Skechers’ entry into the market was one of the biggest stories in the world of football boots in 2023. The release of mystery unbranded pairs preceded a full launch headed by England captain and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane.
While Kane is now the face of the Skechers football division, he more specifically wears the Skechers SKX 01 - a boot aimed at players wanting a 'control' option. The Skechers Razor, though, is the brand's first 'speed' boot, and is now seen on the feet of stars such as Anthony Elanga, Bobby Decordova-Reid and Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Skechers have certainly succeeded in grabbing people’s attention, but do the boots
themselves deliver? I tried a pair of the Skechers Razor in firm ground to find out how they compare to the best football boots available.
Skechers Razor review
Having built a reputation for providing near unrivalled comfort in their everyday footwear, I was particularly intrigued to see whether Skechers could carry this comfort over into a category of boots that focus on speed and aggression through super thin and lightweight materials.
And, I am pleased to say that this is a test that Skechers have passed with flying colours. The forefoot of the upper is reminiscent of the Nike Mercurial Vapor 10, widely regarded as one of the best and most comfortable of its type ever released.
It is soft and flexible right out of the box, and softens further after a few wears to
cement the Skechers Razor as the most comfortable synthetic speed boot on the market right now. Pleasingly, this does not come at the expense of the lightness or thinness that are important for a speed boot, with the material still extremely thin and the boots ultra lightweight.
One of the highlights of the boot is that the upper is split between the super soft synthetic that makes up the forefoot, and a knit that begins in the midfoot and continues towards the heel. This knitted mesh is good quality and the transition
between what are two quite different materials to the touch is seamless on feet.
I did find that the Razors fit slightly wider than the majority of the speed boots on the market, though, with the toe box especially wide when compared to other pairs labelled in this category. A great option for those with wider feet who still want the experience of a highly responsive, lightweight boot, the Skechers Razor are certainly accommodating.
However, I have slightly slimmer feet and found that they weren't overly awkward to wear, either. With that in mind, I would recommend going true to size for the Skechers Razor.
With all-chevron studs implemented, the soleplate is very aggressive for pushing off and twisting at high speed. I wore these on firm, natural grass pitches as a soleplate like this can be dangerous when worn on artificial ground and Skechers do not currently offer an AG option for the boot. This aggression is aided by stability in the heel, with a carbon fibre insert helping keep the foot locked in.
What I did find is that the Razor lacks the responsiveness that some soleplates from speed boots possess, with Skechers seemingly opting for a more flexible sole for the sake of comfort.
Given so many casual footballers play almost exclusively on artificial ground, the lack of a dedicated option for this surface from a brand making an entry into the boot market seems strange, and I would expect this to be something Skechers addresses in the near future. They are also yet to release a soft ground option of the Razor, which unfortunately limits the options players have.
Regardless, the Skechers Razor is a solid first attempt in the 'speed' boot category, especially when considering the qualities of some favourites that sit in there: the Nike Mercurial Superfly and Adidas X Crazyfast are both adored by boot enthusiasts.
Indeed, the Skechers Razor has a lot of the things you want a speed boot to have; they are slim, lightweight and have very aggressive traction. That Skechers have succeeded in really imprinting its signature comfort among these other features is also hugely impressive, and makes the boot stand out as something of a unique option.
Coming in at a cheaper price than other similar options currently available means these should certainly be taken into consideration when deciding on your next pair of boots. And, if their next moves are as good as their first, Skechers will be a big player in the boot market for a long time to come.
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