Soccer Equipment Reviews

We turn our eyes once again to Nike’s Total Laser collection, to review the same shoe, just this time it has no studs. In our previous review of the Total 90, we found that the cleat was a pleasing soccer boot, but now we’re reviewing the cleats’ other side. The indoor side. After extensive testing and studies, here’s Soccer Equipment Reviews’ intake on the shoe-

The indoor version of the Total 90 Laser looks the same, if not identical to the cleat. There is no variation between the two, except of course what’s on the bottom. However, while it’s looking the same as the cleat, the indoor boot is actually quite different than the cleat. To start off, the indoor version is lighter. It weighs a mere, 9.8 oz, at the same time the cleat scales at 11.4 oz. Although it may not seem like much of a difference, 2.6 oz is a big difference between boot weights.

The materials in which the cleats are comprised of are also obviously different. The 90 Laser cleat is made of Nike’s premium synthetic leather, while the indoor version is made of heavier, denser leather. The one thing that I believe is lacking in the indoor shoe which Nike could have fixed up is its breathability.

The cleat has a technology named eVENT, which effectively wicks moisture and sweat off the foot. On the other hand, Nike has not embedded any such technologies into the indoor Laser. I understand that the cleat and indoor shoe will always be different, but I think that Nike should have placed eVENT into the indoor boot. As I said in a review about the Indoor Predators, indoor shoes tend to make my feet smell bad, and Nike has not changed that one bit. My feet continue to wreak after wearing indoor boots.

The inside of the indoor Laser is pretty uncomfortable. My feet are cramped up in there, even when I have a half inch of space free in the toebox. The narrowness of the shoe causes extreme discomfort in my foot, especially on the sides of my foot in the metatarsal region. And if I try out a larger size, the shoe will just slip off my foot! The sizing of the indoor shoe is a confusing and weird one at that.

Although I hate to say it, I recommend you not to go buy this shoe. The cleat, the Total 90 Laser II, is a great purchase, but the indoor shoe is not.