Rating: 
The Pele Sports Trinity 3E boots made a huge splash when they were released at the tail end of 2011. Pele Sports had previously produced three no-nonsense offerings, with little in the way of technology or new innovations. However, with the Trinity 3E, Pele Sports packed in a whole host of interesting features such as the Symbioskin upper as well as a never-before-seen stud configuration. All of this, combined with a seriously light weight of 170 grams, means that, conceptually, the Pele Sports Trinity 3E is a giant-killer, a boot that can compete with the staples of the speed boot market, the adiZero, Mercurial and the V1.11 series.
DESIGN: 3/5
The Pele Sports Trinity 3E boasts a sleek design and while it probably won't turn any heads, does make for a pretty good looking boot. Personally, I've had comments ranging from 'they look incredible' to less positive ones about the appearance of the boot. One thing I really do like about the overall design of the Trinity 3E is the yellow studs. While I'm not a huge fan of flashy boots, I can't help but love how the Trinity almost jumps out at you in the sunshine simply because the black and bright yellow go really well together and create a great contrast. The grooves on the Symbioskin upper may look a little bit out of the ordinary at first, but after a while you definitely get used to them. They certainly aren't the most normal-looking boots on the market, but in this case that may not be a bad thing.
COMFORT: 4/5
The breaking-in process is near non-existent when it comes to the Pele Sports Trinity 3E. While it may take a tiny bit of time to get used to the unique stud configuration, you don't experience any pain when you first put on the boot. The overall fit of the boot is brilliant and the Symbioskin is the main factor behind it. If you're not too familiar with the Symbioskin upper it's essentially three elements that have been combined to create a symbiotic (hence the name) upper. The three systems within the upper allow your foot to be enveloped and effectively it moulds to the shape of your foot. The upper is pretty thin and while it may help you in terms of controlling the ball, you really do feel any hard challenges or being stepped on.
A low tow box further improves the fit of the boot, and in comparison to boots such as the Superfly, which have a high toe box, it's a lot more secure and comfortable. Pele Sports have also taken into consideration people who have unusually wide or narrow feet as there are two widths available for purchase. I'd highly recommend going half a size down, although I discovered that just wearing football socks (which are thicker than your normal ankle socks) does decrease the amount of space towards the front of the boot, and makes it less of an issue.
PEFORMANCE: 4/5
The Pele Trinity Sports 3Es are packed with technology meaning that performance is a section where they really excel. While there are no features on the upper such as a pass pad or adaptive shield, both the upper and the stud configuration really do help you out on pitch.
Touch: As aforementioned, the Symbioskin upper is really soft and envelops your foot. This helps a lot when you're trying to control the ball. As the upper is soft and almost spongy, when controlling the ball the Symbioskin almost cushions it for you. This enables you to get the ball under control and then look up and pass, or shoot, faster than you normally would.
Shooting: Nothing special to report here. There aren't any shooting aids on the upper, but nonetheless the Symbioskin does provide a really clean striking surface
The Stud Configuration: While the stud configuration on the Trinity is unorthodox to say the least, it really does help your acceleration and your ability to turn quickly. With three studs at the back of the boot, and five studs towards the front, at first glance one may think that you'd be less balanced. However, the stud configuration actually makes you feel more balanced, and this in turn helps you react faster. Definitely a plus and easily the best stud configuration out there right now.
Protection and Moisture: Expect to feel the full force of any challenges while wearing the Trinity as the relatively thin upper doesn't protect you much at all. However, one plus on the protection side is yet again the stud configuration. Pele Sports claim that the ordering of the studs should prevent you from rolling your ankle, something that didn't happen to me while testing them out.
Moisture-wise, as any synthetic upper does, the Trinity 3Es are really good at keeping your foot dry in the rain. While testing the boots one weekend I was in the rain for about eight hours and by the end of it all the inside of the boot was still pretty dry. All in all, the Trinity boots perform really well, most notably in terms of the stud configuration, and the great touch you get thanks to the upper.
VALUE: 3/5
Easily the biggest negative of the Trinity is their lack of any real durability which in turn affects their value. I did the majority of my testing on a astroturf surface and the boots suffered. A number of scuffs on the Symbioskin upper after it was touted as hard to scuff left me a little disappointed and, while the scuffs weren't serious, I just felt that for a £125 boot they shouldn't be appearing after every single training session.
The front of the boot also took a bit of a beating as the upper has started to split from the soleplate, probably because of the rubber fragments commonly used on astroturf surfaces. While I can understand, considering the amount of technology and effort that has gone into the Trinity, the price tag and the durability on astroturf surfaces is an issue. In terms of extras, Pele Sports do throw in a boot bag as well as two shape-retention horns (that I've been using quite a bit) so that's definitely a positive.
OVERALL: 3.5/5
The Trinity 3E is definitely a huge leap forward for Pele Sports following the release of their three heritage boots - the 1958, 1962 and 1972. The Trinity ranks right up there with the best speed boots on the market in terms of performance and comfort, though there remain question marks over the durability. But if you're a speedy winger or striker and are looking to for something unique and different I can definitely recommend the Pele Sports Trinity 3E.
Isaac Abraham is an editor for Soccer Reviews - www.soccerreviews.com
