Cinquestelle are a company who’s philosophy is to make football boots that feel as if you are playing barefoot for an unrivaled feel on the ball, and having previously tested the Colibri and loving them I was looking forward to see if the Classica with an AG soleplate could rival the outstanding Colibri.
Cinquestelle have a proud history of handcrafted football boots dating back to 1911 and like the Colibri these boots are so flexible you can literally bend them in half.
I received the Classica with an AG soleplate and have put them through a long period of testing over the past few months.
First Impressions
The Classica as the name suggests have a very classic and old school look about them of which I am a big fan. The Kangaroo leather used is thin but of high quality and the overall build quality is very high. The leather and sole plate are so soft and flexible you can fold them in half which allows the boots to mould to your foot shape and move in unison with your feet.
First impressions were very positive as they look great, feel great and are light so I was excited to wear them to see how they performed.
Fit, Comfort and Break in
Cinquestelle are a company who advise you to measure your feet and choose your options (colour and traction) before ordering and these are made to the exact measurements of your feet and as with soft flexible leather you want them to start out very snug and right out the box these fit exactly as they should.
The thing I have noticed about handmade football boots are that they always seem to have a luxurious feel when you slip your feet in to them. Instead of trying to shed weight and add pointless technology they use premium materials and get the important things right like touch, comfort and durability and the Classica delivers on all of these in abundance and then some.
The break in period was actually not as smooth as I would have liked as the insole I found moved around inside the boot, but after discovering that the insole was not needed after the first couple of wears until the stitching softened inside the boot I removed it and what a big difference it made. The reason the boots are so flexible is because even the sole of the boots (inside) is made from leather so even with no insole they are extremely comfortable, after a couple of wears the leather softened so much and formed to my exact foot shape, the only point I didn’t like is that the laces are so long you need to wrap them around the foot and I prefer shorter laces so I just swapped them for a shorter pair which happened to be pink (only spare ones I had at the time) and I actually liked some colour on the boots.
Touch and striking
Just like the Colibri the Classica offers an unrivaled touch on the ball, when making and receiving passes and also controlling the ball you feel as if you are almost bare foot and the feel on the ball is exceptional.
Striking the ball is unspectacular as the leather is so thin and soft I would say this is the only negative point I could find with these boots, it’s not bad by any means but the boot excelled everywhere else apart from this area.
Traction
I received the Cinquestelle Classica with an AG soleplate which features short rubber studs with 6 at the heel area and 13 at the front.
I have worn many different types of football boots on Artificial Grass from conical studs, blades, a mixture of both, indoor trainers, turf trainers and I found this option to be the best I have worn.
The weight distribution is excellent on the hard surface and I always felt very stable but still had plenty of grip, so if you regularly play on AG I would highly recommend this soleplate.
Durability
Cinquestelle definitely make very high quality boots and the Classica is no different, the upper is fully stitched and glued to the sole plate and the leather used is so soft and thin yet very high quality and durable and will stretch so if you plan to order then make sure you get them to fit tight to begin with. I have not had any durability issues after many weeks of usage, maintenance has also been very simple especially as these are used on AG so they have never been dirty. The rubber studs have not worn at all and still offer the same outstanding traction as the first use so as you can imagine I’m very please with the durability of the Classica.
Would I buy them?
Very easy to answer this question and I’m sure you all know the answer is a huge Yes!!
The Cinquestelle Classica does all I ask for from a football boot, they are extremely comfortable, the touch on the ball is outstanding and the build quality is excellent and when you add in that they have a unique old school look and have excellent traction then what is not to like?
To order a pair or find out more info then visit the Akuna Cinquestelle site.
hello friend, I am in contact with this akuna.it almost everything right to buy the boot, and I wonder if you’ve used the piuma and what was your impression, because I’m in doubt between piuma and. colibri
I am reviewing the Piuma next, the Colibri are outstanding….from what I can tell you can’t go wrong with any Cinquestelle boots.
Kevin,
This was a nice review, but I was wondering if you wore them in the rain.In my experience with rubber sole turf trainers, rubber soles tend to provide decent enough traction on dry AG pitches, but that it is easy to slip on a wet one. I was wondering if you'd experienced anything similar with the Colibri or if traction with them was reliable in the rain.
Hi, I used them in the rain on quite a few occasions and felt the traction was very good. The rubber studs are quite long, much longer than average turf trainers.
Great to hear. It is nice to have a viable AG option out there in full k-leather, since there really isn't one (the Tiempo comes the closest).
Merry Christmas!
Hi Kevin, how much do these and the other ranges (Piuma, Colibri) cost?
Thank you in advance.
So which one is better, the colibri or the classica ?
Hy there! I was looking to buy this boot in the mixed soleplate option (MN), and I was wondering which size to choose. Which size would you recommend if I use an 8.5 in a pair of Copa Mundial? Thanks a lot 🙂