Straight away the Puma evoTOUCH 1 caught my attention with it’s calf skin leather upper mixed with a knitted sock. This is something that Nike has not even done. Puma introduced the evoTOUCH as a boot designed to help the creative midfielder to gain that extra bit of advantage with a soft leather upper and a well fitting and grippy shoe.
The Look
The evoTOUCH came to me in its Black/White/Safety Yellow colorway that actually looked very nice. The leather on the shoe is black with a white synthetic form stripe with some Safety Yellow accents around the boot including the bottom of the shoe that features a SpeedTrack spine running down the middle of the soleplate. Overall, the launch colorway and appearance of the boot looks great. I can’t wait to see what Puma puts out in terms of colorways for this silo.
The Touch
The evoTOUCH 1 impressed me in terms of performance as well. It features a calf skin leather upper to provide stellar touch and comfort. I will get to the comfort, but the touch on the evoTOUCH is perfect for a player looking for the lockdown of a socked boot, while gaining all of the benefits of leather. The sock that features a part that goes up your Achilles, is made from evoKnit which is Puma’s new knitted material. The material is soft and very stretchable while keeping its shape. I personally liked this sock material compared to the other brand’s socks or collars. I am really looking forward to seeing if Puma brings the evoKnit to a full upper.
Back to the boot at hand, the evoTOUCH 1 had GripTex technology on the inside of the collar and on the insole to provide the ultimate grip to keep your foot from moving around. I was told that the evoTOUCH 1 does not feature the same GripTex as the evoTOUCH Pro, but I actually found the boot to still give me some incredible lock down.
During all of my testing, which includes drills, games, and just free kicks, I never felt any discomfort or slippage while playing. The upper is a little stiff out of the box, but with wear it loosens up and performs the part.
The soleplate is made from TPU plastic with all conical studs to give the player the ability to twist and turn on a dime with ease. I personally love soleplates that feature conical studs because it feels more natural and comfortable for me to play in. A SpeedTrack spine is found running down the middle of the soleplate to give the player more stability while playing rather than a flimsy plate underneath your feet. The big win for me here is the full leather upper with a knitted sock, bringing the old in with the new. If you are a defender or midfielder, I highly recommend picking these up for comfort and a nice leather touch.
The Feel
Comfort and touch are the name of the game for the evoTOUCH so you can probably guess that this shoe is comfortable for a wide variety of foot types. Little GripTex areas are spread across the inside of the sock and insole to give more stability and security while playing in the boot. The leather keeps your foot comfortable as well by allowing a little bit of stretch to accommodate all foot types. The evoTOUCH 1 is one of the most comfortable and well fitting boots I have worn in a long time. If you are looking for comfort and a leather upper for your next boot, this may be your choice.
Bang For Your Buck
The evoTOUCH 1 is a high end socked cleat with high quality leather, so you would expect the boot to retail for around $275 right? Well that is its older brother the evoTOUCH Pro. The evoTOUCH 1 retails on SoccerPro.com right now at $152.99. In my mind, that is a great deal on a cleat that performs like a high end boot.
Who’s Wearing It?
Santi Cazorla and Cesc Fabregas are the headline athletes for the evoTOUCH line. Both are midfielders and are playing at top London clubs in the EPL. The evoTOUCH was designed for players such as them and any player that is looking for comfort and a nice leather boot with modern innovations.
The Verdict
The evoTOUCH 1 impressed me during the testing period. It held up through all of my tests and games, offered a great leather touch, and was extremely comfortable. The only complaint I had was that it was a little heavier than I would have preferred in a boot. Overall, a solid cleat that offers a lot of different types of players the comfort and touch they desire.
Sizing: True to size
at 19:18
A couple questions:
The studs look rather long. Are they (Puma has had some longish studs in the past) or is it just a bit of a trick of the picture?
With that in mind, would you wear them on turf? I also ask based on the fact that Puma has recently been issuing 90 day / natural surface only guarantees and warnings.
Any idea if there’s a drop in quality in the junior version? My daughter plays high end football, but has short (men’s 5-ish) feet that are too wide for a comfortable women’s fit.
at 08:30
I’ve been using these for about a year now so since the season started in march, and I’ve been wearing them on all surfaces turf,grass etc. They are fine and last very well and are very very comfortable. I only had to sport about sore feet the first time I played with them with the first game, but it wasn’t even that bad and I didn’t get blisters. So I basically wore them in after 1 session which is great.
at 07:04
My feet wide and im wearing evopower.do I fit for evotouch? I mean for wide feet
at 16:06
I got the new all-black version and the heel counter is killing me. Nasty blisters after just 40 minutes of play. I love the rest of the boot, but can’t wear them. Puma is not granting me a return either. Any suggestions and have you heard this from others?