Is it that good that they had to name it twice?
In a surprising turn of events, Puma has announced a third generation of the Puma Ones. Boot silos usually have a lifespan of 1-2 years but the Puma One has seen a bit of turnover with the first generation One releasing as recently as June 2017 followed by an improved upgrade in January 2018 with the Puma One 18.1. The same can be said of the Puma Future as well, launching its first iteration in November and having it replaced with the Future 2.0.
With the extremely originally named “Puma One 1”, their designers have been working on an all-in-one solution based on their principles of “Fit, Fast, Feel”. In terms of fit, they have taken the excellent Evoknit sock from the Evopower Vigor and combined it with the Fusefit technology to enable more lacing options closer to the top of the boot. No doubt inspired by the idea of customizability by the Puma Future.
Another feature taken from the Evopower Vigor has been the grip bumps that appear on the forefoot. These were meant to help with control by regulating any uneven surfaces when contacting the ball. Aiding in the “feel” department is the improved K-leather which is thinner and softer, laid just over the grip dots. Finally, the Puma One’s “fast” factor sees the soleplate improved with a weight reduction with a new external heel counter and stud configuration to aid in increased traction and maneuverability via a mix of blades and conical studs.
While ideal in its visionary concept, we haven’t really been sure with what the Puma One silo brings. It meshes elements of control and speed boots into a package which looks and sounds good on paper but doesn’t seem to own any of these elements. It’s a speed boot for someone who wants a control boot. And vice-versa. The Puma One 1 does feel like a boot for everyone and no one in particular.
We do hope the Puma One takes off as it has amazing potential but it seems to be a product of a committee where everyone’s suggestions were included rather than something that can be the best solution to very focused needs by footballers.
[…] we see him in the Puma One 1 from his latest Belgium outing against Costa Rica. He scored a brace in the friendly and seems […]
[…] and he does so in the Puma One 1. We’ve had some reservations about the Puma One 1 in our first impressions article but this does look like a good step forward for the big cat. An engaging colour sported by other […]