Best Football Reviews 2018

Who doesn’t like the game of football? It is as widely played as it is watched. Getting yourself a football is a good idea which can quickly become discouraging when you come across the numerous available selections. But since you’re here, count yourself lucky as we have researched the many options and have come up with 5 of the best footballs from trusted brands. So, read our review and make your choice. Do note, however, that these brands have many other variants of footballs other than the ones we featured. Check them out too!

Overview

PROS

CONS

SPECS

Type

Bladder

Cover

Size(s)

Color

Our Top Choice

Wilson NFL MVP Football

For over 75 years, Wilson has remained the official football of the NFL. This is a sure confirmation of the quality of its footballs.

It features a tackified PVC material for a better grip, multi-layered lining for better shape and durability, and a 3-ply bladder for better air retention and moisture control.

Depending on the size of the ball, the slippery logos may be an issue.

NFL

3-ply bladder

Synthetic

Official, junior, pee wee.

Brown

Best Value

Under Armour 395 Football

From its inception in 1996, Under Armour has been focused on making athletes better through passion, design, and the relentless pursuit of innovation.

It has a tackified composite cover for optimal grip and a soft foam backing for that exceptional feel. The black stripes and black lace give it that rugged football look.

At the time of this review, none have been reported.

Standard

Info not provided

Composite leather

Official, youth, junior, pee wee

Cleveland brown/black

NIKE Spiral-Tech Football

Nike is a brand that has dominated the sports scene for decades. It has not done this with mere words, but with top-quality products.

Its Spiral-Tech design gives it precision in flight, while the butyl bladder system gives it an excellent shape and air retention. It also has a great grip.

At the time of this review, none have been reported.

NFHS

Butyl bladder system

Composite leather

Youth

Brown

Passback Football Official Composite Ball

Passback understands the importance of training in sports. This is why it has committed itself to the production of exciting training products that help athletes excel.

With the Passback Football, you can practice alone or with a friend, improve hand-eye coordination, improve speed and agility, and improve cardio and overall athletic ability.

None have been reported at the time of this review.

Training football

Info not provided

PVC

Official

Brown

Spalding NeverFlat Football

For Spalding, it’s not just about being the first. It’s about being the first, the best, and everything the competition can only dream of.

It has a superior feel and touch, a non-slip throwing grip, and it stays fully inflated for at least a year.

None reported at the time of writing this review.

Never flat

Info not provided

Composite leather

Official

Brick red

(Updated December 18, 2017)

Skip ahead and go directly to the reviews.

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Watch Our Football Review

How Do I Choose the Best Football?

Are you a quarterback who makes all the impossible touchdown passes? Or the wide receiver who is the quarterback’s favorite for helping him increase his completed passes stats? Or you’re the speedy running back that dodges those crunching tackles and eats line backs for dinner? If you’ve ever watched a game of football, you would have fantasized about being on the field winning the cheers of millions of spectators, including those behind the screens.

Football is a well-loved game enjoyed by millions all over the world. It is played both professionally and recreationally by people of different ages. The ball used in this game is quite peculiar and has a lot to do with what makes this game so special. History has it that football got its origin from rugby, perhaps that’s why the balls are similar in shape. Even kids love to get their hands in the game practicing with kids football till they’re old and strong enough to get into the junior leagues. Then they get a chance at the harder balls and get to wear the helmets, rib protector, etc.

The best footballs are made with leather and follow regulation size. They have a top quality bladder that gives the ball’s consistent movement and bounce. Some footballs for training and recreational plays are made with synthetic materials whose grip isn’t often as good as the leather variant. Some professional players wear gloves to further increase their grip on the ball whether for throwing or catching. If you’re looking to get a feel of the sport, read on as we guide you on how to choose the best football for an awesome experience.

Price

The material, size, and brand, are the major factors that affect the pricing of a football. Since there is this thing called budget, it is inescapable to find a balance between what we need and what we can afford. A nerf ball of a small size for kids can cost about $15 or less. A leather football of the standard size with butyl bladder from a renowned brand can cost close to $80. If you want to become good at the game of football, the cheap footballs are not the ones you want to be practicing with. They are poorly made and will not give you a consistent feedback.

Features

Football is a fun and exciting game almost everybody wants to play, whether as a profession, someday, or just for fun. If you want to have your own football to get a good feel of the sport, here are some things you need to watch out for:

Type
Bladder
Surface material
Size

These features coupled with a good idea of what you need the ball for will help you choose the best football for your needs.

