quality synthetic material. Personally, I would choose these over the Mercurial Victory line if I had to choose a lower level boot from Nike. Overall, the boots felt much better than I thought they would be going in.

Bang For Your Buck

With a $75 dollar price tag on the Phelon, you do get a good boot for what you pay. Occasionally, you can find a higher quality previous generation boot for around the $75-$90 price range so if you are looking for quality, there are other options, but if you are a fan of a current colorway and don’t want to break the bank, then the Phelon is for you.

The VerdictNike Hypervenom Phelon - Shine Through

The Hypervenom Phelon is never going to be nominated for “Boot of the Year” in our Boot-ies awards, but is a higher quality boot than you might think. As far as the performance of the boot, remember, no soccer cleat will make you a better player. The boot held up to two weeks of testing and showed no signs of damage.

I would personally recommend the Phelon to anyone who is starting to play soccer or is just looking to stay current with the latest color ways. The Hypervenom line is always cranking out new and in my opinion, cooler colorways with every new pack from Nike. So if you are someone looking to get into the Nike Hypervenom line up, and you want to look like Neymar or Isco without breaking the bank, then checkout the Hypervenom Phelon.

Sizing: Runs true to size.

3 / 5 stars     
 

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