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This summer Nike created a huge buzz in the market with the launch of the next gen SuperFly, Nike Mercurial SuperFly IV. With the exciting promo campaigns, the arrival of the Vapour X was shunned by its more advanced sibling the SuperFly. Regardless whether it pulled the initial array of crowds, the Vapor range is one of Nike’s oldest and reliable signature speed silos till date, constantly pushing the limit to redefine the design and technology to perform to the max. The same is the case with the next generation Mercurial, the Vapor X.
It’s no wonder that Nike brings forward radical changes and innovations in the industry. A fine example is seen again with the top tier Vapor X. With first glance, the boot piques interest with its bright red colorway and the traditional Nike swoosh bigger and more prominent across the front of the upper and a smaller swoosh replacing the NIKE writing seen on previous models. The boot looks bright and lively. You will quickly notice a rather unusual change in the tongue area of the upper that is an absence of a tongue creating a single piece upper to provide a seamless fit.
The upper is made from the high quality Teijin microfiber synthetic similar to the older models. But this time around, the material is thinner in comparison which makes the foot locked into the boot as well as making the boot flexible and comfortable to wear. It doesn’t feel like just a synthetic but has leather like feel which is great. The tongue is created with ultra thin material which is a little stretchy to fit in and out of the boot with ease. This makes the break in period rather short and you can comfortable play within one training session as the material gets softer. The synthetic upper feels soft and flexible offering a great feel for the ball and a great touch, getting more grip due to ACC technology used.
The Nike Vapor X sports a unique support frame smartly concealed beneath the thin layer of Teijin synthetic. It really wraps around your foot to give you a tighter, personal fit and adds to the overall feel of the boot. It Provides ample support to improve the overall lateral stability by keeping the boot close to you even during twists and turns. The Vapor X is not extremely comfortable like the SuperFly nor does it make you feel really good but it was never about comfort when we talk about the Vapor range. It is a solid and responsive boots ready for action doing justice to the previous Vapors worthy to be Nike’s signature speed silo.
Vapour x seems to get better in terms of quality and durability compared to older versions such as vapour 9 and 8. Weighing just 188g for us10 size, it’s lighter than the previous versions. The weight reduction is nothing significant, but we can’t really complain about it either as it’s a welcome trait for any speed silo.
The new sole plate got a significant redesign but is really good. The more, shorter studs give you more pressure distribution and comfort. It is not the best idea to play using the normal studs in hard grass as it may break but for soft grass or artificial grass it’s great. You get a well planted feel and excellent balance when accelerating and when turning. The soleplate is no longer of carbon fibre as seen on the Superfly but a Glass nylon base with split toe design on top the stud plate. It’s thinner, flexible and feels more natural giving lots of grip when you’re on your toes, accelerating forward.
Also, the new micro-control technology (little protrusion throughout the upper) offers slightly lesser grip but is extremely precise over the whole of the upper, offering good consistency and a really nice clean striking surface due to the new tongue less design. If you are the person who needs extremely good grip and control with the ball, you need to try the Predator range. The Vapor X does what it is asked to do, delivering a solid speed silo with great stability and control and also offering good consistency when striking the ball.
The only drawbacks I can point out on the boot minimal protection due to the thin material and also doesn’t have the sock like feel of the superfly. None the less it’s a great boot worthy of its premium price tag being perhaps the best vapour till date by bring together all the goodies featured in the previous vapour models into this brand new silo to give you one of the best boots on the market right now available in four bright colour, namely HyperPunch, ElectricGreen, Black and LaserOrange for pre orders.