Construction and Design

The game of football is one of America’s favorite sports; it has even become a kind of culture. Almost everyone wants to play, even just for recreation. With that much participants from different ages and sizes, the balls come in different types. There is the regulation type that is played in the NFL and a slightly different type played in the collegiate league. The type used in training are also different from the game ball and finally, there is the type played for recreation. They all mostly look alike but the difference is in the quality and performance.

The materials used for making football range from leather which has the most quality feel and consistency, while some are made with synthetic leather which are less expensive than the leather ones and are the ones you find played for recreation. There are others made of foam, these ones are ideal for kids as it is lighter and easier for them to manage but eventually, they will have to move on to the harder types.

Footballs are also made into different sizes for different levels. There is the official size which is what is played in the NFL, there is the youth size which is often used at high school level. There is the junior size composite leather ball used in the junior leagues and finally, the pee wee size recommended for kids 10 years below. With these sizes available, anyone who is interested gets a good chance at playing football and enjoying the game experience.

Performance and Ease of Use

The bladder of a football is a sack inside the ball that retains the air to keep it inflated. This bladder affects the aerodynamics and movement of the ball. Football bladders are often made of either latex or synthetic. Latex bladders give the ball better consistency when in flight as well as rebounds. One downside of latex bladder is its low capacity for air retention over a period of time. One solution manufacturers have for this is to make the bladder with multiple layers so it holds air for much longer while retaining its qualities. The synthetic bladder balls are often used during training because it does not need to be inflated often and is usually durable.

Now that you have the information you need, decide on the requirements you want from an ideal football. This will go a long way making it easier for you to make the most ideal selection.

What is the Best Football?

Now that you have known what to expect from an ideal football, it’s time to read our review of the individual product brands while keeping in mind the needs you want to meet. That way, you will find it much easier to make the right choice.

Our Top Choice

Wilson NFL MVP Football offers exhilarating gridiron action with its tackified PVC material, multi-layered lining, and 3-ply bladder, all of which gives it that pro NFL football feel. If this isn’t exactly what you want, you can check out the Wilson NCAA Supreme Junior Football. This is a Junior-size ball that comes with a pump and tee.

Wilson NFL MVP Football – Available in 3 Sizes

Wilson Football WTF1415 – Official Size

Features

When a brand remains the official football of the NFL for over 75 years, it must be doing something right. Since 1941, Wilson has retained this prestigious position only because of the consistent quality of its balls. Handmade in Ada, Ohio, “The Duke” has become an institution of its own in the NFL.

Since not everyone can get “The Duke”, Wilson has made available the NFL MVP Football to give everyone a taste of NFL magic. The Wilson NFL MVP Football (selling at a recommended retail price of $71.00) is a great buy. Some of the features that make this football awesome include:

Exclusive Wilson tackified PVC material
Deeper pebble and firmer texture
A multi-layered lining for better shape and durability
Better air retention and moisture control with the 3-ply bladder
Wilson and NFL logo on football

You will certainly have a great game with this ball.

Still looking for something different? Wilson has a wide selection of footballs that you can check out.

Best Value

The Under Armour 395 Football delivers 107% more grip than traditional football laces thanks to its GRABTACK Lace. Still not convinced about this product? You can check the Under Armour Gripskin 625 Football which has a great grip even when wet, instead.

Under Armour Official UA GRIPSKIN 395 Composite Football – Available in 4 Sizes

Under Armour Football FB 395 – Official Size

Features

Founded by a former college football player, Kevin Plank, Under Armour operates with a firsthand understanding of the exact needs of football players. With several groundbreaking products under its belt, Under Armour has shown a true commitment to its mission of making athletes better through passion, design, and the relentless pursuit of innovation.

The Under Armour 395 Football is one such product. It’s carefully crafted to give the athlete the best footballing experience. With options for different ages, the Under Armour 395 Football (selling at a recommended retail price of $27.99) is an investment well worth it. These are some of the features that make this ball all it is:

UA GRIPSKIN Technology which delivers 107% more grip than traditional football laces
Advanced composite leather cover for enhanced performance and durability
Foam-backed construction for exceptional hand feel and solid grip
Black Thermo Plastic Rubber (TPR) lace with matching stripe for flexible comfort and superior durability
Rugged football look
Available in Official size, Youth size, Junior size, and Pee Wee size

There you have it. The Under Armour 395 football in all its splendor.

