Hummel Old School DK – Boot Review

Hummel is a brand I have always liked (starting when the were the maker of Dundee United football strips) but not a brand that I see much of these days, especially when it comes to football boots. The Hummel Old Schools DK is an update of the Danish brands heritage Old School line.

I have never worn Hummel boots before but I have heard positive things about their quality so was looking forward to getting these in to testing.

If you are looking for a pair in the US, I did manage to find some available on eBay, but they all seem to ship from the UK.

Initial reaction

When I received the Hummel Old School DK the first thing I noticed was the cool design on the box which got me looking forward to what was inside and I was not disappointed.

The Old School DK has a much sleeker design than the previous model (Old School Star) but still maintain the heritage look but with a streamlined and modern shape to them with the white and gold detailing making for a very classy look. The biggest update in regards to looks are the stitching on the forefoot with a much cleaner look and the removal of the fold over tongue, overall I feel these are a much better looking boot than the previous model.

The kangaroo leather from straight out the box has a soft and quilted premium feel and the insole is stitched in which I definitely prefer so I was eager to put these in to testing.

Fit, Comfort and Break In

The Hummel Old School DK fits longer than most other brands so if you order a pair definitely go half a size down, you may even get away with going a full size down as I would compare the fit in length to the Adidas Copa Mundial.

In terms of width these actually surprised me and fit quite tight especially in the midfoot area, not too tight by any means but they have more of a snug fit than many heritage releases that I have worn.

The break in period was relatively smooth with only point that caused a slight irritation where the leather creased and made a small cut on my big toe of my left foot. This only happened during my first training session wearing them and disappeared after about 90 minutes of use.

The overall comfort is very decent, I wouldn’t say they were the most comfortable boots I’ve worn but are not bad either, the Kangaroo leather used in the forefoot is good quality and offers a nice cushioned feel but the synthetic material used is the midfoot is quite rigid and stiff.

Touch and Striking

The Hummel Old School DK I feel doesn’t use enough leather as it only covers the forefoot where I prefer the majority of the instep to use the same material and the blend from leather to synthetic is drastic, the leather is very soft and the synthetic is rigid which I felt caused an inconsistent feel when receiving the ball. This may be partly psychological but it definitely hampered my touch on the ball as I tried to adjust so when receiving the ball I was taking it on the leather part of the boots.

Striking the ball is what you would expect from a kangaroo leather boot with a very natural feeling strike, as you would expect from a heritage release there is no shooting technology.

Traction

The Hummel Old School DK uses a classic 12 moulded stud pattern with 4 studs at the rear and 8 at the front that are separated in to three sections with a trio of studs on the instep.

The soleplate is fairly stiff to start but loosens off nicely after a couple of wears and offers quite a responsive feeling, overall the traction done its job well on grass and also artificial grass.

Durability and Maintenance

Hummel are a brand who are renowned for making well built boots and the Old School DK is no different, there is no signs of there being any issues so far and I would be surprised if there were any in the future, you can tell from when you hold them that they are a solid pair of football boots.

Maintenance is very easy, as with all leather boots make sure you clean and care for the leather correctly and the synthetic mid and rear of the boot needs a simple wipe down.

The Hummel Old School DK is available on eBay, but they all seem to ship from the UK.

Would I Buy Them?

Hummel have made a solid decent pair of football boots at a very affordable price but I found myself wanting a little bit more. The sizing issue is something to take note of as they run long and the synthetic I found to feel slightly rigid.

Overall these are a decent pair of boots at the price but if I were to compare these to similar styled and priced boots like the Umbro Speciali 4 I feel the Hummel Old School DK doesn’t measure up, which is quite frustrating as they are nearly a great boot. For the price they should definitely still be considered but remember to order a half size down.