Review: Adidas Ace 16.1 Synthetic FG

The Adidas Ace 16.1 Synthetic is the baby brother to the new Primeknit generation of Adidas cleats. They basically took the techfit collar off and changed the upper to a synthetic, less soft material. I was fortunate enough to get my hands on a pair of these for an extremely low price, as they are definitely not my usual choice for cleats (based on material and colorway).

Upper
The upper, as I have mentioned, is a synthetic material. Adidas kept the web shape design as seen in the picture above. Honestly, it does not to much technology wise. The shoe is very stiff and rigid out of the box, but does loosen up over the first couple of training sessions. Adidas did add slots on the tongue that the laces go through all the way down the tongue. The Ace 15.1 model had problems with the tongue sliding to the side, so this is a nice addition and it actually does make a difference. The material on the upper has a very "unnatural synthetic" feel to it. Some players like that, especially because it is lighter. However, it feels very odd until you break them in well.

Fit
As I said before, they feel odd out of the box, but they do break in well. They will not mold to your foot as well as a leather cleat would, but comfortable nonetheless. They are definitely a more wide fitting shoe. The Ace 16.1 is still tight through the mid-foot, as it should be, but really opens up in the toe box. If you like cleats that will let you wiggle your toes, but not be too big size wise, these are for you. They fit almost like a running shoe which is actually very comfortable, especially by the time you get 80th or 85th minute of a game.

Overall, it is a pretty average cleat. If you like synthetic cleats, but are not a fan cleats like the Nike Mercurial Series that are very tight and narrow, Then I would recommend testing out a pair of the Adidas Ace 16.1 Synthetic FG.