Nike CTR 360 Maestri Elite II Review
Well I’m holding in my hands a brand new pair of Nike CTR 360 Maestri FG’s, and they are beautiful. The new red and white color way is stunning. I love the bright red color they have gone with on this shoe as it’s vibrant and has a glossy finish on it which makes the red really pop. The new boots features a lot of the same technology that made the previous Maestri such a success.
The shoe features the same Kanga-Lite upper that the older version had, giving you a soft smooth touch on the ball. It also resists water, which can be a problem with real K-leather, so it remains light on your feet even in the rain or muck. The biggest change on the boot has to be the addition of a carbon fiber soleplate. Carbon fiber is super light, but also super strong, so the fact that the weight of the Maestri II’s is 19% lighter than the previous version shouldn’t cause any concern on the durability front. It’s also supposed to give better grip and transfer more energy to the cleat points. For my part, I can’t feel the difference, but the one feature which does leave an impression is the memory foam insert.
The memory foam feature is unique to Nike and designed to give the ball more cushion when it hits your foot while not pressing back against it. This allows you to control the ball better on the run or volley, helping you line up passes, or grab that extra second to line up a shot. The one knock-on effect that I really enjoyed is how much the memory foam cradles your foot, removing any rubbing or chaffing from the instep of the soccer shoes right from the outset. It also serves to cushion the impact of another player’s studs on your foot as the memory seems to sort of suck them in and distribute the force over your whole foot, not just the point of the cleats.
They’ve also added a rubber pass plate to the instep of the shoe in order to give you better ball control and accuracy when you’re passing. It reminds me of the Total 90 Laser in that way, except it’s not ugly. At $179.99 they’re not too expensive, and I’m definitely happy I picked up a pair.
Written by: Matthew Wall, editor, soccerpro.com
Tags: Footy Equipment, nike
