Introducing the new boys in the football boot game… Concave.
First of all, I may as well introduce myself; I’m Ben Burgess (see left – wrong end of the pitch for me!) and I play upfront for Blackpool FC. I’m a footballer by day and a journalist by night so when Ransacker asked me to review some boots for them I jumped at the chance. Over the next few months I will be testing boots from the relatively unknown Concave PT+ to the legendary adidas Predator X. I hope you like my reviews and if you have any questions just let me know below.
You might be thinking how can a new and relatively unknown company compete with the big boys of Adidas and Nike? Well, in all honesty they probably won’t, but the people behind the Concave boots are certainly giving it a good go, and the tools of the trade appear to stand up to the challenge.
I was sent a pair of their elite range PT+ football boots in a dazzling white. They feature Concave’s secret weapon – The Vamp… no it’s not a bloodthirsty woman dressed in a cape but a stunning new concept in the often predictable footy boot world. The official description of the Vamp is an element that is made up of patented three-density PU-reinforced cushioning with lightweight foam for high performance. To me and you it’s a quite large piece of foam on the front of your football boots where the laces would normally be.
Concave claim ‘The Vamp’ results in 30% improved accuracy and 15% more power. Music to the ears of a striker like me who is always on the lookout for more goals. The bit that could interest the likes of Wayne Rooney and David Beckham is that the Vamp doubles as a safety component for those delicate little metatarsals that tend to get damaged just before big international tournaments.
All these claims are well and good in a scientist’s lab, but now it was time to give them the real test.
As soon as I unveiled the boots in the changing room at Blackpool all the lads were grabbing them because they looked so different. Everyone loved the look and style but they were less impressed with the Vamp. “How’s that going to work? Surely when you try and control the ball it will bounce off the big pad at the front?”
Even the gaffer, Ian Holloway, decided to get involved: “What the hell is that on the front of them boots?” he said!
I found myself defending my new football boots despite them only being in my clutches for about 30 minutes. “They said the same thing about the Adidas Predators, and look at them now.” I responded. I was now under a lot of pressure in my first training session as a Concave wearer.
As soon as you strike the ball you can feel the power. Whether it is as high as the claims made by Concave I’m not sure. The increased surface area at the front makes a difference and I nearly broke Billy Clarke’s ankle when I drilled a cross-field pass to him… or at least that’s how it looked to me.
For any Blackpool fans reading this I’m sorry to say that my shooting didn’t get any more accurate, in fact because I was trying to get so much power, it made me even more wayward!
I was quite interested to see how the safety aspect of the Concave PT+ football boots would play out. When you play football you are always getting your feet trodden on. This is especially a problem if, like me, you have size 10.5 feet. A few times our over-enthusiastic defenders trod on me and the Vamp really did work in cushioning the blow. Our physio was also impressed with the technology (probably because it means less work for him!).
Away from the stated benefits, I, like the other boys worried about controlling the ball. You almost feel that if it doesn’t hit the hard bit straight on then it could come off at all angles. Just like the sheriff’s badge syndrome we shout at anyone who does a wayward header. In reality it wasn’t that bad but it still wasn’t quite as instant as a ‘normal’ boot.
Comfort-wise the Concave PT+ football boots felt good if a little tight. I have always liked my boots snug so you can get a better feel of the ball, but for those who like a bit more room I would recommend going half a size up. After a week of training I still didn’t have any blisters or problems from the football boots, which is always a good sign.
Despite the Vamp on the front I still found the Concave PT+ football bootsquite lightweight which certainly helps if, like me, you’re not blessed with Usain Bolt’s pace.
Overall things look good for Concave on their debut in the big league of boot making. Just like early editions of the Adidas Predator they can seem a bit chunky but I’m sure as the technology advances and they get more feedback they will become a big player in the market with a boot that is right at the edge of where they want it to be.
Perhaps a sign of what’s to come is John O’Shea wearing the boots at the weekend against Chelsea. I know Danny Webber has been wearing them for a year or so but this is the first Premier League player that I know to be wearing the Concave PT+.
Are the Concave PT+ football boots worth the £100+ price-tag? I would say yes, and it will certainly get your team-mates talking when you pull them on and start smashing the ball past the opposition keeper. Expect more power and protection but don’t hold out too much hope for the added accuracy. Two out of three will do for me though.
How I rated the Concave PT+ Football Boots
Other Recommended Reading
- Football Boot News: John O’Shea signs with Concave!
- Pro-Test: Professional Footballer Boot Review
- Burgess’s Boots: Nike T90 Laser III Review
- The Professional Opinion
- Ransacker Rated: Umbro SX Valor II Football Boots
About the author
James is an experienced football journalist who edits two leading Premier League club mags. He has worked for Sky Sports and is endlessly complaining about shin splints. And Mark Lawrenson. His favourite boot is the Adidas Predator Powerswerve. Although it's rumored that he once owned a pair of Nicks boots!
Read more from James Evans and subscribe with RSS .
Hi James,
This is a terrific blog post you’ve added here. I was hoping I could send over a brief email to you regarding your post and the boots from Concave. I am hoping you can pull my email address from the post and just say a quick hello. Thanks much and I look forward to hearing from you.
- Nick
the concave pt1 are mint i want 2 try the pt+ but they are out of my price range for sunday league football
James and Ben,
On behalf of Concave thank you for taking the time to review our boots. Your thorough assessment was much appreciated. At Concave we are all football Fanatics and love the game. That is why we got into this to begin with. I can appreciate your comment about taking on the big boys, and quite honestly that was not why we started this thing to begin with. We love the game and the mantra since we began has been, and will continue to be, “Evolve the Game”. Our real mission is to try and improve the level of play for every player regardless of their level. As a long time player and ex adi boot wearer (with great respect given to adi) having now played in my caves (and yes I wear the ones off the shelf) for almost two years…..even in the masters games against the legendary Ian Rush and John Barnes I believe in my caves and honestly wouldn’t go back. We will always look to improve the product and will always take to heart what real players want from their boots. So your comment and to those that are willing to give caves a go, thank you in advance and know that we very much appreciate the opportunity to bring you the best product possible. Keep watching we are only going to get better
Respectfully,
Jim
CEO Concavesports
Hi Jim,
Good to hear from you! We don’t know many other CEO’s who would take the time to comment on their boots with such passion and if that is a sign of things to come from “cave” then we are equally as excited. Ben is more than happy to test any of your boots in the future.