First Impressions: Nike GS

Have we seen many bigger boot releases in the past few years? It sold out just 36 hours into its pre-sale on the UK, and with only 2012 pairs of the boot to go around, you had to be pretty lucky to get your hands on a pair. Fortunately, Soccer Reviews was able to grab a pair of the hottest football boots on the planet, and we are here today with our world exclusive first impressions of the boot.

Feeling the boots for the first time is definitely an awesome feeling. The boot is ridiculously light, it really does remind me of the first time I picked up a pair of synthetic F50 adiZeros and getting blown away by how light the boots were. Knowing that there are only 2012 pairs of the boot around at the moment just adds to the feeling. The upper and the mid foot of the boot really does crumple quite easily, you do not need to touch the boot too hard to see how much the upper gives away. This has one or two consequences we will raise later.

It seems the boot is definitely built on a Mercurial last, and the fit of the boot is something that I am rather uncomfortable about. Having tried on the Bright Mango Vapor VIII, I assumed that the Nike GS could be built on the same last and that US size 10 Nike GS should be alright for me. Boy was I wrong. The fit of the boot is very strange. The mid foot is very tight, but I am left with quite a lot of room around my toes due to the long fit of the boots. If I had gone a size down, then I would not be able to get my foot through the tight midfoot section. So I am left with a pair of boots that feel really tight through the midfoot, but make that squeaking noise whenever I walk or run because the toes are too roomy. I have not tried on the ‘Clash’ Mercurials or the Seaweed Vapor VIIIs, so I cannot say for sure that they have used the last from those boots on the Nike GS, but I am not very impressed about the fit of the GS.

I mentioned in the unboxing video of the boot that the breaking in time of the boot might be a long one due to the stiffness of the heel. I have used the boots three times and the heel still has not given in yet, meaning I am left with blisters on my heels each time I use the boot. This is also down to the lack of midfoot support. Since the midfoot is so thin, the upper crumbles between the section just above my ankle and heel every time I take a step. This rubs against my heel and makes the blisters even worse. I have got around the problem by wearing a pair of Trusox underneath my regular socks, which also helps in reducing the roomy feel around the toes.

But I have found that if I get my head over the poor fit and comfort of the boot and look at the performance aspects of the boot, you are looking at what could be one of the best speed boots of the market. As thin as the Kanga-Lite upper is, you get a brilliant feel for the ball that does feel halfway between the barefoot feel of the synthetic miCoach F50 adiZero and the assured touch of a lightweight Kangaroo Leather boot like the Mizuno Morelia Neo. Nike have found a happy medium with the addition of Kanga-Lite, but the boot performs well in general. Would I say this could be the best speed boot on the market? I am still not 100% convinced about that.

Do not forget to comeback in a few weeks time for our full in-depth review of the boot. Did you get a pair of the Nike GS? If so, are you playing in your boots?