This sure is a great football, but if it’s not exactly what you’re looking for, check out other options from Under Armour.

The Nike Spiral-Tech 3.0 Football has a proven design and shape that quarterbacks love. Its precision in flight, great grip, excellent shape, and impressive air retention make it the football of choice for many. Not exactly what you want? You can try the Nike Spiral-Tech 3.0 Official Football. This is an Official-size ball which features all-weather composite leather.

NIKE Spiral-Tech Precision Performance & Premium Feel – Size 8

NIKE Football FT0233-201 – Size 8

Features

NIKE is a household name both in and out of the sporting world; such is the name it has made for itself. Its relevance and dominance was not built by mere words, but by the quality of products it has been associated with over the years. With a history spanning over half a century, NIKE has consistently produced top-quality products for athletes the world over.

The Spiral-Tech 3.0 football (selling at a recommended retail price of $59.95) is another cutting edge product from NIKE. The check mark on it is indeed a confirmation of its quality. These are some features that make it special:

High-performance Spiral-Tech design for precision flight
QB-preferred shape to fit perfectly in the hand
Butyl bladder system for excellent shape and air retention
Approved for high school play
Engraved NFHS logo

See why it promises precision performance and premium feel?

NIKE has a wide range of footballs. Do check these out if you have yet to find what you really want.

The Passback Football is a training ball carefully crafted to help football players hone their skills to perfection on and off the pitch. It helps improve hand-eye coordination, speed and agility, and more. Not interested in this? You can go for the Passback Football - Junior Size, a Junior-size training ball.

Passback Football Official Size (13 and Over) Composite Training Football

Passback Football Football PB9C

Features

Passback Sports, Inc. is all about training the athlete to be the best they can. This is its mission and this is what it has set out to achieve. Already recognized as one of the leading “football” training aids in the world in its first 5 years of existence, Passback Sports has continued to market exciting training products to the sports community. These products are making tremendous impacts, which explains its success.

The Passback Football (manufacturer’s recommended retail price - $32.90) is a well-crafted training football that can be used by amateurs as well as professionals. It’s great for individual training; just throw it on a wall and it spirals back. This ball will help improve hand-eye coordination, increase speed and agility, and improve overall athletic ability. It’s great for any football player looking to improve their throwing and catching skills.

Passback has a wide range of footballs – from Pee Wee to Official. If this one isn’t for you, check out the others.

The Spalding Never Flat Football is the only ball guaranteed to stay fully inflated for at least a year. In addition, it has a superior feel and touch and a non-slip throwing grip. It’s always ready to play. Looking for something different? Try the Pee Wee-sized Spalding Rookie Gear Composite Football.

Spalding Never Flat Rubber Recreational Football

Spalding Football 62-962F

Features

Established by Boston Red Stockings’ pitcher, A.G. Spalding, in 1876, Spalding can rightly boast that it’s the first sporting goods company in the country. However, for Spalding, it’s not just about being the first. It’s about being the first, the best and everything the competition can only dream of. Spalding is the largest basketball equipment supplier in the world, America's first baseball company, official basketball of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), official backboard of the NBA and NCAA, official baseball of the Little League World Series, official volleyball of the King of the Beach Volleyball Tour and of the "Pro Beach Series", and the official football of Pop Warner. With this resume that’s sure to intimidate its competition, Spalding has still not rested on its oars.

The Spalding Never Flat Football (selling at a recommended retail price of $18.99) is a simple reflection of this brand’s innovative spirit. These are some of the features that make this ball awesome.

Soft-track composite leather
SBR soft rubber packing for superior feel and touch
Rubberized DCW lacing system for non-slip throwing grip
New membrane and Nitroflate® air technology, specifically designed to keep water out and air inside
Special valve cap that eliminates leaks and keeps dirt out
Recreational, outdoor football with Pressure Retention Technologies

Everyone wants a football like this that’s always ready for play.

If this doesn’t feel like the right one for you, you can check out other footballs from Spalding.

Get the Best Football of 2018!

Now that you’ve gone through the entire review, it’s our hope that we have provided you with enough information to choose the best football for you. Your next step now is to place an order for your football and let the games begin!

Our Top Choice

Wilson NFL MVP Football

Best Value

Under Armour 395 Football

NIKE Spiral-Tech Football

Passback Football Official Composite Ball

Spalding NeverFlat Football