About Boots & Barbells

Hi, I'm Sam. I've played football my whole life, on everything from soaked natural grass to worn-out artificial turf, and I train at home with a small collection of gear I've slowly figured out is actually worth owning.

I started this site because most gear "reviews" online are either thinly-disguised ads or rankings of whatever pays the highest commission. I'm not a professional athlete, a physiotherapist, or a lab, and I won't pretend to be. What I do bring is an obsessive research habit: for every guide I compare specifications side by side, read through large numbers of real owner reviews (the three-star ones are the most honest), and weigh in my own experience as a player and home lifter.

Every guide here tells you who a product is not for, lists real downsides, and often recommends the cheaper option. If a guide wouldn't help a friend choose, it doesn't get published. You can read exactly how recommendations are made on the how we review page.

How this site stays free

Some links are affiliate links, which cost you nothing extra and keep the guides free and ad-light. What they never do is decide the rankings. Recommendations are settled before any link goes in. The full policy is in the affiliate disclosure.

Spotted an error, or disagree with a verdict? Tell me. Corrections make the guides better for everyone.