The world of Puma has always been one of the most intriguing to follow within the soccer world. Puma is set on always having a legitimate leather option available on the market, and they are also the only brand that doesn’t seem to spend a massive amount of press and effort on being stuck in the past. Their newest venture into the world is the Puma ONE, but that doesn’t mean that Puma is going to be limited to one boot style. That’s just not how Puma works.
The first version of the Puma ONE is the standard 17.1. This bad boy is crafted with a thick calf leather, evoKnit collar, and a stud pattern that could only have been crafted by the good folks over at Puma HQ. You get a really comfortable feel right out of the box, but the ONE (in all its forms) is built on a slightly narrow last so be careful about snagging a boot if you find yourself with a wider than average foot. Puma does some impressive stuff with any type of leather, but this launch version does sit a bit behind the second version that we were introduced to.
The second Puma ONE that we were introduced to is the Lux. Crafted with the same build as the standard 17.1, the Lux has exchanged the calf leather for some plush kangaroo leather. Any player that has followed Puma for a very long time knows that they might be the best non-Mizuno brand when it comes to working with a premium leather like kangaroo leather. From old school Kings and Top Di boots, all the way to their newer boots, if they drape the boot in kangaroo leather, it’s going to be a winner. The fit is still shockingly similar, but the leather isn’t quite as thick and you can definitely tell that the leather is quite a bit nicer. It’s a boot that shines a bit brighter than the other options, and we’re sure that it won’t be the only K-leather option the ONE gets to experience (especially since most of the professionals probably enjoy this version).
The most recently launched version of the Puma ONE is the Chrome and where the standard 17.1, and the Lux crafted everything to be a comfortable package that’s all about glorious leather touch, the Chrome is all about speed. Having recently axed the super lightweight evoSpeed SL, it would make sense that the brand currently holding claim to the lightest standard production boot would want to get back into the speed market. A micro-fiber upper gives an entirely different feel on the ball than what the ONE typically offers, but a bit of the comfort is sacrificed. This boot will be a huge winner for people that have been looking for a slightly higher cut offering to still give them a speed boot feel. Sadly, much like other Puma boots on the market, it may never get the player uptake necessary to ever really make a market impact.
The Puma ONE will go down as another Puma boot that will win over the players willing to give it a decent try, but a boot that most players will skip in favor of something with three stripes or a Swoosh. We’re big fans over here at Instep HQ (just check out Hunter’s review), and know that if you ever have the option to try anything from the big cat that’s draped in leather, it’s a chance you simply can’t pass up on.
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