Adidas Predator Accuracy.3 Review: Serious Bang for Your Buck?

Adidas’ much-loved Predator boot range is synonymous with power, control, and innovation, and after last year’s Predator Edge, the three-stripes brand has reinvented the Predator (to an extent) with the Accuracy, taking some of what worked with last year’s model and combined it with some noticeable improvements.

While the Predator Edge aimed to add some quite drastic elements to the boot in order to make it, well, as edgy as possible (we couldn’t resist), the boot did veer away from what makes Predators so sought-after. While the Edge was a good boot, it was very stiff, so Adidas has redesigned the upper to be a vastly more soft and pliable material, with less grippy materials and accents to allow the upper to move better. So while it doesn’t have as many sticky-grip features on the upper, the boot is better for it.

Speaking of that grip, the upper does feature some smaller sesame-seed-like rubber inlays on the medial forefoot, which helps slightly with getting a bit more control or spin on a ball. The placement of these makes more sense than across the top of your foot too, as most players will be using the inside of their feet to do more precise passing or kicking.

As for the collar, the boot features a soft, knitted synthetic one-piece collar that runs from your ankle area and right under the laces. It’s incredibly comfortable and provides a significant amount of lockdown, keeping your heel and foot in place without even doing the laces. Of course, because the synthetic collar needs to keep your foot locked into the boot, it does feel rather tight, leaving the Predator Accuracy to have a more snug fit than previous iterations.

The soleplate of the boot is one of the things that hasn’t seen an upgrade since last year’s model. The soleplate and stud configuration from the Edge is reapplied to the Accuracy, and you get a fairly flexible and bendable toe-area, a stiffer midfoot for stability, and some smaller and longer triangular studs to make up the tooling.

Traction on the Predator Accuracy, therefore, feels a bit more aggressive than old-school Predators, as the studs have some longer edges and a fair bit of bite to them. While the soleplate itself is great, it’s admittedly not my favourite stud pattern and something a little more versatile for pivoting and twisting would’ve been a safer choice, especially given the types of players that’ll be wearing these boots.

With that said, the Predator Accuracy performs well on natural grass, and you won’t be feeling like your foot is moving around thanks to the great lockdown that the collar and padded fit provide. The studs do a good job to give you enough wiggle-movement with your foot planted, but still enhance those angle-cutting runs.

It’s worth noting that we were checking out the Predator Accuracy.3 model, which is the second takedown model from the top-end option (you can check out boot buying guide for more info on how Adidas’ boot tiers work); but for a ‘cheaper’ option, you’re still getting pretty much the same experience as you would on the high-end version, minus some small details. If you’re a Predator fan though, you’ll be glad to know that the Accuracy is somewhat of a return to form for the range and delivers that aggressive and comfy feel that makes you feel like you’re in control on the pitch.

Price and availability:

Adidas Predator Accuracy.3 is available in South Africa on the Adidas online store and selected retailers for R1,699. There is a low-cut version with a smaller ankle collar, but we recommend sticking with the mid-cut version for better ankle support and lockdown.