The Predator 20.1 low cut variant has some significant difference from the mids.
We’ve recently reviewed the adidas Predator 20.1 and we were happy to see a return of a classic power boot. The rubber spikes have definitely caught the eye of every football fan but the community’s excitement for the low cut variation of the boot was palpable.
We got ourselves a pair of the Predator 20.1 low cut earlier this week and took it for a spin.To our surprise, the low cuts displayed some significant changes that went past its “sock” and could possibly alleviate the fit issues we faced with the mid cuts. The Resident Boot Nerd decided to team up with regular scribe, JayC, to share our experiences in both boots.
What are the similarities between the Predator 20.1 low cut and the mid?
Before we delve into each boot’s differences, let’s get the similarities out of the way.
Both boots feature the same textile based material that forms the upper. As we mentioned in the review of the mids, we found it to be quite rigid despite being very thin and we recommend that you spend some time breaking them in by wearing the boots at home for an hour before taking it to your game.
You’re not short-changed on those spikes either as both the Predator 20.1 low and mid cut variations feature the same number of spikes (250+) and are placed along the same areas of the upper. If you’ve got a wicked striking technique, expect the spikes to give you that extra grip and swerve. The spikes won’t turn you into Xavi overnight but if you’ve got decent ball control, you’ll definitely feel the spikes aiding you with every touch.
On the soleplate front, expect no changes with its flexible forefoot, split sole design and stiff mid-sole.
Tongue vs the Sock
The most obvious change has got to be the removal of the mid cut sock in place of a regular low cut construction that comes with a short tongue. The material used on both the mid cut sock and the tongue are quite different. While stretchy, the mid cuts material is relatively thin which gives a very close feel of the ball when making contact around the lace area.
The tongue on the Predator 20.1 low cut, however, is a bit thicker and slightly padded. We do like the soft suede lining on the underside of the tongue which is much more comfortable to the touch than the mid cut’s sock.
If looks are a concern, the low cut’s tongue doesn’t have the cool colour reveal effect of the sock when stretched across your feet. It’s a small issue and we’re quite torn about which we prefer. We like how the low cut tongue feels but the reveal effect does make the Predator look that much more premium.
The biggest difference – the fit
This one blew our mind. As stated in our review of the mid cuts, we had 2 main problems with the boot, out of the box. The mid-foot was just too tight while the toebox was too roomy. While we managed to break in our pairs to ease the mid-foot discomfort, there was still the problem of the gaping space around the toebox. We couldn’t go half a size down as that would totally crush our mid-foot.
The adidas Predator 20.1 low cut, however, fits differently. As you can see from the image above, the low cuts are a little wider around the middle which means it didn’t cause the same levels of discomforts the mid cuts did. Perhaps the change in construction around the mid-foot required adidas to tweak the fit – and we couldn’t be happier about it.
This allowed us to go half a size down to solve the toebox issue. Granted, the upper is still pretty stiff so do persist with our breaking in suggestions in our review before taking it to the pitch. That said, if you’ve got wide feet, we’d still recommend for you to try a different boot as the Predator’s still a relatively narrow boot.
External heel padding
Curiously, adidas included some extra padding around the heel of the Predator 20.1 low cut despite having the same amount of padding on the internal heel area for both variants. It’s not much to write home about but it’s noticeable upon closer inspection.
The low cut is the better boot
While we thought the only difference was going to be cosmetic, the improved fit in the Predator 20.1 low cut was a game-changer for us. We also think the low cut variation looks much better but that’s subjective of course. The sock does look cool but being able to perform in a football boot was more important to us. They’re both priced equally so why not go for the one that fits the best? Just our 2 cents.
So which boot do you prefer? You can get your pair of low or mid cut Predator 20.1 at this link here.
