2018 Asics Football Boot Comparison Review

Josh reviews and compares 4 cutting-edge boots in the Asics football boot range for 2018; the Lethal Testimonial 4 IT, Menace, Lethal Tigreor IT FF and Lethal Flash IT.

He provides insight into key features of the footy boots including upper material, cushioning systems, HG10mm technology and sprig configuration to help you assess which is best suited for your individual needs coming into the next football season.

Check out the full review with transcript below.

Hi guys, Josh from Sportitude here today for a football boot review.

What I’ve got in front of me here is 4 key boots from the Asics football boot range. We’re looking at the Menace, Lethal Testimonial 4 IT, Tigreor IT FF and the Lethal Flash IT.

I would say the Menace, Testimonial and Tigreor are their top of the line models. There are some subtle differences between each of those that may be applicable to you and the boot you’re looking for this season.

There’s also the Lethal Flash. Essentially this little guy comes in a slightly middle range boot, however there is a lot to like about that boot for the price it is.

Lethal Testimonial 4 IT

I’d like to talk about the Testimonial first. The reason I’m going to the Testimonial is it’s the IT 4 model. This is the new colour for 2018 however the boot has been the same for 3 years in terms of the engineering. They haven’t changed anything about the sole or the sprig configuration and it’s still a kangaroo leather upper. Obviously, the only things that have changed are the colour.

In terms of where this boot sits, it’s designed for a firmer ground. Now the sprigs are a little bit longer, just subtly longer than what you’re looking at from the others in the moulded series.

Therefore, some players have found some success using it on a slightly softer deck if need be. Asics have used a nylon outsole with this boot. It is naturally a little bit harder underneath the foot.

What they have done with the tips of the sprigs is use a PU blended base, a polyurethane base to give it some sort of cushioning in the sprig configuration, but not to the naked eye. If I press down on that it’s not going to give.

However, when you’re running you put more force through your foot and it’s going to give slightly. That’s the Lethal Testimonial.

There’s a few colours in the range this year so hit the product pages below to have a closer look at the options.

Menace

The next boot I’d like to talk about is the Menace. Second season of this little guy here, it was an absolute cracker last year. We sold a lot in store to our football boot clients and obviously online it was a big seller as well.

This is the sky blue colourway, there’s going to be the black carryover and there’s also a light glacier grey colour as well. Again, under this video hit the product pages for a closer look.

What’s different about this boot in comparison to the Testimonial? The way we’ve been selling the Menace is as a happy hybrid. It sits between the Tigreor and Testimonial.

It’s a lighter boot, it’s a Teijin synthetic. What that essentially means is it has a little bit of give. It’s been laser cut so its going to be a lot lighter and it won’t absorb the moisture, that’s a big one.

If you’re a football player that plays in a relatively wet climate, just know this little fella here doesn’t absorb the moisture of rain, wet grass, whatever it be.

It’s a fantastic boot for that option. Being a lighter boot on top you don’t get that soft kicking feel which you do get from your Testimonial and Tigreor, however it is cushioned enough.

There’s other synthetic boots in the market which are quite thin. This little guy doesn’t feel that way. When you put it on it does feel like you’ve got a leather boot on your foot.

Asics launched Teijin synthetic materials about five years ago with a footy boot, I think it was the Gel Ultimate. However, they dropped it away for a couple of years and brought it back in this little guy here new and improved.

All 4 boots in front of me have a HG10mm heel to toe gradient. What that essentially means is they’ve lifted the heel 10mm, taking a lot of stress off the calf and Achilles. This is great for football players because 90 percent of football boots on the market are on a 0mm drop, so there is a lot of stress and strain going through that lower Achilles insertion into the base of your heel.

Tigreor IT FF

The next boot is the Tigreor. This is a new and improved boot in 2018 and the reason why is because they’ve injected their FlyteFoam midsole into this boot.

FlyteFoam cushioning system is their new midsole they’re going to roll into all their top of the line running shoes and it’s the first time they’ve put it into a football boot.

It’s nice and light, very cushioned, very responsive. They’ve made their most supportive moulded boot even more supportive.

With the Tigreor, if I just turn it around and compare it to the Testimonial, you can see the Testimonial has quite a bit of forgiveness in the back of the boot. The external heel counter or heel base comes down at the base of the ankle or the base of the heel. It provides a bit of flexibility depending on the width of your foot at the back in relation to your heel.  

However, the Tigreor is deeper and has an internal heel counter so for ankle support, this little guy is the one. It has a lot more support potentially for someone who is a little bit heavier or does a lot more jumping.

The sprig configuration underneath the bottom here is very similar to what they did last year. They put a lot of focus around underneath the first met head through the forefoot.

If I flip the Testimonial upside down you can see you’ve got the 3 sprigs splitting around the forefoot toe off area, whereas if you hone in on the Testimonial on the medial side you’ve got 5 sprigs also covering that toe off phase. There’s a lot more control and traction for when you need to sprint and take off quite quickly.

However, the base is a little bit stiffer in comparison to the Testimonial. That’s one thing to point out with the Tigreor. It is a more supportive boot, deeper in the heel counter, has a stiffer base and has a few more moulded sprigs around the forefoot.

Lethal Flash IT

I want to jump on to the Lethal Flash. I wouldn’t expect you to know this at home but the base of this is cut off of their Legacy from last year. It was a very popular boot, particularly on the rugby scene. We saw a lot of Lethal Legacy out on the pitch with rugby and they’ve rolled it over into their football boot series.

On the front of the box it does say rugby, however I’ve seen a lot of key players in the AFL wear this boot purely because they’re a bit heavier and do more jumping and landing. Jarryd Roughead for example was one player that wore this engineered boot last year in 2017 and obviously he is a fairly decent football player so I’d back that highly.

In terms of the shoe itself it has an internal heel counter like the Tigreor so it is nice and strong. It has a very similar sprig configuration through the forefoot.

It’s got a few more sprigs through that toe of phase than what you get from your Tigreor, which has 5 through the medial forefoot in comparison to 8 in the Lethal Flash to give your foot a little more traction when you’re toeing off. Again, yes it makes the boot a little stiffer, but the support is there so it’s warranted.

It has a HG10mm heel to toe gradient and on their Solyte midsole platform. Solyte was the old EVA foam they used to use before they started engineering FlyteFoam technology.

Solyte is still floating around you see it in some of their lower end running shoes, however they use Solyte EVA in this little boot to provide assistance when running.

That’s a key factor. The reason the Tigreor and Flash have got the EVA FlyteFoam and Solyte is because they're a little stiffer and a bit firmer underfoot. By injecting that midsole gives the foot a little bit more protection underneath when you’re running around.  

In terms of the boots they’ve done it again. Asics have engineered a new and improved Tigreor, they’ve carried the Lethal Testimonial over, they’ve carried the Menace in a few more colours and obviously the Flash which is a fantastic addition to their moulded football boot series for 2018.

There are a few more boots in their range like the Lethal Ultimate series which we will do another video on separately because there’s a lot more about those boots I’d like to dive into to give you more detail.

Fantastic guys, hopefully this has given you information at home to make your football boot selection easier.

Until then happy running. See you next time.