Fit is streamlined, just like the King Platinum; no dead space in the midfoot and pointy toe box has enough volume Umbro Velocita 6 soccer cleats review: An attractive cleat which just falls short of its "elite" price tag

PUMA King Football Boots | Sports Direct

FFT's first thought when squeezing into these boots was that they felt quite snug. They push the foot in and feel tight and it's possible you'll want to buy half a size up (a problem we've encountered with Puma football boots in the past). However, after they've loosed up a little they soon felt very good. The short answer is a resounding 'no'. Upon the Puma King Platinum 21 Vegan's launch, the brand promised "All the key benefits and performance properties of the King" and, to be fair, they've absolutely delivered. The Vegan Kings feel durable and robust, yet light on the feet, just like the classic Kings did. The animal-free "leather" upper is supple, comfortable and slightly spongey, while the knitted tongue and laces are smart, too.

There's nothing like the sound of faux-leather on leather – FFT reviews the stylish Puma King Platinum 21 Vegan, made entirely free of animal products

Synthetics have come a long way, and to be quite honest, after a short break in session, the upper softened up to such an extent that I could barely tell the difference between this and the Puma King Platinum.

PUMA Launch The King Platinum 21 In Two Classic Colourways

The boot also sees a fairly significant weight drop – coming in at 205g in our US9 – making it the lightest King ever. Much of this is down to the new tooling that’s made of a new material and features a mid-foot spine, external heel counter and classic conical studs. The Puma King Ultimate feels like a leather speed boot Fascinating feature articles, covering everything from grass-roots football to the international scene The socially-aware, futuristic new design retains much of the Puma King's traditional style, but with a refreshing new spin on the iconic range. Players who are vegetarian or vegan, or those who are merely inclined to use fewer meat products in their every day life, will be particularly interested but, given how fresh these are, plenty of carnivores will be seduced too. K-Better also allows Puma to do more with the upper. Where a leather upper would have required the Formstripe logo to have been stitched on, K-Better allows it to be moulded directly on to the boot.It gets the BOOTHYPE stamp of approval for AG surfaces, and feels like the only true FG/AG tooling in the Puma line-up. The Puma King Ultimate is a Prince in waiting Unlike the old school Puma King that had a more accommodating fit, the King Ultimate is slim fitting, and I’d even go as far as to suggest that it’s the most narrow boot in the Puma link-up today, even more so than the Puma Ultra Ultimate. The old-school stud pattern, which mirror the iconic range, means the Vegan Kings don't offer the supreme traction of a New Balance Furon or a Nike Mercurial but that doesn't really matter. Kings were always built for defenders and midfielders rather than speedy wingers and these feel on-brand in that regard.

PUMA King Football Boots

You may have heard other reviewers reference a well-loved speed boot launched in 2012 by another brand, and in all honesty, we’d agree with the comparison. In fact, we’d say this feels even better, thanks to Puma’s excellent knit tongue giving you a good amount of compression for an even closer fit, without feeling overly restrictive. The Puma King Ultimate is objectively a good boot and one we would recommend, especially to speed boot fans with a narrower foot who play on AG, especially with all the speed boots on the market today trending towards a wider fit. It’s also made of from recycled industrial waste and a more sustainable product – something Puma have really grown into as a leader in the sports equipment industry. Called Konscious Leather, it is essentially Puma’s idea of a synthetic leather upper – but better. Puma claims that it’s 30 percent thinner, twice as stretchy to provide a better fit and 10 times more durable. All while giving you that same familiar leather touch on the ball.The Puma King is one of the most legendary boot silos, having been worn by bona-fide football legends such as Pele, Maradona and Johan Cruyff. Unfortunately, like many modern leather silos, it’s struggled to carve a place in today’s boot world. We ascend the Puma throne eager to discover if this new King is a pretender or the rightful ruler. Not Leather, but Better (for the environment, and your feet)

KING LOSE ITS CROWN? I PUMA King Platinum 21 review DID THE KING LOSE ITS CROWN? I PUMA King Platinum 21 review

K-BETTER surprisingly good; could be fooled into thinking that it is actual leather once broken-in in 20 to 30 mins., softness, pliability and moulding around the foot is still impressive even if it won’t reach the heights of the finest K-leather boots out thereHowever, the Puma King Ultimate does not feel like a revolutionary enough update to the boot – we could repeat what we wrote for the King Platinum and the review would still be true, sans changing k-leather to k-better. If Puma’s choice of upper didn’t hint that the Puma King Ultimate wasn’t your grandfather’s King, the fit will. Dribbling is sharp, thanks to the thin upper that allows you to feel more of the ball. The low pointy toe box and tighter fit also gives you the confidence to manipulate the ball thanks to the boot wrapping your foot extremely well. Especially in today’s line up where both the Puma Future and the Puma Ultra have shifted towards thinner uppers – with the Future Ultimate losing the padding that the Future 1.4 had – the King struggles to carve a niche among their line up. In the end, while K-BETTER is somehow advanced than leather in the sense that it is a recycled material that is formulated to emulate leather, the King Ultimate’s position to be chosen over the two is its simplicity as a football boot. It doesn’t concern itself much with tech unlike the FUZIONFIT360 of the Future and the ULTRAWEAVE of the Ultra.