First Impressions: Adidas LZ SL

For the past few months, Adidas have bombarded us with a constant barrage of LZ based commercials and viral ads centered around the five Lethal Zones. A step in a new direction, and a step that has brought the outcry of many from the footballing world. With the release of the LZ, Adidas have continued in their recent trend of releasing an SL version with each of their silos. The Predator LZ is no different, and, a few weeks before this boot would be available to the world, we got our hands on a pair.Check out our review of the adidas Predator LZ and the Predator LZ SL!

Around a week ago, we lifted the lid on our most SR’s most recent acquisition- The Predator LZ SL. With the arrival of the LZ being met with an extreme amount of negative internet activity, it came as no surprise that the SL version was met with even MORE apprehension. Would a boot that’s success hinged so greatly on it’s “Zones” be accepted with less obvious zones and with an even thinner synthetic? Perhaps Adidas should have learned something from the disappointing boot that was the adiPower SL, either by making a better boot or by discontinuing the SL Predator altogether.

From a personal standpoint, I thought that this boot would be a complete and utter disappointment. I was among those naysayers that felt wronged when I heard that the new Predator wouldn’t have any leather involved, and I was also very aware of the scant uptake on the adiPower SL. Factor in that I’ve never truly been a big ‘speed boot’ fan, and you have a recipe for complete disaster. For a long-time Predator lover (I still break out some of the older models from time to time), this was certainly going to provide an interesting pairing.

After arriving directly from Adidas HQ in Germany, I was amazed to find that the comfort was amazing from the start! For someone that has had pain issues on most synthetics, the fact that I only had to wear these into one practice before feeling they were “game-ready” is amazing. I did notice some slight creasing on the front of the boot, but they haven’t affected the boot’s performance and they don’t seem to be causing any soleplate/upper separation. With the upper adidas has used on the SL, it actually does conform to the foot. I have had a few small ‘break-in-blisters,’ but nothing that would lead me to believe that anyone would have big problems with this boot.

The zones are definitely present on the boot, and I certainly have tried to see if any of them truly felt like they were affecting my game. The ‘dribble zone’ on the outside of my boot seems to have little true affect, but it is certainly the most recessed of all the zones on the SL. The ‘first touch’ zone seems to be one that I’m hoping will one day provide with a very visual “OH, that’s what its supposed to do,” moment, but I think it would be better served as being seen as a few extra fins to just add that little bit extra to your shots.

The ‘drive zone’ does provide a satisfying strike, and I’m anxious to see how different the zone is on the SL and on the regular LZ. The ‘sweet spot’ is the zone that I was most anxious to test, and it does provide a bit of a placebo effect when preparing to curl a ball. Whether that truly helps or not is irrelevant after you start back away in celebration after a curled goal or free-kick. As stated in the video, there is only an outline on the SL where the ‘pass zone’ or ‘pass pad’ is going to be on the normal LZ…so, it only makes me anxious to see the effect that we will see from the normal LZ.

This boot is quite impressive, and I have certainly been pleasantly surprised at how much I have enjoyed these boots. Will this boot have a greater uptake than the adiPower SL? Or, will people still shy away from the greater price tag that always accompanies an SL release? The possibility that this boot could become somewhat of a ‘cult classic’ wouldn’t surprise me…it isn’t like we haven’t seen that before from an adidas SL release (adiPure IV SL…am I right?).

We’ll have the review up as soon as possible (a few weeks), but we wanted to let you know a little more before that time comes. What do you think of the LZ SL? Will you be purchasing this boot? Would you consider purchasing it if the price tag ($250) was a bit lower? Leave us your thoughts in the comments.