The second PAN boot that has just been delivered to me, here is PAN’s attempt to take on the Power market. Boasting technology that will remind some of you of a certain Nike boot released a few years ago, it’s certainly an unusual boot created by PAN. Having worn them for an brief amount of time, here are my first impressions of the PAN Potenza II..
The first thing you’ll notice about these boots is the ‘Responsive Dual Strike’ area on top of the boot. Designed to improve kicking accuracy and power, it’s certainly an interesting concept from PAN. From right out the box, it’s flexible and you can’t tell its there when you run. Striking the ball is satisfying, but I haven’t used them enough to form a proper conclusion.
Unfortunately, there is no clear indication what type of leather is employed on the boot, and instead are restricted to a ‘Genuine Leather’ symbol on the side of the boot. It’s padded, arguably a little too padded, and fits okay. Basically, it’s a decent attempt from PAN to create a good leather boot, but it screams of cheapness.
Onto the design, there are so many aspects to it I don’t know where to start. The outside of the boot strikes me as a Mizuno Wave Ignitus minus the little pads on the toe area of the boot, which is a good indication of what I think of the boot since I like the Ignitus. The inside of the boot is completely different! There appears to be a few funny leaf like print that I can’t figure out. There is also text detailing the ‘Responsive Dual Strike’.
Final point, the studs. They are massive! Straight away, I can tell these would be completely unusable on turf. They are far too long, and PAN’s technology called the ‘stabilising frame’ would just make it dangerous. They remind me of the Nike T90 Laser style blades, which I thought were decent! It’ll be interesting to see how I get on with them.
So there you have it, my initial thoughts on PAN’s Potenza II. They seem an okay boot so far, and I’m looking forward to testing them properly. The full review will be up by the end of May, so keep an eye out for that! What are your thoughts on these boots? Leave your comments below!
About Jon Nicholson