so you've decided you want a Nike Phantom gx2 or luna 2 but should you splash the 260 plus EUR for the elite version take the pro for €60 or go with the academy version that starts at 85 well uh while I can't exactly make that decision for you today I'm going to go through all of the boots tell you what's up with them how they compare how they're different to hopefully help you decide which of these is the right version to get on unisport store.com so let's go but we can start with the elites that as usual come with all the bells and whistles but the big feature here is obviously the grip nid forefoot and midfoot that has been made up with a combination of individually coach John that offers this really almost spider web like grippy sensation on the ball and then there are also some so-called High tenacity yars in there that offer a bit of balance to the grip but also provide some structure to the upper then of course you also have your flyid tongue area and heel pod where you have a relatively well fitting heel it's got a little bit of width to it and it's also got a nice plush inner liner to really hug your foot then on the bottom of both the GX and the Luna 2 you have the cyclone 360 outsole here which as you may know has been made to reduce the risk of injury especially to your knees but also of course to Aid acceleration and accelerating um acceleration and changes of Direction in the 4ot area accelerating that's new one that's when you when you really push off on and what the elites do so well for me at least is to offer this combination of a very very soft upper that just fits as if you worn the boots for months and months and then of course this very like unique sense of grip that might be one of the best new features of innovation that I can remember at least in the last many many years in the sense that it just offers this constant ever pressing feeling of I wouldn't call it a natural grip but it's almost like an amplified grippy version of a natural feel on the bow and and it feels really really good the fit in the boot I would say is very Democratic in the sense that it really follows the shape of your foot very well and will also accommodate even for wider foot shapes and because the upper is just so stupidly soft it feels like a sticky pair of socks that just fit and in that sense you could say that the gx2 carries over many of the things that worked and also didn't work from the gx1 plus it's uh it's light to two which is always nice and then there is the pro which I'll be honest I was a little bit skeptical about before seeing it at least because last year's GX Pro was a decent boot by all accounts but just had absolutely nothing nothing to do whatsoever with the GX Elite and that kind of still applies on the gx2 pro at least in the sense that you won't get any of that gripit magic but to be fair T Nike I mean they've gotten closer see the GX Pro here feels like what the gx2 elite would be but without the grip knit is because there are a lot of other differences that I'll get back to but you get the point right and what Nik have done here is to still offer you a flyed tongue and heel construction which feels really really similar to that on the elite and that's quite nice and then they replace the grip knit upper with a regular knitted upper which I mean it's soft but I don't think it is actually flying it even though it says right here on the outside of the boot it feels a little bit more flimsy but still it offers you some of that really soft and sock like sensation around your foot and again to be fair it won't get anywhere close to that soft malleable wild fact of the grip knit on the elite but it's still rather soft and after you break it in it it actually becomes rather impressive how it just molds around your foot so just show it a little bit of patience and it will at least taste a little bit like the Elites from a fit point of view on two things you need to know about the fit one they are a bit tighter in the midfoot compared to the elites and also what I like is that the color doesn't Bunch up like it does in the elite which is good but no grip knid no body okay that's a bit harsh but you don't get the same sticky Sensation from the knit on the pro obviously as you do with the grip knit with that said Nike have tried to replicate at least that molder texture that you get on the elites and it's definitely there of course it's not sticky so it doesn't have anywhere close to the same effect but you do get this slightly more tactile feeling of having some sort of texture on the ball which I guess is decent so it it tastes like the elites the heel is also um it's a bit 50/50 really because it's nice that you get the same cutout promo heal counter as you do in the elites but for whatever reason the heel is quite a lot higher on the pro and also they've changed the foam liner so it's now it's a lot thinner and it means that the heel feels a bit more loose and just the back part of the pro feels a bit more chunky I would say which is honestly a bit of a shame I mean you know how to make it on the elite so just give it to us on the pro as well but but but it is what it is honestly in terms of the weight the pro is heavier which is to be expected and the same thing can be said for the outsole when Nike have given us the cyclone 360 outsole it's not the same plate which would have been cool but you still get the same stud shape and configuration which I guess is nice enough for the money and actually that's a key word for the pro for the money because while I do think that Nike could have made the pro a bit nicer in terms of how streamlined and the shape of the boot without having too much extra cost or extra hassle I do think that for the money it's it's actually rather good in replicating some of the DNA from the elite again it it tastes like it and that I think is pretty good and it's definitely a better Pro in terms of replicating the elite than last year and then we arrive at the Academy versions which start at €85 for the gx2 and then €95 for the Luna 2 which I have here and that's a bit more than half the price of the pro which you know as expected definitely shows on the materials but what iike have done here is it seems to give you some sort of knitted or mesh base on the upper and then they've slapped a thicker synthetic on top of it meaning that I'll be honest it does feel a little bit plasticky initially and I wasn't I wasn't that impressed with it but to to be fair to that credit when you get it on foot and when you break it in it does feel a lot nicer than I had actually anticipated because you do get a brushed inner liner that feels it feels okay it's a rather Democratic fit meaning that it's pretty wi throughout the boot um I would also say that the heel while you don't get that cut out as you do on the pro and the elite so it doesn't feel anywhere near as nice the foam liner isn't also the best but it's good enough and it hws your foot rather well to the point that I'll allow it and given the fact that the upper again once broken in softens up pretty well and doesn't have any significant pressure points at least for my foot I think that the fit in the academy is actually a lot better than I anticipated when I just got the boots in my hand and that's a solid thing but let's not beat around the bush here if you think you're getting some cheap Elite like action with the academy um you're not by any stretch of the imagination and I I think it's nicely exemplified here with the color with this neoprene like mesh material that's on the loose flaccid side and I don't really see the point of it but then again it's never really in the way either then there's the heel which is weirdly high and almost feels as chunky maybe even more chunky actually than it does on the pro that's a bit of a let down but it is what it is I guess the outsole seems to be the same as on the pro which is cool I guess and then of course you have a slightly thicker feel on the ball with the upper it's still relatively low and pointed which is nice and it does have that molded texture as well which gives this lightly tactile sensation on the bow again nowhere close to that of the elite or the pro for that matter but it it tastes like it and I guess the redeeming feature for the boot is that it feels better than it looks which is also good because it it looks quite cheap and I know Nike trying to cut down cost on the academy but they also cut down on the length of the lasers to the point where it's a bit hard to tie them was that really necessary for you know but the thing is that if you want the GX and Luna magic you kind of only get it for real on the elite boots and while I definitely think that the pros andies are decent boots and can hold their own pretty well against some of the other boots in the price category I would personally do whatever I could to get my hands on a pair of elit if you want the Phantom magic this is where the wow factor is I'm just saying but no matter which of the boot you want you can of course buy them in the link to your favorite neighborhood boot Pusher unit board in the link right over there of course also if you haven't subscribed to the channel yet with the notifications on what you waiting for get T it subscribe to the channel and then if you want more boot videos click the playlist right down there with those words I'll be signing off cheerio