As I have said in the past I have never really had any other boots whilst growing up than Nike ones. However occasionally I have opted for a few Adidas pairs and they have treated me well. A few month ago now whilst looking around JD Sports I came across these Adidas X Tango 17.3 turf boots and seen as they were on sale at the time for just £15 I though I would pick them up and give them a try. Especially with our garden just being redone and getting some training equipment for in here I wanted something to wear when the ground was harder than usual and these turf ones were the perfect fit for the scenario.
The thing that tempted me the most towards these boots was the colourway. I absolutely love the red and white with the red dots all over the front of the upper with the big X logo towards the heel on the inside and the Adidas logo on the outer. Team these colours and the pattern up with the black sock like cuff around the ankle and you are onto a winner. The boots are a mid cut due to this sock like cuff but I honestly do believe this makes the boot a like sturdier and gives your ankles that extra little bit of support. This part is made out of a breathable fabric which continues down the boot to for what would be the tongue making the boots seem like a one piece boot.
This gives you a sock like fit which to be honest is a good idea but as the boots fit nice and snug around the front of the foot you really have no room for movement, you can't adjust this part. In fact it actually made the boot really difficult to get on as it doesn't give you much stretch at all. Thank to the way this boot is formed together too in my opinion it makes the laces just look like they stand too far out, with the little eyelets on the outer boot, it isn't for me. I like my upper to be as clear as possible so I can get as good of a touch on the ball as possible, plus I like to took in my laces, something that isn't possible with these. I opted for a size 7 in these as with my Nike sports socks they fit fine, but change those socks to football ones and I wish I went just half a size up for comfort purposes, with them fitting so snug they are definitely going to take some getting used to.
The rubber soleplate is perfect for the turf, but also thanks to them not being too long in length you can actually use these on hard grass and even concrete if needed meaning I can go into the garden or just kick the ball about in the street with them on and it wont really affect anything no sliding around unnecessarily. Some people may think you can feel every single bit of rubber through the bottom of the boot but you don't feel a thing as the actual insole is nice and thick too. The boot is actually really lightweight too to say it is a takedown model which I was really surprised by.
In terms of the actual play in these you get a nice connection with the ball with the side even with the dots as these aren't too raised. The only problem I had was getting a clean strike through the ball with them on as the laces just seemed so bulky and in the way. Passing wise though you are fine as the inside feels perfect. It is the same with control the side is fine, the ball doesn't slide straight off but if the ball hits the top it is going to hit those laces. With them feeling like sock fit too at times I forgot I had them on but you don't feel too much of the ball you feel just the right amount. I will definitely have to test them out in the wet though as with them having a bit of a shiny finish it will be interesting to see if the ball roles away or if you can't still get a good touch.
I honestly believe if I had to give these a rating it would have to be a 3.5 out of 5, yeah they are were really cheap due to being in the sale but I doubt I would pay full price for them they are just too hard to get on in the first instance and until they are properly broken in they are a little too tight. On the plus side though they are good enough for just kicking the ball around in the garden, who knows after doing this a little longer they may end up changing my mind but as it stands this is all they would be used for. They do really stand out though which is something I really look for in a boot, I don't want to blend in, I want to stand out.
So there you have it that's my thoughts on the Adidas X Tango 17.3 turf variant. What would you like to see next?
See you soon
Lucy
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