Phil’s Footy Boot Review- Nike Mercurial Vapor

Our Podiatrist Phil Trump reviews the new shoes available on the market

BRAND: Nike
STYLE: Mercurial Vapor
CATEGORY:Football
RRP:$350
SIZES:Men’s 7-13.5
WEIGHT: 230g

UPPER: The upper of the Nike Mercurial Vapor is a teijin synthetic upper.  It is ultra lightweight and moulds to the shape of the foot.  The lace cover on the previous models has been removed to reveal a traditional central lacing position.  This makes the shoe easier to adjust and allows the laces to be replaced.

MIDSOLE: As with all other Nike football boots there is no midsole or heel lift.

OUTSOLE: Unlike carbon fiber, which is found in the vapor’s more expensive brother, this model has a tepex glass fiber chassis.  Compared to traditional plastic, the glass fiber improves support and stiffness of the outsole, but reduces weight and thickness, bringing the foot closer to the ground.

Direct injected dual density TPU studs are cored out to further reduce weight.  The forefoot zonal spikes, which are based on a sprinting design, give the perfect balance of excellent straight-line force transfer and lateral grip.

FIT:

• Forefoot:The one-piece teijin upper is extremely comfortable at the forefoot and due to its sprint spike like design, it has a glove like fit allowing the upper to mould to the foot.

• Midfoot:The vapor does not have the flywire found in the Superfly, although, the fit across the midfoot remains firm without being tight.

• Heel Counter:The heel has minimal padding to reduce weight, however, as the shoe moulds to your foot, there is no rubbing and the heel counter isn’t felt.

• Orthotics:The tepex outsole gives provides an ideal base for orthoses to sit on, although, due to the minimalistic design of the boot, there is no room for bulky orthoses.

RIDE:The ride is similar to most football boots.  The tepex outsole distributes the pressure evenly from each stud allowing for little to no stud pressure.  The Nike Mercurial Vapor is noticeably more lightweight and comfortable when compared with other traditional leather boots.

CONCLUSION: The Nike Mercurial Vapor is a further improvement to an already impressive vapor range and religious followers of this boot will not be disappointed.  The Vapor’s upper has the best leather-like feel of any synthetic boot and is available in a range of exciting colours that fans of this shoe will appreciate.

RECOMMENDED FOR:

• Players with a narrow to normal neutral foot type and lighter build
• Players who are quick and agile and looking for a competitive advantage
• Players who like colorful boots