In the tradition of car and motorcycle magazines, we have put some of the best balls in this category head to head.  We tested them on the pitch and in the lab.  We compared playability, value and desirability.

AVID Soccer tests equipment from a variety of manufacturers, but most of those tests are on the individual merits of the product being tested.  Other than the AVID Soccer Awards, there are no head-to-head comparisons.  To rectify that, we decided to do a number of shoot-out style tests this year.  The first is for training level balls.

Our test parameters:

• Readily available through on-line retailers
• Current retail price below $30
• Available/tested in size 5
• Inflated to manufacturer's recommended pressure
• Survive a week with our testers

For this test, we selected four balls from three different manufacturers.  These balls each represent a different approach to training and each targets a different need.  The Umbro Centauri is an all-condition ball that should hold up to a great deal of abuse.  The adidas F50.6 X-Ite is light enough to fall below the minimum FIFA standard, but is made with advanced design and construction.  The Brine QED 500 could be a match level ball for clubs or travel teams, but the big brother 600 is the real game ball.  The adidas Telstar is a classic updated from the 70s.

Each of the balls received the standard tests before the shoot-out, so each arrived scuffed and worn in.  Our first test was style and desirability.  This test is simple - which ball did the AVID Soccer test team grab first and which ball did they covet.  The F50 won hands down, followed by the QED 500, Telstar and the Centauri.  The shoot was conducted in daylight and would have been different after dark.  The fluid graphics and the novel construction were sited as the reason for the preference.

Our second test was playability.  Each ball made the rounds as our testers juggled, headed, passed, dribbled and shot.  These tests brought out the weaknesses in two of our balls.  The Umbro has a balance problem and dropped it to the bottom of the list.  The light weight of the X-Ite actually worked against it with our High School boys.  At almost an ounce lighter the rest of the field, it moved more in the wind.  On the other hand, our girls liked the padded cover for heading giving it a tie with the Telstar.  The match level construction of the Brine placed it out front in first.

Value was our final criteria.  Each of these balls would work as a training ball from the recreational player level to the club level.  At $26, the Centauri is the hardest to find and the most expensive.  This is an older model that is starting to disappear.  Next in line is the Brine at $20.  The list price of the QED 500 was $40, but it has been replaced by the Triumph series and there are deals available.  Our adidas pair are the least expensive at $15 and $13 for the X-Ite and Telstar respectively.  Price is not the only thing that determines value.  The unique construction and soft touch of the X-Ite and the above average quality of the QED left them very close despite a 25% difference in price.

In the final battle, the bottom ball was easy to pick.  The Centauri was last in every category, and remains so in the minds of our testers.  Third place and a great deal of respect went to the Telstar.  The classic design is appreciated by a number of testers who were not even born in 1970 when the original debuted.  Choosing between the remaining contestants was difficult.  Our testers were all asked to rate the four balls in this test against each other.  In the eyes of our male testers, the QED squeaked out a narrow victory.  In the eyes of our female testers, the X-Ite was tops.  In the end, the adidas F50.6 X-Ite reigned supreme, but only by the slimmest of margins.